It’s August, and that means it’s back to school month. So what does that mean for YOU? For many of us that means BACK TO THE BASICS of a daily routine. We have new schedules, strict bedtimes, early wake-ups, lunches to pack, homework to check, papers to sign and kids to inspire. Unfortunately with kids going back to school, it can also mean back to school germs as well. Don’t worry! There are some basic things we can do to help fight the germs and keep our immune systems STRONG and HEALTHY!

Believe it or not, our body is full of TRILLIONS (with a TR) of bugs living on and in our bodies! There are good bugs, and there are bad bugs. These microscopic organisms are vital to our overall health, but especially our immune system. It is believed that 60-70% of our immune system is controlled by these bugs in the digestive tract. The truth is that we need these bugs. To learn more about the good and bad bugs, read this article where I tell more about it.

For now I know that you want to stay as healthy as you possibly can with the back to school schedule. I believe that you can increase your chances of that while decreasing your risk of getting sick by following these seven recommendations to help strengthen your overall immune system.

1. Increase the foods in your diet that contain the good bugs – The foods I’m speaking of are fermented foods, such as yogurt, keifer and tofu. Just be sure you stay away from the fat free and sugar free varieties of these foods. Sauerkraut is another good fermented food, while Kombucha teas are a great fermented drink that does an excellent job supplying and restoring good bacteria to our bodies. If you don’t eat these foods or are unable to get these foods, then my recommendation would be to make sure you take probiotic supplements instead.
2. Cut the sugar as much as possible – Some of the bad bugs that live within our body, such as yeast, feed on sugar. Make those lunches and after school snacks healthy and cut out the sugar. 024: Are You Making Healthier Snack Food Choices for You and Your Children?
3. Manage the stress – Don’t let the stress of back to school control you. You control it! Take the time each day to destress by walking, running, meditating, yoga, lifting weights, deep breathing, or whatever healthy activity calms you down.
4. Get good sleep – Your body needs rest and time to restore the good bugs in your system. A good night’s sleep can make a world of difference in your immune health.
5. Take your vitamins – The processed foods that we eat also help destroy the good bacteria in our bodies, and they are almost void of the nutrients that our body needs for a healthy immune system. There are many many nutrients found in food that help support our immune system, and when we eat food that doesn’t contain any of these, we compromise our immune system. By taking vitamin and mineral supplements we get the nutrients we need to protect us. The most important one you need, as the fall and winter seasons are soon approaching, is vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin! With busier shorter days and less opportunities to get out in the sun, supplementation with vitamin D can be very helpful.
6. Do not neglect exercise – I know with the business of school routines, our exercise routine is one of the first things to go. Recent studies show that people who exercise regularly are less likely to catch a cold. This falls in line with other studies that show regular exercise greatly increases immune system health!
7. Support your thymus gland – The Thymus gland is a small gland that sits in the top of your chest wall and is the master gland of the immune system. This gland produces T-cells that fight off invaders in our body, especially viruses. The six previous steps can help support the thymus gland, but there are also thymus supplements available that can give you that extra immune system boost during the winter months.

Why use a supplement to support the immune system? Because the right ingredients can work with the body’s own immune response. A good supplement can give your immune system a boost when it needs it the most.

Why use ThymuPlex™? It provides broad-spectrum, intensive support for your immune system: ThymuPlex™contains vitamins, minerals, glandular and herbs (including Echinacea) essential for your immune system, white blood cell functions, and thymus gland activity. It provides thymus gland extract “predigested” that is already broken down for use by the body. It also includes these glandular ingredients: spleen extract and lymphatic extract and enzymes: trypsin, papain and bromelain for protein digestion.

Probiotic supplements contain good bacteria that are vital for proper functioning of our immune and digestive systems. These good bacteria also known as “normal flora” promote a healthy digestive system and reduce the growth of harmful bacteria in our bodies.

Whenever we take antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and numerous other medications both prescription and over-the-counter we are unknowingly destroying our good bacteria. Stress and processed foods can also be detrimental to the population of good bacteria in our bodies. It is important that we replace these good bugs and the best way to do that is with a good broad-spectrum probiotic supplement. Enterobiotic from Natural Creations is one of my favorites.

Both Enterobiotic and ThymuPlex™ are are available through our website. Order today and save 15% by using code “special15” during the month of August.

Your best defense against today’s (and tomorrow’s) global health threats is a strong immune system! I recently spoke at the Immune Defense Summit, and you can still benefit from the 36 amazing experts (including your very own Dr. Phil) teaching you the best strategies to rejuvenate your immune system and neutralize the threat of superbugs, pandemics, viruses and other chronic infections! Gain the best strategies to rejuvenate your immune system and neutralize the threat of superbugs, pandemics, viruses and chronic diseases. Click here for more information.

You can also check out these other back to the basics blog posts and podcasts on the website that will hep you get back in the school routine.

OH Nooo!! Not Head Lice!!

Why Do We Make Our Children Drink Something That Can Make Them Sick?

013: What’s Yeast Overgrowth Got to Do with ADD/ADHD?

014:What’s Mitochondrial Dysfunction Got to Do with ADD/ADHD?

024: Are You Making Healthier Snack Food Choices for You and Your Children?

Healthy Blessings,

Dr. Phil