Flu season is right around the corner! Are you planning to get a flu shot? Or are you on the fence about the efficacy of influenza vaccinations? Whereas I can’t advise you on whether or not to get a flu shot, I can provide some flu season tips on how to nourish and strengthen your body and immune system for the cold and flu months of the year.

This article from the Center for Disease Control & Prevention explains that although flu vaccines are a good precautionary measure, they can be less than 50% effective across the board. The article identifies, “at least two factors that play an important role in determining the likelihood that flu vaccine will protect a person from flu illness: 1) characteristics of the person being vaccinated (such as their age and health), and 2) the similarity or “match” between the flu viruses the flu vaccine is designed to protect against and the flu viruses spreading in the community.” That means that if you are among the population with a weak or compromised immune

system, you can only hope that the vaccine you receive is the right “match” for whatever virus decides to hitch a ride on your system.

These facts might suggest that another way to reduce your risk of actually

developing symptoms, or worse, hospitalization from a flu virus, would be to support your body’s natural ability to respond and defend itself. In other words, support your immune system with good nutrition and lifestyle choices. And that starts with prevention!

5 Preventative Flu Season Tips

1. Prioritize Flu Season Nutrients. There are some key nutrients that are well studied for stimulating immune function, responding to seasonal stressors, and other important functions. Vitamin A-Carotenes will keep your mucous membranes strong and resistant, improving the body’s own defense mechanisms. Vitamin C with bioflavonoids helps stimulate immune function. Vitamin B complex is a toner and balancer to the nerves and endocrine system, which can aid in your body’s ability to respond to seasonal (and sometimes extreme) weather changes. Vitamin E increases the effectiveness of white blood cells and increases resistance to disease. Vitamins A, C, and E also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. The mineral selenium has antioxidant activity, and stimulates the immune system. And the mineral zinc is needed by the body’s own primary antioxidant, called “SOD,” and is also needed to release vitamin A from the liver.
2. Consider Herbal Immune Support. The Native American herb Echinacea is widely studied for it’s immune supporting actions. Echinacea is an effective anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and immune stimulant against infections and inflammatory conditions. Echinacea is effective in preventing or accelerating the healing of colds and flus. There are no generally recognized side effects of Echinacea overdose. For that reason, I’d consider Echinacea a great preventative herb to be taken before and during the annual flu season period. Myrrh is one of nature’s best antibiotics. Myrrh increases white blood  count, is astringent– tightening and strengthening tissue resistance. Myrrh tones and stimulates mucous tissue and is an expectorant. Another herb, Andrographis, has been primarily studied to support immune system health at onset by supporting healthy levels of immune cells in the blood.  Investigations from the Sichuan Traditional Medicine Research Institution showed Andrographis provided acute support for the immune system, which might suggest that this herb is good to have on hand for the onset of a cold or flu.
3. Support Optimal Digestion. Digestion should probably be at the top of this list, simply because it’s important that all the nutrients you are focusing on are actually being digested and utilized. Avoiding negative nutrients and foods that can upset digestion or cause inflammation can make a difference in your body’s ability to utilize all its nutrients. Refined sugar, white flour, conventional cow dairy, alcohol, processed foods, and meat-heavy diets all have the potential for interfering with optimal digestion. Supporting digestion with key nutrients and factors can also be helpful. Making sure your stomach is producing enough hydrochloric acid will help ensure your minerals are being utilized, and that your proteins are being broken down sufficiently. Digestive enzymes will help break your foods down even further, and finally, a healthy gut biome with all the “good” probiotics will ensure everything is utilized and distributed to your cells. Supporting the liver to perform its many functions is also necessary. Some great foods for supporting all levels of digestion are pineapple, papaya, fermented foods, cruciferous vegetables, ginger, bitter foods, beet greens, glutamine-containing foods, and foods high in vitamin C.
4. Manage Stress & Monitor Lifestyle Choices for the Season. For Americans, fall and early winter are high-performing, high-stress times. Kids return to school, followed by an onslaught of sometimes stressful and toxic holidays, starting with Halloween and rolling right into the new year. In actuality, if you follow Asian or Ayurvedic teachings of good health, autumn and winter are better suited for rest, cleansing, and rejuvenation. So what can we do about that? Just be mindful that forcing your body and mind to do more than they’re biochemically and physiologically prepared to do can weaken their ability to defend you from seasonal invaders. When a flu or cold starts to come on, that is the body’s way of saying, “Hey slow down! I need a little rest.” I wrote another article on ways to keep your diet healthy during the holidays. You can check it out here. Besides that, be sure to add regular exercise, meditation, a good night’s rest, and frequent hot baths or saunas to your holiday season “to-do” list.
5. Understand the Impact of Drugs on the Body’s Natural Functions. It’s common for people to use antihistamines, cough suppressants and-or pain killers to relive cold and flu symptoms. But these drugs interfere with your body’s natural self-healing process. They coat your throat, thus suppressing a cough, but clog the cilia hairs, preventing the healing process. These drugs overstimulate your adrenals and sympathetic nerve response, yielding a false sense of well being. They also rob the spleen and the rest of the immune system of energy, driving the problem deeper.

Our bodies are amazing! But we often fail to give our bodies a fair chance at showing us what they can do. When you improve the environment for your body to heal and thrive, it will give back with strength, resilience, energy and vitality. I hope you’ve enjoyed these flu season tips. As a gift for saying “thanks” for reading, I’d like to give you aFREE list of the top food sourcesof the nutrients discussed in this article for supporting healthier immune function. You can download that here!

You can also reach out to to me with any questions, by scheduling a complimentary nutrition coaching call here. I look forward to helping you any way I can.

Sources:

Weller, Patti CCN, The Power of Nutrient Dense Foods, Deerpath Publishing- 2011

Schecter, Steve ND, Natural Remedies for Colds, Flu & Allergies, Vegetarian Times Issue #49