With cold and flu season approaching, it’s important to keep the health of your immune system and nervous system strong so you can stay well (physically and mentally) and recover quickly if you do get sick.

Do you know what symptoms mean you or your child may have a compromised immune system? Read on to learn what to look for as well as what to do to PREVENT getting sick this fall and winter.

5 Signs of a Weakened Immune System

Although many of the following symptoms are common, they are not “normal” and serve as a warning sign that something is not functioning optimally in the body. If you or your child has 2 or more of the following conditions each year, it’s likely an issue with a compromised immune system (which is linked to the health of the nervous system). Fear not if you check off two or more of these symptoms because we’re going to cover several natural ways to strengthen immune function and address the root cause of your child’s health concerns in the following section.

1. Chronic colds or infections

2. Allergies (seasonal OR food related)

3. Asthma/RSV

4. Reoccurring strep

5. Ear infections

7 Ways to PREVENT Getting Sick this Fall and Winter

You body’s ability to fight off infection, pathogens, and other harmful invaders is largely determined by the health of your immune system and gut. When your immune system is weak you’re more likely to get sick, develop issues like allergies, asthma, and strep, have more severe symptoms, and take longer to recover.

By practicing these 7 lifestyle habits you’ll strengthen your immune system and gut so you and your family can stay healthy and happy this fall and winter. We can’t always control what our kids lick, touch, or eat, but we CAN do things to help their little bodies fight off harmful germs and toxic chemicals. Your Stay-Well Tool Box:

1. Take Vitamin D3: If you don't live in a warm, sunny climate where you're getting sunshine on your skin every day, taking a vitamin D3 supplement will prevent you from becoming deficient. Vitamin D helps regulate your innate and adaptive immune response to fight off infection and keep you healthy. Can’t swallow pills? Try these Vitamin D3 drops for adults or kids.

    

2. Prioritize Sleep: When you aren’t getting enough sleep, your immune system won’t be able to function properly. In fact, research analyzing the vulnerability of sleep-deprived adults found that those who slept less than six hours a night were more than four times likely to get a cold than adults who slept more than seven hours. Click here for tips to help improve your sleep.

    

3. Consume Probiotics: The health and strength of our immune system is largely determined by the health of our gut. Probiotics make sure there are plenty of "good bacteria" in your gut to help defend against pathogens, viruses and unwelcome bacteria. They also help regulate your mood, digestion and sleep. If you don't eat or drink fermented foods weekly, it's a good idea to take a high quality probiotic supplement.

    

4. Eat Foods High in Vitamin C: Getting Vitamin C from actual food sources (rather than synthetic supplements) is the most bioavailable and effective way to maintain optimal levels in your body. Vitamin C improves the health of your immune system by providing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Foods high in Vitamin C include kiwi, red bell peppers, strawberries, broccoli, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and snow peas.

    

5. Drink Organic Bone Broth: Gut health plays a major role in immune function, and one of the best ways to strengthen and heal your gut is by drinking organic bone broth. The collagen and amino acids in bone broth help reduce inflammation and seal the openings in the gut lining caused by leaky gut.

    

6. Reduce Stress: It's impossible to avoid stress, but it's critical to do what you can to reduce it and manage it as best as possible. Chronic stress suppresses the immune system, wrecks havoc on your sleep and digestion, and leads to weight gain and irritability. Prioritize daily habits that help calm your nervous system like walking in nature, starting your day with prayer or meditation, closing your eyes and breathing deeply and slowly for a few minutes, yoga, or listening to calming music.

    

7. Get Adjusted: Regular, neurologically-based chiropractic adjustments improve the overall health and functioning of your nervous system. When your nervous system (brain and spinal cord) can communicate clearly, your body is able to adapt well to stress and the environment. Not only that, but other systems in the body work better too, including the immune system, which is responsible for fighting off infection and disease.

Do You Have Allergies?

Have you ever wondered why you or your child suffers from allergies 🤧, but other family members don’t? The reasons can be multi-faceted, but they all stem from 1 COMMON FACTOR that weakens the function of the nervous system, immune system, and other organs in the body: STRESS.

Stress comes in 3 main forms: physical, emotional, and chemical. People experience and express stress in different ways, but over time they all stack-up, leading to dysfunction in the body (one of those being allergies).

Watch this video and read the captions as Dr. McKensie explains more about the CAUSE of allergies (both seasonal and food-related) and what can help.

You and your kids don’t have to suffer from the bacteria and viruses that attack your immune system this year. You have the POWER to make sure your immune system and nervous system are functioning at FULL-STRENGTH 💪 by getting regular chiropractic adjustments and implementing the “Stay-Well Tools” we mentioned above.

Schedule an appointment with us to make sure your nervous system is calm, balanced, and free of nerve interference so you can feel well and perform your best! Schedule an appointment