Staying Healthy During the Holidays

Boosting your Immune System

• Most people falsely think of the immune system like a muscle—work it giving it supplements and vitamins and it will get bigger and stronger.
• Immune system is very complicated and located in multiple places in the body.
• If you are otherwise healthy you can’t ‘boost’ your immune system.
• Large part of the immune system is in the gut and functions in relationship with the bacteria that live there.

What Can You Do?

• Take care of your gut bacteria
  • Cut sugars
  • Eat whole foods
• You can your immune system function optimally by staying in good health by cutting out things that make you unhealthy
  • Quit smoking
  • Stay hydrated
  • Cut back on sugary foods
  • Keep alcohol to a minimum
• Avoid infection
  • Avoid infection by avoiding closed spaces (airplanes)
  • Cover mouth with cough/sneeze
  • Wash hands office
  • Wipe off work spaces with alcohol based cleaners
  • Get flu shot

Avoid Getting Sick this Year with Dr. Thompson’s Party Pack 

• Soap—for hand washing
• Water—for hand washing and drinking (tap water is just fine)
• Hand sanitizer—for wiping down keyboards and door knobs (and work colleagues who are sick)
• Tissues—for coughs and sneezes
• Salt—with for gargling your throat when you feel the first symptoms of a cold
• Vitamin C— with or without zinc to take in megadoses when you feel the first symptoms of a cold (no data whatsoever but it always works for me)