As the rain returns, so does our exposure to cold and flu viruses. This year let's make a resolution to be proactive in 2012 and, hopefully, prevent or treat cold and the flu early on.

Come on in and let us help you put together your own personal cold pack. Please call ahead to our office 425-451-0999, so your provider can make the appropriate recommendations. If you have not been seen in the last four months, this is a good opportunity for you to schedule a wellness consultation. Your provider will create your personal cold pack at the time of your consultation.

We polled the practitioners at our office and came up with a list of recommendations and their favorite remedies.

First and foremost: Wash your hands well, on a regular basis. What exactly does it mean to wash your hands 'well'? Use warm water, hand wash (need not be antibacterial) and use good friction between your hands. Keep washing as long as it takes to sing the 'a-b-c' song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (twice) or another 20 second song that won't get stuck in your head and drive you crazy all day.

Get seven to eight hours of restful sleep each night! Don't fool yourself into thinking that you can make it by on six hours of sleep. Studies have shown that for women who get six hours of sleep per night, the following physiological effects:

1. Interferes with your body's ability to metabolize carbohydrates and causes high blood levels of glucose, which leads to higher insulin levels and greater body-fat storage.
2. Drives down leptin levels, which causes the body to crave carbohydrates.
3. Reduces levels of growth hormone--a protein that helps regulate the body's proportions of fat and muscle.
4. Can lead to insulin resistance and contribute to increased risk of diabetes.
5. Can increase blood pressure.
6. Can increase the risk of heart disease.
7. Suppresses the immune system - chronic sleep loss (anyone sleeping 6 hours of sleep or less per night) causes an increase in the nocturnal production of pro-inflammatory immune cells, called cytokines. It has also been shown that lack of sleep increases infection rates from microbial and viral factors (aka: cold and flu).

Eat a balanced diet: focus on whole foods, drink plenty of water and herbal tea throughout the day and work on increasing your vegetable intake to 5-6 servings a day.

Angela Pifer,
Certified Nutritionist

Tip One: Whole Foods has frozen organic chopped spinach and kale in their freezer section. Stock up and add a handful of either to scrambled eggs, a vegetable sautè, marinara sauce, stir fry, soup, stew, casserole or smoothie.

Tip Two: If you have a family member who is not fond of vegetables, blend some vegetables into the base of your soup, marinara sauce, stew or casserole. Bring 1 cup of water to boil in a sauce pan. Add one chopped carrot, a handful of chopped kale (from frozen is fine), ½ red pepper and ½ cup chopped broccoli. Bring to boil and reduce to medium heat and cook until you can pierce the vegetables with a fork (cooking time varies, depending on thickness of cuts). Remove from heat. **Caution, blending these - they are hot! Make sure that your blender is sealed and place one to two hand towels over the top of the blender, with your hand over the hand towels, further securing the top and then blend. You may need to add just a bit more liquid. Then add this to your recipe.

Tip Three: Frozen vegetables are just as good, if not better during the winter, as their fresh counterparts. Frozen organic vegetables are picked at the peak of freshness and flash frozen. Their nutrients are frozen in time... offering you a quick and convenient way of adding vegetables to your menu during the winter. Whole Foods has a wide selection of frozen vegetables and is one of my favorite stores to shop at for these. Try their bell pepper medley, broccoli florets, asparagus tips, green beans, stir fry medleys, corn and of course, chopped organic kale and chopped organic spinach. I love that these are already chopped and prepped!

Take a good daily Multivitamin

Dr. Amy Bosworth-
Patton

Dr. Janile Martin

Dr. Laura James

Dr. Donna
Kachinskas

Come on in and let us help you put together your own personal cold pack. Please call ahead so your provider can make the appropriate recommendations. If you have not been seen in the last four months, this is a good opportunity for you to schedule a wellness consultation. Your provider will create your personal cold pack at the time of your consultation.

Keep ahead of the game and enjoy a fabulous fall!