The first place to start is with your diet. A healthy and well-balanced diet will provide your body with the nutrients it needs to get through each day. If your body is energized with the right nutrients then each body system will be able to function properly, that includes your immune system. With the fast-paced life that has come to be synonymous with daily life in American society, many Americans have resorted to eating on the go. This entails more fast-food bad-choice meals which leads to a deficit in the right nutrients your body needs. What results is an individual who is depriving their immune system of what it needs to work. Thus, we end up with taking more “sick days” than what is truly needed.

For more information on how to achieve a well-balanced diet, visit MyPyramid.gov. Some quick items to take note of is that foods with a high Vitamin C content can help reduce the amount of time that you are sick versus actually preventing sickness. This is not meant to completely put down foods with Vitamin C, however, it is important to note that it does not directly prevent illness, rather just lowers the number of days you are sick. A good balance of fruits and veggies, in particular, can help prevent the common flu or cold.

Another way you can combat illness is hitting the problem right at the source, the fast-paced life. Sometimes as Americans, we need to realize that life cannot just be about always being on the run. Part of getting sick is a result of always being stressed and exhausted. Having your body in overdrive for too long will eventually wear your down and cause your immune system to also not function to its maximum capacity. Take time to relax at work, at home, even in the car.

At work you can take a quick 5 minute break to do some breathing exercises that relax the mind and open your blood vessels increasing blood flow throughout the body, or do some yoga exercises. At home, even with the kids always needing you or your partner needing dinner, you can always take a few minutes to yourself. Maybe add a few minutes to your shower and bath and just clear your head, or take a book into your room and close the door to block out the house noise. Anything that will give you time to clear your head and just think of nothing will seriously help loosen the mind, body, and soul. Finally, in the car you can practice breathing exercises, either on your own or on a tape, or can listen to your favorite music that will put you in a good mood for the ride.

The last tidbit of advice that can be offered on the subject of preventing sickness is getting a good night’s rest. During sleep is the only time your body had the chance to recover from the day’s work. As mentioned before, it is no secret that American life tends to be fast-paced. With this, it is common for people to cut down their sleeping hours to get more working hours in each day. This can be extremely detrimental to your health and should never be an option for wanting to accomplish more in your day. It is recommended that adults get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night. This will give your body enough time to recuperate and will help you feel more energized the following day, which can also translate into being able to get more work done.

It might seem like there is not a lot to be done to prevent getting sick. However, by taking care of these few points you can avoid getting extremely sick and possibly missing out on work, school, and other obligations that you have. Taking good care of your body with food, relaxation, and sleep, can help prevent many short and long term illnesses.

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• Get plenty of rest, especially while you have a fever. Rest helps your body fight infection.
• Stop smoking and avoid secondhand smoke, which can make cold symptoms worse.
• Drink plenty of water, this helps with congestion and preventing dehydration.
• Drink plenty of juices such as orange or grape with vitamin C, or pure pineapple, which along with vitamin C has Bromelain, which is an enzyme that not only breaks up congestion, but is also a natural infection fighter.
• Gargle with warm salt water a few times a day to relieve a sore throat.
• Avoid alcohol, soda and beverages with caffeine which are dehydrating
• Use saline (salt-water) nose drops to help loosen mucus and moisten the tender skin in your nose.
• Blow your nose often, avoid sniffing, which can lead to ear infections
• Drinking hot liquids such as hot tea with honey which soothes the throat and nose
• Steamy showers help moisturize your nasal passages and relives congestion
• Use mentholated or eucalyptus salve under your nose, this helps with breathing and with keeping your nose from getting sore
• Sleep on extra pillows

Remember, serious conditions can masquerade as the common cold and a mild infection can evolve into something more serious. If you have severe symptoms or are feeling worse with each passing day, see a doctor.

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How To Get Vitamin D

Vitamin D

Where can you go to get some? Just walk outside your door. Vitamin D is naturally produced by our bodies when the skin is exposed to sunlight, but due to modern lifestyles, many people are deficient. It is also difficult to get enough sunlight in colder climates, particularly during winter months.

If your situation makes it hard to get enough sunlight, supplements are also a good solution. In the Japanese study, children were given a dose of 1200 I.U. per day, but adults are often advised to take more. Supplements also give you the benefit of vitamin D without the harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays.

Vitamin D has long been seen as a simple way to boost your health, but we are now realizing it might be more powerful than we ever thought before. It might have more effective results than the drug it was compared to in the study, with no toxic side effects. If nothing else, it is a great tool to keep our bodies functioning in top shape.

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