It usually starts with just a slight tickle in your throat, a mild cough, or a runny nose. However, the next day you feel like you have been hit by a train when your cold or flu symptoms come on fast and furious. Cold and flu bugs are caused by viruses that get into your body through a mucus membrane, such as the mouth, nose, or eyes. As viruses are spread from person to person, the cold and flu are more prevalent during the winter months when people spend more time indoors in close proximity to each other. Bacterial infections, like strep throat, also pose a greater risk during the winter months.

Antibiotics will take care of bacterial infections. However, there really is no cure for a cold or the flu. There are some clinically proven things you can do to manage your symptoms once you get sick and even help speed up your recovery. Additionally, there are some steps you can take before you catch a bug that may prevent you from getting sick altogether or at least lessen the severity of your symptoms. The most important thing you can do that will significantly impact your overall health and well-being is boost your immune system.

Numerous clinical studies have shown that you can do several things to strengthen your immune system, with the most important being eating a healthy diet, exercising, and getting adequate amounts of sleep. However, Harvard Medical School points out that boosting the immune system is not as simple as it sounds. This is because the immune system is a working “system,” not a single structure. As such, in order to function at optimum efficiency, it must be in balance. This means that no one thing is any more or less important than another, and to stay healthy, people must focus on a multitude of factors. Neglecting any one of these components, especially over the long term, is inviting illness.

One of the biggest threats to your immune system is stress. Prolonged stress creates excessive amounts of the stress hormone cortisol that prepares your body for a physical response to meet the threat, known as the “flight or fight” response. When you respond by physically fighting off the threat or running away from it, the cortisol is burned off. However, when the hormone is not used up, it accumulates in your body and can weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to illness.

Exercise

Regular exercise helps support a healthy immune system and burns off excess cortisol levels. Randomized clinical trials in human subjects examined the effects of exercise on health. The studies showed evidence that moderate exercise is protective against the incidence of illness and disease and decreases symptom severity.

Diet

A well-balanced diet will ensure you get the nutrition you need to keep your immune system in top fighting condition. Not eating a healthy diet reduces the consumption of key vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients that support a strong immune system.

Sleep

Sleep is when the body repairs itself from the riggers of the day. Not getting adequate amounts of quality sleep prevents the body from fully recharging the immune system. Scientific studies have shown that quality sleep can have an effect on bolstering the body’s CD8 T cells production. Also referred to as “killer T cells,” these cells attack invading microorganisms. Quality sleep also enhances the ability of killer T cells to destroy infected cells.

You can also do other things to help reduce stress, such as certain therapies that can include things like meditation, massage, infrared sauna, and float therapy. You can locate businesses that offer these types of services by performing an online search for “stress therapy near me”.

Infrared Sauna Therapy

When you get sick, you will often develop a fever, defined as when the body reaches a temperature above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. A fever is the body’s way of trying to kill off an invading virus or bacteria that is causing the infection. A fever also works to stimulate your immune system. Most bacteria and viruses don’t do well when your body temperature is elevated, making it harder for them to replicate.

An infrared sauna uses invisible infrared light, a harmless form of radiation, to penetrate deep into the body’s tissue to simulate a fever. However, as the body’s temperature does not become high enough to be regarded as a fever, none of the adverse side effects are associated with a real fever. Still, the slight rise in body temperature can help the body fight off the virus or bacteria. It can be used to decrease symptom severity and possibly shorten the duration of the illness. Infrared saunas also stimulate energy production in the cells, increasing your white blood cell count and overall immune system functioning.

Studies have also shown infrared therapy stimulates the killer T cells responsible for fighting viral infections. Because of this last effect, infrared sauna therapy may help strengthen your immune system if used regularly. You should not use an infrared sauna if you already have a fever or have alcohol in your system. People under a doctor’s care for health conditions, such as heart problems or high blood pressure, should get medical clearance before undergoing infrared sauna therapy.

Float Therapy

Also known as sensory deprivation or sensory tank deprivation, float therapy uses a tank that simulates a zero-gravity environment to permit your mind and body to fully relax to reduce stress. The specially designed tank used in float therapy shuts out all light and sound and is filled with water having an extreme concentration of Epsom salts that create neutral buoyancy. The high salinity allows you to effortlessly float in the tank without the pressure of gravity pulling on your musculoskeletal structure.

Eliminating the forces of gravity can help relieve pain, stress and improve sleep. The sensation of deep relaxation has been compared to the feeling you have as you are drifting off to sleep in the moment just before you become unconscious. If you live in the Jacksonville area, you can find a float therapy provider by doing an online search for “float therapy in Jacksonville FL.” In addition to increasing the body’s immune system function, both float and infrared therapies can also help with other issues that include:

 • Chronic fatigue syndrome

 • Detoxification

 • Poor circulation

 • Improved sleep

 • Relief from joint pain and sore muscles

 • Weight loss

Conclusion

As the saying goes, if you have your health, you have everything, and the only thing most people care about when they are not well is getting better. The best thing you can do to help yourself from getting sick and help you recover once you come down with a cold or flu bug is to boost your immune system to make it as strong as possible. Be Still Float in Jacksonville, FL offers both infrared sauna and float therapies as well as Emsella, sound healing, and massage therapy. You can contact them by calling 904-619-9615, visiting them online at bestillfloat.com, or by performing a search for “stress therapy near me” or “float therapy in Jacksonville FL.”