Stay healthy through the cold and flu season with natural prevention and rapid relief treatments.
With the change of season comes cold and flu, allergies, and the likelihood of getting sick. But it doesn’t have to!
Forum Health’s Functional and integrative medicine doctors look at the whole individual. Our goal is to create optimal health and find the root cause of your disease or illness. Using this approach, our integrative medicine doctors recommend steps that you can take whether you are trying to prevent getting sick and want to boost your immune system, or feel like you’re coming down with something and need quick relief.
Here are the top 3 things our doctors recommend for immune health.
Hit Snooze and Get Those 8 Hours of Sleep a Night
Sleep plays a critical role in overall health but especially when it comes to supporting your immune system. During sleep, you’re not only resting, your body is at work repairing itself from the day before and preparing you to feel refreshed for the next day.
Studies have shown that people who do not get adequate sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, like those that cause the common cold and the flu. This is because during sleep, your body releases immune-defensive proteins, and infection-fighting antibodies and cells.
When you are sick, or have been exposed to bacteria or viruses that cause infection or inflammation, and are sleep deprived, your body may not release enough of these proteins, antibodies, and infection-fighting cells.
Very simply, sleep is necessary for your body to be able to fight off disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, the optimal amount of sleep for most adults is seven to eight hours and teenagers need nine to 10 hours of sleep.
Prevention is the Best Medicine, Stay Strong with Immune-Boosting Vitamin D
When it comes to boosting the immune system, you have to start within. Vitamin D is in the food we eat and also produced in your body, however, most people experience dips in their vitamin D levels throughout the year.
Vitamin D is made through the skin when in contact with UV rays from the sun. Studies have found that in the summer months, vitamin D levels tend to be normal in most people and the incidence of cold and flu, and autoimmunity are relatively low. As the weather changes, you spend more time indoors, and the days grow shorter and colder, vitamin D levels begin to drop – low vitamin D is (<30 ng/ml).
Often, the amount of vitamin D available in the food you eat is not enough to maintain adequate levels for a healthy immune system to fight off infection. While eating a healthy diet is key, taking supplements ensures that your body is receiving the essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that you need and may not be able to get from food alone.
Vitamin D has been shown to be critical for a healthy immune system by fighting off viruses, bacteria and even cancer cells. According to the National Institute of Health frequent colds and flu are associated with low vitamin D levels.
Wondering if your Vitamin D levels are low? At home testing is a convenient and reliable way to test your Vitamin D levels. Learn more here.
If you’ve recently tested your vitamin D levels and are looking for a Vitamin D supplement, we recommend Vitamin D3 & K2.
Get A Fast and Effective Immune Boost with IV Therapy
Even with effective prevention, sometimes we still manage to get sick. That doesn’t mean you have to stay sick and suffer through uncomfortable symptoms.
Help your body and immune system recover quickly with the help of IV therapy! IV therapy is a fast and effective way to get essential, immune-boosting nutrients and hydration into your body to heal.
The Super Immune IV is a perfect blend to protect yourself from illness, infections and seasonal allergies, and to help you recover if you are under the weather.
It is packed with high-dose vitamin C, zinc, magnesium and B-vitamins to boost your immune system, and help your body prevent and fight off infections, colds and seasonal allergies.
Why this mix?
- Vitamin C helps your body produce cells necessary for your immune system to function, combats inflammation, and soothes irritated cells and tissue.
- Zinc is a powerful mineral proven to reduce the risk and duration of bacterial illnesses, such as the common cold, and works by inhibiting an infection from penetrating your mucous membrane.
- Magnesium helps your body increase cellular absorption of vitamins and minerals.
B vitamins are added to aid your metabolism and fight symptoms like fatigue or foggy-headedness.
*All treatments and services vary by clinic, check your local Forum Health location for availability.
No matter your current state of health, Forum Health has the tools and provides you with the support you need to achieve your optimal state of wellbeing. Find a Forum Health clinic near you.
