HOW'S YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM?

Things to help you to build and strengthen
your immune system.

"Those who fail to take the time to be healthy,
will ultimately have to take the time

to be sick." ~Dr. James Chappell.

We often don’t think of our immune systems in the summer when we are out and about enjoying the weather. Unfortunately, we also often find that come fall and winter when people are getting colds and flu, we have compromised our immune systems and then they let us down. Be careful of over the counter cold and flu remedies, they may be contaminated with heavy metals or harmful herbs.

Here are seven ways you can help build and support your immune system. They’re easy and you can get started today!

1. Find Ways to Relax
Because stress produces the well-known “fight or flight” response, scientists hypothesize that your immune system may become weakened after frequent activation of the autonomic nervous system in the case of chronic stresses. There are a number of techniques to help you relax, such as deep breathing or yoga, listening to soothing music, taking a hot bath.

There are some herbs and nutrients that are wonderful helpers to keep you relaxed and to prevent the harmful effects of stress on your body. Be careful, though, there are many herbs and supplements making those claims that are adulterated, usually unintentionally, or that haven’t the correct species or amounts. It is important that you choose from a company that proves their integrity through documented science.

2. Get Adequate Sleep.
Besides leaving you feeling sluggish, irritable, and forgetful, not getting enough sleep can reduce the effectiveness of your immune system by up to 50 percent. This is because sleep time is when the body and immune system do most of its repairs and rejuvenation. Strive to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Remember, rest and relaxation go hand-in-hand. As I said, above, you need to be careful of the company you get any sleep aids from. There are herbal sleep aids that are not habit forming and actually improve the health of the body.

3. Feed Your Immune System Well.
According to a number of studies, not getting enough nutrients in your diet can weaken your immune system. That is why nutritionists recommend a well-balanced diet that includes plenty of fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy products and whole grains. Of special importance are foods that are rich in antioxidants (like vitamins C, E, beta carotene and lycopene), omega-3 fatty acids and folate. However many Americans have nutritionally deficient diets, which is why it is important to take supplements that have immunoactive properties.

For maximum antioxidant protection, a complete blend of carotenes and isoflavones is extremely helpful. They can deliver whole-body antioxidant protection, protecting your cells and DNA from free radical attacks.

There are herbal and nutritional compounds now that are amazingly effective to keep and boost the immune system’s functionality.For more information, just ask me.

4. Drop Weight in a Healthy Way
If you are overweight, reducing weight is a healthy thing to do. But research finds that a rapid weight loss of more than 2 pounds a week can have negative immune effects. When it comes to successful weight loss and weight management, steady and slow is the way to go!

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), successful weight reduction is typically losing about 10 percent of your body weight in six months. Towards this end, experts recommend losing about ¾ to 2 pounds per week and not more than 3 pounds per week (weight reduction may be faster at the start of a program). One of the hardest things about weight loss is concern about keeping it off. The weight program you choose should have a built in mechanism for building lean body mass above and beyond what you gain through exercise. It should also prevent the loss of lean body mass, even if you don’t exercise enough. I only know of one program that does that.

5. Wash Your Hands
One of the best ways to prevent the spread of microorganisms that cause infections is good hand-washing hygiene. Washing your hands several times per day and always before you eat greatly reduces your exposure to bacteria and viruses. Be sure you are not washing your hands with anti-bacterial soaps or hand sanitizers on a regular basis. That can lead to the same problem that has occurred with anti-biotics causing the organisms to develop more and more resistance to the germ killer and possibly getting out of control and being completely resistant. Research shows that just washing your hands with a good amount of friction for 30 seconds is about as effective as using anti-bacterials and a whole lot safer. Even regular soap is not really good for your skin and your body. Organic cleaners (not the Johnny come lately’s) are much better.

6. Disinfect Surfaces
Disinfecting surfaces is a smart way to protect against picking up left behind viruses. Again, use the disinfectant carefully and not on everything. At home, use it in the bathroom, parts of the kitchen, and when someone gets sick, on door knobs, telephones, remote controls, just while the illness remains.

7. Don’t Get Too Much Sun
Unprotected sun exposure is linked with immune suppression. That is why cold sores often appear following time spent in the sun. To protect your immune system always wear a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher.

All sunscreen has harmful ingredients…none has been found to be really safe, but it is the only way to really protect your skin. Look at the labels and find one that uses only about half the amount of the unsafe ingredients as the others. Avoid Avobenzone entirely because, although it is a very good protector, it degrades very quickly and then you have no protection.

We need some sun time, but no more than 10 minutes in the day. Just going in and out of buildings to the car and back can give you too much UVA and UVB radiation.

Let me know if you want more specific information on ways to accomplish these steps with proven and safe products.