Tips for a strong immune system: 3 Simple Steps to Be Healthy
#BeavertonHealth&Happiness
It is common this time of year to start feeling the full effects of cold and flu season. Add to this the ongoing presence of covid and it just gets frustrating.
It is not that we get sick we do sick! What this means is that if our body is tired, run down, poorly nourished, lacking exercise, and stressed, in essence we are setting ourselves up to be sick. Simply, if we want to be less likely to get sick, we need to address our lifestyle.
We can’t control all of our everyday environment, but we can take proactive steps to be as strong as possible by including three simple steps into our routine.
First, begin with your fork! If we eat lots of ‘junk’ and little ‘food’ our body doesn’t have the building blocks needed to create a strong immune system. In fact, the more sugar and carbs you eat, the worse your immune system operates. In addition to the obvious weight gain, inflammation resulting from a poor diet can also increase your risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
By now, many of you have already given up the New Year’s Diet. And who wouldn’t? Changing to foods you’ve never eaten or liked, denying yourself any types of food you like, or just plain starving yourself – doesn’t work!
So, start simple. Eat food, and possibly less of it. There, done. Now to take this to the next level, cut back (or cut out) carbs – sugar, grains, and alcohol. Sugar, or foods that turn into sugar, suppress the immune system of the body. By eliminating sugar, you decrease stress on your immune system, thus allowing you greater potential to minimize sickness. In addition, this step will go a long way to help you normalize your weight.
Second, you have to move. We are designed to move – not sit for long periods of time. With the work-from-home model that has been prevalent the last 2 years, people have been less active. Couple that with poor nutrition and there is a sickness disaster just waiting to happen.
Don’t think this means that you have to join a gym, get up a 4 AM, and go workout. Again, simple steps. Go for a 15-minute walk at lunch, head out on the weekend for a hike on one of the many trails in our area, or even start a yoga class online. The key is to get off your couch or away from your desk and move.
The third and final step is to be sure that your spine and nervous system are functioning properly. Now I can hear some of you asking:
“What does my spine and nervous system have to do with not getting sick?”
Research has shown that the immune system is strongly controlled by the nervous system. If the nervous system does not work properly, the immune system does not work properly. The connection to the spine is simple. The spine is made of moveable bones called vertebra. These bones protect the spinal cord which is made up of nerves. If the spine is not able to move as it should, the nerves are not able to function as designed – this can lead to less resistance to sickness. Research has even shown that by correcting spinal disfunction and allowing for better nerve communication, one has a greater resistance to sickness and faster recovery if one does get sick.
If you would like more information on how nutrition, exercise, and spinal function can improve your health, join us Tuesday February 22nd @ 6:07 PM (yes, 6:07 PM) for our next Body Signals Workshop.
Dr. Dan Miller has been serving the Beaverton area since 1992. He has long held the belief that good health begins before birth. As a certified member of the ICPA, he has worked with thousands of parents and children over the years. For more information, visit his website at: www.BeavertonFamilyChiropractic.com
