General Care Guidelines
Prevention and General Care Guidelines
Eat Well:
Include lots of colorful vegetables and fruits. Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, brussel sprouts) in particular may help the immune response at the level of your cellular surface proteins. Here are some delish recipes for these healthy veges. Links to an external site.
Avoid Sugar:
While exact mechanisms and research studies are not in complete agreement on how sugar affects our immune system, there are no studies that advise we are benefited in anyway by the consumption of sugar. Particularly glucose, fructose, sucrose and high fructose corn syrup. In one study the consumption of sugar caused disease fighting immune system cells to stop functioning. This affect lasted for hours. Here are some tips to decrease sugar in what you drink. Links to an external site.
Keep Moving:
Exercise has many benefits for us we know; for colds and flu it reduces inflammation, reduces stress and increases circulation of white blood cells. Check out quick YouTube Tabata workouts; they are fun and short. Start with this video.
Sleep:
Lots of good things happen when you sleep, strengthening the immune system if one of them. Getting seven hours or more as often as you can is ideal. Check out the Sleep Module in this course – many good tips to help you. Here is a nice guided imagery to ease into sleep. Links to an external site.
Skip alcohol:
Not only does alcohol decrease the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine, it damages important cellular components of the immune system (dendritic cells) and suppresses the immune system in general to varying degrees. Tips for cutting back Links to an external site..
Stay Calm and Study On:
Keeping cortisol levels in check by staying calm decreases inflammation and enhances the immune response. Time for deep breathing, guided imagery, yoga or tai chi. Here is a guided imagery to an island paradise Links to an external site. for some nice rest and relaxation.
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