Top Santa Clarita Chiropractor and Nutrition Expert Urges Proactive Prevention and Natural Treatments to Make Cold and Flu Season Easier

By Dr. Thomas Polucki

Monday, Sept. 22 is the first day of fall 2014, and the cold and flu season is getting an early start in Santa Clarita, especially among children. Soon after the kids went back to school in August, the common cold bugs started going around.

Now, a month later, add to that the change of the season, when major fluctuations in temperature can trigger a common cold.

Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking Santa Clarita news alerts delivered right to your inbox.

Some natural cold remedies work for some people some of the time. But after spending billions of dollars on research for many years, even the most powerful pharmaceutical companies have not found a medicine or treatment that cures the common cold.

Of course, if a cure were to be found, so-called “Big Pharma” would lose billions in sales of products that generally treat symptoms, not causes. It’s not in the corporate interest to have a healthy population.

Just walk down the cold and flu aisle at any store and you will have a lot of choices to make. Most cold medicines reduce fever, calm the coughing and sneezing. Seems like a good idea, but without some fever, one way the body fights infections, those infections can get out of control. Without some coughing and sneezing you can’t flush the infection out of your lungs, throat and sinuses.

Dr. Polucki Family Health Hour

A cold and the flu are immune system responses to a virus. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses. Antibiotics may be appropriate when there is a secondary bacterial infection that takes advantage of a body weakened from fighting the virus.

And the main reason colds recycle is because after the virus and the bacteria have really challenged the immune system, a fungal infection can bloom — especially after a round of antibiotic therapy — and keep the immune system preoccupied until a new variation of the cold virus is passed around.

This domino effect has kept the cure to the common cold just out of reach, and I wouldn’t suggest holding your breath waiting for a cure.

Natural Remedies for Cold and Flu Season

The good news is there are some natural cold remedies and better strategies to avoid the cold in the first place.

I spent the first 16 years of my life on antibiotics from October thru March and then switched to allergy meds in spring, with headache meds year around. Then the digestion problems started in my early teens and required a few more prescriptions. Looking back it all seems a bit excessive.

Something interesting happened when I started treatment with a chiropractor for a whiplash. I wasn’t getting sick anymore and that was the first year that I was not on year-round medication.

He explained my immune system was compromised because of the stress in my neck. I thought he was crazy because I had only injured my neck recently and the colds and bronchitis came every year. But on my x-rays he showed me evidence of a neck injury he suspected was caused during my birth process. I asked my mother and she confirmed that I was a “difficult delivery.”

I didn’t understand why my neck didn’t hurt prior to the whiplash. None of the doctors who treated all my health problems ever talked about how birth trauma, neck injury or any kind of stress in my neck could contribute to recurring infections.

But I did understand that with the no-twist, no-crack chiropractic care, I was feeling better all-around, and for the first time in my life I was drug-free.

Thirty cold and flu seasons have passed since then and I may get a little cold or flu symptom once or twice a year, but it is always mild and only lasts a day or two, no matter how many sick people I treat.

I work at keeping my immune system functioning as well as possible year-round, not just during the cold and flu season. And I can show you how.

But first, here are a few natural cold remedies.

Over the years, many people have shared with me their natural cold remedies, and there is some good science behind why these could help: 

1). Chicken soup — Loaded with electrolytes (salt), phytonutrients and anti-virus/bacteria/fungus (onion, garlic, pepper, oregano), an easily digestible protein (chicken), steam therapy to sooth the nose throat and lungs.

2). Essential oils — soothing, especially in steam therapy. Eucalyptus, cinnamon, lemon, clove, rosemary, thyme and oregano have strong anti-virus/bacteria/fungus potential.

3). Vitamin D3/K2 — Not just for bone health, D3 and K2 are powerful immune boosters. 

Best Remedy: Stay Healthy, Don’t Get Sick

By far the best remedy is not to get sick in the first place.

Most of the time our immune system keeps all infections in check, but with less fresh air, sunshine and outdoor activities plus more stress at work and school, contact with large groups of people at work, school, sporting events and family holiday gatherings and fewer in-season fruits and vegetables, we are more run down and vulnerable.

Learn More About Dr. Polucki’s Immune-Boosting Secrets Here 

Avoiding a cold is easy when health is a priority. If you are ready to make your health a priority, I invite you to take my free, fast and confidential online survey at http://www.drpolucki.com/consultation/ and you may qualify for a free 15-minute phone consultation.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

About Santa Clarita Chiropractor Dr. Thomas Polucki

Dr. Thomas Polucki is a Board Certified Doctor of Chiropractic, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, Certified Metabolic Typing Advisor and Certified Upper Cervical Chiropractor.

Dr. Polucki provides Functional Medicine services in most cities via remote labs and Internet consultations. He sees patients by appointment at 25050 Peachland Ave., Suite 105, Newhall, Calif., 91321. Visit http://www.drpolucki.com for more information or call 661-753-9340 to schedule an appointment.

Dr. Polucki also hosts the “Dr. Polucki Family Health Hour” on AM 1220 KHTS radio in Santa Clarita Mondays from 11 a.m. to noon. Click here to listen to the podcasts.

The information in this article is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.

[node:title]

Article: [node:title]
Source: Santa Clarita News
Author: [node:author]