What can I do about the "dreaded" Flu?!

For the past few months, TV commercials have been trumpeting the horrors of the "H1N1 flu season". "It's a pandemic, the worst, most dangerous flu ever" they blare. Public health announcements urge us to get our "H1N1 flu shot", as if this is something we've got permanently scheduled in our Blackberries. All the leading over-the-counter pain medications offer special seasonal "flu" mixtures, and their ads deluge daytime and prime-time broadcasting.

For the health consumer, namely us, it seems as if this annual "war on the flu" is received wisdom. We're just defenseless human beings at the mercy of the all-powerful flu virus.

What’s wrong with this picture?

What's never mentioned in the "flu warning" marketing is the versatility and adaptability of our remarkable immune system. We're the lucky owners of a built-in, state-of-the-art biowarfare system, on-the-job 24/7 to combat microscopic foreign invaders of our health and well-being. Once our immune system has detected a foreign protein it mounts an immediate defense, attacking and destroying the alien molecules. And, the memory of that particular invader is permanent, enabling a future immune response to be swift and effective.

The big issue with influenza is that new strains appear each year, such as H1N1. We've never encountered these germs before. But, the whole basis and strength of our immune system is flexibility. It is specially designed to respond quickly to new attackers. And, for the most part, it does this very, very well.

Of course, no one wants their dinner companion to sneeze in their plate of pasta, as Elaine did on an infamous episode of "Seinfeld". Through a typical cascade of unfortunate events, Jerry's and George's comedy pilot was almost scuttled because the network executive was Elaine's date, and he got violently ill by being on the receiving end of her blast of micro-bugs.

In the real world, our immune systems can be weakened due to life habits, circumstances, and stress. Stress is the notorious compromiser of immune defenses. And, of course, being human, there's plenty of stress from dawn to dusk. If worry and anxiety pile on top of not-enough-sleep or sub-optimal nutrition, getting sick is a pretty likely outcome. So, developing and maintaining healthy habits of living and successful strategies for managing stress is really the key.

I know, it's a different concept. Not one that BIG PHARMA and the CDC likes to talk about, but it really is "the soil" NOT "the seed" that is the biggest determining factor of whether something is going to grow. So, protect and enhance your "soil" so the flu bug (H1N1 or any other) won't grow inside you.

Here are some helpful immune system boosting tips:

1. Drink plenty of water - six to eight glasses each day
2. Eat several servings of fruits and vegetables each day
3. Take vitamin/mineral supplements to fill in the gaps of the typical American Diet
4. Get sufficient sleep - on average, seven to eight hours each night
5. Exercise regularly - five days per week, at least 30 minutes each day
6. Meditate and/or engage in quiet time regularly to center yourself and let go of the day's stresses.

Dr. Robert J. Ault is a chiropractic physician and owner of Ault Chiropractic in Hudson, Ohio. There is never a charge for a consultation with Dr. Ault to see if chiropractic may be a solution for you or your family's health condition. Call 330.342.0755 to schedule an appointment and get the answers you may be looking for.