The Winter season can be busy and exciting. With so many events like family dinners, holiday parties, and the preparation and planning for gift giving, we have plenty of distractions to keep us from focusing on our health and taking care of ourselves as we would normally. The winter weather can seem like a great excuse to hibernate on your couch and push your health and fitness routine to the sidelines. With the shorter days and colder weather, finding the motivation to stay healthy and fit can be difficult. However, winter is actually an important season to keep up with your active and healthy lifestyle. And that can lay the foundation for a weakened immune system, posing a greater risk of developing illness or injury. No wonder they call it the winter blues.
Your Immune System Is Your Body’s Bodyguard
Your immune system is a complicated, interesting and amazing system which helps keep you healthy and strong, so it can do its job of fighting the nasty bugs we all come in contact with. During the winter months when people are already more susceptible to the common cold, flu, and depressed mood, it is important to be conscious of a number of things to help stay healthy and maintain a well-functioning immune system. It is estimated that up to 20% of the United Sates population gets the cold or flu each year. Wintertime presents a higher likelihood to develop cold and flu than during any other season.
Bundling up outside, sticking to a healthy intake of fruits and vegetables, as well as regular physical activity, can help to boost the immune system during its high time of vulnerability, and in doing so, you decrease the risk of falling ill. Chiropractic adjustments will help to restore the misalignments in your spine. This will restore the communication between your brain and immune system. With a central nervous system that is functioning at its best, your immune system becomes equipped to defend your body from diseases, illness and infections.
Vitamins & Supplements
The importance of a healthy diet cannot be understated; the food we put into our bodies has a direct impact on our mood, energy level, and immune response. Even making small changes, like cutting out sugary drinks or adding a serving of fruits or vegetables everyday can have a big impact on your overall health. Adding nutritional supplements can also help support immunity. We recommend that you get at least 100% of all the recommended daily allowances of all the major vitamins and minerals. It is also important that you are getting safe, high-quality supplements. Our office stocks a variety of vitamins that we believe are the best on the market.
Get Your Zzz’s
Not getting enough sleep can have serious consequences. Proper rest is also vital to a well-functioning immune system. Try to get enough sleep/rest each night, and avoid oversleeping during the winter months. Research has found that when you are well-rested you are likely to have a stronger immune response to viruses than when you have not gotten enough sleep. It’s believed that the release of certain hormones during sleep is responsible for boosting your immune system.
Chiropractic
As you can see, there are many factors within you that can affect the strength of your immune system and help you live a healthier life. Bettendorf Chiropractic Wellness Center is an excellent source for strengthening your immune system. Subluxations along the spine can affect a number of systems within the body, including the immune system. By targeting these misalignments with adjustments, chiropractic care allows your immune system to work to its fullest potential in order to continue to keep you healthy throughout the winter months and beyond. Research has shown that chiropractic care boosts the immune system. In fact, people who have regular chiropractic adjustments have up to a 200% stronger immune system than those who don`t!!
With winter in full swing and temperatures continuing to drop, it is important for all of us to remember to take care of ourselves and do what we can to stay healthy throughout the season. The extreme weather can affect your health in many different ways. Cold temperatures can make joints feel stiff, ice can make just walking to your car a treacherous experience, and shoveling heavy snow can lead to serious injuries. When these are combined with the prevalence of cold and flu and the short winter days, it’s no wonder so many people have already started their countdown to spring! Fortunately, chiropractic care is a safe, and extremely effective, way to help alleviate many of these cold weather ailments. Be proactive when it comes to your health this winter, take care of yourself, and let a chiropractor work with you to develop a comprehensive plan to keep you running strong through the cold winter months and the entire year!