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.
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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:
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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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