We all remember the name of Pasteur, who
supported the germ theory, but the name of the man* who said
that host defenses were everything is forgotten, and
Medicine embarked on the course of disease control rather than health
enhancement it mostly follows to this day.
*( Bernard, whom Pasteur on his death bed
acknowledged to be right, exclaiming with practically his last breath "Le
microbe n'est rien: le terrain, c'est tout!")
Inner fitness has two parts:
- one is the avoidance of the things that undermine
it,
- and the other is the implementation of things
that support it.
These all adversely affect our immune
system
- stress
- allergies
- poor diet
- excessive caffeine
- sugar - particularly liquid sugar, as
in sodas
- alcohol to excess
- air pollution
- toxic overload
- emotional wear and tear
- insomnia or too little sleep
- digestive problems
- colon dysfunction
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The first step is to
correct these things, by changing them where we can, and learning
management or support techniques where we can't.
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For example, a
study at Ohio State University, introduced medical students
to a method of hypnosis which enabled them to significantly
reduce exam-time stress.
On testing, blood samples revealed that these students' immune
systems became stronger the more they practiced the
techniques!
Learning
to manage stress; so it doesn't manage you.
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=wttyfkcab.0.0.ljzj8vn6.0&ts=S0318&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hypnosisnetwork.com%2Fhypnosis%2Fstres
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I think it is also
important to make a distinction between nutrients we hold in reserve to
address a developing problem, and nutrients we use to support our health
and avoid problems. The following list is limited to those
substances that support our immune system for optimal inner
fitness.
Let's look at the positive
side of the coin - all the things we can do to strengthen our defenses:
| ● |
proper diet , high in
fresh, nutrient dense, unprocessed foods. |
| ● |
fresh water, replacing the
unhealthy beverages we often reach for in its place. These not
only fail to address our body's water needs, but in most cases
have negative consequences. |
| ● |
regular cleansing of our
digestive and eliminatory organs |
| ● |
adequate exercise in a calm,
fulfilling spirit, feeling that we are empowering ourselves by
listening to our body's needs. |
| ● |
balancing our health with
appropriate supplements, from the basic life insurance of
multi-vitamin and antioxidant formulas, |
| ● |
answering needs unique to our
own lifestyle and health situation with supplements known to
support immunity |
| ● |
addressing our individual
imbalances that endanger homeostasis. |
| ● |
attempting to reach harmony in
our mental life, using whatever method works: exposure to
beauty of one kind or another (music, gardening, country
walks), relaxation techniques, spiritual sustenance, hypnosis
training. |
| ● |
Think positive!
Psychologist Robert Ader at the University of Rochester proved
the power of mind over matter by giving rats saccharine
water before giving them an immune-suppressive injection.
He found that after a while , he could induce the same
reaction by giving them just the saccharine water alone,
without the injection. This interesting experiment showed that
thoughts and expectations directly affect the immune
system strongly suggesting that mind-body strategies could be
implemented to strengthen it. |
| ● |
friendship and laughter |
Hopefully, most of my
informed readers are already eating well, taking the basic supplements
and the anti-oxidants and have an immune system in tip-top condition!
For those who
need some help, however, there are some successful strategies.
-
An excellent immune
system specific multi vitamin
that is
Thymate
-
see
below for more details.
-
Consider
Whey
Protein for its Glutathione enhancing qualities.
A good one will contain:
o Lactoferrin -
an iron-binding, iron-modulating protein that enhances
iron absorption when needed, also anti-viral,
anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Viruses
need iron!
o Immunoglobulins -
contains numerous immune system benefits.
o Bovine Serum Albumin - along with Lactoferrin
and Immunoglobulins contains generous amounts of
Cysteine and Glutamine, precursors of Glutathione (GSH)
production.
o Active Peptides - (specialized paired amino
acids), exhibit a beneficial information transfer factor
effect on the immune system as well as boosting
intracellular Glutathione.
o Growth Factors - (growth promoting protein
fractions) are contained within the protein bound fats.
Their function is to: Regenerate all aged or injured
cells in the body and fight infections.
-
Arabinogalactans
from Larch, particularly where there is gut
involvement, such as permeable bowel (leaky gut) or IBS.
Go here for more information.
-
The sterolin
Moducare.
After more than
two decades of clinical research, double-blind studies
and literature indicate or suggest that Moducare™ may
be effective at treating many diseases in which
immune system imbalances are implicated. The
plant sterols and sterolins have also been shown to have
anti-inflammatory properties, and help regulate
cholesterol.
-
Consider
either
Maitake
Mushroom by itself,
or a
blend
of medicinal mushrooms.
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Depressed immunity can
be a particular problem for older people, but no matter what our age,
implementing the strategies we have already discussed will positively
impact immune function. For instance, a 1999 study by Krause (published
in Mech Aging Dev, 112:43-57)
showed that well-nourished women in the 62 to 88 year age bracket
showed no measurable decline in immune function as they got older.
The problem is that
many of our elderly are NOT well-nourished: they don't eat optimally,
and sometimes have dental problems that make it even harder to get the
nutrients they need. Nutrients that are commonly deficient
are the B vitamins (especially B12) , C, D and E, zinc and selenium.
Faulty absorption plays a part in this - see my article on
Digestion
When we are young, we think we are immortal. Most
remarks about guarding our health go straight in one ear and out the
other, yet for some reason I clearly remember an elderly (as perceived
by my arrogant self back then) friend of my mother telling me that she
had been instructed by her mother to thump herself gently but
firmly on the breastbone ten times each morning, and I should do the
same. Such nonsense, I thought. Now I am thinking it probably wasn't
such nonsense after all.
Just beneath the breastbone, there is a small gland
called the Thymus. It is vital to immune function, as I
will explain in more detail later. What I find particularly interesting,
though, is that this gland begins to diminish in size and function
soon after puberty, and by the time most people are 40 years old or so,
it has atrophied entirely. This goes a long way towards explaining why
some elderly people have trouble maintaining immune function, and also
vindicates the actions of that prescient lady! I can't vouch for the
effectiveness of her actions, but at least they had a certain logic. I
probably should have listened to her.
In any event, just
recently a good customer brought to my attention a multiple vitamin
called Thymate, and I was so impressed by it that I immediately
ordered a supply: you can find what the formulator (and others)
have to say about
Thymate
here. Thymate is a special blend of nutrients
to support the immune system, with thymus fractions, thymus extracts,
& other glandulars, herbal extracts; antioxidants; vitamins
and minerals
Immunologist Dr. Terry Beardsley has spent many years
researching the role of the thymus, and he explains that of all the
cells in the immune system, T-4 helper cells are the most important.
Over the past 30 years, research has shown that the thymus gland is the
place where the immature T-4 cells are programmed to tell the difference
between the body itself, and enemy invaders. T-cells are guided by the
thymus to produce three main types of defensive cells: T-4 helper cells
which regulate the production and function of antibody manufacturing
B-lymphocytes, T-8 killer cells, which destroy invaders such as cancer,
or viruses, and T-8 suppressor cells, which tell the killer cells to
cease and desist once their work is done. Really, what we have described
there is practically the entire work of the immune system.
Dr. Balch (Prescription for Nutritional Healing,
3rd ed. p. 568) mentions that raw Thymus glandular is specific
to the cells in the lungs, and helpful in pneumonia.
Dr. Beardley puts forward the theory that the gradual
atrophy of the thymus gland is a part of nature's programmed aging
process, and that being able to enhance its function through natural
means will be a big step towards protecting the body from pathogens
which cause disease and death, as well as the diseases of aging.
When we are doing everything we can to support our
general health, and are living in peace and harmony with our bodies, we
are doing all the right things to maintain impenetrable defenses against
disease. In fact, inner and outer fitness have a great deal in common,
and they certainly both have a common outcome: BETTER HEALTH - my
wish for you.
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