North Vancouver

Ask Dr Nina:

I am worried about getting the flu this year and that it will set me back in my training! Do you have any suggestions?

The number one way to prevent getting any infections, whether viral (such as the flu) or bacterial (such as strep throat) is to keep your immune system strong! Just like you do extra workouts for specific muscle groups you need to boost that immune system during the peak infection times of the year. That being said, at any time of the year people who are training hard are generally putting their systems under more strain and therefore should be focusing on the supporting the immune system all year long. But let’s talk about now…..THE cold and flu season has hit…so what to do?

Especially if you are working out indoors at a gym or closely with training partners/coaches/personal trainers who may be contagious before even showing any signs or symptoms, if your “fortress” or body has a strong defense system you are much less likely to catch it from them. Besides that I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t stress the value of hygiene measures like washing your hands, especially after the gym, shaking hands in business meetings…in fact, just in general! As a breakdown here are some good preventative measures that are quick and easy to follow:

• Take your Supplements (I will discuss more below)

• Gargle nightly with salt water

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

• Cough and sneeze into your arm, not your hand

• Keep common surface areas clean

• If you do become sick, contact your naturopathic doctor or other primary care physician

So that will take care of the outside…but the key, as I mentioned, lies in strengthening that immune system. There are so many ways to do this that I am just going to mention the most important one’s :

Drink plenty of water and keep hydrated (2 Liters daily to flush any “bugs” out of your system)
Lemon water: juice of ½ lemon in 1 cup warm water every morning
REST: Get 7-9 hours sleep EVERY night. Bedtime and wakeup times should be set , ideally sleeping between the hours of 9-11pm and 6-8am– the adrenal glands which affect your immune function rely on routine!!!
More routine, routine, routine: sleep, wake, eat, do workouts(especially if strenuous) at the same time of day as much as possible – again, this impacts the adrenals.
Alternate hot/cold showers: always finish with 30 seconds of cold after hot shower, alternating with 30 sec cold, then hot..as many times as you like J
Eat a clean diet: avoid all refined sugars which only deplete the immune system and feed any bacterial infections! Also stay away from foods you think may trigger immune reactions in your system (eg if you have a dairy sensitivity – stay away from the milk chocolate!!)
Eat lots of onions, leeks, garlic, ginger, berries, green leafy vegetables, brightly coloured vegetables
If you have any congestion starting in sinuses or chest avoid all dairy, citrus (exc lemon), sugars, peanuts, wheat , alcohol and ALL refined sugars!
Reduce mental emotional stress: thiis is probably the hardest of all the tips…but the adrenals are affected and depleted by all forms of stress
Get outside: fresh air and moderate exercise have been shown to improve immune system function. As most viruses are spread through respiratory droplets, keeping your lungs cleaned out and strong is essential!
Supplements: this is a basic regime but of course this is just a start and can be tailored to your own needs depending on your system

Make sure you are taking good quality supplemets from a professional or health food store!!

Multivitamin with lots of B vitamins

Vitamin C: 2-3,000mg/day

Vitamin D: 2,000IU/day

Zinc: 50mg/day (taken with food)

L-glutamine: 1-5g/day (depending on individual needs): amino acid necessary for muscle repair but also for production of white blood cells

(NSA carries a good one that I would recommend)

Astragalus, Echinacea, Garlic capsules, oil of oregano, licorice root – great immune herbs to choose one or more from!

**There is also a great Defend combination at Northshore Athletics which has been shown to elevate white blood cells dramatically!

There are many more valuable options that we can add on such as homeopathic immune support like Thymuline, Influenzinum, Engystol, Oscillococcinum, specialized herbal combinations,reishi/other mushroom extracts, vitamin injections, “immune booster” injections and on and on……

Whatever you do this winter, stay healthy so you can enjpy the winter snowshoeing, riding, running, skiing…..and if you get sick and your immune system is healthy, then you will get through it that much faster and it wont throw you off your game!!

KEEP THAT ARMY STRONG BY TAKING GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF!!

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