Dr. Lisa Griffith is a pediatric, prenatal, postpartum, and family chiropractor in Richmond, VA who combines gentle, nervous-system-centered chiropractic care with a background in the Webster technique, core and pelvic floor rehabilitation, yoga, and nutrition to help women and their families feel more at home in their bodies. Her practice focuses on supportive care that keeps you moving, resting, and recovering well through every season of life, including pregnancy, the postpartum period, and childhood.
Rachel Martin, NP, IFMCP is a functional medicine nurse practitioner and founder of Root + Ritual Functional Medicine, where she guides patients through a seasonal, “slow and steady” approach to wellness rooted in gut health, nervous system regulation, and intentional daily habits. Through resources like the Winter Immunity Guide, Rachel focuses on building immune resilience from the ground up with nutrition, lifestyle, and herbal supports such as elderberry, always emphasizing sustainable, real-life changes over quick fixes.
From Dr. Lisa:
Winter, Your Nervous System, And Immunity
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When the days get shorter and colder, many people notice more tension in their neck, back, and jaw, more time indoors, and more stress on their nervous system. As a chiropractor, this is exactly where I see an opportunity to support immunity instead of simply bracing for “sick season.” |
- Chiropractic care focuses on the spine and nervous system, which are deeply interconnected with immune function and your body’s ability to repair and adapt.
- Gentle, specific adjustments help restore motion in the spine, support better nerve communication, and may improve how efficiently your immune system responds to daily stressors.
- For pregnant and postpartum patients, as well as kids, staying ahead of winter tension and alignment issues can support better sleep, easier breathing, and calmer nervous systems—three quiet pillars of immune resilience.
Think of winter adjustments not as crisis care, but as part of a rhythmic, seasonal routine that helps your body move, rest, and recover more easily. Regular chiropractic visits through the colder months pair beautifully with the functional medicine work happening at Root + Ritual, especially when we zoom out and look at the whole terrain of your health.
From Rachel At Root + Ritual:
Elderberry As A Winter Ally
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From a functional medicine perspective, winter wellness is less about fighting every germ and more about tending to your terrain—your gut, your nervous system, your sleep, and the quiet daily choices that build resilience over time. Elderberry is one of my favorite gentle, time-tested supports to weave into that approach. |
- Elderberries are rich in vitamins A and C and deeply pigmented antioxidants that help reduce inflammation and support healthy immune responses during the colder months.
- When used regularly in winter, elderberry syrup can be a nourishing prevention tool, and when illness does sneak in, it can help decrease the severity and duration of viral respiratory infections for many people.
- In our Winter Immunity Guide (a perk of enrolling in our Root Ritual membership!), the elderberry syrup recipe uses dried elderberries simmered with warming spices like ginger and cloves, then combined with raw local honey to create a mineral- and antioxidant-rich syrup that can be taken daily or used more frequently during acute illness.
For most adults, a typical pattern is:
- Prevention: about 1 tablespoon of elderberry syrup per day through the winter.
- Acute support: 2 teaspoons every 3 hours during the first couple of days of a viral illness, alongside rest, hydration, and other supportive herbs.
Children’s dosing is adjusted using Clark’s Rule based on weight, and honey-containing syrups should always be avoided in children under 12 months of age. As always, this information is educational only and not a substitute for personalized medical advice—checking with your provider is essential if you are pregnant, nursing, managing chronic illness, or taking medications.
Simple Winter Habits That Make Everything Work Better
The most powerful immune support happens when hands-on care, nutrition, and environment are working together. Both of our practices emphasize slow, sustainable changes—what Root + Ritual calls “Tortoise Energy”—because consistency, not perfection, is what shapes your terrain over time.
Here are a few small habits both of our teams love for winter:
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Prioritize rhythm
- Aim for 3 consistent, protein-rich meals daily to stabilize blood sugar and support immune cells.
- Protect 7–8 hours of sleep with dim lights after sunset and calmer evening routines; melatonin is one of your strongest winter immune allies.
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Support your body’s “infrastructure”
- Choose warm, simple foods like soups, stews, broths, and root vegetables to nourish the gut lining and microbiome.
- Stay gently hydrated with warm teas, mineral-rich broths, and room-temperature water instead of relying only on cold drinks.
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Tend to the nervous system
- Short daily outdoor moments—even a few minutes of morning or evening light—reinforce circadian rhythms and immune signaling.
- Layer in regular chiropractic and massage care, intentional pause moments, and simple breathing practices to bring your body out of fight-or-flight and back into safety.
Elderberry syrup, immune-supportive teas, and other herbs then become reinforcements—not replacements—for these foundations.
A Note From Both Of Us
As two practices, we speak the same language: your body is designed for resilience when it is supported, not pushed to the brink. Chiropractic care help regulate your nervous system, improve circulation, and relieve tension so your immune system is not constantly fighting an uphill battle, while functional medicine gives you a roadmap of daily habits, nutrition, and herbal supports like elderberry to strengthen your terrain from the inside out.
If this winter feels like an invitation to slow down and build a sturdier foundation, we would be honored to walk alongside you—whether that means an adjustment, a seasonal consult, or simply helping you choose one or two realistic habits (and maybe a batch of elderberry syrup) to carry through the colder months.
Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!
Dr. Lisa Griffith & Rachel Martin, NP, IFMCP
Root + Ritual
Timeless, practical healing that's rooted in nature.
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RVA Chiro
Supportive care to keep you moving.
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"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others"
— Mahatma Gandhi
