Why Do Some People Never Get the Flu? Can You Become One of Them?

This is a different flu season.  The Pandemic H1N1 has created a certain amount of fear.  Many people are rushing off to get the vaccine, particularly if they are listed as one  of the high risk groups.

My two younger children are just finishing up with a bout of what appears to be H1N1.  They had an influenza diagnosed according to symptoms and it's presumed to be the H1N1 because that is the only flu circulating right now.  The only complication they had is a mild ear infection in the younger one.

This whole time though, I have been taking care of them and so far I have not gotten the virus.  In fact I rarely catch any of the things they bring home from school.  Last year they both spent some time sick with a nasty gastrointestional bug and I didn't get it.  They had colds, I didn't one.  My husband spent two weeks sick with what was likely Influenza A last December and I didn't get that either.

So what makes some people succeptable to contracting the flu and others not so much?  People ask me what I do  and it's difficult to pinpoint it. 

Here are some reasons I've come up with for my resistance to viral illness.

1.  I don't expect to get it.  I am a true believer in mind over matter.  I don't identify myself as a sickly person and I believe my body is able to resist viral illness.  This is a deliberate thought process I started to cultivate a few years back and it seems to work.

2.  I drink two cups of green tea every day.

3.  I take 4000mg of vitamin D-3 during flu season and get lots of sunshine during the sunny months.

4.  I eat a moderately healthy diet working hard to eat some raw foods every day but I don't skip meals/diet/stay away from sugar.  I try to avoid processed foods.

5.  I am a lacto-ovo(milk and eggs) vegetarian and I am moderate with the lacto-ovo.

6.  I practice mindful meditation and I try to resist stressful thoughts and worry.

7.  I try to live a joyful and happy life

8.  I let my anxieties out rather than tamping them down.

9.  I try to make decisions from a place of peace rather than fear.  I am not afraid of getting the flu

10.  I've never taken a flu shot preferring to let my natural immune system do the work it was designed to do. 

I truly believe a lot of our wellness is a decision.  Identify yourself as a well person, do healthy things and participate in healthy behaviours that reinforce that identity and you will find you get sick from the viral infections that travel through our world on a regular basis.

But if you do happen to get sick remember that sometimes our bodies need to recharge, restart, like a computer, it needs to reboot.  Allow yourself to rest and relax and be sick.  Let others take care of your responsibilities or let them go.  Your body is strong and able to heal itself.