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.

TIRED OF THE HYPE AND PHONY CLAIMS?

Wouldn't it be great if every company made sure that they have real science to back up their claims! The Shaklee Corp has NEVER had any problem with the FTC or the FDA. I'm so proud to be a part of a company that proves its claims and is so ethical.Check out the links at the bottom of this post for more info.

FTC SUPPLEMENT CLAMP-DOWN TARGETS BOTH RETAILER AND SUPPLIER

By Lorraine Heller, 15-Jul-2009

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has charged both the retailer Rite Aid and its supplier for the deceptive marketing of dietary supplement products, providing a clear indication that the watchdog is ready to clamp down on all parties involved in false advertising.

FTC this week announced that the national pharmacy chain Rite Aid will pay $500,000 to settle charges for the deceptive advertising of its ‘Germ Defense’ supplements as able to prevent, treat or reduce the severity of colds and the flu.

At the same time, the advertising regulator has also charged Rite Aid’s supplier of the product, Improvita Health Products, with false and deceptive advertising in an ongoing case.
According to an FTC representative, the commission has changed its historic posture of only pursuing business-to-consumer deception and false advertising.

“FTC now will be aggressively pursuing business-to-business cases where the supplier of a raw material, a private label finished product who also provides certificates of analysis, ingredient specs, advertising, promotional or other substantiation will be held to the same standards as companies that advertise directly to consumers,” he reportedly told Loren Israelsen, executive director of trade group United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA).

Immune focus
Rite Aid and Improvita had marketed Germ Defense lozenges and tablets as dietary supplements that contained vitamins C and E, zinc, and echinacea. FTC’s complaints against the companies noted that the products claimed to: Reduce the risk of or prevent colds and flu; protect against or fight germs; reduce the severity or duration of a cold; protect against colds and flu in crowded places; and boost the immune system.

FTC charged that there is “inadequate evidence” to support these claims.
The current case provides additional evidence that FTC – which regulates product advertising – has immunity claims on its enforcement radar, as does the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates product label claims.

Lookalikes
It also indicates that FTC is “going after lookalike products”, according to Israelsen.
Rite Aid marketed the Germ Defense products by touting their similarity to products marketed by Airborne Health, which were sold as a cold prevention and treatment remedy. Airborne settled similar deceptive advertising charges with FTC last year.

As well as paying $500,000 for consumer redress, Rite Aid must also post a refund notice in a “clear and conspicuous” location in the cold-and-flu aisle at each of its stores for 60 days beginning on October 1, 2009.

FTC also filed a complaint against Improvita and two if its principles for “deceptive acts or practices” and with “making false advertisements”. Improvita allegedly supplied the Germ Defense products to Rite Aid and other retailers, and provided advertising, packaging, and promotional materials containing the unsubstantiated claims.

To learn more about our science, our environmental committment, and our social responsibility, go to http://shaklee.com/

To see some short video about us and our products and to enter the no obligation drawing for $200 of free Shaklee products, go to http://LandofAnd.com/SandraAbrams

Please join my blog for regular updates.

STUDY BREAKS DOWN SUPPLEMENT USE BY PHYSICIANS

By staff reporter, 16-Jul-2009

The majority of physicians and nurses in the US recommend supplements to their patients but also use them personally, finds a new study.

Commissioned by the supplement trade group Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and published in the peer-reviewed Nutrition Journal, the study surveyed 900 physicians and 277 nurses.

“Health professionals including physicians and nurses are just as interested in healthy lifestyles as members of the general public and are just as likely to benefit from rational supplementation,” wrote the authors, Annette Dickinson, Ph.D., past president of CRN, Andrew Shao, Ph.D., CRN vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, and Nicolas Boyon, senior vice president, Ipsos Public Affairs, who conducted the Study on behalf of CRN.

Multivitamins most popular

The online survey, conducted in October 2007, found that 72 percent of physicians and 89 percent of nurses used dietary supplements. In addition, 79 percent of physicians and 82 percent of nurses said that they recommend them to their patients.

Overall, the survey found that multivitamins were the most commonly used supplement. Other popular vitamins and minerals were vitamin C, a B vitamin complex, vitamin D, vitamin E and calcium.

Out of the non-vitamin and mineral products, physicians were most likely to use green tea, followed by fish oil, glucosamine, soy, flax seed and chondroitin. Nurses were most likely to use green tea, fish oil, echinacea, glucosamine and flax seed.

Motivations

Some 40 percent of physicians and 48 percent of nurses said they took supplements for “overall health and wellness”.

Over two-thirds of survey respondents said they had multiple motivations for using supplements, including bone health, flu or colds, heart health, immune health, joint health, energy and musculoskeletal pain.

When it came to recommending supplements to their patients, the most common reason was again overall health and wellness, followed by bone health, joint health, flu or colds, heart health, immune health, musculoskeletal pain, and energy.

“This latest survey adds to the growing body of published data suggesting that healthcare professionals are among the highest users of supplements,” said CRN.

Another study published in 2000 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that 64 percent of female physicians used vitamin or mineral supplements at least occasionally, and 47 percent used a vitamin or mineral supplement at least five days a week.

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Shaklee commissioned the UC Berkeley School of Public Health to conduct a study comparing people who used Shaklee supplements over a period of 20 years or more with people who, over the same 20 years, either used another brand or no supplements at all.

To see the abstract of the Landmark Study go to http://landmarkstudy.com.

There you will find the study that confirmed that people who used Shaklee were dramatically healthier than people whoeither used another brand or no supplements at all.

To see a few short videos about Shaklee just go to http://landofand.com/sandraabrams

Be sure to fill in the form to be eligible to win $200 worth of Shaklee products absolutely free and with no obligaton.

To learn about all of the Shaklee products go to: http://shaklee.net/abrams.

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