Should You Get A Flu Shot? What You Should Know

Should I Get a Flu Shot?

For many of you, it is officially “pumpkin spice” season. Fall is an exciting time! The leaves are changing, haunted houses are open for business, and we’re finally going to get a break from the oppressive heat. But with that, we all hold that lingering dread of cold and flu season. So why is it that we tend to get the common cold or flu in the fall and winter months? There are a few reasons:

• Less active: When it is cold and gloomy outside, we tend to be much less active than in the summer and spring months. When we are less active and not getting near as much Vitamin D, our immune response becomes suppressed, causing us to be much more susceptible to illnesses.
• Close Quarters: Piggy-backing off of the first point, with less outdoor time, comes being in closer proximity to others. When we spend more time in closer contact with our peers, we increase our chances of catching their illness.
• Increased Stress: the end of the year can bring on a lot of stress for many of us. Whether it is holiday shopping, finances or meeting end of year deadlines the level of stress oftentimes rises in the last quarter of the year. When our body is stressed out, our immune system weakens, making it more difficult for our body to protect itself from illness.
  You might be wondering what you can do to avoid these things from happening this year. Many of our practice members ask the common question:

Should I get a flu shot?

This is a great question, considering everywhere you turn you are being told to get a flu shot. Whether it is a poster at the doctor’s office, a drug store advertisement, or you hear it in commercials, many people proceed with the flu vaccination simply because they are told to.

What are the risks of flu vaccinations?

The CDC urges everyone to get a flu shot within the appropriate age, including pregnant women. However, we wanted to do a little more research on what risks you could face when you decide to get a flu vaccination. According to the CDC (the same group who urges everyone to rush out and get a flu shot ASAP), the risks of a flu vaccination include:

• Soreness, redness, and/or swelling from the shot
• Headache
• Fever
• Nausea
• Muscle aches
• Fainting
• Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)
• Difficulty breathing
• Hoarseness or wheezing
• Swelling around the eyes or lips
• Hives
• Paleness
• Weakness
• A fast heartbeat or dizziness
• Allergic Reaction
• Death

Wow! I don’t know about you but a lot of these side effects are very concerning. Concerning enough to make me think twice about it. So what are the alternatives to getting a flu vaccination?

Natural Alternatives to the Flu & Common Cold

Avoiding germs is nearly impossible so we have to get creative with maintaining a healthy immune system. The solution is actually quite simple. You can easily boost and maintain a strong immune system by visiting your local Mount Juliet chiropractor, TruRoots Health Center to begin a program of health and wellness that will most definitely boost your immunity during this season of sickness.

Boosting Your Immune System with Chiropractic Care

Misalignments in our spine create stress on our nervous system, which can cause changes to our bodies that lead to poor immune responses. When our bones in our spine are not aligned properly, they can create pressure and irritation to the nerves, which restricts the flow of information from our brain to our body.

How well our bodies react to sickness that seems to attack us from out of nowhere is based entirely on what our brain tells our body. So if our body’s communication lines are broken, or restricted, the chances of us getting sick are increased. We suddenly become more vulnerable to infections, allergy attacks, and other diseases.

Simply put, your brain needs the correct information to know exactly what is going on with your body. If it receives partial, incorrect, or even no information at all, your immune system will not respond the way it is intended to. The “fight back, take care of these germs once and for all” response that our brains typically send out will become weakened or possibly non-existent, and it is then that we find ourselves unhappily shopping the pharmacy aisles, arms loaded with tissues, medications, and vitamin C.

Contact a Mount Juliet Chiropractor

Here at TruRoots Health Center in Mount Juliet, TN, Dr. Evan Pridmore is a neurologically-based nervous system specialist (commonly known as a Chiropractor), with a focus on optimal health and function. Routine chiropractic adjustments will help alleviate disruption within the nervous system, allowing your brain to properly communicate with your body, which will keep your immune system strong.

Don’t wait until it is too late! Start your journey to optimal health today with a consultation!