Nutritionist
and author, Sally-Ann Creed,
after many years of ill health, found
that it took good nutrition and an excellent array of high
potency nutrients to regain her health and strength. With her desire for
practical answers, she qualified as a Clinical Nutritionist, enabling
her to help others to experience a solution to their health
problems.
In
her book 'Let Food Be Your Medicine', Sally-Ann introduces
a world of health, a transition to correct eating patterns that will
give you boundless energy, helping you to regain and maintain optimal
health.
Here
she talks about the immune system, which is of immense importance to us
all, one of the many vital subjects that form part of this valuable
guide.
The
immune system is extremely important – without it death occurs.
Therefore it is imperative that nothing be allowed to suppress this vital
body system.
Immune
Suppressants include:
*
Excessive
production of cortisol – this is really another phrase for stress! –
whether we are taking cortisone orally or continually pumping out cortisol
through stress, we are suppressing our immunity.
*
Excessive
production of endorphins – those delightful little hormones that lead to
euphoria when a person exercises, or falls in love. Over-exposure to
physical exercise and physical stress can cause too much of a good thing,
and end up suppressing the immune system instead of boosting it.
*
Excessive
consumption of simple sugars – sugar and refined fructose is an immune
suppressant, plain and simple, as are pastries, cakes and sweets.
*
Excessive
consumption of dietary fats – bad fats have a bad effect on our body,
and too much of the bad fats are not good for this body system.
*
Excessive
exposure to inorganic chlorine
– this you may find in your swimming
pool, so maybe opt for a salt-water pool instead, it will benefit your
immunity.
*
Lead
exposure – paints of old, and certain artist-paints even now, have lead
as a base; most lipsticks have lead in them.
*
Excessive
intake of zinc – whereas zinc is an immune stimulant, too much is an
immune depressant.
*
Anticancer
pharmaceuticals used in chemotherapy
*
Radiation therapy
*
Marijuana
*
Sunglasses
– block out full-spectrum lights which we need every
day.
*
Heavy
exercise can depress the immune system for up to six hours afterwards –
for this reason we need large amounts of antioxidants to deal with the
free radicals produced by the exercise.
*
Obesity/excess
adipose tissue has a greater potential for free radical production
*
Junk
food – self explanatory.
*
Depression
– amazingly, this is able to drop your immune status, just as falling in
love or the euphoric endorphins can raise it.
*
Allergies
increase the burden on the body’s immune system, making it more prone to
disease and infection
*
Burns
– due to the extreme depletion of the amino acid, glutamine.
*
Accumulated
plaque on the teeth – eventually enters the blood circulation damaging
the cells can even lead to heart diseases.
*
Jet
lag severely lowers immunity – especially in frequent fliers.
*
Allergies
are interesting in that they are really an immune system problem, but are
related to digestion. Leaky gut syndrome or ‘dysbiosis’ severe
dysfunction and ‘leakage’ in the gastrointestinal tract – can lead
to multiple allergies, as can Candida, parasites and enzyme depletion.
Allergies are often only food intolerances, and once the offending food
has been removed, the ‘allergy’ disappears.
