With the change in season it is a good time to be thinking about boosting your immunity. Vulnerable people such as children and the elderly, people with low immunity and other susceptible people including asthmatics or people with chronic sinusitis and chronic obstructive airway diseases (COAD ) need to pay particular attention to their immunity.
Within thirty minutes of consuming sugar your immune system may be suppressed for several hours. Research shows that after two hours of eating the sugary food your white cell count could be reduced. All processed and fast foods are extremely high in sugar, salt and fat. The intake of such food products should be significantly reduced or avoided completely, if your immune system is to thrive.
Immune deficiency can occur due to several reasons especially if your organs are involved such as spleen, tonsillitis, bone marrow and lymph nodes as these organs release lymphocytes these cell are the ones which fight the invading bacteria, viruses and parasites. Your immune system is also affected if you suffer from other diseases such as HIV, Sickle cell anaemia, Cirrhosis of the liver and other illness or an ongoing stress etc…
By swapping sweets, bars, cakes, biscuits, pastries and buns with fresh fruit, natural yoghurt and cereals such as unsweetened muesli and porridge, you can significantly reduce your sugar intake. It is important to have three well balanced meals a day. These should include fish especially oily fish, nuts, seeds, grains and other foods that are high in fibre. Lean white meats are better than red and fatty meats. Other sustain foods are wholemeal breads made with spelt, wheat or rye flour, brown rice, wholemeal pasta and potatoes with the skins on, if not sprayed with chemicals.
You should drink about two and a half litres of fluid per day, water being the best choice. Avoid all sugary drinks and foods as well as those containing artificial sweeteners. Keep fruit juice made from concentrate to one or two glasses per day and dilute it with water. It has high sugar content in the natural form of fructose. The best drinks are water, green tea, herbal teas and freshly made fruit and vegetable juice. (Carrot, apple juice, elderberries and ginger is a
great immune booster ). In dark and cold winter days chicken and vegetable stew with some ginger, garlic, pinch of turmeric and fresh herbs sprinkled over it is not only heart warming but also immune boosting.
Be sure to get enough sleep, regular exercise, yoga, indoor sports, some fresh air and sunlight. Mild regular exercise such as walking is important as well as keeping well wrapped up with proper clothing. Try to avoid sudden changes of temperature, going from hot to cold or vice versa which can be difficult when moving from overheated and poorly ventilated offices to outside.
In our clinic we use a multi pronged approach in treating this and many other conditions with evidence based therapies such as Physiological Regulating Medicine (P.R.M ), Gut Health and Microbiome restoration, Nutritional and Nutraceutical therapies, Lifestyle Medicine, Natural Hormonal Balancing, Glandular support, Soft tissue and joint support, Complex Homeopathy, Herbals, and Needle free Medical Acupuncture, Therapeautic Mindfulness and CBT techniques to achieve excellent results.
Holistic Health & Stress Clinic is now at URBAN wellbeing, Tuam Road, Galway.
For appointment please call us on 00353871915051 www.drbhatti.ie
We acknowledge the contribution of all authors and researchers.
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