Theme of the month: 'Immunity'

Theme of the month: 'Immunity'

Naturopath & Nutritionist’s perspective:

To be immune means to be protected. The immune system is a complex network of organs and cells all designed to defend our body against foreign antigens that can enter our bodies and harm our health. I like to consider this system our suit of armour and little internal army continually defending us against potential antigen invasions. We are exposed to harmful infectious antigens such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi everyday so if we want to stay well we have to ensure this system is working at its best. If it isn't, it leaves the body susceptible to an array of diseases... How healthy is your immune system?

How does the immune system work?

The first line of immune defence is our external barriers. Organs like our skin, mouth, nose and throat all work to trap an antigen. If entry beyond these barriers occurs we may cough, sneeze, sweat, vomit or experience diarrhoea all in an attempt to eliminate infecting antigens quickly. If an antigen successfully enters our system then our innate immune response will act swiftly to destroy the invading microbe before it has a chance to multiply and do its damage. If our innate response fails to kill the antigen then it is up to our adaptive immune response to recognise and learn more about the pathogen so that it can be processed and eliminated effectively. Our adaptive immune response will remember this antigen so that next time it is recognised in the body an even stronger and quicker immune attack will be carried out.

As astounding as the immune system is, it does have its limits. When the system is overloaded, the immune system may become unable to cope, allowing antigens to enter and multiply. On the flip side our immune system can even go into overdrive, creating inappropriate responses to attack which is seen in allergy and auto-immune conditions.

So why is it that you always hear some people say ‘I never get sick’ while others will catch every cold going around the office or have a hayfever episode every change of season?

It all lies in the efficiency of our immune system to effectively carry out a healthy immune response

There are many factors that influence the capacity of the immune system. Some of these include:

• Chronically high stress levels
• Insufficient sleep and relaxation time
• Depression & anxiety
• Too little or excessive amounts of exercise (Read the blog by Paul Dowie to discover how moderate exercise is beneficial to immunity)
• Diets high in sugar and refined carbohydrates
• Poor water intake
• Insufficient intake of nutrients such as zinc, vitamin C, vitamin D and some B group vitamins
• Poor digestive function

How can Naturopathy help?

A naturopath will always strive to understand the underlying cause of your poor immunity and address this while supporting your symptoms. We don’t settle at just masking or eliminating your symptoms, we work to resolve the cause of your dis-functioning immune response so that you get well and stay well.

If your immune system needs some support try these immune boosting Superfoods:

Mushrooms - Especially shiitake and maitake. These are known to enhance the activity of your immune cells. 

Garlic – Acts as a potent anti-microbial, anti-viral and anti-fungal. At the correct dose will act quickly to treat an infection


Ginger – Is anti-inflammatory and is traditionally known to help treat the symptoms of colds and flu’s


Fresh leafy green vegetables – Rich in betacarotene, Vitamin C and protective phytonutrients 


Yoghurt – contains probiotics which boost the production of immune cells in your digestive system

Nutritional supplements may also be recommended such as:

• Vitamin C with bioflavonoids – best taken in moderate doses and frequently at the onset of a cold. Also beneficial to reduce inflammation and prevent histamine responses in allergies 
• Zinc - see your Naturopath for a simple test to assess your zinc levels
• Vitamin D - Vital to activating immune defences so it's important to know if you are low and supplement if needed.
• Probiotics - A large part of our immune function occurs in the gut so it's vital to support with friendly bacteria. Certain bacteria strains are known to reduce inflammation and manage or prevent allergies.

Herbal medicine can also be very effective at reducing the severity of an infection and restoring the immune system so that future infections can be prevented. Echinacea, Andrographis, Siberian ginseng and Astragalus are examples of such herbs and the beauty of seeing a naturopath is that they can create a herbal tonic that is unique to your needs. 

If your immune system needs a helping hand then a Naturopath will get you feeling better quickly then teach you how to restore and strengthen your immune system so that it can continue to do it's job and take care of you!

Chiropractor’s perspective:

Immunity and the Stress response of the Subluxation.

An interesting question was put to me recently and I would like to firstly share it with you and then give you my own answer or opinion, but I would encourage all of you to take a moment out of your busy schedule to think about this and consider how it may influence your ideas about your own health.

Here it is: Why, as mammals who suckle their young and are warm blooded amongst other things, do Doctors of Human medicine study in a different place than Doctors of Animal Medicine?

Humans share about 98% of our DNA with Primates, our genetics, as theirs, haven’t changed greatly in 40,000 years so why do we need a whole different institution to study us? Now we may feel we are a lot more important to each other than Primates are to us, that is human nature but this doesn’t answer the very real question, does it?

I believe that the answer lies in the very different questions that we ask when we study the health of a human, as opposed to that of a 'lower' species. The study of human 'health' is dominated by the study of Epidemiology and Pathology, the origins and the manifestations of disease, whereas, the study of animals is primarily about the Physiology, or how they function and stay healthy. This is not to say that we do not study human Physiology or Pathology in animals, but simply that the emphasis is different. In one method we are studying what makes us sick, in the other, how they stay well and function properly.

For instance, if an ecosystem such as some wetlands suddenly showed that there was an increase in cancer amongst the fish, we would look to the environment wouldn't we, there is something bad in the water you might think? Yet when the same thing happens amongst humans we look for new drugs to treat it and often speak about our 'genetics' and how that person who got cancer had 'bad genes' or was just plain unlucky. The genetics of the fish are the constant in this 'equation'. They've been swimming around for millions upon millions of years without getting cancer. The rates of cancer in Western society are enormous and not looking like getting any better, and we spend enormous amounts of time and money looking for a cure rather than focusing on what has changed. It’s not our genes but our environment.

Therefore I suggest we are asking the wrong question. The science of Pathology hasn't got it wrong, it just isn’t asking the questions about what makes us healthy most of the time, so we end up with lots of solutions when it all goes horribly wrong and we get SICK. Wouldn’t it be better to focus on how we stay healthy in the first place?

So what does this have to do with immunity? Well, pretty much everything because most people will tell you our immune system is there to stop us from getting sick right? WRONG! Our immune system is there to keep us WELL! It is not the same thing...

It may come as a shock to you but you are actually designed to be well, designed to be healthy and designed to function properly, what gets in the way is our ENVIRONMENT, how we EAT, how we MOVE and how we THINK.

We have moved so far away from our natural environment. We have so many different stressors that your 40,000 year old genetics are now having to deal with that we are often in a constant state of elevated chronic stress that is impacting our health enormously. I would go so far as to say that it is the real epidemic of our time. The solution to our chronically diseased society (please read last months’ newsletter to understand what I am talking about) is NOT finding cures to disease, it is getting back to way of EATING, MOVING and THINKING in a way gives our bodies the nourishment and ability to adapt to our surroundings more effectively.

Imgagine this... You are going through a difficult time at work, expectations are very high in your role and deadlines are approaching. There is a lot riding on this project/outcome and you have significantfinancial obligations to meet that is tied up to your self esteem. All of these different emotions contribute to a great deal of pressure and stress to you, on top of all this you are 20kg overweight. You rarely exercise and overeat on a regular basis, you sit about 7 hours or more every day of your life and have had a sore back for years. You regularly take Panadol or Panadeine for pain, you often take anti-inflammatory medication for you joints. Unfortunately a common based scenario.

Our body reacts to each of these physical, mental and chemical 'stressors' in a similar way. In any stressful situation our body goes into defence mode. The primary hormone responsible for the stress response is CORTISOL, released by the adrenal glands. This hormone helps mobilise the body into a “fight-or-flight” mode by causing increased blood pressure, heart rate, and sugar breakdown. Think of the last time you were in a stressful or nervous situation; can you remember your heart racing? Another interesting property of Cortisol is that it acts as an anti-inflammatory signal, meaning that it acts as an “off switch” for your immune system, helping prevent the inflammatory response so important to recognise and destroy bad bugs or pathogens. Now 40,000 years ago we were use to short bouts of ‘stress’ like running away from an animal however once safe, everything was OK and we went back to hunting and gathering. Today however our stress can last for months, years... This long term stress response on our body is very harmful to our immunity.

Here is an interesting bit of information about a 'fight or flight response'. A stress trigger can be psychological (like the boss riding you hard on a big project), it can be chemical, like a high sugar, high fat diet, and it can be physical like a spinal misalignment, what we call a subluxation in the Chiropractic Office.

So how does a Subluxation cause a 'stress response'? In a nutshell, here it is. Normal movement of a joint results in information coming from that joint up to the brain, the part called the CEREBELLUM, this part of the brain gets MOST of its information from the movement of joints, in fact about 80% of all sensory information going to the brain, is about sensing movement and controlling balance and co-ordination, to the point where most other parts of the brain don’t really work very well unless we move and exercise. Science is finding that lack of movement is probably the sole biggest contributor to our stress response. So if joints don’t move or work properly we get a decrease in 'GOOD' sensory activity and we get a corresponding increase in 'BAD' sensory activity that contributes to the perception of the EMOTION of pain. This is where things start to hurt however the problem is it only starts to hurt a long time after all this other bad stuff starts happening. So long before you feel pain this process is affecting your balance, your co-ordination AND your immune system amongst other things and adversely affecting your long term health and wellbeing.

We can’t go back to the jungle or the plains of Africa where we existed in our 'natural environment', but we can do a lot to get our bodies operating normally and living in a way that promotes health and manages the stressors that exist around us. You will see in the office over the coming months we will further commit ourselves providing you with real life solutions to your long term health and wellbeing goals.

Podiatrist's perspective:

Keep active to boost your immune system!

It’s well known that regular exercise helps strengthen the immune system to help fight off simple bacterial and viral infections as well as having many other positive effects.

We also know that to get these positive benefits, the exercise program does not have to be too intense or time consuming, in fact taking a daily walk or following a simple exercise routine may be a better option than more intense, rigorous options. Studies have shown that heavy, long-term exercise (such as marathon running and intense gym training) could actually decrease the amount of white blood cells circulating through the body and increase the presence of stress-related hormones.

All this is great news, considering most of us are time poor to busy lives, so the question then is, why doesn’t everybody engage in long-term regular exercise?

The answer may lie in the fact that 80% of Australians experience serious foot problems throughout their lives, which often inhibits their ability and enthusiasm to exercise. Even more people suffer knee, leg and hip problems, which can often be caused by the feet.

The best thing about this is that you don’t have to put up with foot and leg pain or injuries anymore. With the latest medical research and treatments we are able to successfully treat foot and leg pain and injuries better than ever before. Now there is nearly always a simple solution, if you get the right treatment and advice.

Podiatrist Dr. Paul Dowie from Foot and Leg Pain Clinics at Wellbeing is an expert in Sports and Musculoskeletal issues with has over 15 years experience in helping everyone from children to professional athletes and seniors end pain and heal injuries.

Renowned for his successful patient outcomes Paul’s services have been sought from far and wide. He has been the chosen Podiatrist for some of the worlds best athletes in Golf, Tennis, Athletics, and Cricket; for individuals who have conquered Everest, trekked to the North and South Poles, set World records, won Olympic gold medals and those who just enjoy life and being fit and well.

You can end foot and leg pain and heal and prevent injuries so that they can keep active and boost your immune system to see through winter happily and healthily.

Call 1300 328 300 for an appointment and receive $50 off your initial consultation

 

Myotherapist’s perspective:

The Immune-boosting effects of massage

1. MANUAL LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE MASSAGE

As well as Myotherapy and Remedial Massage, Unwind Myotherapy offers Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage. This is a relaxing type of massage that increases the rate at which the lymphatic fluid (the fluid that contains your immune cells) is circulated and filtered around the body, aiding detoxification and boosting immune activity. In the 24 hours after a Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage, the rate at which these immune cells are able to circulate around your body, mopping up toxins, viruses and bacteria can be increased by up to 10 times! Learn more about Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage at our website: http://www.unwindmyotherapy.com.au/services.html

 

2. STUDY ON THE IMMUNE BOOSTING EFFECTS OF MASSAGE

According to a 2010 study conducted at the Cedars-Sinai Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences in Los Angeles, massages don’t just feel great, they are good for immunity, too. In fact, the immune-boosting effects of a massage can begin just minutes after the first session!

The authors recruited 53 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 45 and divided them into two groups: one that received a traditional Swedish massage, and another that received a session of light touch meant to simulate a massage but without any actual massage-therapy techniques. Each participant had an IV inserted into one arm for the duration of the massage and for a few hours afterward, and blood was drawn at various intervals to measure levels of various hormones and immune system markers.

The massage recipients saw significant decreases in stress hormones and increases in the body’s production of various cells that boost immune system response.

The study found several changes in the blood tests of the Swedish massage group that indicated a benefit to the immune system. For example, Swedish massage caused sizeable decreases in arginine vasopressin, a hormone that contributes to aggressive behavior, and decreases in the stress hormone cortisol. The Swedish massage participants also had an increase in lymphocytes, cells that help the immune system defend the body from harmful substances. 

Numerous studies through the years have also determined that massage can aid in stress relief, lessen anxiety and depression, decrease pain, alleviate stiffness, manage blood pressure, improve sports-related injuries, and possibly even contribute to the effectiveness of cancer treatments, among other things. And now that research has proven the health benefits of a single 45-minute session, imagine how great and long lasting the health benefits can be if we all opted to have massages more regularly!

Source: Mark Hyman Rapaport, Pamela Schettler, and Catherine Bresee. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. October 2010, 16(10): 1079-1088. doi:10.1089/acm.2009.0634.

Kinesiologist’s perspective:

Kinesiology boosts the Function of the Immune System

The Immune system is the keystone to good health and vitality. It is the defence mechanism that guards the body against colds, flu and illness. 

It is the time of the year when colds, flu and fatigue are prevalent. Sometimes recovery can take longer than expected.

Stress hugely compromises the immune system, making the body vulnerable to illness. This is how it works….

The fight flight (or stress) response is a feedback loop between the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary in the brain and the adrenals (above the kidneys). This is called the HPA axis. When stress is perceived the adrenals are quickly prompted to release hormones including adrenaline and cortisol to enable the body to quickly respond to the stress.

Digestion and immune function are immediately reduced so the body can take action. That’s why digestive problems and regular illness are common in highly stressed people.

The fight flight response is essential if you are in immediate danger. However in today’s fast paced society, many of us activate this response constantly – even if we’re not in real danger. Work pressures, traffic, deadlines, money problems, relationship stress, the list is endless … and the fight flight response is not designed to work continuously.

The hypothalamus, which is responsible for maintaining homeostasis (balance) in the body becomes fatigued and stops functioning efficiently. You literally become ‘out of balance’.

Stress is sometimes called the ‘silent killer’. You can continue to live in a stressed state quite well for some time with few health issues. Living on adrenaline becomes normal.

The inevitable exhaustion is addressed with short term fixes such as more coffee, sugar hits or a glass of wine. If stress continues finally everything can seem to fall apart at once.

If stress continues to build up in your system you can experience many negative effects.

One of the most important Kinesiology benefits is that it can help reduce stress in your bodily systems and help restore the body to its naturally balanced state. When you are in balance you can make decisions from a space of choice and freedom rather than confusion or fear.