And, "I don't want to get you sick." Before we start locking ourselves into our houses afraid of coming into contact with another person, especially another sick person, I want you to think about something. Why is flu season more common in winter versus summer? There are various theories that include the cold air helps viruses survive, that we are locked indoors more or changes in our lifestyle during those months can contribute to more sickness.

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So, what do I mean by changes in our lifestyle in Nepean ON?

Come the fall season, we get less sunlight so we have less Vitamin D. We see changes in our eating habits, from celebrations at Thanksgiving, then Halloween and November & December Christmas parties, so not eating or sleeping the best play a factor in lowering the function of our immune system.

So I have put together 5 Ways to Bulletproof Your Immune System because it really comes down to how strong your immune system is in fighting and warding off the pesky flu.

1. Make sure you have optimized your vitamin D levels

Most have heard about how Vitamin D boosts immune function. Most Canadians are Vitamin D deficient. The only true way to find out is to get it tested. How much Vitamin D you should be taking depends on your size and weight. The Vitamin D council recommends about 35 IU/day/pound. So a 100-pound woman would need 3,500 IU/day of total input but a 300-pound lineman would need 10,500 IU/day. Keep in mind this is total input, which includes sunlight, diet, and supplements.

2. Take Your Probiotics

Your immune system function is closely related to the health of your gut bacteria. When you don't have healthy bacteria to help fight off the not-so-pleasant bacteria, the immune system gets suppressed and your defenses become weakened.

3. Avoid Sugar

Sugar reduces white blood cell function and suppresses the immune system. Not allowing your body to fight of the intruders. Eating or drinking 100 grams (8 tablespoons) of sugar, the equivalent of about two cans of soda, can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by forty percent. The immune-suppressing effect of sugar starts less than thirty minutes after ingestion and may last for five hours. And a reminder that grains are sugar.

4. Get Some Sleep

A good night's sleep can go a long way, probably even further than you would expect. This is the time the body does most of its repair and healing. Without sleep, the immune cells reduce and inflammation goes up making a great environment for viruses to hang out and thrive.

5. Correct any Neuro-Structural Shifts with your Spine & Nervous System

While seemingly unrelated, an entire professional field is dedicated to Neuro-Immunology, the connection between the nervous system and immune system. Structural Chiropractic doctors analyze the spine in search of potential problems that could interfere with the nervous system and impact the health of the immune system.

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So, using these tips is the best thing that you can do during flu season to make sure your immune system is working well to fight off any invaders. In 1975, Ronald Pero's team Pero, Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York's Preventive Medicine and his team measured 107 individuals who had received long-term Chiropractic care. The chiropractic patients were shown to have a 200% greater immune competence than people who had not received chiropractic care, and a 400% greater immune competence than people with cancer or serious diseases. Chiropractic adjustments can help boost immune function to enable faster healing.