Flu "Season"

Flu “Season”: Boost Your Immune System for a Vibrant Life

It’s time to up your immune system’s game! The flu season (aka the sugar, junk food, and no sun season) is here. Over the next couple of months, we have less sun exposure, lower vitamin D levels, and, due to the holidays, we often don’t eat as carefully as we do the rest of the year—myself included.

The Importance of Vitamin D

To keep our energy levels up and avoid being taken down by the flu or other bugs, it’s crucial to boost our vitamin D levels, support our microbiome, and ensure we’re getting adjusted regularly.

D levels are low in everyone not taking a supplement. “Normal” D levels medically range from 20-40 ng/ml. However, this is inadequate for optimal immune function and cancer prevention. If you want to avoid being out of the office for days or even a week due to a flu bug, aim to keep your D level around 60 ng/ml. This typically requires supplementation of about 5,000 IU per day. Some individuals with malabsorption or gut issues may need up to 10,000 IU daily. How do you know what’s right for you? You need to test! Be sure to add vitamin D levels to your yearly lab work.

D3 with K2: A Powerful Combination

D3 with vitamin K2 is a great choice because K helps with the absorption of D3, making it more bioavailable. Everyone who isn’t on blood thinners or has a clotting disorder should consider this type of supplement. You can pick it up in our office or go here: NutriDyn | D3 5000 with K2. Is K2 critical? Not necessarily, but it’s better. If you are using Coumadin or Eloquis, just use D3 without K. NutriDyn | D3 5000 will work just fine.

Don’t Forget Magnesium

Let’s not forget about magnesium! This mineral helps regulate D activity. If you’re magnesium deficient, consider adding it to your routine. Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include low energy and muscle tension or spasms, especially at night. While I don’t want to dive too deep into this topic, it’s worth mentioning.

Cultivating a Healthy Microbiome

A healthy microbiome is perhaps the MOST important factor for a strong immune system. The microbiome consists of all the “bugs” that live on and in us. They crowd out harmful bacteria by using up all the resources—much like a well-cared-for lawn keeps out dandelions. You can cultivate your microbiome by “seeding” it with probiotics and keeping it healthy by consuming prebiotics, which are the food that probiotics thrive on. Good bacteria prefer low-sugar foods, especially vegetables, particularly fermented ones. In fact, fermented veggies come with even more bacteria!

On the flip side, bad bacteria thrive on sugar and junk food. Your diet plays a significant role in determining your microbiome makeup over time. Even if you start with good bacteria, a diet high in junk food can lead to the good bacteria dying off and the bad bacteria taking over. You can accomplish quite a bit for your immune system simply by eating better.

The Yogurt Myth

People often say, “I eat yogurt.” But that’s just not enough! Plus, the fruit-on-the-bottom varieties are often loaded with sugar. Sure, eat yogurt, but make sure it’s the good stuff—full fat and no sugar added. Even so, that alone won’t correct a messed-up microbiome. You may need to supplement with 50 to 100 billion CFUs (colony-forming units) per day for months, or even a year, to restore a healthy microbiome. And those supplements should contain many different strains. Here’s what we use in our office: Visbiome GI Care High Potency Probiotic Capsules | Visbiome®. You can order online or get it at Vibrant Life Center.

The Role of Your Nervous System

Nothing beats your nervous system’s inherent ability to marshal an immune response to pathogens and harmful bacteria. The vagus nerve, which controls the ‘fight or flight’ response, plays a critical role in this process. It exits the spine right at the top of the neck. If you frequently experience headaches or dizziness, your vagus nerve may not be functioning optimally. Before spending money on vitamins and probiotics, consider getting adjusted.

Getting a chiropractic adjustment at Vibrant Life Center activates your white blood cell activity. If you’re not feeling well and think you should skip your adjustment because you’re sick, that’s backward thinking. If you’re sick, get adjusted by Dr. Danielle Fleming or Dr. Daniel Barrett. You’ll bounce back much quicker. And don’t worry about getting us sick; you can’t make me or our staff sick. We all make ourselves sick through our own behaviors and immune systems. Only I can make me sick. You can’t do it. So, get adjusted! Go here: Vibrant Life Center Chiropractic | Chiropractic | 6070 50th Street North, Oakdale, MN, USA.

Personal Experience: Finding Balance

The only time I personally experience respiratory problems is when I don’t sleep well for several days in a row. This usually happens when I go snowmobiling with the guys. We hit the trail at 7 AM and ride all day, returning at midnight or 2 AM, only to do it all over again the next day. After a couple of days of that, my immune system might be off its game. So, by Tuesday after a weekend like that, I sometimes find myself feeling under the weather.

My Go-To Remedies

What do I do then? I get adjusted, sleep, and heal. I go to bed early, dressed in a hoodie sweatshirt, sweatpants, and these old-school hand-knit socks given to me by a dear Latvian immigrant, Ritma, who gifted them to me for my birthday years ago. Before bed, I drink plenty of water and eat something simple and salty (electrolytes) to prevent feeling achy from dehydration.

By the way, that’s mainly why people don’t feel good. They ache all over from electrolyte loss due to fever and not eating. If you use electrolytes when you have a fever (and don’t take Tylenol or Ibuprofen for it), you won’t feel as bad while your body creates phlegm to cough up. And don’t interrupt that process with cough suppressants or antihistamines. That’s how your body gets rid of the bad bugs! You either hack them up and swallow them (digest) or spit them out. Sorry, that may sound gross, but it’s normal and not a sign of being sick. It doesn’t feel great, but that’s what healthy looks like.

A Condensed Summary for Your Health

To wrap it all up: Get adjusted, take 5,000 IU of D3, consume probiotics, eat prebiotics, and prioritize sleep.

Remember, there’s always hope for better health and well-being. You have the power to make changes that can lead to a vibrant life!

Have a great day!

Dr. Barrett

Vibrant Life Center