Center for Intergrative Medicine News Archive Featured in the Media JeffNEWS

Get ready for winter. If it is cold and wet like it was last year, even if you can avoid catching the flu, it will be ideal time for catching a cold or developing a fever. 

To help stay healthy while trudging through the cold and ice, Steven Rosenzweig, M.D., of the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center for Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, offers these recommendations. 

• “Focus on nutrition to boost your immune system,” he advises. Eat a balanced diet that includes whole grains such as brown rice, kasha and quinoa and fresh organic fruits and vegetables. A balanced whole foods diet is perfect to support your immune system in addition to providing critical nutrients. “Avoid processed foods and those high in fat and sugar because they may actually suppress the immune system,” he says.
• Drink plenty of spring water and herbal teas to help you to stay well hydrated and be more energized. Cut out sodas and limit caffeinated and alcoholic drinks. 
• Dr. Rosenzweig points out that we all sometimes miss the obvious. “Staying home when you are sick is more important than people realize,” he says. “By remaining home, you are not sharing your germs with your co-workers or the students in your classes.” 
• Additionally, resting allows the body to conserve and devote its energies to healing. Washing your hands regularly is another easy way to ensure that you aren’t carrying around germs and disease. For example, after you arrive at the office or home from riding public transportation, wash your hands. 
• “Healthy rhythms of activity and rest are very important to keep up resistance,” Dr. Rosenzweig says. “We all need exercise, a good night’s sleep and restorative moments during the day to gather our energies. Studies have shown daily meditation to be a superb boost to the immune system.”

Despite the fact that you have followed all of these tips, you may still wake up one morning feeling sick. You may have a bad cold, the flu or have flu-like symptoms.

In order to better identify what ails you, Dr. Rosenzweig suggests the following: 

• The flu comes with body aches, high fevers and symptoms that can last up to two weeks. If you are seen by a physician within 48 hours, an anti-viral medication can be prescribed that shortens the duration of the flu. 
• A cold, on the other hand, has respiratory symptoms, usually no fever and the treatment is geared toward lessening the symptoms and helping you to feel better. There are no recommended antibiotics to treat the common cold. 
• “Taking nutritional supplements and natural medicines may also help,” Dr. Rosenzweig advises. “Zinc lozenges can reduce cold symptoms. There is also scientific evidence behind the use of plant medicines such as garlic, echinacea, andrographis and elderberry. 
• “A great treatment for a stuffy nose, irritated throat or cough is steam inhalation with eucalyptus and chamomile: Add some drops of eucalyptus oil to a bowl of steaming water, add three chamomile tea bags, and vapors that soothe and relieve congestion.”

During the cold and flu season, call your physician if you have body aches, decreased appetite or high fevers. People with chronic illnesses such as lung disease, diabetes and cancer need to be in close touch with their physician whenever they get sick.

The Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center for Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital has a leading role in the evaluation and integration of promising complementary approaches to healing. At its clinical site, Jefferson physicians incorporate nutritional, herbal and homeopathic therapies into a comprehensive patient care approach. Other Center therapists provide acupuncture, therapeutic massage, nutritional counseling, mindfulness meditation for stress reduction, movement therapy, yoga, light therapy, wellness and prevention programs. 

To make an appointment with a physician or therapist at the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center for Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, please call 1-800-JEFF-NOW.