Surviving Flu Season

Avoiding a serious case of influenza is not about vaccination but more about maintaining a healthy, well functioning immune system. By following these simple guidelines, you can help keep your immune system in optimal working order so that you're far less likely to acquire the infection to begin with or, if you do get sick with the flu, you are better prepared to move through it without complications and soon return to good health.

Optimize Your Gut Flora. This may be the single most important strategy you can implement as the bacteria in your gut have enormous control of your immune response. The best way to improve your beneficial bacteria ratio is avoid sugars as they will feed the pathogenic bacteria. Additionally, processed foods should be limited. Use healthy fats like coconut oil, avocados, olives, olive oil, butter, eggs and nuts. Include fermented foods which can radically optimize the function of your immune response.

Optimize Your Vitamin D Levels. Optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D deficiency plays a role in seasonal affective disorder . This is probably the single most important and least expensive action you can take. Adults need about 8,000 IU's a day.

Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods. They are the last thing you should be eating when you are sick. Avoid it like poison! Sugar impairs the quality of your immune response almost immediately, and as you likely know, a healthy immune system is one of the most important keys to fighting off viruses and other illness. It destroys your beneficial bacteria and feed the pathogenic yeast and viruses.

Get Plenty of Rest. Enough said.

Have Effective Tools to Address Stress. If stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness.

Get Regular Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. Be sure to stay hydrated – drink plenty of fluids, especially water. However, it would be wise to radically reduce the intensity of your workouts while you are sick.

Take High Quality Sources of Animal-Based Omega-3 Fats. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 ,which is crucial for maintaining health.

Wash Your Hands. Washing hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don't use antibacterial soap for this – antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to. 

Use Natural Antibiotics. Examples include oil of oregano and garlic. These work like broad-spectrum antibiotics against bacteria, viruses, and protozoa in your body. And unlike pharmaceutical antibiotics, they do not appear to lead to resistance.

By Michelle Pascal, Registered Holistic Nutritionist