Hello Everyone,
It’s that time of year again!  When children gather together at school and in extracurricular activities, viruses seem to spread easily.  Let’s review my top tips for keeping you and your family as healthy as possible during this time. 

1.  Stick to regular bedtimes so that everyone gets enough rest–adults included.  Sleep helps the body fight infection and reduces susceptibility to illness.  I know that whenever I have gone a few nights without enough sleep that I am ripe for getting sick!
2.  Wash hands regularly and refrain from touching your face.  Advise your children to wash their hands after using the restroom, before eating and when they come home from school or other activities.  Ask them to try not to touch their face unless their hands are clean.  It can be a significant way to transmit viruses and other microorganisms.
3.  Increase immune boosting foods, decrease immune suppressing foods.  Include vegetables such as broccoli, leafy greens and brightly colored vegetables, fruit such as berries and citrus, protein sources such as meat, fish, poultry, beans, tofu, nuts, seeds, eggs and whole grains with each meal.  Garlic and ginger and many of the herbs and spices also have immune boosting benefits.  Limit sweetened foods and beverages, white flour products, deep fried foods like chips and french fries and for the adults, alcohol.  
4.  Exercise regularly.  In high school, teens who are not participating in sports may not get much exercise in their day.  Encourage your teen to walk, bike or engage in some other physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes per day.  Exercise strengthens the immune response to viruses and bacteria.  
5.  Consider supplementing with Vitamin D.  Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased susceptibility to infection.  At our latitude in winter, blood levels of Vitamin D tend to be low.  We carry both liquid and encapsulated forms of Vitamin D that can be administered to children of all ages.  Dietary sources of Vitamin D include oily fish like wild salmon, mackerel, sardines and anchovies, egg yolks, liver and fortified dairy products such as cow’s milk. 

We also carry a wide range of immune support supplements that may be appropriate for you depending upon your situation including Zinc, Vitamin C, Probiotics, Vitamin A, Immune Dx, Cold Dx and more.  Let us know if we can help you figure out what you need to stay healthy this season!