Fatigue, frequent infections, and chronic, conditions, (such
as asthma, allergies, skin conditions, headaches, arthritis, heart disease, and
cancer) are common occurrences in our culture.
If you are experiencing these or other adverse health conditions, your
health care provider can work up a health plan specific to your case after
taking a complete case history and doing any appropriate physical exam and lab
tests. Whether or not you are experiencing
any of these, there are measures you can take on your own to treat or prevent
ailments which decrease you vitality. By
doing so, you can enhance your sense of well-being and freedom from disease.
DIET:
While your health care provider can make a specific dietary
plan based on your particular case, some general healthful guidelines are as
follows:
Avoid Sugar
Sugar depresses the immune system and competes with Vitamin
C for uptake by white blood cells. This
starts in 30 minutes and lasts 5 hours.
Sugar also decreases the secretion of stomach acid and digestive enzymes
from the pancreas, impairing digestion and allowing the overgrowth of
undesirable bacteria in the gut.
Avoid Caffeine
Caffeine causes increased secretion of adrenaline and
cortisol from the adrenals, which suppresses the immune system. Coffee also irritates the digestive system,
causing food to move through more quickly and decreasing nutrient availability.
Avoid Alcohol
Alcohol also suppresses immune function. In addition, detoxifying alcohol to get it
out of the body places quite a load on the liver, impairing its ability to
participate in its other functions, including energy production. Alcohol also creates a hypoglycemic, or low
blood sugar, response.
Avoid Processed
Foods
Between the food additives and the decreased nutrients, they
not only provide inferior nutrition, but also have damaging effects.
Avoid Foods to Which You Suspect You Are
Allergic
In addition to creating mucus,
drowsiness, gas, etc., it is clearly compromising to the body to be repeatedly exposed
to substances it can’t tolerate. In
addition, these foods can cause asthma, eczema, arthritis, migraines, and other
chronic conditions as well as susceptibility to acute infections.
Avoid Tobacco
Tobacco not only damages the tissue of the respiratory
system with which it comes in contact, but it also creates free radicals which
damage tissue elsewhere, especially blood vessels, allowing the buildup of
cholesterol plaque, causing the condition called atherosclerosis, or
hardening/narrowing of the arteries. The
cancer causing agents in tobacco increase the risk of cervical cancer. Smoking also depresses the immune system and
causes Vitamin C deficiency. It is a
source of carbon monoxide, a brain toxin.
As such, it contributes to depression.
In addition, smokers typically ingest more caffeine and sugar which
further impair vitality.
Eat
Whole Foods, Especially of Plant Origin
Besides being excellent sources of
nutrients as they occur in nature, this is a good way to increase fiber
intake. Fiber allows normal elimination
of waste products through the colon, causing decreased absorption of
toxins. Fiber can also bind cholesterol
and breakdown products of intestinal bacteria, hastening their departure from
the body.
Eat Fresh
Vegetables and Fruits
Besides providing fiber as discussed above, these foods are
good sources of vitamins and minerals which are required for enzyme reactions
and overall health. They are also
sources of carotenes and bioflavonoids which scavenge free radicals, preventing
tissue damage, inflammation, cancer, migraines, arthritis, vascular disease,
etc.
Drink lots of
water
1-2 quarts of water per day keeps cells hydrated and speeds
up the removal of waste products from the body.
Exercise:
For many patients, it may be advisable to consult one’s
health care provider for guidance in designing an exercise program if not
already accustomed to exercise. Exercise
increases respiration and circulation. Thus,
more oxygen and nutrients are delivered to the tissue and waste products are
removed more quickly. Exercise also relieves stress and enhances well-being.
Stress Reduction
Living with less stress not only feels better, but there are
concrete explanations for its effect on overall health. In a stressful situation, the adrenal glands
secrete adrenaline and cortisol, which suppress immune function in
general. One result of this is a lack of
secretory Immunoglobulin A (sIgA), the first line of defense in the gut. A deficiency allows for an influx of toxins
from the gut---incompletely digested food and bacterial byproducts. Enough of these can overwhelm the liver and
end up in the general circulation, causing food allergies, psoriasis, eczema,
migraines, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
Stress also impairs digestion. Secretion of digestive enzymes is decreased,
as is the movement of food through the digestive tract. Decreased digestion and increased
constipation both contribute to impaired vitality.
Life is meant to fulfilling and enjoyable. Yet it is so common in our culture to feel
overwhelmed by life situations or stuck in an oppressive job. If stress is a major part of your life and
you feel you have no options, consult an emotional and/or occupational
counselor. Living with an unpleasant
situation can not only decrease your happiness, but can impair your overall
health, contributing to conditions as serious as high blood pressure, heart
disease, ulcers, etc. Conversely,
laughter and enjoyment increase immunity as well as well-being.
An example of an exercise to enhance well-being which takes
very little time is as follows: At the beginning of the day, take about ten
minutes to close your eyes and go inside yourself. Pay attention to your breathing, slowing it
down, breathing in deeply and releasing tension as you exhale. Meditate on a phrase like “I have enough
time” or “I will take good care of myself’ or some other message which is
significant for you. When ready, come
back into the outer world ready for your day.
when done with work, repeat this to transition from work time to private
time. This time, allow yourself a few
additional moments at the end to look around you as you re-emerge into the
world. Let yourself be aware of trees,
grass, flowers, bugs, wind, sounds, other people. Make these a part of a ritual so that
relaxation becomes an automatic part of your life.
Physical Medicine:
Massage
Besides feeling good, massage increases the circulation of
blood and lymph, thus enhancing the removal of waste products and toxins.
Craniosacral
This is a technique which enhances the
flow of cerebrospinal fluid, which provides nutrients and cushioning to the
brain and spinal cord. It is also
profoundly relaxing.
Hydrotherapy
A technique you can do at home on a
daily basis is finishing your hot shower with a cool rinse. The hot water brings blood into the tissue
with its oxygen and nutrients. It also
brings in white blood cells and increases their activity, thus enhancing
immunity. The cold water constricts
blood vessels, pushing waste products out of the area. After the initial constriction of blood
vessels, the body attempts to return to normal by dilating blood vessels. This is an automatic reflex and enhances
vitality. Best results are obtained from
as big a difference in temperature as possible between the hot and the cold,
but it is essential not to emerge chilled.
Also, the cold water will take getting used to. A good way to approach this is to turn up the
water as hot as is comfortable for a few minutes at the end of the shower. Then, turn the water to cool (or if that is
too much, to tepid) for fifteen seconds.
Over time, increase both the coldness of the water and the length of
time. Work up to having only cold water
on and staying under the cold water for one to two minutes. A good way to judge the amount of time is
going by when you feel your heart and respiration rate slow down (they’ll
initially increase in response to the cold).
As you emerge from the shower, you will see that your skin is flushed
and you feel more awake and vibrant.
The above are ways for you to stay well on an ongoing basis
and to feel better---lighter, brighter, more energetic, relaxed, excited and
vibrant as you proceed through life.
