It’s never too early to begin thinking about how to boost your immune system against the germs that swirl around us everyday.  People who come in contact with large numbers of people every day and families of school children should be especially vigilant when to comes to preventing the spread of germs and boosting their body’s defenses.  There are several ways to do this, including hand washing and covering your cough or sneeze.  However, it is also advisable to boost one’s immune system to present a strong defense against those germy invaders.

Following are three foods that are good immune system boosters and keep you strong against winter colds. The best thing is that many of these items are either easy to get or already in your kitchen!

Apple Juice – Remember the old adage that an apple a day keeps the doctor away?  Apple juice contains a type of antioxidant called polyphenols, which are thought to provide health benefits such as anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties.  However, steer clear of the clear apple juice.  Cloudy apple juice contains more polyphenols than the clear because it has not been strained and some solids still remain.  Eating the apple itself is also a good immune system booster, plus you get fiber from the pulp of the fruit.

Tea – According to Prevention magazine, drinking at least five cups a day of either green or black tea is a good immune system booster.  Both green and black tea contain the amino acid L-theanine, which boosts immunity.

Garlic – Garlic and garlic supplements contain a compound called allicin, which had antimicrobial as well as antiviral properties which may serve to fight off an attack of the common cold.  In addition, if you happen to get a cold while using a garlic supplement, the duration of the cold symptoms may be shorter and the symptoms less severe. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the recommended daily dosage is 2-5 grams fresh garlic, up to 1.2 grams of garlic powder or up to 1,000 milligrams of extract – whatever formulation that equals 2 to 5 milligrams of allicin daily.

These are just a few of the immune system boosters that you may take this winter to fight off germs.  Keep hands clean and remember if you do feel sick, try to limit contact with others to avoid spreading more germs.

Most Americans are bogged down with chronic diseases and illnesses due to a huge amount of heavy toxins in their bodies. These toxins enter the body through the following methods: (1) When you consume the chemicals, preservatives, pesticides, heavy metals, and growth hormones that are found in the American diet; (2) when you apply personal care products that are heavily burdened with harsh chemicals to your skin, hair, and mouth (i.e. your tooth paste); and (3) when you breath in toxic fumes from cars, airplanes, cleaning supplies, cigarette smoke, and indoor air pollution from gas emissions via your carpet, mattress, and many other furnishings and building materials. So now that these toxins are showing up in human tissue samples, what can you do to eliminate them from your body short of living in a bubble?

One of the best ways to eliminate toxins from your body is to do a detoxification. Just like your car, your body needs to eliminate all of the sluggish slime that has accumulated throughout the years, and get replenished with fuel that will promote energy, vitality, and health. Dr. Don Colbert, a medical doctor with preventative medicine training, says that one of the best ways to detoxify your body is with the following diet:

Avoid these foods:
Sugars- including honey
Wheat products (pasta, breads, bagels, and processed cereals), chips and corn
All processed foods- refined foods, fast foods, fried foods, animal skins, preserved meats, and fatty meats
Alcohol, coffee, sodas, dark teas, and chocolate
Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils or trans fats

You can consume a small amount of these foods:
Skinless, extra lean free-range poultry and meats
If you must have dairy-eat plain yogurt, cheese made with skim milk, and/or organic butter sparingly. You can also drink skim milk and kefir sparingly

You can consume as much of these foods as you like:
Organic vegetables and fruits
Extra-virgin olive oil
Brown rice and wild rice
Raw, fresh nuts and seeds (avoid peanuts and cashews)
Flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil, black currant seed oil, borage oil, and fish oil
Garlic and onions
Filtered water with fresh squeezed lemon or lime (about two quarts daily)
Freshly juiced vegetable and fruit juices (you will need a juicer)
Green tea and other herbal teas
Green super foods or just take chlorella.

You should follow this diet for 14 days to adequately prepare your liver to do its job of detoxifying your body. Moreover, you will be slowly detoxifying during these 14 days so that your liver can handle the toxins and eliminate them efficiently when you do your juice fast on day 15. If you do not do this, you will run the risk of recirculating the toxins back into your blood stream because your liver will not be able to handle the excessive amount of toxins being eliminated. When toxins recirculate back into your blood stream, they can cause more damage to your cells, which promotes more sickness.

On the 15th day, do a juice fast of freshly juiced fruit and vegetables juices with chlorella or a green super food and drink plenty of water also. If you thoroughly follow the diet for the first 14 days, your liver will be ready to handle the amount of toxins that will be eliminated on day 15 when you do the juice fast.

After day 15, you should slowly resume the previous diet starting with fruits and vegetables and gradually work your way up to the dairy and meats. This step allows your body to gradually prepare to eat your regular diet again. Although this diet requires four weeks of discipline and determination; the payoff is well worth the sacrifice.

You will be amazed at the following results:

• Your brain will be completely clear (you probably don’t even know that you have brain fog);
• Your skin will be radiant;
• You will feel very happy (this diet eliminates depression);
• You will have more energy than you ever imagined possible;
• You will reverse many medical conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, some chronic aches and pains, migraine headaches, psoriasis and eczema, autoimmune diseases, and heart disease;
• You will lose enough weight to reduce your dressor pants size; and
• You will have an increased libido.

This detoxification diet is a safe diet; however, please note that you should not stop taking your prescribed medications. Therefore, you will have to monitor your blood pressure and blood sugar regularly. If you see that your blood pressure or blood sugar levels are dropping, consult with your doctor regarding reducing your medication dosage while on the diet. Lastly, if you have psoriasis or eczema you should eat vegetables that are right for your nutritional blood type to get the maximum results.

References:

Colbert, Don. (2001). Toxic Relief. Florida. Siloam-A Strange Company.

Asthma can restrict activities

It’s difficult when children suffer from asthma. Because of breathing difficulties, it may keep them from participating in sports or even sideline them from gym class or recess. Living more naturally may be the key to improving your child’s asthma condition and send him or her on his way to a new lifestyle.  Natural remedies for asthma can be used in the case of moderate to mild asthma. Please, however, check with your doctor or other medical professional before eliminating any prescribed medication. Asthma is a serious condition and should not be treated lightly. If your child uses an emergency inhaler, it is best to keep this with him at all times, just in case.

Some of the most common natural remedies for asthma start from the “inside out”, that is, one can take supplements or modify one’s diet to improve the condition. Taking fish oil supplements, which are high in Omega 3 fatty acids, is a good start. Omega 3 is an anti-inflammatory and may serve to naturally shrink the swelling of the bronchial tubes.

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Vitamin C, when taken in appropriate doses for the age and weight of the child, is a natural antihistamine and may serve to squelch the allergens that may trigger an asthma attack. Vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant. If you are living naturally, using Vitamin C is a must!

Finally, essential oils such as lavender and eucalyptus may also alleviate the collection of mucus in the bronchial tubes and keep those breathing passages clear. (As a wanna-be natural mom, lavender and eucalyptus are staples in my essential oil aresenal.)  Whenever you use essential oils, they must NOT be applied to the skin unless you dilute them with a carrier oil such as vegetable oil, canola oil or other carrier oil. Mix a few drops of these oils with at least a tablespoon of carrier oil and rub on the chest and back. This treatment may be especially effective for preventing middle of the night attacks.

Hopefully, these natural remedies for asthma will be incorporated in your everyday life. Continue on your journey to living naturally!

I suppose I always wanted to give birth naturally. We never pretended to have a cesarean. I’d never heard of very many birth stories either. The only birth stories I remember were from my mother and grandmother. My mom talked about how I was born via cesarean and how she didn’t see me until 3 days after her surgery. Besides having me to show for the experience, there wasn’t any joy surrounding it at all.

My grandmother told me how my mom came so quickly that she had her in the elevator. She looked at my grandfather and said, “Sammy, the baby’s here”.

When I became pregnant with my first child at 20, I knew two things right away. I was going to give birth naturally (un-medicated and with minimal interventions) and I was going to breastfeed. I knew my grandmother breastfed all 6 of her children but she was sick by the time I had my first daughter so I couldn’t go to her for support. I’d only known 1 cousin who breastfed her child, so there really wasn’t an abundance of practical support available, but in my mind, breasts were for feeding babies. Breastfeeding was free and I was going to use mine for that purpose.

I felt that being a woman, God made my body able to handle the process of giving birth, so I set out to do it without all the interventions commonly used in the hospital today. I am far more concerned about the possible side effects of interventions used on me and my baby than I am about the discomfort of labor.

When labor began and I got to the hospital, I was in for a big surprise. My birth plan was simple. I wanted to be free to move about and be able to squat and push the baby out so that gravity could assist me. My birth plan was completely ignored as I was taken through whatever the attendants at the hospital felt was necessary. I was laid flat on my back, not allowed to use the bathroom, hooked up to IV’s and given pitocin. It turned into a huge fiasco that ended with my baby being pulled out of me with a vacuum extractor. If I’d been able to stick to my plan, there would have been no need for any of the interventions used. My new birth plan for future births became quite simple- Stay away from the hospital!

I went away from my first birth scarred physically and emotionally. My next birth was a very healing and peaceful birth center birth which was followed by a joyous homebirth. I’ve written small memoir detailing my 3 birth experiences entitled, Empowered to Birth Naturally: One Woman’s Journey to Homebirth.

www.empoweredtobirthnaturally.com