5 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Flu

Garlic, Onions, and Ginger.  Start including more of these in your meals. Almost all meals taste better with these sautéed in them.  If you juice or make smoothies always add some extra ginger.  Another trick is making some fresh ginger tea with a squeeze of fresh lemon. All of these ingredients will help to kill those little buggers that you & your kids bring home.

Take your Vitamin D.  I generally suggest 5,000 IU’s a day, although you can go have your levels checked. It is a simple and inexpensive blood test.  Ideally your level should be 50-70ng/ml.  Recent studies are showing supplemental vitamin D is as effective as the flu shot. The great side effect is it’s great for your mood and is a cancer preventative.  Who couldn’t  use a little of that?

Take a Probiotic.   Much of your immune system resides in your gut believe it or not.  Taking a probiotic helps to ensure that the gut is balanced and functioning well. These are best taken at bed.  A stong gut means a strong immune system.

Reduce Stress & Get More Sleep.  Stress just runs your body down and increases stress hormones which are not friendly to your immune system. The more sleep you get the less stress will affect you during the day.  Plus, at night is when your body regenerates itself.  Aim for 7-8 hours a night.

Lastly, but a BIGGY…cut the sugar.  When you eat sugar it impairs your immune function.  Just 3 teaspoons can suppress your immune system for 4-6 hours!  Look at labels for grams of sugar.  Remember 4 gm = 1 tsp.  Just an example, one Vitamin Water contains 13gm per serving and a bottle is 2 ½ servings (tricky!) which means it has 8 teaspoons of sugar in that one bottle!  Try to keep sugars down to natural sugars like fruit and if you must add sugar, use Stevia to sweeten, I like Nu Natural Vanilla Stevia for the best flavor.

Plus, as always, regular acupuncture will strenthen your immune system.

Stay well and as always remember change is a process.

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