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Flu Season By: Dr Sally Blossom

It’s that time of year again when cold and flus strike, knocking a person out of school and
sports. While most of this is common knowledge, I wanted to recap preventative ways to
keep healthy and share ways to help recover if you do get a cold or flu.

There are several factors that can help keep your immune system strong to fight off
colds and flus. First is diet and nutrition. Eating a healthy diet with foods full of Vitamin C
is a great place to start. Think green and leafy like broccoli and kale. Cauliflower, sweet
potatoes and red and green peppers are also high in Vitamin C. You might think you should
drink more orange juice or eat other fruits, but fruit is full of sugar, which brings us to our
next tip.

Avoid Sugar. Bacteria and viruses feed off of sugar. Diets full of sugary cereals, pro-
cessed foods (a lot of hidden sugar here), sugary drinks (yes, even sports drinks) and sug-
ary snacks can “feed” the colds and flus. This lowers our immune system and makes us
more susceptible to getting and staying sick.

Stay Rested. Lack of proper sleep and rest can also lower our immune system. Sleep
is when our bodies repair at the level of our cells, including our white blood cells and other
cold and flu fighting cells. By keeping these cells repaired, replenished and boosted, we
can fight off the viruses that make us sick.

Wash and Wipe. Washing your hands is one of the most effective ways to keep from
spreading the viruses and bacteria that make us sick. Using antibacterial and antiviral
wipes to wipe down equipment and surfaces also helps curb the spread of “Germs”.

If you do get a cold or flu, make sure you stop strenuous activity and training. Rest, hy-
drate and give your body a chance to heal and fight it off. Coming back to practice and play-
ing too soon can leave you susceptible to further illness, keeping you out the game even
longer.

Eat right, avoid sugar, stay rested and hydrated, stay clean and you will give yourself the
best chance to avoid the cold and flu and be able to stay in the game.

Dr. Sally Blossom is a 4th generation chiropractor who serves student athletes and their
families from all over the Thumb and Flint areas.

54 a• Sports Finest Magazine JAN 2020 sportsfinestMagzine.com 989 545 0735 kelly@sportsfinestmagazine.com