The following outline need not only apply to flu season. The best medicine is prevention! Full-time prevention!

Right now, it seems like I can’t go anywhere without seeing some kind of advertisement for FLU SHOTS.

I thought I could escape from the brainwashing of the medical community and pharmaceutical companies by avoiding the TV.

Apparently not.

So, since “flu season” is beginning, am I supposed to freak out and get a flu shot? Pretty much…Fear always motivates people to do things.

Oh, they also forgot to tell you that you have a 50/50 chance of getting the flu even if you’ve been jabbed in the arm with the vaccine.

Enough of my ranting…

Allow Your Body To Fight Off Influenza On Its Own!

1. Refill With H2O: Did you know your body needs plenty of water to flush out toxins that compromise your immune system? While you sleep, your body builds up toxins in the digestive tract. To naturally flush out these toxins, you must start your day with a glass of water to rehydrate the body. This improves immune system function and allows your body to operate at its highest potential.
2. Sleep…zZz…: A great night’ s sleep is like a reset button for your whole body. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation can make you more likely to become sick because of an overgrowth of bacteria in the body. When we are fighting a sickness, our body naturally promotes sleep. So why not boost your immune system in the first place by getting adequate rest?
3. Pro-Biotic It: “Probiotic” means “A microbe that protects its host and prevents disease.” When you supplement your diet with probiotics, you increase the flora of “good” bacteria in your gut. Did you know the digestive system is where most of your natural immunties “hang out?” If a person has a poor digestive system due to an inadequate, non-nutritious diet, they are very likely to have recurring sickness. Their body’s defense mechanism (immune system) to sickness can never get the proper armor up because that armor is essentially nutrients. Probiotics get that armor up. Learn more in the post Probiotics: Are They Good For Our Kids?
4. Get Some Sun: Did you know the best way to get your daily dose of Vitamin D is to get out into the sun for a few minutes? The skin produces Vitamin D when it is exposed to a certain amount of sunlight radiation. Vitamin D blood levels are at their highest in the summer but reach their lowest levels during the flu and cold season (winter). When you can’t get out, or if it’s the dead of winter, load up on fish which is high in vitamin D. There are supplements out there, but do your research before buying.
5. Exercise…even if it’s just a little: Do your best to get your heart rate up with aerobic exercise for 20-30 minutes a day. Go for a light walk with the dog and baby. Run up and down the stairs a few times. Have sex! Do something!  Stress leads to a weakened immune system. Exercise relieves stress. Therefore, exercise boosts the immune system.
6. Receive Regular Chiropractic Adjustments: Chiropractic care was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Regular Chiropractic Adjustments work to correct any nerve interference in the nervous system. Chiropractors know that nerve interference prevents the body from working optimally. To prevent this nerve interference, they adjust the spine into proper alignment and all systems are “GO” (including the immune system). The mainstream medical community really does not understand Chiropractic. But now you know. Chiropractic focuses on “prevention” and “healing from within.” Learn more Chiropractic and Pregnancy.
7. Eat, Eat, Eat!: Eat nutritiously, that is. Did you know that low blood sugar equals low immunity? One step to a healthy immune system is to eat breakfast! Eat like a healthy King at breakfast. Make a breakfast burrito with eggs and bell pepper. Make a banana smoothie with flaxseed or hemp oil. Have some hot whole-grain cereal with fruits and nuts. Or take some yogurt on-the-go. When you start out eating healthy at breakfast, you will tend to eat nutritiously the rest of the day.
8. Supplement: There are way too many supplements out there that market the illusion of “healthy.” Did you know that we chew most of our food? DUH! But think about it…Most supplements are made to be swallowed. If you swallow vitamins and minerals in pill form, you are not able to chew. Chewing is one of the most important parts of the digestive process! In fact, many vitamin companies use binders, fillers and hard chemical coatings that diminish absorption. Hospital orderlies often refer to these undigested pills and tablets that pass through a person’s intestinal track as “bedpan bullets.” This is not to say that every supplement will not be absorbed. How about a liquid vitamin on LuckyVitamin? Or a whole-food chewable supplement like Chews4Health? And you’ve got to check out Garden of Life.

There’s my preventive strategy to keeping sickness away.

Like I always say, “A body at EASE is without DISEASE!”

To Your Well-Being,

Olivia Johnston

Here is a post from my husband Jeremy’s blog MeetJeremyJohnston.

As moms, we often have times where we struggle and are frustrated with our reality. But, when we focus on our dreams and remember why we want them, we are surely to achieve those dreams.

Enjoy!

The story is told that a young man asked Socrates how he could wisdom.

“Come with me,” Socrates replied. He took the young man to a river and shoved his head underwater. He held it there until the boy struggled for air. The he let him go.

Once the boy regained himself, Socrates asked him, “What did you desire most when your head was under water?”

“I wanted air”, the boy told him.

Socrates nodded slowly. “When you want wisdom as much as you wanted air when you were immersed in the water, he said, “you will receive it.”

In the same way, when

• you have an intense, sincere desire to overcome a certain block in your life;
• you come to a clear-cut decision that there is a way out;
• you confidently decide that that is the course you wish to follow,

then the victory and triumph are assured.

If you really want peace of mind and inner calm, you will get it. It doesn’t matter how unjustly you have been treated, or how unfair the boss has been, or what a mean jerk someone has proved to be. All this makes no difference to you when you awaken to your mental and spiritual powers. You know what you want, and you will definitely refuse to let the thieves (thoughts) of hatred, anger, hostility and ill will rob you of peace, harmony, health and happiness.

Once you learn the habit of identifying your thoughts immediately with your aim in life, you cease to become upset by people, conditions, news and events. Your aim is peace, health, inspiration, harmony and abundance. Feel a river of peace flowing through you now. Your thought is the immaterial and invisible power, and you choose to let it bless, inspire and give you peace.

To Your Well-Being,

Olivia Johnston