BEYOND PANDEMIC Immune Support for a Healthy Life by Peter Amato
O
ver the past few months, news reporting has rarely referred to the importance of the immune system. Boosting the immune system, especially during a pandemic, is crucial. While health is an “inside job”, it’s human nature to want a quick fix and try to make someone else responsible for one’s health, but in the end, we are the ones in control of getting and staying healthy. There is never going to be a synthetic drug or a vaccination that could compare to taking control of our own health and bullet-proofing the immune system. While the body knows exactly how to protect itself and is resilient when under attack, it
functions best when the immune system is fully charged and healthy.
Nutraceuticals
Years ago, the quality of food intake would help determine the quality of health. Today this is only partially true. The typical American diet is rooted in processed food, wheat and dairy, and comes up short on nutrition. Add to that challenges that stem from our external environment, for example, depleted soil nutrients, GMO food and heavy metals. Restoring nutraceuticals provides key support for a strong immune system. Nutraceuticals are pharmaceutical grade organic vitamins, minerals, essential
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fatty acids, digestive enzymes and probiotics that everyone needs. Nutrition is linked to the immune system directly by supplying the building blocks the body needs to function at peak performance, and indirectly by influencing gut microbiome. The gut microbiome is responsible for communication between the brain and immune system. It also influences how much cortisol you produce, therefore affecting energy and sleep. Too much cortisol weakens the immune response. The health of microbiome influences the health of the intestinal wall which is a physical first line of defense against disease.
Autoimmune
Micro deficiencies of zinc, selenium, iron, copper, folic acid, as well as a void in necessary vitamins A, C, D and E, are all linked to a weakened immune system. Research has also shown that low vitamin D levels also lead to a multitude of autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune disease happens when the body attacks itself from the inside. There are over 125 identified autoimmune diseases, and that number is climbing. These diseases impact many different areas in the body, and commonly result in inflammation, chronic pain, organ or tissue damage, and overwhelming fatigue. Mental health is also important in building a strong immune system. Healing past trauma is often the missing piece of
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