Flu Season: Will I Get The Flu?

Did you know that everybody gets the flu? There's no way to fully protect yourself from the viruses which cause sneezing, coughing, and feverish chills. The difference is how your body reacts to the flu virus.

Researchers at the University of Michigan recently performed a startling study. They intentionally infected people with a flu virus in order to see how their bodies would be affected. To their surprise, only half of the people showed the normal miserable symptoms of the flu. But all of them showed a significant immune response to the virus.

In other words, all of the study participants got the flu. All of them had the virus, and all of them mobilized their immune systems to fight it off. Yet half of them never felt a thing.

Here's a quote from the MSNBC story on the study:

Lamar Johnson, 44, of Minneapolis, says he’s often wondered if drinking several glasses of juice daily and eating loads of fresh produce keeps him healthy — because in the dead of winter, when everyone around him seems to be suffering from the flu, he never gets sick. In fact, he doesn’t believe he’s ever had the flu in his life.

“I just stay out of the cold, do my best to stay away from sick people and hope I don’t get sick,” he says.

Indeed, Hero says drinking juice, and eating fresh fruits and vegetables to load up on antioxidants may be the answer to avoid getting sick with the flu.

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So The Flu Can Be Prevented?

Yes, it appears that the flu can be prevented by a properly functioning immune system. The study highlights an important chemical component to the immune system: antioxidants which are found in fresh fruits, vegetables, juice, and even coffee. Antioxidants provide extra help to the immune system.

Unfortunately, there is a lack of evidence that flu shots prevent flu symptoms, decrease missed workdays, or reduce illness complications. Are there other natural, non-invasive ways to prevent the flu? Are there any other ways to support the immune system?

Here is a great resource on how to prevent the flu using everyday resources.

Green tea, in moderate quantities of 1-5 cups per day, appears to have antiviral properties and may be helpful in flu prevention.

Chiropractic care is recommended, because proper functioning of the neuroimmune system is extremely important. The purpose of chiropractic is to ensure the proper communication of the nervous system, which directly controls the proper functioning of the immune system. If your nervous system can immediately alert and facilitate the proper distribution of the immune system responses after the first viral invasion, your body will be much more likely to be able to fight off the infection before it reaches the symptomatic stage.

How is this possible?

The symptoms we dread are nothing more than the entire body's defense against the flu. If the immune system is unable to quickly identify and kill all the flu viruses, the body mobilizes extra defenses. A fever is the body's attempt to create an unfavorable environment for the viruses. A runny nose is the body's attempt to trap and eliminate viruses caught in the nasal mucus. A foggy head is the body's attempt to reallocate resources to the virus battle. All of these symptoms are your body's proper responses to the virus, if the front line cellular defenses are not enough.

Preparation, a thoughtful diet, and chiropractic care can provide an excellent way to fight off the viruses before your body reaches the symptomatic stage. Because, after all, even if you don't get symptoms this year, you will most surely get the flu. How your body fights it is up to you.