Building a Healthy Immune System + Overall Wellness
Hello, my name is Fleming Saballa and I am a chiropractor and natural healthcare provider specializing in women and children. I have created my top do’s and don’ts when considering a strong immunity and overall wellness for you and your children. The tips may seem simple, and they are! Building a strong immune system does not occur from a single action but from a series of repeated actions because our bodies rely upon a series of interdependent functions!
Do’s:
1. Sleep is a great way to create longevity and good health. Sleep deprivation can compromise our bodies’ immune responses. The hours from 10pm-2am are when our immune system is most active and when we achieve regenerative sleep. Regenerative sleep fights stress, assists in maintain a healthy weight, and restores energy levels. If you find yourself waking between 10pm- 2am and are deprived of “regenerative sleep,” you will often experience fatigued upon waking. Neurodiverse children tend to have difficulty regulating their sleep cycles and often wake during the night. Our pineal gland is responsible for secreting the hormone melatonin - as the sun sets our eyes see the change in lights and prepares our brain for sleep. Exposure to bright lights before bed prevents the secretion of melatonin; limiting screen time before bed could help your kids achieve better rest. No matter your families circumstances, sleep is needed for the entire family and is critical for maintaining wellness.
2. Movement is medicine for the mind and body and is a great tip for improving our immune system. When we move well and consistently, circulation increases in our brain, organs, and muscles. Proper circulation allows our bodies to replenish nutrients and clear our body of toxins. Movement can also improve mood, increase strength, and will help your children achieve optimal health. Children that receive functionally focused activities have a greater improvement in independence when performing movement activities. Start with small goals, such as a 10 minute walk with your child, and slowly increase it. I also recommend adding strength and resistance training, as tolerable, to increase the nervous system’s ability to self regulate. There are a vast amount of resources available for functionally focused activities and I encourage you to check them out. Always include a warm up and cool down period!
3. Do consider the benefits of chiropractic care and its effect of our nervous system. A strong nervous system is part of a strong immunity defense. One way to bring our nervous system back into its natural state of function, homeostasis, is through chiropractic care. A chiropractic adjustment works to balance the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems and brings us to a new place of trust in our body’s ability to be ‘well’ and manage the ongoing stresses presented throughout the day. The main function of our nervous systems is to manage stressors. With neurodiverse children, we can dissolve our perceptions and limiting beliefs that are culturally put into place to make us afraid and reconnect with the nervous system. Between the adjustments, neurological exercises, and nutritional improvements, we can help create balance in your children.
Don’ts:
1. Don’t forget about natural healthcare as an important tool in immunity defense. I am a strong advocate of essential oils and use them daily. Certified Therapeutic Grade essential oils are safe, effective, and our bodies recognize them because they are actually able to permeate the cell membrane and provide powerful support to the structures found within the cell! Essential oils are the extracted volatile, aromatic compounds found in leaves, flowers, bark, stems, roots, resin, seeds of plants or pith of citrus fruits and are treasured for their enhancement of beauty, flavor and health. Integrating essential oils can be beneficial to children with diverse needs because essential oils target the limbic system of our brains. The limbic system in the brain includes glands that help relay and respond to emotions. When essential oils enter the body, they bring powerful instructions to “remind” and support cellular vitality (health) but also calm the mind and body and boost our immunity. I have been using essential oils on my one-year-old since birth!
2. Consider eliminating inflammatory foods to support overall immunity. Not only is it important to eliminate inflammatory foods such as dairy (eggs especially), sugar, gluten, and tree nuts, but also incorporate your colorful foods. Prolonged low-grade inflammation associated with our diet, altered glucose and lipid metabolism in our adipose (fat) cells, muscle, and liver can compromise our bodies’ health. Therefore, research suggests that certain dietary components can modulate these key inflammatory pathways and clinical pathologies. For families that struggle with eliminating foods from your diet, I recommend incorporating healthier foods at a faster rate than you are eliminating the bad foods. Every day you should look to decrease the amount of bad food, but going cold turkey can be difficult. Ease into it if needed, but keep in mind its almost more important to add in the healthy foods first and then eliminate the bad. Eventually your body will crave the healthy nutrients and you will find yourself feeling sick to your stomach when you have sugar or whatever it is you are working on to eliminate. Studies show that diets that incorporate green and black tea, walnuts, ground flaxseed and garlic are associated with lower inflammation in the body. I know its simple, but if our body is busy fighting inflammatory foods, it is more susceptible to other immune compromisers.
3. Don’t neglect self-care! I recommend making self-care a priority to manage every day stress and anxiety for every family member. Countless studies demonstrate how stress and anxiety cause neurological responses than can make our bodies more susceptible to immune compromisers and chronic conditions. Studies have also demonstrated that children can detect stress within their caregiver. Stress is the body’s physiological response to overwhelming stimuli, a condition that continually challenges the body’s ability to maintain homeostasis. Once the body’s response to stress has been activated, a number of physical changes start to occur. Stress reduces the blood-brain barriers ability to block hormones and chemicals from entering the brain, thereby allowing corticosteroids to speed up the brain’s ability to process information and make a decision. Therefore, even though it might seem cliche, self-care or stress limitation is an important tool for families when considering overall wellness.
You can find Dr. Fleming Saballa on Instagram at @drflemingsaballa and subscribe to her wellness magazine via her website! If you have any addition questions, don’t hesitate to contact Fleming via email or comment below!
