May 1, 2007

Programme Your Immune System

Tip! Eat an adequate amount of calories. The immune system must have an ample amount of calories.

From childhood, we take our health for granted. It’s easy to imagine that our immune system runs on some sort of magical autopilot guiding us safely through the turbulent air of life. And for the most part it does, but like any autopilot it sometimes needs a little help to avoid bad weather.

Tip! Stress has a direct effect on our immune systems.

Most of us only take our health seriously when we hit the head on storm. But even some of us don’t realise we can take control. Bernadette Bohan author of The Choice had already been diagnosed with lymphoma at the age of 33 and survived. When she was diagnosed for a second time with breast cancer she realised that she had to take her health into her own hands and decided to consciously help her immune system.

This decision prompted some incredible results. Not only did she win her fight, she has been free of cancer for over five years but she has also completely transformed her health. Bernadette also feels that the changes were instrumental in improving her eyesight and helping her regain the figure she had when she was 18. She took control by making some small changes to her lifestyle and adopting a simple 4-step plan. And firmly believes that these changes helped save her life. And if it worked for her, consider what making some changes might do for you.

The four key changes she made were:

Start Juicing.
Making fruit and vegetables easy to digest, juicing helps us to quickly absorb the vitamins and minerals that keep us alive and well. Every time you drink a glass of juice it contains virtually the same amount of nutrients as the whole fruit or vegetable but you’ll be absorbing far more without the bulk of the fibre. Not only refreshing and tasty juiced fruits and vegetables are packed full of antioxidants which purge the body of the free radicals that destroy healthy molecules and promote disease.

Tip! Exercise Exercise is a terrific way to boost your immune system, as well as help reduce the effect of stress. Particulary effective are: Strength training Moderate- to high-intensity cardio Yoga, Tai Chi, or similiar activities that focus on breathing, relaxation, and meditation.

Eat More Power Foods.
Heart and Vascular Institute, the Cleveland Clinic list over 35 power foods that you should include in your diet. They provide the richest amount of nutrients with the least amount of calories and provide the most health benefits. A full listing, with specific benefits is published at 1st4information.com and includes: Asparagus, Bell Peppers, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Carrots, Garlic, Onions, Leeks, Spinach, Kale, Potato, Tomato, Butternut Squash, Tuna, Salmon, Apples, Apricots, Bananas, Berries, Cantaloupe, Kiwi, Papaya, Peaches, Soy milk and nuts, Tofu, Barley, Brown Rice, Bulgur, Flaxseed, Oatmeal, Wheat Germ, Black Beans, Black-eyed Peas, Kidney Beans and Lentils.

Drink Pure Water.
Dehydration weakens the immune system. Dr. Batmanghelidj, MD, claims to be able to cure an impressive number of serious diseases using a pure water drinking therapy. He considers pure water so important that he has published “My Natural Miracle Cure Program” which is based on the increased intake of pure water. So with pure, fresh water the message is ‘drink more, be ill less’.

Tip! The acute stressors evoke our “fight or flight” response, and our immune system prepares itself for defense. The stressors force chemicals also into our system that boost the power of our immune systems.

Use Safe Toiletries.
Many toiletries contain an array of synthetic chemical additives which may cause allergies and may have long-term health impacts. With any product applied daily to the skin can mean that you could absorb up to 60% of these substances. So look for natural beauty products that contain plant-based ingredients - and better still organic ingredients - especially those that are fragranced with essential oils. You may find your skin and your health prefers it.

These four little changes to attitude and lifestyle demonstrate how little it takes to make a huge difference to your health. The important thing here is to remember that your immune system autopilot works really well on its own but will work a whole lot better with a little help from you, the pilot. So, like Bernadette ‘the choice’ is yours. Are you going to decide to make some little changes right now or wait until things start to get a little bumpy?

Tip! Get plenty of sleep. Not only do you have to build immune system strength, you have to repair and rebuild it.

Jim Brackin contributes tips, help, advice on popular psychology to variety of magazines like Cosmopolitan, Real, Spirit and Destiny and Women’s Own. As the body language expert for Sky News (UK) he developed Personaliteye a visually based personality profile test that provides free reports on relationships, work, friends and lifestyle.

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