Right now it seems like the world is one giant sick bay!
Sadly this has become accepted as the norm – like it’s just what happens during winter.
There is some truth in that but not because there is some evil element of winter.
The reality is that it is simply because we CREATE a cocktail of things that become more pronounced at or around Christmas with extra stress, more alcohol, more processed food, less sleep and of course, less sun if you live in the UK!
Whilst they’re may seem to be more ‘going around’, I’m a firm believer in the concept of “A seed can only grow in the right conditions.”
In other words, things can’t grow where the environment is unsupportive or where there is a mega-strong defence – this is how life works at all levels!
Put a seed on your kitchen table – it won’t grow. However, it will grow if you put it in soil, feed it what it needs and keep it away from things that kill it.
We want to do the opposite – we want to create an environment that DOESN’T support the seed and kills things off quickly if they do get in and sprout.
Now this could be, and is, a huge book but I’m going to simplify the four key areas you need to address if you want to stop getting sick all the time.
Ultimately this means being more productive at work, having more energy and not missing out on life for 3-4 months per year!
STRESS
Stress causes a fight-or-flight response of varying degrees and part of this is the release of a hormone called cortisol.
This is a useful part of the FOF response which is what keeps us away from danger in certain circumstances.
Unfortunately these days, we give ourselves too much to do and on-going psychological stress that never dissipates – we become chronically stressed with no off switch.
Cortisol production also shuts down our inflammatory responses which are needed to kickstart some of our immunity cells.
Linked in with this is a lack of sleep – the two tend to feed each other in a vicious circle!
When you don’t get enough sleep, a type of protein called cytokines isn’t produced in large enough quantities. This is bad news as it helps the growth and activity of our immunity cells.
So, if you’re always stressed and playing the common modern-day martyr to your hustle hard, busy lifestyle, expect your immune system to be massively downgraded.
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
A lot of people think the immune system is something that kinda floats around in your blood like soldiers on SAS boats. There is a bit of that but 70% of your immune system is the HUGE microbiome of bacteria that lives in your digestive tract.
It goes without saying that if you have lower levels of these good bacteria, your immune system response will much smaller.
Sadly, the typical Western diet is high in processed foods and low in fibre. Whilst we can’t breakdown and utilise these fibres for anything, the bacteria that fight the good fight can and do – it’s their fuel.
It follows that if you don’t eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and you eat sugars over complex carbohydrates like rice, potatoes and maybe bread if it works for you, then again, these good bacteria and your immune system response will be compromised.
This is often referred to as PRE-biotic food – it aids the bacteria in doing their job.
Some foods are claimed to be higher in ‘pre-biotics’ but to keep your life simple, get a sizeable and varied dose of fruits, veg, beans and wholegrains in your diet.
PRO-biotic foods / supplements are those that contain live cultures and increase the number of those bacteria so it’s a good idea to get a bit of both. Build the army and feed the soldiers!
So nutrition is not just about energy and fat loss.
Side note…this is also why ketogenic / low carb diets can be a problem especially if you don’t supplement with fibrous-compounds.
VITAMINS AND MINERALS
We’ve all grown up being told that we need our vitamins and minerals to stay healthy.
The reason is that they are high in phytochemical which inhibit growth of ‘bad’ cells and reduce damage to the ‘good’ cells. At the extreme this helps avoid growth of cancerous tumours but the whole spectrum is important right down to low level, annoying sickness.
Again the solution is lots of varied fruit and veg in your diet.
OBESITY
Body fat is often seen as this lifeless, unsightly thing that we accumulate when we eat too much.
This is partly true except we now know fat cells to be metabolically active in various ways.
For the sake of today’s message, what you need to know is that it stimulates chronic, low-grade inflammation. We said that we need some inflammation in bursts but if it’s a constant in the body, it can impair white blood cell function and interrupt the pathways needed to fight against pathogens in the body.
So, if you get lean and lose fat, more pressure is taken off the immune system.
SUMMARY
This is a brief run-down of a highly complex system!
What is important is to realise that as with most things in the health game, whilst there may be many factors and discussion points, the solutions and few, simple and cover many of the bases.
The key is not to simply ‘boost’ your immune system, but to allow it to do what is has evolved to do very, very well over thousands of years.
The same can go for ‘detox’ products. Instead of being sold on these products, you can stop putting the things in your body that overwhelm the liver (such as excess sugars and alcohol) and pathways that already know EXACTLY how to detox your body!
- Eat a healthy, varied diet with lots of fruit and veg, some complex carbohydrates, some fats and lots of protein
- Keep the calories down so that you get lean – you’ll look better and feel better for a win-win!
- For now, add probiotics into your diet in the form of certain ‘live’ foods or probiotic supplementation
- Similarly, supplement with Vitamin C, Zinc and Vitamin D over winter whilst you increase your dietary intake and wait for the sun to come out again!
- Reduce stress and sleep more. Easier said than done and may require some changes to how you view and live your life, but the facts are the facts
- Exercise to induce enough inflammation to ignite your immune system without it being excessive or chronic
- Start a 5 minutes per day Breathwork practise and take a 2-3 minute cold shower. Both have been shown to reduce overall cortisol levels and inflammation.
There you have it – the express guide to not getting sick all the time!
