“It’s Good to Get Sick every now and then”. Really, Doc?????
You know those people who say they never get sick?
Well, they may not be as “healthy,” as they think.
Health and wellness is traditionally viewed as the absence of disease while feeling vital, energetic, happy, and content. However, the complete absence of all signs of illness is not always an adequate measure of a stronger immune system, or complete vitality. In fact, it is good for a body to get sick.
Getting sick for good health is an odd concept and one that many people neither hear often, nor really understand. Health is purportedly deemed to be the non-sick, strongest bodies, unaffected by viruses and bacteria; those that “haven’t had the flu in 20 years.”
But, if we view the body as an organism that needs to remain responsive to the surrounding external environment, then we can begin to view illness as a healthy response, not a weakness.
Today, I’ll explain what “responsive health” is, and why never getting sick isn’t necessarily healthy. But before I do, I hope you enjoyed last week’s newsletter about “Brain Fog - and how to feel better”. If you missed it, you can use this link, Here.
OK, it’s the change of seasons again…
let’s talk about Responsive Health!
WHY GETTING SICK IS A SIGN OF HEALTH
A strong, healthy body is responsive. When you experience a cough, a runny nose, body aches, or a fever, these are signs that your body has detected a pathogenic (harmful) invader and it is responding. Each of these is a mechanism that your body has evolved to fight infection. For example, a sneeze is the body’s way of expelling, or, pushing out, an irritant.
If you wake up with classic cold symptoms like a stuffy nose and sore throat multiple times a year, that's actually completely normal.
According to medical research, most grown-ups suffer from cold 2-4 times and children 5-7 times every year. This roughly coincides with the number of times the season changes within a year. The correlation exists for a reason.
Every time we observe a change in the season, the count of allergens in the environment also spikes up to nearly 200 viruses in the air.
These viruses are mostly responsible for getting people under the weather. The most common symptoms of a cold that can be observed are:
Stuffy nose
Scratchy or sore throat
Sneezing
Watery eyes
Mucus draining from your nose into your throat
High fever or muscle aches
WHY DOES THE CHANGE OF SEASONS CAUSE SICKNESSES?
People mostly feel a little under the weather whenever the seasons change. The shift in temperatures provides an apt condition for different groups of viruses to flourish, which then spread contagious diseases.
The most common of the virus is Human Rhinovirus (HRV) that causes up to 40 percent of all colds. They flourish in cooler weather, such as in spring and winter.
In summers, people with seasonal allergies get a runny nose and itchy eyes when they’re near pollen, mould, or grass. Their immune system gets busy reacting to these allergens, leaving them more vulnerable to viral attacks such as a cold.
The Influenza virus causes flu that divides and spreads mostly when the air is cold and dry like in winters.
Your immune system:
After you're exposed to a particular pathogen, your individual immune system determines whether or not you actually get sick. People exist along the spectrum of being able to deal with certain types of infections better or worse. The immune system is immensely complex, and small variations, defects and genetic differences between people can all play a role in determining whether you get sick and how sick you get.
Multiple viruses circulating:
There's one other less obvious factor that might be making you feel like you're getting more colds than usual. Unfortunately, what we’re seeing now is a complete lack of seasonality.
Before the pandemic, there was typically just one major illness circulating at a time. So, if you got sick with, let’s say a respiratory virus, you would get some protection against that virus for the rest of the season. Now days, you can run into someone with RSV on Monday and on Tuesday run into someone with rhinovirus or parainfluenza virus. Unfortunately, there’s just a lot of bugs circulating today.
The good news is that, for most people who get colds frequently, their immune systems may not be perfect, but their bodies are respondingproperly, and they’re unlikely to have a serious problem.
IS IT A COLD OR ALLERGIES?
Spring and summer illnesses arise from a combination of several factors. People with seasonal allergies often feel congested and develop runny noses and itchy eyes when they're near pollen, mold or grass. Their immune systems may go into overdrive as they react to these allergies, leaving them more vulnerable to viral contagions. However, these summer infections are usually milder than those caught in other seasons.
Sometimes, people may mistake their allergies for a cold. In fact, it is said that the term “hay fever”actually comes from the time when farmers would be collecting the hay at the end of summer and became “sick” with fever. But really, they were just suffering from severe exposure to allergens from the fields.
How can you tell it’s not allergies?
It may be difficult to tell whether you have a common cold or seasonal allergies. However, if you know the major differences between the two, telling one from the other can be easy:
You’ll have other symptoms:
Colds and allergies share the traits of sneezing, runny nose, congestion, and an itchy or sore throat. But a cold will also include other symptoms like coughing, sweating, and fever.
Allergies will last longer:
Did your symptoms disappear after one to two weeks? If so, you probably had a cold that ran its course. If symptoms persist longer than two weeks and don’t go away, then you’re probably dealing with allergies.
Symptoms will fluctuate:
Likewise, if your symptoms change in severity — start mild, worsen, and then return to mild (or disappear altogether) — you’re dealing with a cold. Allergies tend to be consistent and persistent.
Onset of symptoms is different:
With colds, you’ll usually experience the onset of each individual symptom at separate times. With allergies, all of them will come on at once.
Symptoms change when you travel:
If you travel from one type of region to another and symptoms improve (or get worse), it’s more likely that you have allergies. This is especially the case if you travel from one place to another with vastly different pollinating plants and potential allergens.
Nasal discharge will be different:
Since colds are infections, the mucus after blowing your nose will be thick and greenish or yellowish. With allergies, mucus will be translucent and usually thinner in consistency.
WHEN SHOULD I SEE A DOCTOR?
If you aren’t sure if it’s a cold or allergies, or if your symptoms are severe or long-lasting, it’s best to connect with our office to get an official diagnosis and treatment plan.
Can allergies turn into a cold?
If your allergy symptoms are left untreated, you could become more prone to getting sinus infections or other upper respiratory infections, or may lead to poor asthma control.
Also, a common cold can turn severe. So, if your cold has had you laid up longer than a week or two, get in touch with us.
What did I do to finally stop my allergy symptoms?
I know as a previous allergy sufferer you are looking for that “magic bullet”, the one thing you can do to cure your allergies, but fortunately everyone is different and there are several options, or combinations of things, you can do to cure your allergy problem.
I attended a seminar in Dallas to learn more about Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation (UVBI) therapy for patients with systemic infections caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria who had run out of drug options. After watching and learning about the results, including patients at risk of death from sepsis, I made the decision to bring this therapy to my practice.
In 2017, after (36) rounds of UVBI treatments over a period of nine weeks, my allergy symptoms were gone. Over the past (6) years, if I felt any scratchy throat symptoms, I would do a few treatments and all would be back to normal. This year, I’ve already scheduled a proactive treatment to keep myself running full stride without any interferences.
We have patients that after only one UVBI treatment, their allergy symptoms have been gone completely for two years. Of course, keep in mind, none have been just getting UVBI treatments alone for their allergies. All these patients come in for their regular chiropractic adjustments, keep to an organic healthy food diet, and exercise. They are doing their part in keeping their immune systems as healthy as possible. With the help of UVBI treatments, it’s a full-spectrum, pro-active, healthy approach to winning over allergies.
HOW DO I KEEP FROM CATCHING A COLD?
There’s no way to completely prevent yourself from getting a cold, no matter the season. But there are ways you can reduce your chance of getting one. With some minor precautions & lifestyle changes, it may be possible for you to dodge most seasonal sicknesses.
Practice good hygiene:
Rhinoviruses survive for 3 hours outside the body, and can sometimes live for up to 48 hours on touchable surfaces like doorknobs or light switches. It is important to wash your hands regularly and avoid touching your face to keep off potential risks of catching the infection.
Exercise:
People who exercise regularly have a lower risk of getting a viral infection as it boosts your immune system.
Eat well, stay hydrated and get your rest:
Eating a well-balanced diet (high in whole foods, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and lean meats), drink plenty of fluids throughout the day, get plenty of sleep, and keep stress under control. These tips can help you deal with seasonal sickness much better.
Avoid those who have a cold:
If you know someone has a cold, avoid interacting with them. If you get close to or touch them, make sure to wash up quickly afterward.
THE BOTTOM LINE
"Allowing and welcoming a yearly flu or a few colds each year can ensure a strong immune system!"
“Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation (UVBI) given in our offices can be a helpful therapy for patients with seasonal allergies. If you suffer from allergies, come in and see me if you think this is something that might help you!”
As a responsive organism, it is actually a sign of health for the body to get sick from time to time to show that it knows how to work when called to action. A person with a healthy immune system will get a cold or flu every 1-2 years.
The individual that is sick several times a year, constantly lacks vitality, and has ongoing chronic health issues, is also a person showing signs of a depleted immune system.
A strong immune system and great health strikes a balance between being adequately able to adapt to the environment and mount responses as appropriate, and the inability to be entirely well for long periods of time.
An individual who rarely gets sick, or has not had a cold or flu in years, may actually be prone, to deeper or more significant illnesses. It can be that this person actually has an unresponsive immune system that does not fight appropriately when exposed to heavy pathogens.
If a person has not had an adequate cold or flu in years, it may be time to reassess health, adrenal function, thyroid function, nutritional status, and digestive health. These specific systems all play significant roles in stimulating and regulating the immune system.
If the immune system is not responsive, then assessing the health and wellness of these areas of the body is a first step.
If you are rarely ill, it might be a good time to set up a functional health assessment with me, to make sure you don’t have any underlying immunity issues.
We will talk about your unique body, mental and physical situation. You can make an appointment with me using this link: HERE.
Or, you can always give me a call at (973) 210-3838
I want to hear from you! What questions or insights do you have about Allergies or Colds? Did you find this newsletter helpful?
Share your thoughts in the comments on our
We bring tools such as these to you, our patients, by using proven cutting-edge therapies to extend the health-span, life-span and years of health for everyone (no matter their age)!
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I hope that today’s newsletter has shed some light on how we can help you with many, many health issues and keep you and your family healthy!
Because, let’s face it, without your health, everything else suffers!
Feel free to share this newsletter with others as conversations come up regarding health issues.
Don’t forget to watch our social posts this week for health treatments that you can share with your family and friends!
Please know that I appreciate you being part of our wellness family, and accepting your true natural in-born health and wellness. I consider you very much a part of my extended family!
Remember, that the Functional Medicine approach we use here in our offices can offer you clear insight as to your health, nutrition, and healing options.
Feel free to come talk to us if you are having doubts or questions about your family’s health. We will give you the honest truth, and the clinical research that supports it.
Remember, the (5) Essentials of Health we talk about at Transformational Health Centers are…
Mindset - if you have a broken mindset you cant even begin the health journey.
Nervous System - if you have subluxation or pressure on the nerves going to any cell, tissue or organ in your body its impossible to have 100% health.
Nutrition - we are what we eat and food is medicine. If you are eating McDonalds there is no way your cells can make healthy new ones out of that damaged food.
Exercise - movement is life and life is movement. If we are sedentary we are dying slowly.
Detox - simply don’t put anything bad in, on or around your body (easier said than done).
There are NO LIMITS of what you can create, you are POWERFUL and there is nothing that you can not have or achieve! Believe in your power, believe in yourself and let go of what no longer serves you! ♡ Design your life, Create your reality…
This is life changing!
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