Does the change in weather make us sick?

The weather this past weekend showed signs that fall is on its way. It's a beautiful time in NYC, but the change in weather usually means sick days for a lot of people.

Why does this happen? How can we prevent it?

The change in temperature tends to put an added stress on our bodies, this obviously weakens the immune system & gives the opportunistic germs a chance to take advantage of you, poor thing!:( The key to staying well and strong this winter (I've heard its going to be a brutal one!) is to support your immune system before the germs attack.

Some suggestions:
- Echinacea two or three times a day for two or three weeks before cold season starts. Start now. This herb is PREVENTATIVE, a lot of people tend to take it when they get sick. Vitamin C is also a good one to add. 1,000 mg/day.

- Eat a lot of fruits & veggies! Below is a link to what's in season:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/301858/Fruits-and-Vegetables-in-Season

- Reduce your sugar intake: White blood cells ability to engulf bacteria is weakened when high levels of sugar are introduced into the blood stream. The pancreas has to produce a ton of insulin when the concentration of sugar is high, the digestive tract is also watching your back because it has to make sure all the sugar you just consumed does not enter the bloodstream at the same time.

- Reduce caffeine intake :-( Trust me, this is very hard to type...I LUV my coffee baby! Too much of it depletes your body of vitamins, nutrients & minerals. It can also exhaust your adrenal glands, I have DEFINITELY been a victim of this!

- Reduce alcohol intake: I think we all know what too much booze can do to you so I wont even get into it.

- Sleep! : Our bodies needs rest from the stress and strain of daily life to get recharged. Rest restores our bodies and refreshes our minds. We release potent immune-enhancing substances that strengthen our immune function during deep sleep.

- Agua! I just finished a biochemistry class & learned that everything within our body needs water to function. I know this sounds obvious, but you would be surprised with the amount of people out there that never drink water or think that drinking a Snapple counts as water. In 154 lbs man of average build, about 63% of the body weight is water. In a woman of the same weight, typically only about 54% is water. Our kidneys and liver process and eliminate toxins from the blood & could use a little help from our friend H2O. It also helps keep mucous membranes moist enough to combat the viruses they encounter. And it helps with weight loss in several ways, drinking water helps curb your sugar or snacking cravings which sometimes could be a sign of dehydration. Try a big glass of water the next time you are craving sugar, then wait a few minutes and see if the need for the sugar is really still there.

- Exercise!: Working out 3 times a week REALLY helps the immune system stay strong.

- Quiet time: I'm talking to myself when I say this, take 10 minutes out of your day and just sit there. Close your eyes, focus on your breath, meditate on a word, play some relaxing music, or just sit in silence and try to thinking about nothing! Yea right, I know..it takes a lot of patience & practice :)
The link below can help you find a mantra!
http://www.meditationiseasy.com/mCorner/techniques/Some_mantras_to_dwell_upon.htm




Be well & please let me know if this was helpful.