It’s the time when flus and colds are floating
around like stealth little ghosts, looking for vulnerable bodies to haunt. Your
immune system is the shield between you and these ghosts. My mission is to
embed in you the huge importance of sticking to natural methods of building up
your immune system and what your brain has to do with it all. I will give you
some well-known and not well-known tips and techniques that will hopefully
prevent you from being haunted with illness during the peak time of year.
Children are bound to be sick, because not only are they the most vulnerable
due to hygiene habits, they are also the most resilient in fighting off
sickness rather quickly compared to adults.
To begin, let’s review the factors of
contracting these seasonal bugs:
Stress. The
more stress we allow to penetrate ourselves, the weaker our shields (immune
systems) become. Stress escalates around the holidays with work deadlines,
shopping, and travel.
Poor diet. We
tend to binge more or eat more sugary or salty foods in the winter days as if
we were planning to hibernate like bears. Holidays meals and possible drinking
abound as well.
Stagnancy. We
tend to grow less motivated when it’s cold out, just wanting to hunker down and
bundle up. The shortened daylight doesn’t help either.
Not enough
rest. I think that’s self-explanatory, but just in case, your body needs time
to rejuvenate, reenergize, and rebuild its immune system. Your brain needs to
also decompress in order to function effectively.
Improper
hygiene. It is important to wash your hands, say, after using the restroom,
touching a shopping cart or hand rail, and even especially for certain
professions, including the health and food industries. Using hand sanitizer is
a great alternative, but do you really know how to properly wash or sanitize
your hands? You think about that and see if you’re right when I explain this in
detail later. Just be sure you do not over-wash or over-sanatize also, because while you kill bad germs, you are also killing the good ones that you need.
So, I’m sure you knew the basics, right? But
you may not know the following details as to the How and Why of the most
natural ways to build your immune system and protect from illness. Let us
deconstruct each piece of the puzzle here, that is our great immune system, the
protector of our body. If our protector becomes weakened, it can’t protect us.
It is our duty to keep its strength in tact. You can’t just expect it to do its
job on its own.
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First, let’s explain the immune system and it’s
function- this is VERY important to understand:
The immune system is a network of cells,
organs, and tissues that work together to protect the body against foreign
bacteria, parasites, toxins and fungi. It’s like our own military working
for us. The symptoms we experience with such thing as a virus, infection,
insect bite or wound are immune system responses. A red bump, bruising,
swelling, fever, runny nose, ear ache, sneezing, coughing, pain…all signs
showing that our immune system is working properly to fight off the
attacker(s). Over-the-counter or prescription medications only dampen or mask
these symptoms, the healing process that the immune system performs, which is a
natural response. As an example, I can understand that if you have a headache
you can’t shake and have to tend to the day, taking some Ibuprofen is a viable
solution, albeit temporary, and if taken too frequently and/or on an empty
stomach, damaging to the liver.
The immune system is our body's military.
What we need to understand here is how to allow
our immune system to do its job and run its natural course, yet help it become
stronger and work harder and faster in times of weakness, as well as keep it
strong to fend off the enemy. The immune system is our savior- without it, we
wouldn’t last.
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Now, on to the part of what you can do to keep
your immune system in prime condition….these are KEY FACTORS that will make all
the difference for your health.
1. Stress is good, distress is bad. Understand
that outside stress is essential for our survival, but if we allow it to
penetrate us, it will lead to distress, causing mental and physical ailments.
Stress has been proven to be the underlying precursor in illness and death.
- Find ways to deal with stress: Deep
breathing, meditation, exercise, yoga, more rest, positive thoughts….ooh, which
leads me to….
2. Positive Thinking. Your brain is
a very powerful tool. In fact, thought is the most powerful tool for change and
healing. Thoughts change who you are and what you do. Positive thoughts
decrease distress of the body as well as your actions and well-being. When you
are sick, don’t become the victim! Accepting that you are sick instead of
denying it is healthy, but to loathe in the obvious will only make you feel
worse, weaken your immune system so its response is bogged down and will take
your body longer to recover.
3. Foods heal. I’m sure you
know that sugars are not the best to keep your body healthy, but let’s focus on
foods that will enhance the immune system instead of focusing on foods that
will weaken it.
- Yogurt has probiotics that are live active
cultures, or healthy bacteria that keep your digestive system clean.
- Oats and barley have antimicrobial and
antioxidant properties stronger than Echinacea.
- Garlic contains Allicin which fights bad
bacteria and infections.
- Fish such as crab, lobster, oysters and clams
contains Selenium that helps produce white blood cells, the frontline men of
our immune system military. Fish also is high in Omega 3 fats which reduce
inflammation.
- Chicken Soup…for the chicken and the broth.
The chicken, when cooked, secretes an amino acid that helps decrease
inflammation of the bronchial tubes. The broth also contributes to calming the
respiratory system, including coughing.
- Green tea, as well as black tea, is full of
antioxidants. Having several cups a day will increase your immune system
strength.
- Other important foods that contain minerals
such as Zinc, B12, A, C, and D such as beef, dairy, citrus, sweet potatoes,
spices, fish and vegetables.
- Iodine is not produced in the body and it’s
raw, natural form contributes to the function of metabolism. A lack of iodine
can lead to Hypothyroidism, which weakens the immune system and causes lack of
energy. Iodine can be found in fish, but is also great as a pure supplement to
add to your diet. Nascent Iodine is the purest form that is recommended to
prevent illness, including from carcinogens and radioactivity.
4. Exercise! It’s easy for us to become dormant when it’s
cold out, and the less we move, the more weakened our immune system becomes.
Those white blood cells need assistance in maintaining coverage throughout the
body with good blood flow and a sufficient amount of oxygen. Even a brisk 20-30
minute walk every day will keep the immune system strong, but adding in more
cardio and stretching will increase the chances of withstanding illness. Yoga
is another great method of pumping oxygen and blood flow at a slower pace, while
also rejuvenating the mind and spirit as well.
5. Get the proper and even amount of rest. If you wake
up at 6:00 am during the week and still feel tired, think about making bedtime
adjustments. Usually you are not getting enough sleep, even if you crawl into
bed with the lights out at 10:00 pm. Stimuli from electronic devices such as
television, phone, or tablet right before bed will still keep your mind running
after you close your eyes. Instead, do some stretching, deep breathing, write
in a journal to get thoughts out, read a book…your mind needs time to slow down
before rest. Also, stay away from heavy food or sugar close to bedtime and
avoid caffeine upon 5 hours of your bedtime. If you have an uneven sleep
pattern, try to make it more consistent. Don’t let yourself sleep in too long
on days off- try to stay within the same amount of sleep each night. I would
tell you that 7-8 hours of sleep is the recommended amount, and while I agree,
some bodies work differently. You can’t always force your body to sleep longer,
but at least adapt a regimen where you are getting about the same amount of
sleep nightly. If you have sleep problems, i encourage you to seek medical
advice or look into alternative therapies for help.
6. Proper hygiene isn’t always
easy, especially in public places where its difficult to avoid encounters of
bad bacteria, whether in the air or on door knobs or shopping cart handles. But
following all of the tips in this post, along with proper hygiene, can not only
give you a higher chance of staying healthy, doing them will also make you feel
more confident about being out and about amongst the sick ones.
Do you know how to properly wash or sanitize
your hands? When washing with soap and water, it is not the heat of the water
that matters, it is the speed of vibration your hands are creating. A fast,
vigorous pace is what will penetrate the bad germs to kill them off. When
lathering with the soap, take a full 30 seconds to 1 minute to cover every
portion of your hands- from the wrists and the palms to in between the fingers
and even the nails and finger tips. Bacteria can get under the fingernails
easily. When rinsing, the temperature of the water does not matter, but making
sure you rinse all of the soap off will ensure ridding of residue and germs. As
for using hand sanitizer, the same fast, vigorous motion is necessary to
protect from and kill off germs. Using those sanitizing wipes on your cart and
hands at the grocery store are also a good idea, but only if used properly.
But remember, washing and sanitizing too much
will not only dry out your skin, but will actually start attacking and killing
off the good bacteria which we need to fight off the bad bacteria. Also, avoid
touching your face, especially around the eyes. This is where it is the easiest
to contract an illness.
These are things that most of us know, but it’s
always good to be reminded once in a while. Just keep in mind that these aren’t
selective tips for you to pick and choose from- they must all be done in order
to achieve a healthy immune system, regardless of the situation or season. Stay
healthy.
transferred- original post date 11/10/2013
