Tag Archives: immunity

Secrets About Our Wonderous Immune System

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Integrative Nutrition Immune BoostTruly one of the most amazing examples of inter-cooperative, biochemical engineering imaginable! The immune system – our own personal National Guard and Marine Corps, rolled into one. It is always vigilant – 24/7 to keep us from harm and invasion by foreign enemies – microbes that want to grow and flourish in our internal environment.

One of the fun things about teaching this course for the past 30 years is watching the reactions of learners as they “get” what their immune system really is – that great
“ah-ha!” moment when the dots get connected and it all makes sense. This is when we start to have a different relationship with our body and a new respect for how awesome, amazing, and comprehensive the immune system is!

When most of us think “immune system” we think of tonsils, spleen, lymph nodes (glands in our armpits, throat, and groin), and of course our white blood cells. These body parts certainly are members of the immune elite. If you check with the encyclopedia or on Google, you are likely to find these wonderful entities under the definition of the immune system.

However, when we look at this amazing system from a Whole Person Health perspective, this shortlist of parts becomes a much longer one, indeed. There are dozens of white blood cells and related specialized immune cells that do a phenomenal job of playing “Pac-Man” with the unwanted microbes in our bloodstream, tissues, and organs. Every organ in our body has an immunological role to play from the liver, which detoxifies, to the stomach which contains hydrochloric acid to kill bacteria and microbes coming in through the mouth, up to and including our nostril hairs that trap unwanted foreign particles before they can irritate our airways.

In fact, there is no part of our body that isn’t part of our immune system. The largest “part” of our immune system is our skin which is responsible for protecting our insides from outside entities and vice versa. As the skin is the number one rated beauty or sexual attraction in both men and women around the world, (anthropological research by Margaret Mead and others) we can easily see that to have beautiful skin is a reflection of a healthy immune system and a strong indicator of a healthy and productive system. Beautiful skin and a healthy immune system, always start from the inside out.

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A Brief Guide To Nourishing Your Immune System

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By Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD-

A Brief Guide To Nourishing Your Immune System

Maintaining a healthy immune system is simple, yet in our enormously complex and hurried environment it becomes complicated to live a simple life and stay healthy. This is an important perspective to wrap ourselves around especially regarding our lifestyle choices and how we take care of our health – which is in the main, our immune system.

The National Institute of Whole Health offers this short guide to immune hygiene. To maintain good health and avoid disease, follow these steps.

  • Remember that everything that goes into your body impacts your immune function and immune health.
  • Eat more plant-based, living, nutritious food to support a healthy body.
  • Your thoughts creates proteins that communicate those specific thoughts to your immune cell membranes, so be mindful of your thinking.
  • Chronic stress and adrenal gland function suppress your bone marrow and immune system functions. Find more ways to relax more often.
  • Laughter and joy strengthen immune function by increasing serotonin. Maintain good humor.
  • Clean air and water are basic essentials to a healthy immune system.
  • Compassion and caring increase Immunoglobulin-A, an immuno-protein. Be Kind.
  • Exercise pumps 10,000 white blood cells through the lymph glands, cleansing and detoxifying the “little garbage cans” of the body. Be active for at least 20 minutes every day.
  • Cleanliness and sanitation prevent immune assaults by micro-organisms. Wash your hands frequently.
  • Loving and being loved increases positive immune responses and secretions. Nurture supportive relationships.
  • Purposeful living reduces stress and balances the nervous system. Find your purpose.
  • Eliminating debt enhances longevity through immune system integrity. Use smart budgeting practices.
  • Remember that everything is connected to everything else in your life – especially your immune function. So be kind to your body .

Follow these simple, intuitive and common sense guidelines to preserve and protect the system that protects you. This a great way to stay healthy in any environment.

You may also enjoy this article on Digestion and The Incredible Ways It Affects Your Whole Health!

Join the conversation. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to follow NIWH on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates filled with useful health advocacy program information for holistic nurses and health coaches.

Creating a Natural Immunity to HPV

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On August 19, 2009, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article that evaluated the safety of Gardasil, a vaccine that targets the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, HPV (FDA.gov, 2009). The article explores 12,424 reports of adverse reactions, many of which were considered serious. What does this mean for those seeking to make an informed decision?

These adverse reactions suggest the vaccine, currently directed primarily for use by young women aged 12 – 19,  not only may cause serious side effects, but has been fatal. In addition, some states are working to make these immunizations mandatory for all school aged females 12 and older.

As the mother of a teenage girl, I know the concern that this vaccine has caused for many of us and wish to share information with you about natural immunity to HPV, that may be helpful for you and your daughter. For those considering the vaccine, this may be important information for you to be aware of.

Here is a quote from from the National Cancer Institute regarding HPV – “Infection with certain types of HPV is the major cause of cervical cancer. Almost all women will have an HPV infection at some point, but very few will develop cervical cancer. The immune system  of most women will usually suppress or eliminate HPVs. Only HPV infections that are persistent (do not go away over many years) can lead to cervical cancer.”

HPV infections have increased over the past 20 years in much younger females as a result of earlier and multiple-partnered intercourse, coupled with the lack of competent birth control, as well as inadequate nutritional status of the female. This data can help shape recommendations for health coaches and whole health advocates. As a result of the increase in such infections, the HPV immunization was developed and, as the TV commercials attest, marketed to the mothers of very young females.

Here are excerpts from Judicial Watch regarding the vaccine reactions:

> “Information has been received … concerning a 17 year old female who in June 2007 … was vaccinated with a first dose of Gardasil … During the evening of the same day, the patient was found unconscious (lifeless) by the mother. Resuscitation was performed by the emergency physician but was unsuccessful. The patient subsequently died.”

> “Information has been received … concerning a 12 year old female with a history of aortic and mitral valve insufficiency … who on 01-MAR-2007 was vaccinated IM into the left arm with a first does of Gardasil … On 01-MAR-2007 the patient presented to the ED with ventricular tachycardia and died.”

> “Initial and follow-up information has been received from a physician concerning an ‘otherwise healthy’ 13 year old female who was vaccinated with her first and second doses of Gardasil. Subsequently, the patient experienced … paralysis from the chest down, lesions of the optic nerve…At the time of the report, the patient had not recovered.”

The natural way to immunize against HPV, in both teenagers and the general female population, is to postpone engagement with multiple sexual partners, consistent use of condoms as a 70% protection against the virus, and maintaining a healthy nutritional diet through whole foods and nutrition supplementation. Hopefully, this information can help you discern more about the use of HPV vaccination.

For more whole health discussions like this, listen to my weekly radio show Living Above The Drama available on iHeartRadio.