Over the past few months we’ve been visited twice by Dr. Carol DeFranca, chiropractic orthopedist of Norwell Spine & Sports and clinical director of FirstLine Therapy, whose mission is to provide therapeutic health and wellness services to the community.

Last week Dr. Carol shared some very important tips to help boost your immune system – I’ve included a few highlights from our conversation below. But you should really come and hear Dr. Carol yourself – she’s an amazing wealth of knowledge and offers FREE monthly “living better” seminars @ the South Shore Natural Science Center. Her next seminar, on women’s health issues, is December 1 from 7-8pm at the Science Center.

Let’s talk about staying well this flu season which is really a multi-step process. It’s (hopefully) common knowledge that simple steps like washing your hands often will help prevent the spread of germs and keep you healthy. But it’s also important to remember to get plenty of rest, keep your stress level down and keep up with your exercise regiment.

*Keep your sugars to a minimum since eating or drinking around 8 tbs, roughly 2 cans of soda, can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by up to 40%! And the immune-suppressing effects of sugar starts less than 30 minutes after ingesting sugar and lasts for up to 5 hours after.

*Limit alcohol intake as alcohol produces a nutrition deficiency, depriving the body of valuable immune-boosting nutrients.

*Load up on immune boosting foods:

- Vitamin C, in amla fruit, lemons, broccoli, orange, kiwi, among others, increases the production of infection-fighting white blood cells and antibodies.

- Prebiotics, in fruits like bananas, vegetables like mushrooms and nuts like almonds, help probiotics thrive when we eat them.

- Probiotics protect your intestinal lining which is important in nutrient absorption and production of vitamins and fatty acids, and help improve whole body immune responses  that kill viruses and bacteria. Probiotics are found in yogurt and fermented milk like kefir.

-My personal favorite Dr. Carol highlighted was tea, in particular green tea, which helps inhibit viral replication and enhances your bodies ability to recognize invading organisms.

There are many immune boosting foods out there like olives, mustard greens, avocado, flax seed, salmon and the list goes on. For more information come and check out one of Dr. Carol’s free seminars where she provides yummy and nutritious foods to help illustrate the connection between food and health.

Tiffany, Stan, Laura and I have the night off and we’re repeating one of our favorite shows tonight: DUX.  It gives us a chance to spend some time with our loved ones, prepare a kick-ass show next week and give YOU a chance to hear all about Duxbury. While we won’t be live, you can always email us here to give us your feedback and to check in with us. We’d love to hear from you!

What’s up in DUX? We spoke with the folks over at Island Creek Oysters about their world-class operation and their upcoming Island Creek Oyster Festival, an afternoon-long, sustainable event, on Sept 12. This festival is spectacular! It’s the fourth year the folks at Island Creek are throwing a major bash on Duxbury Beach and you’re invited – tickets are still available. ICO invited 18 of Boston’s most celebrated chefs to dish up small plates for the crowd. This years festival will highlight the best in local oysters, food, live music and cold beer. Ticket sales support an amazing cause: The Island Creek Oysters Foundation which supports tons of local charities.

Just down the street from the world headquarters of The Island Creek Oyster Company is a wonderful school called Bay Farm Motessori Academy. We learned a ton about the montessori system and about the amazing programs that are available at Bay Farm. Bay Farm is an independent, co-educational school serving kids aged 12 months to 14 years old (8th grade). Some of the keys of the montessori system include mixed-aged classrooms where kids can learn from those older and younger than themselves, encouraging independence and fostering healthy social development in a hands on learning environment.

In addition to the strong education curriculum the school is alive with music, art and drama. Throughout the year the campus is a buzz with theater and dance performances as well as live exhibits of the student art projects. This is one special place that really fosters growth and development.

It’s an exciting year for Bay Farm because they are opening a brand new middle school. Not many montessori schools in Massachusetts offer this option but after years of research and planning, forums with current students/families and future candidates, the board of trustees voted unanimously to open the middle school and are excited to welcome the schools first crop of seventh and eighth graders to the Bay Farm family.

Interested in learning more? Drop Head of School (and a good friend of SSLive) Kevin Clark a line. And though school starts this week, you can arrange a tour of the campus anytime.