Marketing for the flu vaccine is in full swing. It is a common topic that comes up with practice members this time of year wanting my opinion.
The place to begin is at the end of the flu season when the effectiveness of the vaccine for the previous season is estimated. Since 2005, the vaccine has been found to be less than 50% effective in over half of those years. The vaccine for 2017-2018 was estimated to be 25% effective. Interestingly, it is reported on WebMD to be most effective in healthy people. Common sense says healthy people have higher immunity already.
Observation with practice members who do receive the flu vaccine commonly have a flu-like reaction within days of the vaccination.
Here are eight habits to naturally optimize immunity to protect your health during cold and flu season:
1. Regular chiropractic care: Clinical observation and limited research support chiropractic adjustments increasing immune system response.
2. Sleep: Chronic lack of sleep not only weakens our immunity, it shortens our life.
3. Hydrate: Drink water. Nothing fancy here just practicing common sense.
4. Detoxify: You will be surprised at the difference cleansing chemistry from our body that shouldn’t be there. Contact me if you are interested in an effective 28 day program.
5. Eat for health: This is the hard one for most. Real food is slow food compared to the abundance of junk food and processed foods we eat on the go. The health benefits are worth it. I am here to help if you want to turn your diet around.
6. Supplements: It is true we can get the nutrients from our diet. The reality is, we don’t (see #5). Plus, unless we choose locally grown food sources, the vital nutrients are lacking in produce harvested early and shipped across country. Even if we do change our diet to whole food, we often have chronic deficiencies that need to be remedied.
7. Move: Exercise is essential. I recently adopted a young energetic dog that needs a lot of exercise. Guess who became my personal trainer? We are both benefiting from daily walks.
8. Have gratitude: Thankfulness for who and what you have in your life brings more of the same. If you focus on what you don’t have, you will never have enough.
There are no secrets here. Living a natural life brings natural health. Artificial passive support such as vaccines does not strengthen our own immunity. Our own immunity, when supported, is highly effective.
I am here to assist you in being optimally healthy.