Boosting immunity: No-flu season!

October, 2009

by Morella Devost

On the Today show this morning, a well-intentioned pediatrician advised moms to get all kids vaccinated for the flu. She suggested that they get the flu vaccine, plus the swine flu vaccine along with whatever other vaccines they are scheduled for. She said it was important to "not get off schedule."

It got me wondering, how did we get to a place where we automatically assume that to have healthy kids it must be through vaccines? What happened to naturally healthy kids? What happened to naturally healthy adults?

I remember when I got rubella as a kid, my best friend was sent over to play with me so she would get it. Her mom and dad were both doctors and they knew it was the best thing they could do. Her parents knew that aside from the nuisance of the illness, the risks were little to none. Unfortunately, she didn't get it.

We won't go into the raging debate about vaccination. There is plenty of that all over the web, written by very well researched people. What I want to focus on is the subject that gets forgotten: How you build immunity naturally.

What can you do as a parent to give your kids the best shot at beating any bugs that come their way? What can you do for yourself?

Here are the 5 absolute musts for strong immune systems:

Vitamin D.
Vitamin D deficiency is perhaps the driving reason why we have a "flu season." Vitamin D is naturally produced in our skin as a result to sun exposure. In the fall and winter, when we get less sun, our vitamin D levels drop. Diet is not a significant source of vitamin D - not even fortified milk.

Dr. Norris Glick in Wisconsin found significant evidence that supplementing with vitamin D prevents people from acquiring H1N1 even if they've been exposed to it. Unfortunately, nobody seems to be paying attention, but you can.

Read Dr. Glick's letter: http://freetheanimal.com/2009/09/vitamin-d-and-the-h1n1-virus.html
Healthy intestinal flora.
Taking a probiotic in anticipation of the cold months can boost your body's ability to fight any bugs that you may come in contact with. The best probiotics are "enteric coated" so they survive your stomach acid and go straight to your gut where you need them. There are kids' probiotics as well.

Eating fermented foods and fiber-rich foods (fruit with skin, green veggies, etc.) will also help strengthen your intestinal flora.
Reduce or eliminate refined sugar.
Sugar is probably one of greatest weakening agents to your immune system. Start to systematically look at your sources of sugar: candy, sodas, sweetened drinks, cakes, muffins, cookies, dressings, sauces, etc., and then choose more natural options. Sweeten your drinks with honey or maple syrup. Choose whole-fruit-based sweets and snacks.
Sleep.
If you and your family do not get a good night's sleep your chances of getting sick increase. Everyone should get at least 7-8 hours per night, without the TV. It takes a few hours of sleep to get into the deeper cycles of sleep where your body does most of its repair work.
Positive mental and emotional state.
The field of neuro-immunology has proven that stress, anxiety and negative thoughts weaken your body's immune system and its ability to heal. Whatever emotional and mental stresses your family may be going through will increase your likelihood of getting sick, so you want to address them. Techniques like the Meridian Tapping Technique and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) can be extraordinarily helpful in reducing stress for adults AND children in very fun, quick ways.

At the very least, make sure to take time to play and have fun with your kids or with your own friends.

We are now offering special consultations for hypnosis and NLP. If you feel that you or your family could use some help with stress, depression, anxiety or general ‘feeling-stuck-ness' we would be delighted to tell you how we can help. Contact us.