2 minute read
Natural Support for Immune Health - a Holistic Health Map
www.NorthgateLivingCA.com @NorthgateLivingCA #NorthgateLivingCA
By Dr. Brandy Zachary, DC, AFMCP with Body Love Cafe
Greetings Neighbor, welcome to your Holistic Health Map for staying grounded during challenging times!
Staying positive in the face of uncertainty.
It is understandable if you are feeling nervous due to the unpredictability of the coronavirus, endless media coverage and scary statistics, but what follows is why you might want to consider a new approach.
The impact of stress on our immune health.
We know from research on Gulf War veterans that a person’s perception of an event is the determining factor in how their body (hormones, immune cascade) responds to that particular stressful event.
In fact, when stressed, the hormone cortisol will spike which will lower Secretory IgA (SIg A) which is the first line of defense in your mucous membranes.
Source: Pukhalsky, A.L. et al. HPA Axis Exhaustion and Regulatory T Cell Accumulation in Patients with a Functional Somatic Syndrome: Recent View on the Problem of Gulf War Veterans. J Neurolimmunol. 2008 May 30; 196(1- 2):133-8. Epub 2008, Apr 16.
This means one of the best things you can do to naturally boost your immune health is not panic, stay calm and take it to the next level with activities that relax and quiet your stress response such as:
Meditation, prayer, quiet time
Humming, singing, chanting, laughing
Swimming, walking, time in nature
Here are some foods to avoid and add that might not be on your radar:
Avoid
→ Sugar
→ Gluten
No one likes to hear that but both can have a detrimental impact on your immune health.
Many people have no obvious signs of gluten sensitivity but are forming antigliadin antibodies in their gut every time they consume gluten. This means they are launching an “immune response” to eating food and at a time when you need all of your immune capabilities available and ready to fight a virus on your behalf, we don’t want to be distracting them by launching a war against gluten nor creating a cascade of inflammation. It is far simpler to just avoid sugar and gluten for the next few months.
Add
→ garlic, onion, ginger
→ multi-colored veggies (green, red, purple)
→ shitake, reishi mushroom
→ liver, salmon, eggs, tuna
→ pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts (only 2/day)
There are some other natural tips that may be helpful. Always check with your physician or visit our office before adding herbs to your protocol, especially if using medication, pregnant or nursing.
Other immune boosting techniques:
• get a good night’s sleep
• practice recommended hand-washing
• consider using a saline nasal spray or using a nasal rinse (ex. Nutribiotic grapefruit seed extract saline rinse)
• herbs that are immune supportive include Echinacea (Angustifolia & Purpurea, must be accurately sourced), St. John’s Wort (supportive against enveloped viruses, can’t use with some Rx), Umckaloabo (So. African geranium shrub supports respiratory viruses)
• vitamins, minerals & fatty acids that may be supportive include Zinc, vitamin C (not ascorbic acid), B vitamins (often need methylated), vitamin D (ex. D3K2), vitamin A, Omega 3 fatty acids, magnesium
We wish everyone a healthy Spring!
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