If you have been paying attention to current events, you’ve probably heard a great deal about just how devastating this year’s flu season is, compared to previous years. You also may have neighbors, coworkers, or friends that have come down with this year’s flu strain; this can increase your risk of exposure. Obviously, you want to protect yourself and your family as much as possible.

How can you keep yourself and your loved ones from getting sick? Dr. Nathen Horst has some suggestions to boost your immune system for this flu season. You probably already know about some of these suggestions, but a few might actually surprise you.

Know the Signs of the Flu

Although no two flu patients may show the exact same symptoms, there is a general list of symptoms that are considered common. It is important to recognize them in yourself or family members – and children in particular – as soon as possible:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue (tiredness)

Basic Flu Prevention Methods

Aside from getting a flu shot as early in flu season as possible, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) have several other basic public health recommendations to lower your chances of getting the flu or passing it along if you get sick.

Avoid close contact: Try to avoid close contact with people who have gotten the flu, as well as if you have gotten sick. If your friends or coworkers appear to be showing signs of illness, urge them to stay home if at all possible to avoid spreading germs. If you are particularly susceptible, due to being immuno-compromised, you can purchase face masks to cover your mouth and nose when you are out in public.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth: One of the easiest ways for the flu virus to be transferred is if you touch a contaminated surface and then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. This is a particular problem in public common areas, such as restrooms or break areas at work. If you are using these areas, wash your hands thoroughly, preferably with a disinfectant soap. Use a paper towel as a barrier when you touch the door handle to exit.

Clean and disinfect: Carry hand sanitizer with you when you go out in public and use it before touching surfaces that are used frequently. Such areas include your work area (including your keyboard, computer monitor, and telephone), any communal equipment in the break room (such as the microwave or coffee maker), and shared office equipment such as central copiers or fax machines.

Chiropractic Care to Boost Immunity

Believe it or not, but regular chiropractic spinal adjustments can play a large part in boosting your immune system against this year’s flu strain. There is some intriguing research that has shown a strong link between the central nervous system and the body’s immune system.

Given that one of the central precepts of chiropractic is that adjustments to the spinal vertebrae can improve bodily function by reducing pressure placed on the nerves leading in and out of the spinal column, it would make sense to conclude that spinal adjustments would improve the function of the central nervous system, thereby boosting the body’s own immune system.

In fact, there has been research done to show that there is an increase of both immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G in the blood of a healthy subject within two hours of a spinal adjustment. Both types of immunoglobulins are vital for the body’s immune system to fight off pathogens.