Cold & Flu Season: Myths and the Best Prevention Strategies

Did you know there isn’t really a “season” for cold and flu. Let me tell you exactly why.

The first problem is that many people view the main cause behind the “season” are bacteria and viruses. Which is true to an extent, but they don’t hold complete power over us. It is not inevitable that you will catch a cold of flu, nor if you do, the severity of your suffering. What am I talking about?

The main thing to become aware is that we are constantly bombarded with different microbes all year long. So why are we not sick all the time? The key is your immune system, and it can be affected by many things. I am going to list the main ones:

• Unrelated chronic illnesses
• Age
• Nutrition
• Stress
• Environment (i.e. smoke, mold)
• Sleep
• Activity
• *Vaccines

In my practice, I have seen 3 main patterns behind “the season”.

1. It is back to school time and as any parent knows, September is downright chaotic! ‘Stressed’ and ‘overwhelmed’ are the words I hear most. Don’t forget, most of us are coming back to work from summer holidays, a mood buzzkill.
2. Our lovely Alberta weather starts to swing, the coming of the cold climate puts physical stress on our bodies and we tend to stay inside, huddle together spreading our collective bugs.
3. Halloween! Yeah, we love our sugar don’t we? I know you know that, but what bet you didn’t know is that just one sugary meal (i.e. chocolate bar, can of pop) can knock out our immune’s ability to properly function against infections for 6-8 hours!

Hopefully you see my point that it is what we do to ourselves that creates “the season”. If we protect and support our immune system through the changes of the season, we can avoid cold & flu all together.

The number one thing you can do is frequently wash your hands, statistically it is the best preventative measure you can do.

My primary recommendations would be maintaining a good diet, plenty of sleep and exercise. This includes avoiding alcohol and sugar. These are the best ways to support your immune system so that it can the many changes happening in the fall.

The top two preventative remedies are Vitamin C 1 to 3 grams a day and a good echinacea product, whether its pill or tincture form. Other adjunctive supports for prevention would be a good multivitamin including Vitamin D, plenty of soups and stews especially with garlic and onions, with a probiotic (good = 25 billion cfu, with 5 or more bacterial types).

As a Naturopathic Doctor, I have worked with many people optimizing their health, including getting them into shape to avoid the “cold & flu season”. Do you want to give yourself the best chance to avoid a miserable winter? It is time to start taking care of yourself now before you run into an infectious bug that slows down and takes you out for days.

Dr. Derek Cook

Contact Healthflow Family Wellness today to book in for a free 15 minute ‘meet and greet’ with Dr. Derek Cook to discuss preventative ways to prepare yourself for good health and well being!