How to stay healthy during Cold & Flu Season
by Matt Vidler
Colds and flus cause considerable illness. A cold or flu negatively affects our social life and costs us a lot of money in medical bills and time off work. Every year the average adult catches a common cold 2-4 times and children experience 6-8 colds. A cold typically lasts for 7-10 days, which adds up to a lot of time off work, in bed and feeling unwell. Influenza is less common, but more serious than a cold.
There are no cures for common colds or the flu. Prevention is the best strategy for minimizing the disruptions to work and social life. There are many things you can do to reduce your chance of being exposed to these viruses. You can always contact us here to find out more about how we help people stay healthy and pain free.
Can Colds and Flu be prevented?
More people catch a common cold or the flu in winter months because of weather changes. We spend more time indoors where the viruses that cause these illnesses can spread easily.
You need to be especially careful about hygiene in cold and flu season. When someone catches a cold or flu, they are contagious and can start spreading the virus causing their illness for about 24 hours before they start having symptoms.
How to limit exposure to cold and flu viruses
Wash your hands
Maintaining good hand hygiene is vital during the cold and flu season.The virus commonly enters your body when you touch your nose, mouth or eyes with infected hands.
It is best to make a habit of washing hands for at least 10-15 seconds in warm soapy water, especially after coughing or sneezing and before eating.
Avoid crowds and sick people
Sometimes it is difficult to identify sick people. People who are infectious may not have any symptoms in the early stages of their illness. Try to avoid people who you know have a cold or flu, and stay away from crowded areas during flu season to reduce your chance of infection.
Disinfect surfaces
Keep household and office/work surfaces clean (e.g. door knobs, switches and telephones) as they can harbour viruses for several hours. Wipe and disinfect these surfaces regularly.
Stay warm and dry
Staying warm and dry won’t prevent colds and flus which are caused by viruses. But when you are infected with a cold or flu virus, staying warm and dry might reduce the effects of symptoms like coughing and sneezing.
Does Chiropractic boost immune competency?
Researchers discovered the importance of the sympathetic nervous system in 1987. They discovered norepinephrine in the immune system organs such as the lymph nodes. [1]
In 1989 Ronald Pero, Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York’s Preventive Medicine Institute as well as a professor of medicine at New York University followed up that discovery. He found over a three year study looking at the immune system of the following patient types: people receiving chiropractic treatment, some having cancer and additional terminal illnesses, and the general public not under chiropractic treatment.
The study concluded that patients under chiropractic treatment for 5 years had a 200{a38adfb64250551cd5ff34942abfc3e60fe8f10064d6371ecb7135ab9fb7a008} boosted immune competency compared to those who were not under chiropractic treatment. [2] [3]
Shifts and Pivots
We hope you’ve found this article useful. Remember to like and share this information with loved ones.
We’ll be posting more articles on how to use “shifts and pivots” to move yourself along the health spectrum to vitality and wellness.
As always, if you have a long term chronic condition, or suffer with symptoms and illness regularly, there could be a connection between your spine and a compromised nervous system.
We encourage everyone in your family to get checked.
[1] “Felton DL, Felton SY, Belonged DL, et al.” “Noradrenergic sympathetic neural interactions with the immune system: structure and function.” Immunol Rev. 1987 Dec;100:225-60.
[2] “Pero R.” “Medical Researcher Excited By CBSRF Project Results.” The Chiropractic Journal, August 1989; 32.
[3] “Enhancing Your Immune System For Better Health” November 8, 2014 By Dr. Tony Jensen