Imagine my dismay when I caught a cold after Thanksgiving for the second time in six weeks. The first one occurred in October shortly after I gave a presentation to co-workers on how to stay healthy during cold and flu season, and telling them that I had not had a cold for almost 3 years and the flu for another two. Blah. It’s embarrassing!
This has caused me to do much speculation on why. Also, I had in the back of my mind somewhere where I heard that getting a virus now and then is a good thing. However, in another cavern of my mind rumbled around the thought about somebody’s grandfather who lived until he was 96 years old and “was never sick a day in his life”.
While frequent colds and flus can mean that an immune system is dysfunctional, according to Dr. Martin Gleixner, a naturopathic doctor, 1 to 2 colds per year is a sign of a healthy immune system, that it will strengthen the immune system, and that the cold or flu allows the body to cleanse itself. I like this guy!
Acupuncturist and chiropractor Dr. Ben Kim, concurring with this, says that since the cold and flu attack your body’s weakest cells and destroys them, this actually allows your body to be purged of damaged, old cells. He goes on to say that this helps you stay healthier in the long run.
Okay, that is Theory One why I got a cold, or rather, two colds; my wonderful immune system decided to strengthen itself and do a little housecleaning. However, another theory, Theory Two, why I succumbed could be that for the last two months I pretty much stopped taking my probiotic capsule supplements in favor of another new supplement and to encourage greater biodiversity in my gut, and thus, instead, I was focusing on building my gut biome in other ways, such as eating fermented vegetables, drinking kombucha, and gardening. But that all is another post. But anyway, as a result, was my gut microbiome, which is where the majority of our immune system exists, weaker?
I am holding to Theory One.
In fact, I did get over the cold rather quickly, which supports Theory One. I also attribute the reduced longevity of my recent cold to lots of homemade turkey soup, Sambucus Zinc lozenges with elderberry and vitamin C, Oxylent Multi-vitamin Drink, and essential oils.
Well anyway, I consider myself good at least until next year.
Healthy Holidays to you!
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