Be Proactive About Your Immunity

So many people are struggling to improve their health and the quality of their lives, yet they are turning everything over to an outside or external source, whether it be a physician or continually looking for a pill, supplement or magic bullet that will resolve all their problems and issues. 

The source of your own healing has to come from within yourself and we all need to tap into that internal source. So what can be done to empower and strengthen your own immunity and what does that even mean? When symptoms appear that means the immune response has already broken down, so the best time to take action is prior to a health issue with prevention. Of course we are not stating that you should not see doctors, nutritionists, herbalists or chiropractors; on the contrary utilize all resources that are available to you knowing that this is a supplement to your own Internal Self.

So lets break it down into some basic ideas and actions that we all can take to be Proactive About Our Immunity:

Meditation: 

We have all heard about the benefits of meditation and there are numerous studies that show the healing and health benefits to a daily practice. It reduces stress, and stress is involved in all dis-ease in the body and the mind. So make a commitment to incorporate a daily practice of meditation for 20 minutes at least once a day if not twice.

There was a study in Psychosomatic Medicine in 2003 that reported significant increases in antibody titers to influenza vaccine among subjects in the meditation compared with those in the wait-list control group. The findings demonstrated that a short program in mindfulness meditation produces demonstrable effects on brain and immune function. The findings suggest that meditation may change brain and immune function in positive ways.

Dietary Changes:

There is so much conflicting information out there and people are more confused that ever as to what is the best path to take when it comes to personally dietary changes. Well one size does not fit all bodies, each individual is unique and the Vegan Diet that works for you might not be right for someone else. We have seen vegetarians who drink sodas and consume a good deal of dead food and calories. So becoming a vegetarian is way more than stopping the consumption of meat, it means adding live foods, fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts to your diet.

Monitoring how certain foods make you feel, for example someone with arthritis may try to eliminate the night-shade vegetables and see what happens to the symptoms. This again will take research and trial and error on your part but we will say this; Alive Foods will make you feel more alive, and dead and processed foods will make you feel tired and it does not take a rocket scientist to figure that out. There is always room for improvement in your “food lifestyle.”

Herbs & Supplements:

Herbs, vitamins & supplements can be a great resource and addition to your routine and regimen and this will take more research on your part, or you can reach out to an expert like a nutritionist or herbalist to assist you in this area, again stressing to do your own research and find the best quality products.  Ask a great deal of questions about how they are produced, and where they are sourced, just because it is in a health food store does not make it healthy.

Some herbs can indeed stimulate immune responses, but most can be best described as immune modulators, in that they facilitate greater immune system flexibility in the body’s natural response to disease. It’s best to use caution when prescribing herbs strictly as stimulants if we are to practice herbal medicine holistically.

Exercise and Movement:

Your lymphatic system is your body’s built-in sanitation center, the plumbing that carries away and filters out poisonous waste products from every cell, tissue and organ. It absorbs fats and fat-soluble vitamins from the digestive tract and delivers them to the cells of the body. It is also an essential part of the immune system that maintains fluid levels, fights infection and produces dis-ease fighting white blood cells.

In very simple terms, the lymphatic vessels lead to the lymph node where the stronger immune systems B and T cells reside in the lymphatic system and that system needs movement to pump and gather the bacteria and viruses from the tissues into the lymph nodes where the killer immune cells reside and can do their magic to destroy the bacteria and viruses. In short that system moves when you move, so exercise gets that system pumping as it does not have it’s own pump like the heart. Move your body every day, walk, run, yoga, Pilates, start where you are and expand from there and get that energy flowing.

Education:

For starters we need to take responsibility for our own lives and be proactive in our knowledge, and our actions to achieve the quality and healthy life that we envision. Education is the very core of all of this, and the more you educate yourself the more you will strengthen your immunity. It takes commitment and diligence, as well as perseverance and focus, but you are worth it.

You can join forums, read books, ask questions and use social media and the internet to your advantage. Question everything and find your unique balance, there is not a magic bullet but there is a clear path. When you take massive efforts and actions to enhance your immunity, and you are proactive, you will be on the path to the Healthy Self that you desire and your life will propel in amazing and beautiful ways.