A Healthy Holiday How To

The holidays are creeping closer and closer and that can be both exciting and stressful at the same time. Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year and something I get very excited for. Among other things, I love the cozy sweaters, the hot apple cider, the decorations and getting to spend time with my wonderful family. For me that excitement masked itself as stress when I was younger and you could find me sick on the couch many years in a row...Typical Karen!

December is not a typical month for most of us with a different routine, stressing about the perfect gift, travelling and/or overindulging in cookies or festive drinks. All these things create a similar reaction in our body. Cytokines are released, which stimulate cortisol, our stress hormone from our adrenal glands, and other immune cells to ward off inflammation and infection. Then when cortisol crashes (for me that was Christmas morning!), our immune system shuts down, giving way to potential colds and flus. Don't get caught in this trap by including some of the suggestions below into this holiday month to stabilize your stress response. 

1. Hydrate: The low humidity and dry air inside makes us more prone to dehydration. We also tend to be running around and forgetting to drink. Keep those mucus membranes moist by drinking 8 ounces of water every 1-2 hours. I suggest keeping a water bottle in your car at all times. Try adding lemon juice and sea salt to nourish those adrenals.
2. Massage: Studies have shown that a massage lowers your stress hormone while boosting white blood cells, helping to fight off any germs that come your way. There are great RMTs at my clinic in Dartmouth. Treat yourself this month :)
3. Sleep: Adequate sleep also stabilizes cortisol, improves your immune system and decreases inflammation. Aim for around 7-8 hours a night. Tired when your kids go to bed? Maybe your body is telling you something. 
4. Laugh: Laughter has been shown to boost your immune system for a least 24 hours. Have a funny uncle coming for christmas, perfect! Enjoy quality time with people you love. They are likely to make you smile. 
5. Exercise: With the colder months and our busy schedules, I understand this is something that we tend to leave out. Less vigorous exercise like walking, helps to moderate stress. Walking can be very nourishing and gets you outside. Why not plan a big walk with the family christmas or boxing day? A good opportunity to wear those new gloves. 
6. Indulge smart: Yes, Quality Street chocolate and egg nog only come out once a year, but that doesn't mean you have to go overboard. Simple carbohydrates, like sugar, flood your blood stream quickly suppressing white blood cells. So think smart, and leave that second cookie or piece of peppermint bark for your sibling. (Now I'm getting hungry...)
7. Gut health: Your gut associated lymphatic tissue, or GALT, is a large part of your immune system that resides in your gut. Eating smart by taking time for meals, not overeating, prepping your digestion with lemon water or taking a probiotic are all great ideas to support your immune system. Hosting a potluck? Try making suggestions on what guests can bring to ensure a balanced and health meal. 

All in all, enjoy time with family and friends, be safe, and I'll see you in 2016!!

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

(Photo credit: http://weekendroady.com/2012/12/21/the-real-whoville/)

Bugs to avoid bugs: How probiotics can improve your child's immune system

The summer heat has finally arrived...just in time to gear up for school again! If you have small children going into day-care or school in a few weeks, consider improving your child's and your gut health to avoid those nasty bugs that inevitably go around.

Study time:

There is a plethora of research coming out recently proving that a healthy gut goes a long way to improve your digestion, mood and even your immune system. For children in day-care, that is good news, because there are things you can do as a parent to protect you and your child. There are little bugs, or healthy bacteria, that live in our gut that ward off the unhealthy bacteria that lead to illness. Probiotics are those healthy bacteria and you can add them to your child's diet, as well as yours in several ways. A 2014 meta-analysis looking at the impact probiotics have on children's immunity showed that parent and child pairs that took probiotics had fewer colds and flus, shorter duration of colds and less sick days. Taking a good quality, multi-strain probiotics is a great way to get probiotics, but also consider fermented foods, yogurt (if you or your child aren't sensitive to dairy) or coconut kefir. There are even specific children probiotics available in powder form that you can mix with juice, apple sauce or other easy foods. Also, any antibiotics (remember all those nasty ear infections), kill both bad and good bacteria so it is even more important to introduce probiotics back into gut after taking antibiotics.

But how does this work?

Surprisingly, the majority of your immune system resides in your digestion system. It is called your gut-associated lymphoid tissue, or simply GALT, and works to protect your body from invasion of any illness by producing immune cells that fight them off. It is proposed that probiotics adhere to gut tissue, in turn activating GALT. The stronger your digestion system is, the stronger your immune system will be. And remember, immune health is important at all ages so eat your probiotics! 

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

(Photo cred: www.sciencemag.com; www.todaysparent.com)

Tips and Tricks to Fight Cold and Flu Season

It's that time of year again when we start to worry about getting sick with the coming colder months. There are viruses and infections we hear about on the news and the common cold is starting to get passed around again. Yuck! 

Fear not my friends! There are several things you can do to help boost your immune system and avoid those nasty germs. Here are a few:

Immune Boosting Tips

• First and foremost, wash your hands often with soap and water. 
• Eat your greens - Focusing on a healthy diet with good quality protein and colourful fruits and veggies provides an abundance of helpful nutrients to fight any infection and support your body's immune system. Try to focus on soups and warm foods and nothing cold and damp, such a dairy, as these can increase phlegm. 
• Anti-sugar - A high sugar diet will spike the body's stress hormone, cortisol, and ultimately block your body's natural immune defenses. 
• Ginger tea - An easy root to have on hand to sooth your stomach, ease muscle tension, while fighting the infection. Simply use fresh ginger slices and steep in hot water. 
• Probiotics - About 70% of your immune system is in your gut, called GALT - gut-associated lymphoid tissue. Therefore, improving your digestion will indirectly improve your immune system. Probiotics provides the "good" bacteria that can be out of balance in our digestion systems.
• Vitamin C - This vitamin can be found in many foods such as oranges, kiwi, and even in your slice of lemon in the morning. High doses at the onset of a cold is ideal to kick out those nasty bugs. 
• Vitamin D - Not only does this vitamin improve your mood in the dreary winter, it helps stimulate your immune system as well. Around 3000 IU is a safe but effective dose. 
• Andrographis - An herb that works both as a preventative and treatment. It can be found on its own or in an immune combination at your local health food store. One of my favourite supplements is Can-Prev's Cold-Pro, which includes Andrographis, as well as Reishi mushroom and Astragalus, both immune tonics. 
• Individualized teas - I love making teas in my practice since you can make them specific for the individuals symptoms. Catnip or Bonset are two herbs I would think to include for flu symptoms such as fever and achy bones.  

Immune Boosting Shot

Another helpful option is an all-natural immune injection that I do at my clinic. It is a combination of two homeopathic formulas, which are gentle and safe for everyone, with no added fillers or preservatives. The formula includes herbs such as Echinacea to boost your immune system and other herbs to move lymph and pathogens out. It can be done in conjunction with the flu shot or in replace of. It is suggested once or twice a year if you are healthy, or once a month for those with weak immune systems, who tend to get sick often. Finally, it can be done as soon as the first signs and symptoms of flu appear. 

For specific dosing and other immune boosting options, see your local Naturopath.

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen