Boost Your Immune System Naturally

With the impending flu and cold season, and the kerfuffle about H1N1, there has never been more attention paid to protecting yourself and your loved ones from illness. This is of course a good thing as most of us can use a refresher course in maintaining good health.
Your immune system is the foundation of your health
Simply put, a healthy body is not a good host for viruses, bacteria or illness. Common indications of a compromised immune system include fatigue, listlessness, repeated colds and infections, inflammation, allergic reactions, slow wound healing, chronic diarrhea. Infections such as oral thrush, candidiasis or vaginal yeast infections can become problematic when immunity is low.
There are several conditions that contribute to deplete your immunity:
Acidity
Excessive Stress
Inadequate Sleep
Inadequate Nutrition

Acidity
If your normal diet contains an excess amount of red meat, white flour and sugar, your body is most likely in an ‘acidic state’.
So how do you alkalize your body and promote good health? Here are a few simple practices to incorporate into your everyday routine.

+ Drink at least one glass of water with fresh lemon juice daily (preferably organic, start with 1/8 to¼ of a fresh lemon per glass of water). The water can be at any temperature, and if you need a bit of sweetening to start, add a small amount of local organic honey. Although lemon tastes acidic, when ingested it transmutates into an alkaline residue.
+ Increase the amount of alkaline foods in your diet. The highest alkaline foods are in descending order: Lemon, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Cayenne, Dried dates and figs, Kelp, Limes, and Mango. Melons, Papaya, Parsley, Seedless Grapes Watercress, Seaweeds, Asparagus, Endive, Kiwifruit, Fruit juices (preferably fresh), Grapes, Passion fruit, Pears, Pineapple, Raisins, Vegetable juices (preferably fresh). Next are, sweet Apples, Apricots, Alfalfa sprouts, Avocados, Ripe Bananas, Berries, Carrots, Celery, Garlic, Grapefruit, Leafy Green Herbs, Lettuce, Peaches, Peas, Persimmon, and Spinach. The list continues, but these are the top 4 levels on the alkaline scale.
+ If you have a juicer, combine several green leafy vegetables like Kale, Spinach,Celery and Parsley with sweet apple, carrot and ½ lemon. Stir in a teaspoon of Spirulina powder for extra chlorophyll and minerals. This is a delicious and easy way to get your daily vegetables in an easily digestible way. Organic is always best and worth the extra cost to eliminate pesticides and ensure maximum nutrition and beneficial minerals.
+ Wheatgrass Juice or powder. High in oxygen and a super rich source of chlorophyll which arrests growth and development of unfriendly bacteria. If grown in organic soil, it absorbs 92 of the known 102 minerals from the soil. The benefits of wheatgrass are many, and it has been the subject of numerous medical research papers. Please consider that it has a very ‘green, grassy’ taste and may take a while to get used to, but is well worth the effort.

Excessive Stress
Let’s face it, stress is everywhere and can sometimes be a great motivator. When we are under stress for prolonged periods of time, a series of biochemical events occur that suppress the normal activity of white blood cells and places undue demands on the endocrine system as well as depleting the body of nutrients.
Do whatever you can to minimize stress, take time out to breathe deeply to relax and oxygenate yourself, meditate or at least schedule in some quiet time daily.
Additional helpers include specific Bach Flower Remedies and/or Rescue Remedy for acute situations.

Inadequate Sleep
While we can usually deal with the occasional late night, repeated loss of sleep or consistently not getting enough sleep to rest our bodies and allow them to heal, takes a heavy toll on your health, not to mention premature signs of aging.
Short term helpers include Melatonin, Rescue Sleep Remedy and listening to progressive relaxation tapes. For re-occurring sleeplessness consult your physician, Natural Health Care Provider, or Certified Consulting Hypnotist.

Immune Boosting Foods
Antioxidants: Vitamins A, C and E, Selenium and Zinc. Choose natural source or organic for better absorption and utilization. Fruits high in antioxidants are: pomegranate, blueberry, goji berry, acai.
Also immune boosting are Apricots, Kiwi, Avocados, Blackberries, Strawberries. Alfalfa sprouts, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Spinach, Kale, Watercress, and Turnip greens, Collards, Carrots, Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Red and Orange Sweet Peppers.
Foods High in Selenium (which is deficient in the soil locally) are Onions and Garlic.
Acidophilus For best results, choose a high quality live culture from your health foods refrigerated section.

Herbs and Supplements to Support Immune System

Colloidal Silver: A powerful, virtually non-toxic, natural disinfecting antibiotic. Colloidal Silver is known to destroy over 650 disease causing organisms. Silver compounds have been used medicinally for centuries, and were widely used until World War II when antibiotics became standard treatment for infections. Due to overuse, many pathogenic organisms are becoming resistant to antibiotics. Colloidal Silver is best used as a preventative measure or in the early stages of illness.
Echinacea Purpurea: increases the amount of white blood cells (defense against invaders). High in beneficial minerals, and vitamin C
High Potency Garlic: antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, along with anti-parasitic and detoxifying benefits
Medicinal Mushroom: Especially Reishi, Maitake or Shiitake. Available in tincture or encapsulated form, from Natural Health Food stores (Planet Organic, Hooper’s, etc.)
Olive Leaf Extract: The powerful ingredient oleuropein, disrupts the growth of bacteria and viruses and stimulates some of the immune systems most powerful defenses.
Organic Honey with Propolis: Organic Honey in its raw unfiltered form, is one of the top Superfoods, providing minerals, antioxidants, probiotics, bioflavonoids, amino acids and enzymes. It is an extremely healing food that provides a very digestible, soothing form of sugar (energy) to the body. Propolis is a sticky resinous substance that seals the hive and is the protector of the hive. Propolis is highly medicinal, immune supporting and antibacterial with a long history of herbal and alchemical use.

This information is provided for educational purposes only, to be complimentary to, and not intended to replace medical advice. For additional information such as frequency and dosages, please consult a trusted Health Care Provider.