It’s no question that this summer has been uncharacteristically hot and humid, even for Texas. But what’s even more abnormal is the uptick in people suffering from summer colds! Strep, stomach bug, bacterial infections, flu symptoms, you name it.
So why?
Well, for starters, the heat certainly encourages people to swim more, whether that means getting in a pool, or a lake. The heat also makes it easier for bacteria to breed in the water. Just another reminder to not drink the pool or lake water!
This is especially important for young swimmers who may think it’s amusing to hold water in their mouth and spit it back out. It’s harmless until it’s not.
Another reason (aside from the crazy heat and water dwelling bacteria) that you or someone you know may be down with a summer cold is the ongoing recovery from 2020.
Everyone was down for the count and mostly kept to themselves meaning minimal engagement and contact with people (not a huge difference if you’re an introvert like me). But in the bigger picture, what this means is that our immune systems were not exposed to the normal amounts of seasonal bacteria.
The immune system is not that different from our muscles as far as ‘use it or lose it’ goes.
With life just now getting back to normal and exposure to people becoming more and more common, our immune systems are in a bit of a shocked state. They are having to remember how to fight off bacteria and viruses.
This is nothing to worry about since it is all part of our bodies’ natural process. It can, however; be very annoying to anyone trying to enjoy their summer indoors, or out. It’s one thing to be sick when it’s cold and gray outside but when the sun is out and everyone else is in the pool or on the beach?
Not quite as tolerable.
So what can you do to fight off the summer blues?
Fuel your immune system! Making sure that you’re consuming enough fruits and vegetables will help your body get the essential vitamins it needs.
Additionally, it’s super important to make sure your body is getting enough electrolytes. Most people hear that term and think of gatorade but there’s a little more to it than that.
The four main electrolytes are sodium, potassium, magnesium, and water.
Most people are actually deficient in magnesium and don’t even realize it. Magnesium is a major mineral, our bodies need greater amounts of it compared to minor minerals like iron or zinc.
Magnesium can be obtained in many different forms, capsules, powders and most importantly- whole foods. green leafy vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, milk and yogurt all contain magnesium.
Sodium is a bit easier to understand since you can ensure your consumption of it by eating salty foods like pickles or salted nuts. Some people even find it beneficial for water retention to put a teaspoon of salt in their water.
Potassium can be found in foods like bananas, oranges, cantaloupe, honeydew, apricots, grapefruit, some dried fruits, such as prunes, raisins, and dates.
Again, while all of these electrolytes can be consumed via capsules or powders, there are many benefits to consuming them in the form of whole foods.
Lastly, water. It is very important to keep up with water consumption, especially with the rising temperatures, meaning more sweat and more water expenditure. Since drinking a gallon a day seems a bit extreme to most, it may be comforting to know that the average person needs only around a half an ounce, to an ounce of water per pound of bodyweight to be adequately hydrated.
Too much water can actually result in flushing out the other electrolytes that your body needs to function!
Eating water dense fruits like apples, berries and watermelon can help to maintain a hydrated state without flushing out all the goods.
I hope this blog has been helpful and more importantly that you’re staying cool and finding ways to beat the heat!
If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to our team at MOSS and we will assist you as best we can!
Lastly, if you or anyone you know is suffering from aches and pains that are keeping you from living the life you love, reach out to us and let’s start working on a plan that will get you to where you want to be.
It starts with our simple 3 Step Process.
- Schedule a FREE Discovery Visit with one of our experts.
- Receive a Customized (Individualized) Treatment Plan
- Get Your Life Back and Do What You Love
It really is that simple!
The first step is the hardest and I can’t take it for you but I can make it as simple and easy as possible.
“A healthy man has thousands of wishes, a sick man has only one”. –Agnes Karll Schwest Krankenpfleger
You will work with one of our experts to design a customized plan specific to your needs and conditions.
Next Action:
I have talked about this for years. I call it The 3 D’s. You can learn more about it HERE. Follow The 3-D’s to handle your issue and you can’t go wrong.
- Don’t ignore the problem—A problem could be pain, weakness, frequent falls or trouble recovering from an injury or illness. It is a signal from the body that something is wrong. Hoping and wishing will not make it better. Try to ignore it and hope it goes away –almost never works and usually makes everything worse.
- Don’t mask it—getting injections, taking pills, wearing a brace or using a walker only masks the problem and doesn’t fix the underlying cause. I have several examples in my personal life where this did not work out. Trying to mask it and not truly addressing the underlying issue makes the problem cost more (time, money and stress) to fix in the long run.
- Do something about it-–If addressed properly most problems can heal conservatively, naturally without injections or surgical intervention. Doing something about it – addressing the issue head on, while it may be tough at first it will get a better result in the long run.
Pro tip: Get it looked at by the experts at MOSS Rehabilitation Center.
Follow The 3-D’s to handle your issue and you can’t go wrong.
Remember the KEY is to start so small that it is impossible to fail. -Kaizen
At MOSS Rehabilitation Center we make it easy for you to get started. We even have a simple 3 step process.
1. Schedule a FREE NO Obligation, Discovery Visit with one of our experts. During this visit, you will talk with one of our friendly experts about your issues. This is a safe and confidential visit, you can trust that your safety and privacy is important to us. We are taking extra measures to ensure that you remain safe during this pandemic.
2. Receive a Customized (Individualized) Treatment Plan. Based on your free discovery visit, we will put together a custom, unique to you plan that will address all of your nagging pains and issues. The goal is to get you back to your healthy self as soon as possible while also addressing your issues for the long term.
3. Get Your Life Back and Do What You Love. The best result for us is a patient who tells us they can finally do what they love without the constant pain, stress, or issue they were facing. Together we can get you back to living life without worry.
So what do the most successful people do when they have health concerns? They address their problem.
NEXT ACTION: If you are really serious about showing your body who’s in control, call our office at 817-220-6677 today to schedule your FREE NO OBLIGATION Discovery Visit.
To your health,
Dr. Robert Moss PT, ScD, OCS, FAAOMPT
