Episode 16: My Doctor's Recommendations to Avoid Getting Sick
I sat down with my doctor to create a plan for navigating this allergy & germ season to avoid getting sick. What’s your plan?
If you’ve been following me on Twitch, you’ll know that over the last few weeks, I have been dealing with a nasty respiratory illness that I picked up while hanging out with my nieces and nephew.
Since I was little, I’ve always struggled to stay well when respiratory bugs are going around. Having allergies and asthma makes me particularly sensitive to getting sick and staying sick.
In this latest bout, I sat down with my doctor to create a plan to help my body fight off illness and bounce back faster. In this episode, I share the plan that we came up with.*
*Disclaimer: The content provided in this blog and podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. Reliance on any information provided in this blog is solely at your own risk.
My doctor’s tips for navigating allergy and sick season
1 Take a multivitamin
Taking a multivitamin can boost your immune system by providing essential vitamins and minerals that may be lacking in your diet. Vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc are particularly important for strengthening the body's immune response and reducing oxidative damage from free radicals. This, in turn, will help you to better fend off infections and illnesses. Keep in mind, however, that multivitamins should complement a healthy diet—not replace it!
2 Use a neti pot
Using a nasal rinse system like a neti pot, pressure irrigation system, or electronic system can help prevent illness by clearing nasal passages of irritants, allergens, and pathogens. This can reduce the likelihood of contracting a respiratory infection.
It definitely takes some getting used to when performing nasal rinses—but I think it’s well worth it. Just make sure that you use distilled water and clean your nasal rinse system before and after every use (use hot water and soap). For good measure, I like to pop my Neti pot in the microwave for 40 seconds to disinfect it after washing before every use.
3 Eat enough calories
Eating enough calories is another essential part of my doctor’s plan for keeping me healthy. This has been a struggle for me with my ADHD and busy schedule—but I’ve noticed that I tend to only get sick when I have been slacking on my nutrition and not eating enough.
When your body is well-nourished and has enough energy, it can most efficiently produce immune cells and antibodies to fight off infections and pathogens. Eating sufficient calories also helps to keep inflammation in check and ensures that you can repair any damaged tissue. Plus, you’ll recover better from your workouts and build more muscle.
To ensure that I’m eating enough, I’m going to plan and prep my meals ahead of time. This will allow me to grab and go, even when I’m busy and focused on a project.
4 Eat protein & veggies
In addition to eating enough calories, it’s also important to be mindful of the kinds of foods that those calories come from. Our bodies need a variety of vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and fight off infection.
Eating plenty of protein helps with the production and function of immune cells, antibodies, and other molecules involved in immune response. This, in turn, helps the body fight off infections. Great sources of protein include lean cuts of meat, poultry, egg whites, beans, and low-fat dairy. In general, shoot for between 0.7 and 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day (or 1.5 - 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight).
Vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that boost immune function too. Vitamins A, C, and E are found in many vegetables and help maintain the integrity of the skin, respiratory tract, and other barriers that protect against pathogens. Antioxidants in vegetables also help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress—which can weaken the immune system. The dietary fiber in vegetables also promotes a healthy gut microbiome, which plays a key role in immune function. It’s important to eat a serving of vegetables at every meal to get the most benefit from this food group.
5 Take your medicine
I’ll also be taking a few medicines to help get me through allergy season and visits with the babies. However, it’s important to consult with your own healthcare provider before adding any medicines (even over the counter) to your health routine. I’ll be taking a daily antihistamine to keep my allergy symptoms under control—especially right now during pollen season in North Carolina. I’ve been using Allegra for this for years, and I really like it because it doesn’t make me drowsy.
I’ll also be using a nasal corticosteroid (Flonase) to keep my sinuses from getting overly inflamed—which can lead to infection. I’ll limit this to just allergy season and whenever I visit the babies so that I’m not on a steroid all the time, since this can have other negative health effects.
Although I haven’t needed to use it in years, my doctor also refilled my prescription for an emergency inhaler just in case. I also have a corticosteroid inhaler on hand just in case I get sick again and have a hard time kicking the cough (this last one stuck around for 3 weeks).
So that’s our plan! I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that this can cut down on how often I get sick over the coming months. However, my doctor did note that illnesses are becoming more common now as a result of lockdown—when we lost a lot of our normal immunities. Maybe with these measures in place, however, I can at least reduce the amount of time that I’m down for the count 🤞
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ABOUT JAYD HARRISON
Jayd Harrison (Jaydigains) is a personal trainer and content creator. She helps people to build muscle, burn fat, and clean up their diets with her online coaching programs and social media content. Check out some of Jayd’s coaching videos on Youtube, or join Jayd live on Twitch and follow on social media:
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