DR. BRAADT’S WELLNESS COLUMN MINIMIZE YOUR RISK OF GETTING SICK BY STRENGTHENING YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
• Proper Sleep: Seven or eight hours is ideal. Turn off all media, especially the news, at least one hour before bed to relax your mind. Read something enjoyable before bed. • Minimize Stress: Do your best to surround yourself with people who are your allies. We all have to occasionally interact with negative people, but do what you can to limit this time and protect yourself. Your health depends on this! Of course, exercise helps. Ask me to test you for an effective whole-food supplement called MIN-TRAN that has a mild calming effect on your body. • Get Adjusted: Once your pain is under control, maintenance care is like seeing your dentist regularly or changing the oil in your car. Taking the “mileage of life” off your spine makes you move better, reduces stress, and strengthens your immune system! MORE NUTRITIOUS FOODS • Focus on vegetables, like dark leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers, carrots, etc. These nutrient-rich vegetables contain, among other nutrients, high levels of vitamin A . This vitamin protects your body from infection by moistening mucous membranes (the linings of your nose, throat, and lungs). • Sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds, plus almonds and walnuts, are high in vitamin E with healthy fats that act as a powerful immune booster. Include other healthy fats such as avocado, hormone-free cheese, Kerrygold butter, olive oil, and plain yogurt. • Berries like strawberries, blueberries, black berries, and raspberries, plus citrus fruits, broccoli, and other cruciferous vegetables, are all high in vitamin C , the best known immune- boosting vitamin. Vitamin C stimulates the production of white blood cells that attack invaders in the body. • Garlic and onions are known to have antibacterial and antiviral properties. They are a great boost to the flavor of any cooking. • Hormone-free proteins are much healthier for you than the alternative and don’t add unnecessary man-made chemicals to your body. I strongly recommend, when the time is right for you, to schedule a PERSONALIZED NUTRITION ANALYSIS where I can identify your risk factors and specific solutions to strengthen your immune system to help defend your body from harmful invaders. I hope you find this information helpful. I’m convinced that improving your immune response by living a healthy lifestyle is the KEY to staying healthy, especially in this challenging time. As always, I am available to help you as needed!
As I mentioned in the cover article, I encourage you to focus on controlling the “controllables” in your life. Doing what you can to strengthen your immune system is a controllable! Your immune system is your body’s defense system. It protects your body from illness, infection, and disease. This complex system uses different body tissues and chemical reactions to seek and destroy invader viruses and bacteria. Different types of viruses and bacteria trigger specific immune responses and produce antibodies , which are killer cells that attack invaders. It’s like having your own unique police force inside your body, ready to go to work when needed. Over time, your body builds a memory of which antibodies to use for each kind of invader, helping you build a strong immune response on call when you need help. The master controls of your immune system are the brain and nerves. The brain and nerves coordinate the response of all the components of your immune system. Your nervous system mobilizes an army, 50-billion strong, produced by your immune system to attack invaders. You’ve heard me say that regular chiropractic adjustments, in addition to pain relief, stimulate your immune response by increasing the function of your nervous system, helping you to defend your body from invaders. YOUR LIFESTYLE: NO. 1 RISK FACTOR THAT SUPPRESSES YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM Unhealthy daily habits significantly increase harmful chemicals in the body that reduce your immune response. Chemicals present in processed foods, excessive alcohol, cigarette smoke, and other pollutants depress your immune response. Lack of regular exercise, excess weight, insufficient sleep, and stress all depress your immune response, eventually leading to illness and disease. Unhealthy daily habits limit the resources your body has to fight off invaders, like viruses and bacteria. We are all exposed to germs that cause illness every day. Some of us get sick and others don’t. The difference is having a strong immune response . Your lifestyle makes a difference! Living a healthy lifestyle is the key to maintaining a strong immune response that seeks and destroys invading viruses and bacteria. I encourage you to take this time to evaluate what area of your lifestyle you are neglecting and focus on one area at a time, step by step. • Diet: Reduce your intake of processed foods, chemicals, and sugar, including alcohol and starchy carbs. Georgette and I, and many of you, follow a healthy keto/intermittent eating plan with great success. Ask me about the reference guide I have that can easily teach you the basics. • Regular Exercise: Do something you enjoy every day. Moving your body will help reduce stress, build your muscle tone, create flexibility, and just make you feel more alive! Walking and gently stretching is a good start.
CedarCrestChiropractic.com –Dr. Paul Braadt
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610-776-2005
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