Staying Healthy This Fall

September 24, 2016

Staying Healthy This Fall - Texas MedClinic Urgent Care

For central Texans, fall doesn’t come as quick as it does in other parts of the country. With recent temperatures still in the 90s, it will be a few more weeks before we start to feel like summer has left us and we start pulling out our jackets. As the temperature drops you’ll likely get outside to enjoy the cooler weather. He’s a few of our tips to help keep you healthy this fall.

As the temperature cools off, there’s a restructuring of nature. The body is adjusting to cooler weather and reduced daylight hours cause changes in our health too. The change in temperature strains the immune system because the body takes time to acclimate itself. During this time, common symptoms such as sinus headaches, runny noses, coughs, sore throats and tiredness affect people who suffer with allergies.

Common colds spread this time of year and flu season makes it extremely important to get a flu shot (we take walk ins!).

Cold and flu spreads this time of year because of the drop in humidity and because people spend more time indoors sharing germs. The drop in humidity causes the nasal passage to dry up allowing germs to rest and viruses and bacteria to enter the system. 

Here’s a few tips to help you stay as healthy as you can this fall.

—Add fall harvest fruits and vegetables to your diet. Including seasonal fruits and vegetables in our diet has alway been a great way to get the appropriate nutrition our body needs. Some of these are broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, red and yellow peppers, onions and garlic. Most of these are great to eat fresh or even more delicious in a soup!

—Vitamins. If you find it difficult to pack your meals with lots of vegetables and a little fruit, make sure you are taking supplements to get the vitamin C needed to keep you healthy. As daylight hours get shorter, (and to get ahead of traffic) many working folks are on our way to the office before the sun is up. By the time you get home, it is already dark so you’ll miss out vitamin D that your body needs to maintain a healthy immune system. You can stop in and see us regarding proper dosage for you and your kids, if not, try to take your lunch break outside and soak in some of the Texas rays!

Exercise. In Texas we are fortunate to have mild fall weather that makes it easy to get out there and explore.  Don’t let the fleeing daylight change your exercise routine you started this summer. Mild to moderate exercise will do wonders for your sleep and strengthen your body’s ability to fight off colds.

—Wash your hands. We know, we know…you’ve heard this 1000 times but it is something so simple that can prevent you from getting sick as well as protect others. In a survey from the Bradley Corporation they found that 40% of Americans do not wash their hands after going to the bathroom. Gross! Adults, wash your hands!  Now don’t just splash some water on your hands or put some soap on your hand and immediately rinse it off without scrubbing, that doesn’t count.  Shoot for at least 20 seconds! You’ve got this!

—If you or your kids do get sick, stay home! We know that vacation days are in short supply and it can be difficult to find childcare but, your coworkers and the parents of your kids’ classmates will thank you. Take some time to rest and let your body do what it does best!  Make some soup, load up on some vitamins, try to relax and let your body heal. However, if you feel like your symptoms are getting worse, come and see us.

These are just a few things you can do to make sure you stay healthy this fall. If it’s been awhile since you have seen a doctor, come in and get a routine physical. We’ll talk about how we can help you stay as healthy as you can. If you need to get a flu shot we can help out with that as well. We’re always here to help you out with any of life’s little emergencies. Many of our locations are open 24/7 and all of our locations can be found online under the location tab.

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