 The start of the school year and fall season typically mark the start of the dreaded cold and flu season. This year enterovirus-D68 has been the talk of the town with parents, teachers and physicians fielding questions and concerns about ways to protect ourselves and the ones we love from Enterovirus amongst other viral and bacterial illnesses. This year, I want you to remember to sleep, eat, exercise and wash your hands.
Sleep: When we don’t get enough sleep our T cells decrease and inflammatory cytokines increase, which puts us at an increased risk of getting sick1. Preschool aged children need between 11-12 hours of sleep per day and adults need a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep per day. Eat: Remember to eat a colorful diet. Brighter colors increase antioxidants, which improve our immune function. You can get children excited and involved by eating all of the colors of the rainbow. A fun tool is the “Today I ate a Rainbow” chart that gets the whole family involved2. Exercise: Regular moderate level exercise improves our immune system and helps our body fight off viral and bacterial infections. The CCD recommends Children and adolescents get at least 60 minutes of physical activity3 per day while adults need a minimum of 150 minutes per week for general health. Wash your hands: It is important to wash your hands prior to eating, after using the restroom, touching your face or mouth and coughing and sneezing. While hand sanitizer may be an effective alternative to hand washing when we are not able to wash our hands however, there is information showing that hand washing for at least 20 seconds with soapy water is more effective than hand sanitizer. Help your kids by singing the ABC’s or another song while washing their hands. 4,5 Supplements to consider for immune support this cold and flu season include:
Wishing you all a happy and healthy Fall and Winter season!
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