Have you heard the headlines recently? It’s a bit frightening to hear what’s going on in the world, the nation, and our town. In order to make the news, something has to be HUGE ~ violent, frightening, over the top, unthinkable. We have become immune to subtlety. If we don’t get an intense visceral reaction, it’s not doesn’t have an impact. Unfortunately, this creates an elevated sympathetic nervous system response that literally affects our health.
How many people would know about the Coronavirus if it wasn’t all over the news? Did you know it has been infecting people since the 1960’s? You may have had it – it’s symptoms are just like those of the common cold. But this year, it’s the virus of choice, perhaps do to some sketchy politics. Everyone is talking about it, changing their ways in fear of this virus. Schools are sending out protocols, communities are changing their socialization, churches are changing their standards.
Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. Don’t share beverages. Don’t shake peoples hands. Be warey of groups of people. And the list goes on. But nowhere has anyone broadcast how to support your body and improve your immune system.
First off, a stressed body is less likely to be able to fight off a virus. An elevated sympathetic nervous system decreases the body’s ability to rest, digest, be calm, and heal. Instead it is stuck in “fight or flight”, with elevated cortisol, imbalanced hormones, disregulated blood pressure, poor digestion, and lower quality sleep to mention a few basics. How can the body do its job when it’s stressed like that? It can’t…decrease your stress through mindfulness meditation, a regular sleep pattern, exercise, and eating right.
Digestion is a bit topic when it comes to your immune health. 70% or more of your immune system is located in your digestive track! If you aren’t digesting your food, assimilating the nutrients, and have a balanced pre and probiotic environment, your immune system is going to weaken. No amount of washing your hands is going to fix a weak digestive track! But eating your veggies – lots of veggies will help. They are nutrient dense and the fiber in them supports healthy bacteria in your gut. They also help with proper elimination of waste and toxins which is essential for a healthy body. Taking extra nutrients to further support digestion as well as your immune system is critical when working to support your immune system and prevent illness. Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Zinc are immune system powerhouses. Probiotics and Prebiotics also help build up your immune strength.
The assimilation of nutrients is just as important as the intake of nutrients. If you can use what you consume, there’s no real reason to eat it. The body will just excrete it. For that reason, making sure you don’t have leaky gut is a great place to start. Leaky gut simply means that the junctions between cells are too big and allow larger particles to pass through than it should. These larger particles create toxicity in the body because they aren’t supposed to be there. The digestive track wasn’t able to break them down far enough before they were passed into the bloodstream. Addressing a leaky gut be removing inflammatory foods, allergenic foods, and adding in healing foods is a great start. Follow this will digestive enzymes and you are much more likely to gain the nourishment from your goods and stay healthier.
My personal favorite way to boost my immune system is to get adjusted. I know you won’t hear that on the news! But did you know that chiropractic adjustments are shown to improve the immune system in research? Chiropractic adjustments were shown to increase the activity of phagocytes, neutrophils, and PMNs according to a study by Brennen and Triano in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Theraputics (JMPT). Not only are adjustments a great way to decrease your stress, increase joint mobility while decreasing pain, they also help support a healthy immune system. I encourage you and your family to get adjusted when you feel the slightest cold or flu coming on.
By taking multiple angles to support our immune system, we can strengthen our body, and dive into a new level of health. I encourage you to address the underlying issues as to why people get sick so that you can let your health soar!
