Flu Season Survival Guide

By Chiropractor Dr. Annika Jende

NSW is experiencing a significant flu season this year. Chances are that you or someone you love has been affected by it. So what can you do to avoid or minimize the flu?

Orthodox medicine has long gone with Pasteur’s “bug” theory – basically, if there’s a bug going, you just may catch it. Natural therapies are more in alignment with Bechamp’s “host” theory. Bechamp stated that if the host was strong, you would not get sick regardless of what bug was floating around. Legend has it that he drank a glass full of cholera to demonstrate that it would not make him sick (it didn’t). Even the black death killed “only” 40 – 60 % of the population, meaning that the remainder either didn’t get sick, or got sick and recovered.

So what’s the difference between those of us succumbing and those of us staying well? Well, it’s most likely stress. If you are stressed, your body is in fight-or-flight and your immune system is suppressed, making “rest-digest-heal” a tricky proposition, seeing that the internal organs don’t get prioritized in terms of blood flow.

So what can you do to improve your odds? All of these are pretty common-sensical bits of advice that are actually useful any time of the year:

• Rest. I.e., get plenty of sleep and times-out meditating, reading a book, listening to music, staring into a fire etc.
• Have bone broth soup. This builds the gut and as you know, gut and immunity are closely linked.
• Ditch the caffeine (tea, coffee), sugar, alcohol and junk foods and drinks. All of these require reserves from your body – reserves better spent on nurturing your body.
• Have ginger, turmeric, garlic and cinnamon that warm your body and help it detoxify.
• Have plenty of warm water (add ginger or lemon for flavour).
• Get some sunshine to create Vitamin D and lighten your mood.
• And have a chiropractic visit! Why?
  1. Firstly, come in and get an adjustment when flu first shows up on your radar. The brain runs the whole body, including immunity, via the spinal cord, and if you are “out”, its function is highly likely to be affected.
  2. Firstly, we can help you pinpoint which specific remedy your body needs in order to strengthen immunity. Some of the favorite remedies this season so far have been colloidal gold or silver, liposomal C, zinc and probiotics to name a few. If you are recovering from the flu, it’s still smart to find out which remedy is good to ensure your body can finish the job fully. There have been quite a few people whose only flu symptoms have been achy joints, so it’s worth checking that line of enquiry if that’s the case for you, too.
  3. Thirdly, we have studied techniques that can help you with the emotional aspect of stress.

And finally, getting a cold or a flu is actually not such a bad thing. It’s the same part of the immune system that deals with colds and influenzas that also deals with cancer, so your body is getting a cancer-cell clearing-out in the process. So count your blessings and rest!

Oh, and PS: one of our esteemed teachers, Dr. Chris Astill-Smith (he’s the author of most of the charts in our rooms) said when the swine flu was going around during the GFC: “Every time you hear the words “GFC” or “unemployment” just think of chocolate. This will make you smile and strengthen your immune system.” Thanks, Chris!

Image by Tania Hardianti from Pixabay