NEW PARENTS ALWAYS SEEM TO BE SICK

As a new parent of a 11-month-old, I can attest to the fact that new parents get sick more often. Before I became a dad, I ignorantly thought that somehow, I wouldn’t be getting sick as all those other parents did. As a Chiropractor, I pride myself on how well I take care of myself and honor this temple of mine. But all my efforts were to no avail – I still find myself getting just as sick as all these other new parents. This prompted me to ask the question “why?” Why do new parents get sick more often?

Both my wife and I take exceptionally great care of ourselves. Here are a few examples of what we do: I utilize the sauna regularly, I work out, green drinks every morning for years, vitamins and supplements, Chiropractic adjustments regularly, and most importantly NO pharmaceutical intervention, etc... So, WHAT IS THE DEAL?!

THE FOUR REASONS:

• Babies Have Never Been Sick Before
• Babies Spread the Love to Their Parents (Close Proximity)
• Parents Don’t Get Enough Vitamin “S” (Sleep)
• New Parents are Stressed

STUDY PROVES HOW SICK PARENTS CAN GET
A new study done by scientists at the University of the Utah School of Medicine shows that the more kids you have, the “sicker” you become. As if being a parent wasn’t tough enough this yearlong study revealed that having kids guaranteed more viruses are brought into the home. In fact, couples with 0 children were infected with viruses for just 3-4 weeks out of the year compared to parents with just 1 kiddo who were infected for 18 weeks out of the year! And, the more kids you add to your family the numbers go up exponentially. What’s interesting is that only 50% of those that tested positive for viruses had symptoms.

BABIES HAVE NEVER BEEN SICK BEFORE
Babies have never been exposed to viruses, like the Rhinovirus (common cold) before. When they get exposed to something, it’s their very first time. So, odds are they are more likely going to get infected and express symptoms. Not only that they touch their face, their mouth, their nose, their eyes, and their ears with their dirty hands. It is inevitable that they are going to get sick. However, for the most part, it’s a “rite of passage.” I realize that for my daughter to build up her immune system she needs to get sick. It's called building “natural immunity.” And, although both my wife and I hate to see her suffer, she must fight the good fight. What's amazing is watching our daughter go through the process of healing and what happens when we support that process. KEYWORD: “SUPPORT” vs. “TREAT”

I’m sure you can remember getting sick when you were a kid. I’m sure you can remember fighting colds and flu; you can probably remember how miserable throwing up was when you were a kid along with burning a fever, but you lived through it. All these symptoms we go through when we get sick are a sign that our body is doing its job. The symptoms of being sick, simply mean that your body is healing and the BEST thing we can do is support our bodies natural healing process and not interfere with it – unless it’s an emergency and medical attention is warranted. Ultimately, you MUST remember that your body does have an amazing ability to heal itself! This belief is fundamental to living a healthy life. It seems like most people have forgotten this one powerful fundamental truth.

THE PHYSIOLOGY BEHIND FEELING “STUFFED UP”
The miserable feeling that we get when we feel “stuffed up” is actually a very complex process. I found a great description of what happens when we get a cold and why we get congested at the website linked below. “Your immune response to the rhinovirus [common cold] infection is complex. As the viruses attach to your epithelial cells, your natural killer cells -- a special population of immune cells -- recognize the viruses as foreign and initiate attempts to remove them, along with the infected cells. These NK cells release chemical messengers that dilate surrounding blood vessels and attract additional immune cells, such as neutrophils and antibody-producing B cells. These cells release their own chemical messengers, and soon a full-blown inflammatory response has been generated within the inner layers of your nasal passages. The swelling, increased mucus production and “leakiness” evoked by this inflammatory process, account for the nasal congestion and runny nose that characterize a cold."
https://livehealthy.chron.com/nasal-congestion-cold-2320.ht…

BABY’S SPREAD THE LOVE TO THEIR PARENTS
As new parents when your baby gets sick you know that you’re probably going to get sick as well. The primary reason for this is because you get increased exposure. Assuming that you’re a loving parent, you are going to hold the kiddo close to you, you’re going to sooth her, you’re going to rock her to sleep, you’re going to feed her, you’re going to be close to her. If your kiddo is anything like mine, she is going to touch your face, your nose, and your mouth – there just isn’t really much you can do about it besides tie your kiddo's hands behind her back… I’m joking of course! But this explains in a large part why parents get increased exposure as well.

NOT ENOUGH VITAMIN “S”
Also, as new parents, you aren’t getting the kind of sleep you need for optimal health. Most new parents are sleep deprived and they aren't getting enough of what I call “Vitamin S.” Sleep is a game changer! Studies show that just losing 1 hour of sleep can dramatically impact cortisol levels. In fact, a study performed by researchers at the University of Washington Health Sciences/UW Medicine tested blood samples from 11 pairs of Identical twins and found that the twin that wasn’t getting “enough” sleep had a significantly depressed immune system. Dr. Sina Gharib, the papers senior author had this to say, “the study employed "real world" conditions, and showed for the first time that chronic short sleep shuts down programs involved in the immune response of circulating white blood cells."

In a study of 1,800 first time UK parents, it was determined that new parents were getting a measly 5.1 hours of sleep per night, which suggests that the average new parent is losing 2.9 hours of sleep per night. When you add it all up it equates to 44 lost days of sleep in the first year alone. Here are several reasons why the 1800 new parents reported not sleeping:

• 62% = Night Feeds
• 57% = Baby crying/ waking
• 45% = Worried About Baby’s Safety
• 34% = Insomnia/Trouble Sleeping
• 27% = Getting Chores Done when Baby was Asleep

NEW PARENTS ARE STRESSED
New parents are significantly stressed, which negatively impacts sleep, which causes more stress. It's a vicious cycle! A lack of sleep always causes more stress, regardless of whether you “feel” it or not. Physiologically what happens when you’re not getting enough sleep is that Cortisol, AKA the “STRESS HORMONE” goes up. The problem is prolonged levels of cortisol have been proven to suppress the immune system as well as negatively impact several other working systems in the body.

What's even more pressing is that new parents all of the sudden have more of a demand on their time, energy, and focus, regardless of how tired they might feel. Needless to say, that's stressful. Also, your baby didn't come out with a manual - so as a new parent you're trying to figure it all out. Questions like: What does that cry mean, why isn't she/he nursing, why is my milk supply low, why is my kiddo so fussy are all new things that new parents are trying to figure out. There's a learning curve, and that undoubtedly increases stress. There is a lot of responsibility that nobody could ever prepare you for.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Be proactive! Do not wait until you get sick to finally start taking care of yourself.

1. Reduce Stress. First and foremost, you need to work on reducing your stress levels. Include a daily practice of meditation, prayer or sitting in silence as a way to start your day will help you better adapt to the demands being placed on you, especially if you're a stay at home mom or dad. We become too reactive in our lives instead of proactive. Meditation is a way to proactively live your life and it can very easily be done. As a new parent, it's not like you have a lot of time so you can meditate in as little as 5 minutes per day - although I would recommend a minimum of 15 minutes.

Here's what I do: I put my headphones in and listen to my "non-guided" meditation tracks that are set to 432 Hz, I close my eyes, and think of all the things I'm grateful for, I pray and say my affirmations. I do this every morning as part of my daily ritual. It works!

2. Weekly Exercise. Make sure to get in some weekly exercise. It doesn't have to be anything hardcore but it's good to sweat out those stress hormones and balance out blood sugar levels. Not only does this help reduce stress but it helps new parents to sleep better. This has been very effective for me as a new parent. In my workouts, I include strength training, the sauna, a bit of cardio, and stretching. I can get my workouts done in 30-60 minutes, so they are quick and convenient. If you can't get away from your house because you're a single parent - just do some push-ups, squats, dips, curls with a resistance band, jumping jacks, high knees, etc... I would also recommend to workout outside and get some sun. You could even just go for a simple walk around the block with your newborn.
3. Eat Healthy. This should go without saying. Whatever you eat, make sure to buy organic. Make sure you are getting enough greens into your diet. Now, your diet may vary if you're breastfeeding; you might have to experiment with different foods to find out what your kiddo does best with. My wife had to eat oats for the first time in her life. We found a very good organic, non-GMO brand. She uses coconut oil, and nutritional yeast seasoning in her oats as well so that she can get the valuable nutrients and maintain a good milk supply.
4. Take Supplements. As a new parent, you want to make sure you are getting enough vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Unfortunately, I don't believe you can get everything you need from just eating healthy food. I would recommend a good multivitamin. I would also do a maintenance dose of Elderberry. Elderberry has been used for 1,000's of years to heal a variety of different ailments. However, elderberry is best known for it’s healing benefits for Colds and the flu. According to some research, elderberry can shorten the duration of colds and flu as well as mitigate the symptoms. Elderberry syrup, juice and teas can be purchased from most health food stores, but make sure you buy a good organic brand. To be proactive you can also take elderberry when someone in your household is sick because it has immune-boosting properties. A word of caution, however, elderberry has some side-effects: it may cause diarrhea and vomiting; it can also cause an allergic reaction. If any side effect occurs, always consult your physician.
5. Get Adjusted. If you don’t have a good Chiropractor, find one. Regular Chiropractic care has been shown to have positive benefits on one’s immune system. According to a long-term study done on 107 patients over a 5-year period of time, it was found that they had 200% greater immune competence than those not under Chiropractic care!

A LITTLE HISTORY

During the 1918 Flu Pandemic what you never hear about is the positive outcome patients had who were solely under Chiropractic care and not medical care. “In Davenport, Iowa, 50 medical Doctors treated 4,953 cases [of the flu] with 274 deaths. In the same city, 150 Chiropractors including students and faculty of the Palmer School of Chiropractic treated 1,635 cases [of the flu] with only 1 death (LesterChiropracticNy.com).” Here is a table that shows you the numbers of what was happening in New York during the same pandemic.

IN A NUTSHELL:

You can’t fully prevent the stress that occurs to your body as a new parent. You just have to know that the stress is inevitable, I think acknowledging that is half the battle. It’s through that acknowledgment that we make the choice to proactively work on reducing our stress. Being healthier means that our bodies are going to better adapt to it. So, how well you take care of yourself has a lot to do with your ability to stave off colds and the flu. Remember, 50% of the time the family members were infected with a virus but had no symptoms. Perhaps, this is because they were healthier…

REFERENCES:

University of Washington Health Sciences/UW Medicine.
"Chronic sleep deprivation suppresses immune system: Study one of first conducted outside of sleep lab."
ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 January 2017.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170127113010.htm.

Kirkova, Deni. “No Wonder We Feel Exhausted! New Parents Lose 44 DAYS of Sleep in the First Year of a Child’s Life.”
2013, SEPT. 17^th
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2423615/New-parents-lose-44-days-sleep-year-childs-life.html

Premier Health, "Beware High Levels of Cortisol, the Stress Hormone." 2017, Feb. 5th
https://www.premierhealth.com/your-health/articles/women-wisdom-wellness-/beware-high-levels-of-cortisol-the-stress-hormone"

Leproult R, "Sleep Loss Results in an Elevation of Cortisol Levels the Next Evening." Sleep. 1997 Oct; 20th (10): 865-70.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9415946

https://www.draxe.com

Dr. Jason Bergerhouse is passionate about providing care to patients who need natural relief from chronic and acute pain. He has helped many people over the 9 years he has been in practice, including patients suffering with Back Pain, Neck Pain, Low Back Pain, Sciatica, Carpal Tunnel, Headaches, Migraines, and so much more.

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