ARE YOU DOING ENOUGH TO STRENGTHEN YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM?

Immune-Boosting Foods—Body Armor for your Inside 

In Part I of this series of immune boosting tips, we discussed the correlation between chiropractic care and an enhanced immune system.  Part of that discussion covered our need to intake oxygen, water and food in order to sustain life, and the doorways in and out of the body.  In this segment, instead of viewing these doorways (mouth, nostrils, etc) as portals which allow germs and other invaders into our system, we’ll list some delicious ways to build an internal defense against the germs that make you sick.
Every day, the choices we make either boost our immune system, or tax it; food choices are no exception.  And in the case of these foods, it is almost impossible to overdo.

Immune Boosting Foods: 

Front Line Defense:  Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, pickles, yogurt, olives, kefir, and miso.

When reading this list, people often wonder what these foods have in common.  Some are vinegar based, some milk based, and grouping them together makes no sense.  But under a microscope, we would see that, as fermented foods, each of them would be teaming with probiotics.   That’s the good bacteria your body needs to fight invaders in the digestive tract.

It is true that many invaders enter the body through the nose and mouth (breathing air droplets, hand to mouth, etc.) But healthy flora in the digestive tract is prepared to wage war on those invaders.  Some studies have indicated that nearly 80 percent of your immune system exists in your gut, which contains about 100 trillion bacteria.  Probiotic foods (and supplements) help insure that the bacteria we all house are the kind that will fight for us, not against us.

Antioxidant rainbow and White Blood Cells:  In art class, they taught us that white is the presence of all colors.  The same is also true of the antioxidant rainbow; the more colorful the produce, the better effect on our white blood cell count and antibodies, which aid in our battle against invading germs.

When selecting brightly colored fruits and vegetables, it is for vitamin impact.  The more antioxidant vitamins, the better the impact on unstable free radicals (which may cause cellular damage and cancer).

On the color wheel, the purple-blue-red-orange spectrum is home to the most antioxidant-rich fruits.  Blueberries, blackberries, red beans, cranberries, prunes, peppers and carrots are some of the best options for boosting the immune system and slowing the effects of aging and deterioration on a cellular level.  Citrus, kiwi, and strawberries are also excellent choices.

Cruciferous vegetables also help battling free-radicals. Not everyone loves all of these; luckily the list is long so there are many to choose from.  Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, turnips, brussel sprouts, radish and watercress.

Need a break from just vegetables and fruit?  Green tea and a little dark chocolate (85%) are also antioxidant rich.

Remember, wash produce well and buy organic when possible.

Quick list of further immune activators: The list goes on and on, but here are some more immune boosters to try:

Mushrooms: mushroom polysaccharides boost immune cells in the body, including T-cells, B-cells, interferons and interleukins.

Herbs:

Fresh ginger: Antimicrobial (kills bacteria), antioxidant, anti-inflammatory.

Garlic: Antimicrobial (kills bacteria) if used fresh, add to cooked foods last so properties are not destroyed by heat.

Turmeric: recent studies indicate that turmeric reduces certain carcinogens in the body and may help slow or reverse certain cancers (skin, breast) and Alzheimer’s disease.    

Water: Don’t forget water.  Pure water carries white blood immune cells where they are needed, and disperses nutrients from food to the body.  Adequate water optimizes the results of your adjustment and a healthy diet.

Over the next few weeks, see how many of these foods you can add to your diet.  Maybe try one raw if you’ve never had it that way before.  Grab dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.  Just a few small changes can make a huge difference.

Check back for Part 3, supplements:  When our diet still falls short.

Are You Doing Enough to Strengthen Your Immune System?

Chiropractic Care wages war on the cold/flu season

Studies have shown that getting regular Chiropractic Adjustments enhance your body’s natural ability to fight illnesses.  But how could a spinal adjustment help reduce allergy symptoms, colds, and respiratory infections?

Think of your body as a container with many complex systems and parts. If the container were completely sealed, like an unopened soup can, nothing from the outside could get in to cause contamination.  No viruses, no bacteria, no invaders to make you sick. But that would also mean no air, no water, and no nutrients.  

Because we need to allow for intake of oxygen, water and food in order to sustain life, we need doorways in and out of the body.  Our mucus membranes are the portals from the outside world to our internal organs—they enable us to take in nutrients and eliminate waste.  But they also let invaders into our system.

When we breathe air, ingest food, rub our eyes or touch our nostrils, we risk introducing infectious agents into our bodies.  Viral agents, bacteria, and parasites such as fungi are some of the invisible invaders we all hope to avoid; unfortunately, we come in contact with all of them countless times every day.  So why aren’t we all sick all of the time?  

We owe our individual and collective survival to a well-developed immune system.  A healthy immune system is able to differentiate between external invaders, internal disease, and normal, healthy tissue.  Once it makes that differentiation, it wages war on the things that would do us harm, utilizing infection-fighting white blood cells and the lymphatic system.

Your lymphatic circulatory system works directly with your cardiovascular system to carry immune cells through the body while flushing toxins from the body.  The lymphatic system is an open system; instead of functioning like the circulatory system with a heart or pump, it relies on squeezing action from muscles, gravity, exercise, breathing, and lymph drainage to circulate.  So the more muscle movement, exercise, and lymph drainage therapy, the better the lymph system’s ability to keep us healthy.

Chiropractic Adjustments work with your lymphatic system, effectively boosting your immune system by helping the body create white blood cells and by improving the overall performance of the lymphatic system.  This, in turn, boosts the immune system’s ability to fight infection and disease and reduces systemic inflammation.  Sounds good, but what does that actually mean?

If we were to take a sample of your blood before and after your adjustment, studies tell us we would most likely find a greater number of infection-fighting white blood cells after the adjustment. Additionally, the physical impact of the adjustment on your musculature helps move lymph through your body to places where help is needed, meaning a better equipped immune system with the ability to fight off colds and flu, as well as bacterial and fungal infections.

Of course, keeping invaders out is only part of the solution to a healthy, balanced body.  Next, we will discuss taking in the things we need to feed and sustain our wellness.

Check back soon for Part 2, immune boosting foods.

Are You a Grape or a Raisin? Adjusting Water Intake

The topic of hydration is foremost in my mind right now due to the number of dehydrated patients that have visited the office this summer.  Believe it or not, I can tell how well a person is hydrated as soon as I begin their adjustment.  Imagine your body cells as grapes or raisins; with adequate intake, muscle cells are more plump and flexible.  Shriveled, dehydrated cells are simply less responsive.

Adjustments performed on hydrated cells are generally easier on the patient, are of higher therapeutic quality, and last longer.  Proper hydration will also keep the cells in your muscles ready for maximum performance.  But if that isn’t enough motivation for drinking you’re AI (adequate intake) of pure water each day, maybe the following will convince you!

• Dehydration is a major contributor when it comes to back pain and muscle spasms.
• Dehydration (dipping below the 60% water the average body is made of) often leads to headaches, migraines, fatigue, drowsiness and depression.  Researchers at Tufts University concluded that even mild dehydration is associated with feelings of anger, depression, and confusion.  http://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/2009/12_2/briefs/02/
• Since water circulates oxygen, vitamins and minerals to your cells and carries wastes and toxins out of your body, even mild dehydration can leave you feeling sluggish and off balance.
• Dehydration taxes the kidneys and other glands, which in turn lowers the immune system, leaving you more susceptible to colds and flu.
• Adequate water intake helps reduce or eliminate asthma symptoms; it also sustains optimal sinus, ears, nose and throat drainage by keeping secretions clear and thin.
• Drinking enough water decreases the risk of heart disease and certain cancers, as well as diverticulitis.
• Water enhances skin’s luster and reduces wrinkles, making you look up to ten years younger. 

Our body’s aches and pains, as well as spinal subluxations (misalignments) are caused by “The 3 T’s”.

• Toxins (unhealthy foods, chemical additives, environmental toxins, poor air quality).
• Trauma (falls, repetitive stress injuries, accident).
• Thoughts (mental-emotional states).

Of the 3, one might argue that toxins are the easiest to fix quickly, because pure water helps the body eliminate the impurities we don’t want or need. And while coffee, tea, sodas and alcoholic beverages taste good, they do not hydrate.  Instead, due to their diuretic effect, they add to the problem, causing us to lose water we already have in our systems.

Still Not convinced?  Consider drinking your AI (adequate intake) of pure water spaced throughout the day for the next two or three weeks and see what happens!  [AI for men is roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) a day; AI for women is 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day].

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/propertyyou.html
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283

Spring to Action

by Nichole Lehman, D.C.

This spring-like February and early March has led many of us to increase our outdoor activities earlier than usual this year. Whether doing yard work, gardening, golfing, or taking the first long walk of the season, a few simple steps can help you avoid injury.

• Warm up. Get your heart rate up to 50-60% of your maximum heart rate(220-your age) by going for a brisk walk for 5-10 minutes before you start your activity, whether it is gardening, mowing the lawn, weeding or starting an exercise program. 
• Stretch. Once your heart rate is slightly elevated, stretch your muscles. Warm, flexible muscles are less injury-prone. 
• Wear supportive footwear. Make sure your shoes have the right support. Most of us wear old shoes to do yard work, but old, worn shoes can increase the likelihood of ankle, knee and back injuries. 
• Bend and lift properly. Be sure to bend from the knees; avoid bending at the waist as much as possible. When lifting, use proper mechanics by engaging the core muscles around your abdominal and gluteal region, rather than lifting from the back. 
• Walk it out. When bending or kneeling for extended periods of time, ( i.e. weeding and planting), make sure to get up every 10-15 minutes to “walk it off.” Stretch out before going back to your task. 
• Stay Hydrated. Not all fluids are created equal.  Drink plenty of pure water, especially in warm weather, and try to avoid coffee, tea and soda as they have a tendency to dehydrate.

Need information about proper foot wear, stretching or warm-up? Post your questions to Dr. Lehman by visiting her website at www.alcyork.com or visiting her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ActiveLifeChiroYorkPA.