Building a Titanium Immune System

Ever wonder why people get sick left and right in the winter time?  Is it really because of all the germs?  Or is it because of the stress of the holidays?  Is it because of the lack of exercise?

Biochemical individuality changes circumstances for each of us.  Becoming ill is a multi-layered process.  Could be the germ, could be the host!  Could be the stress, could be the crumby diet!  All four?

During the holidays we do encounter lots of stress, good and bad.  And that means that more stress equals more strain on the adrenal glands.  The poor little things are pushin’ out cortisol more quickly than we can roll cookie dough, decorate a tree, or carol to the reindeer.  Cortisol is a hormone that helps keep our balance during periods of stress.  It is supposed to work well during periods of acute stress rather than prolonged stress however.  So when we do have long periods of stress, it is most likely that the cortisol is more overworked than Santa’s elves.  Producing too much cortisol destroys T-cells, and therefore our immunity becomes compromised.  Combine that with excess sugar, fatty foods at Christmas parties, a few cups of Christmas cheer and very little sleep and this is a great set-up for all things yucky.  Our elimination systems go into overdrive; lungs coughing out the junk, sinuses becoming inflammed, digestive systems running amuck, and all the while our intestinal flora is at its lowest, we’re desperate for some enzymes and our adrenals are screaming for help….

And the kicker?  Most people rush out to the nearest pharmacy to grab a hold of chemical medicine to suppress it ALL.  The body never fully recovers, poor food choices are still made, and no attention is given to what the body really needs!  Poor body!  So I say, “Let’s change all that!  Let’s use food and lifestyle as medicine to reduce our chances of getting sick this season!”

Boosting immunity is important because it increases our body’s resistance.  We are essentially building a “shield of armor” out of our white blood cells.  Leukocytes are the immune system cells and are made from stem cells in the bone marrow.  They’re everywhere!  In the blood, lymphatic fluid and throughout the body.

Wanna aid your immunity?  Here’s my suggestions for getting started:

1) Avoid sugar. Yes, that said avoid sugar.  For every 4 grams of sugar (1 tsp) your immunity will be lowered for almost 4 hours.  When you think about the average person’s consumption of Christmas cookies, you’re looking at about 30-40 grams.  Plus the cakes, egg nog, hot chocolate, etc.  We’ve got some major sugar goin’ on here.  If you are well, I imagine you could handle one cookie and be okay.  But a better idea would be to bake without it.  Or pick up a bag of Sun Crystals and reduce your sugar intake by over 75%!  This would be more helpful than loading up on the other stuff!

2) Elminate dairy. If you are not already vegan like me, then this step will be a huge benefit to you during the holiday season.  It clogs the whole system and makes sludge in the blood.  Immunity depends on clean blood.   Dairy is an extremely congesting, mucous-forming, immune-lowering food and everyone will benefit by completely avoiding cheese, yogurt, milk and other dairy products.

3) Eliminate stimulants and depressants. This is a very hard thing to do for most people.  Our nervous systems are used to the artificial stimulation and suppression.  It’s crucial to stabilize the nervous system if you expect any kind of functionality from glands, organs and the blood.  For most people this means no coffee or alcohol.  The caffeine affects the adrenals we talked about earlier (and other things as well!) and the alcohol, which is very aging to the body, inhibits correct metabolism while increasing your chances of getting sick.  A great replacement idea for the coffee is a product I love called Teechino.  Available in a wide range of delicious flavors, this is a brewable carob bean-based beverage served hot like coffee and sure to get you out of the morning grind, start your brain-a-tickin’ and put a smile on your face.  When you need a lift, nothing says goodmorning like a nice steaming cup of Teechino in Java flavor…it even contains inulin and potassium; and that’s a benefit to our bodies that coffee could never measure up to.  Try some today!  (Doesn’t that sound like a commercial?  LOL)  But I just love it!

4) B-vitamins. During this stressful holiday season, nourish your adrenals by taking a B-complex!  I love the formula by VegLife.

5) Probiotics. You have GOT to get some wonderful flora in those intestines.  They will boost immunity, create regularity with bowel movements, chase out bad bacteria, and help make some nice B12.  The brand I use is called DDS Probiotics–Probioplus DDS is the product.  I take two in the morning and two at night.  And if I happen to be sick at the time, I take one every hour on the hour till I’m “out of the woods”.

6) Herbal formulas. There is a plethora of herbs to take, depending on the circumstances…I take different ones depending on if I’m building immunity or if I’m already sick…just know this: there are 3 important things to remember about herbs.  #1,  take a reputable brand that is of therapeutic quality.  Do NOT go out and buy the cheapest you can find at Walgreens or Costco (and in my professional opinion, places like these should not even sell them.)  #2, take the herbs in sufficient doses.  Most people don’t realize that it should be completely safe to take herbs every hour.  After all, they are just food.  #3, take the herbs for the correct amount of time!  Most people start to feel better and then just stop taking the herbs.  A good program will continue for two whole weeks after recovering.

7) Get adjusted. Having regular spinal adjustments by a qualified, trained, reputable, professional Doctor of Chiropractic is a huge step in wholesome health.  It allows your body to send proper signals from the brain, down the spine and to the rest of the body through the nerves!  What a difference uncrushed nerves and straight spine can make!

Hopefully you found this information helpful!  Along with these ideas, getting plenty of sleep, eliminating meat, using vegetable broths, miso and fresh fruit and vegetables are all awesome ideas for giving your body that much needed health kick!  Have a Merry Christmas!