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Tips for staying well this Winter

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naturopathy cold fluIt’s always a sad time of year for me when the days start to get shorter and colder! It can also be a difficult time with people that are prone to cold and flu symptoms such as coughs, sore throats, headaches, sneezing and blocked noses, and muscular aches.

If you or your family dread this time of year as you seem to be afflicted with illness, it might be a good time to reassess your diet and lifestyle, and possibly go that step further and see a qualified Naturopath to help you whilst coming in to those colder months.

 

Include these to help boost your Immune System.

  • Zinc – this mineral is found in most protein containing foods, eg chicken, beef, fish, nuts, seeds (pumpkin seeds are an excellent source). Zinc deficiency can be one of many reasons for repetitive illness, poor wound healing, skin disorders and white spots on your nails. Zinc and Copper are competing minerals, so if one is low then the other may be high, which can then drive the deficiency down further. Another problem can be low stomach acid, which means you are not breaking down proteins efficiently and therefore not absorbing the zinc.
  • Vitamin C – this vitamin is important in preventing illness as well as speeding up recovery times, as it increases the activity of infection fighting white blood cells. Good sources of vitamin C are berries, oranges, kiwifruit, guava, tomatoes, capsicum, dark green leafy vegetables and broccoli.
  • Mushrooms – are also an excellent food source for improving the function the immune system, the best varieties are shiitake, maitake and reishi so add as many of these as possible.
  • Add lots of ginger, garlic and onion to your diet – they have great pathogen fighting properties and are very beneficial to the immune system.
  • Probiotic foods – such as yoghurt (if tolerated), miso, sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables. A big part of the immune system is in the gut, so ensuring sufficient good bacteria is another way to maximise your immune function.
  • Get outside more – part of the problem with the colder months is that we stay inside to keep warm. By doing this we are missing out on the benefits of sunshine and fresh air, and allowing exposure to harmful pathogens that others in the room may have.

 

Avoid these if you are prone to infections.

Sugar – it is very important to minimise or eliminate sugar from your diet, as it reduces the capacity of your white blood cells to engulf invading pathogens. This effect has been proven to last for up to 5 hours after eating a high sugar food.

Mucus forming foods – especially if you are prone to congestion and phlegm, the foods to avoid are mostly dairy, sugar and refined foods.

 

Avoiding illness this winter.

The best thing you can do is to prevent infection. However if you have made all of the mentioned changes to your diet and lifestyle and are still getting sick, it may be time to see a Naturopath that can investigate further and prescribe a herbal remedy and/or appropriate supplementation.

 

Chiropractic and running.

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RunningIt’s that time of year again. The days are getting longer (slowly), we are beginning to look forward to summer and we are becoming more motivated to get out and exercise. For some of us that means signing up for one of the many fun runs, half marathons or maybe even marathons that are held in Sydney over the next 6 months. Running is great for your fitness and for weight loss, but it can be hard on your body, especially if you haven’t done much of it in the past few months.

Chiropractic can help in several ways for you to reach your running goals, whether that’s to be able to run 5km without stopping or to get a PB in next months half marathon. It’s often of great benefit to have a chiropractic treatment before you get into training. A treatment will balance your structure, not only your spine and hips, but also your knees and very importantly your feet, joints that get used heavily when running. Being structurally balanced allows your body to function at its optimum, which means in its most efficient and strongest state. If your body is in an efficient state it can work that bit easier than if it were unbalanced and less efficient, therefore making running that bit easier. Having your body in a strong state means it is resilient. It can cope with the training and the challenges you will put your body through, with less chance of injury. It will also have the ability to adapt faster and hence reach your goals faster.

If you’ve started training and you begin to feel some strains or pains, don’t get disheartened. It doesn’t mean you need to give up running. It just means that the exercise you’re doing is challenging your body to a level where small imbalances are now showing up. These are small imbalances that would not cause any symptoms if your level of training was just a little lower. Visiting your Chiropractor can help rebalance these issues and allow you to get back to training.