It’s coming into THAT time of year: cold and flu weather! All of us know someone with a sniffle or a sinus headache or a troubling cough during the colder months and we all try and avoid getting the dreaded common cold or ‘the flu’ ourselves.

Firstly, it is important to know the difference between the common cold and ‘the flu’, as often people think they’re one in the same- they are not! The common cold often presents with symptoms such as mild fever, runny or stuffy nose, sneezes and sniffles, a cough and mild irritated throat. It is an upper respiratory tract infection, usually caused by a strain of the Rhinovirus. Depending on the severity of the cold and a person’s immune system, the cold can last a couple of days to a week.

What we know as ‘the flu’ is more serious and caused by a strain of Influenza virus. The symptoms often start with a high fever, followed by sweating, shivering, sometimes a dry cough and whole muscle aches that are severe.

So how do we try and prevent ourselves from getting the common cold, or worse, ‘the flu’?

The best approach to keeping ‘cold and flu’ free is making sure our Immune System is strong.

There are many things we can do to try and prevent getting sick during the colder months. Simple hygiene when around others who are sick is a good start, as well as good quality sleep and keeping up our fluids with water. It is also important to have fresh fruit and vegetables in our diet every day and even avoiding too much sugar (which can suppress the function of the white blood cells (T-cells) that help to fight infections), can help to build up the immune system.

What a lot of people don’t realise, is that Chiropractic care can help with the immune system.

Keeping the nerves functioning to the areas that are affected by colds and flus can help you to fight off infections and recover quicker.

Some nerve roots that can be affected by an interruption from misaligned spinal bones, and what they can cause, are: C2 (sinusitis), C4 (runny nose), C5 (laryngitis, sore throat), C6 (persistent cough, tonsillitis), C7 (colds), T1 (breathing and asthma), T3 (bronchitis, congestion), T8 (a low resistance) and T9 (allergies).

By making sure that the spinal bones are aligned correctly in the areas these nerves go to, it can be seen that many different parts of our immune system can be helped: coughs, sore throats, runny noses and even allergies can all be helped with simple, safe and effective Chiropractic care! 

So remember for the cooler months:

* Make sure to decrease the different types of stress in your body (physical, chemical & emotional)

* Keep up your fluids (water) and eat fresh fruit and vegetables

*Get ADJUSTED! Chiropractic is for everyone and can help you and your family today!

 Note: information taken from spinal chart found at http://goldcoastchiropractor.com/health-info/spinal-nerve-chart/