"Is Your Body Ready to Fight Colds and Flu?" Sullivan, IN Chiropractor asks about your immune health WellnessFirst of Sullivan

posted: Jul. 30, 2018

Do you trust your GUT? About 70-80 percent of our immune system strength lies in our intestines. So when your gut is healthy, it helps your whole body stay healthy. Hippocrates said, “All disease begins in the gut.” So I ask again, “Do you trust your GUT?”

With all this talk about flu season and Ebola, we decided it was time to discuss viruses and how to prepare your body to fight before you get sick. If all disease begins in the gut, then how do we know if our gut is healthy? Symptoms of an unhealthy gut can include sluggish bowel movements, gas, bloating, food intolerance, allergies, skin irritations, tiredness and/or chronic fatigue, nausea, headaches, sugar cravings, depression, fibromyalgia, obesity and diabetes, lowered immunity, brain fog and loss of focus. But how did it get this way and what can we do about it?

The digestive tract is a big part of our fixed immune system along with the surfaces of our skin and the other surfaces that may be exposed to invaders like our lungs. This system is our first line of defense from invaders like bacteria and viruses. It starts developing at birth and is formed from the microorganisms from the mother and the birth environment. From the third day on it is directly dependent on how the infant is fed. Each individual has a unique composition to their gut flora much like a fingerprint. (4) This balance can be disrupted by the overuse of antibiotics, steroids and other drugs, too much refined sugar or alcohol consumption, stress and other genetic factors. (3)

The microorganisms that live in our gut are more commonly referred to as gut flora and they have some very important functions like absorbing vitamins and nutrients, controlling and developing our immune system, protecting us from unhealthy bacteria, viruses and other microscopic invaders, dissolving or expelling non-digestible carbohydrates, and producing short-chain fatty acids that are essential for wellbeing (2). By maintaining a healthy gut flora we can help support our immune system before we get sick. In fact, certain types of gut flora have been shown to help bodies protect against and fight cancer (1).

There are a couple things we can do to help support this part of our immune system.

Taking a daily probiotic will help ensure the good bacteria stays in control of your gut. We eat every day and our system fights invaders every day, so we need to take a probiotic every day, more than simply eating a yogurt. The important thing to consider when choosing a probiotic is the number of live strains that will actually make it past the stomach into the intestines where they are needed. Dr. Hill explains the importance of fixed immunity and the benefits of probiotic in the very informative video below about building a healthy immune system.
Regular Chiropractic adjustments help remove any interference in communication from the brain or other parts of the body that would inhibit function.
Consistently remove toxins by drinking plenty of water, foot detoxification baths, massage with essential oils, dry brushing the skin and other methods will help support this system.
Support our mobile immune system by cleansing our environment with essential oils.

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