The Power Of Immunity

Sharon Jane Akinyemi

Sharon Jane Akinyemi

Does this conversation sound familiar?

Segun:”I can’t believe it’s another day already. I could hardly get enough sleep throughout the night. What exactly is wrong with me? I seem to be having aches and pains all over my body.”

Sharon Jane

David: “I know what you mean. The night was too short.”

Segun: “Where is Biodun?”

David: “She’s not coming in today. She’s sick again, and this will be about the third time this month that she’s been absent from work.”

Segun:”I just managed to make it to work today because I had diarrhoea through out the night, I’am weak right now. I should take some day off too.”

Your immune system is the guardian of your health and well-being. When the immune system goes haywire, a person can suffer from a myriad of ailments, from colds to cancer.

Building a strong immune performance is the most important function of the Body Confidence Fitness Plan, crucial to robust living. Most people are born with stable immune systems. Through the years, problems develop to burden the body: natural deficiencies due to poor diet, lack of exercise, exposure to chemicals, pollutants and allergens (like moulds), food, inhalant, and chemical allergies, smoking and other detrimental habits, overuse of antibiotics, overgrowth of yeast and other parasites, stress and others.

When the system is overloaded, it begins to break down.

In his book Viral Immunity, J.E Williams, O.M.D., lists the stages of immune  system  compromise:

Level One: Frequent bouts with fatigue, headaches, and pains, recurrent colds and viruses, frequent allergies.

Level Two: The symptoms of level one increased in severity, longevity, and frequency. Constant fatigue. Sleep disturbances. Memory and thinking also affected.

Level Three: Infections from fungus and bacteria agents (candida albicans, sinusitis), shingles and other herpes virus infection. Nervous system symptoms develop, causing unusual conditions (like weakness in extremities, loss of balance, inflammation, numbness, tingling), severe memory and cognitive impairment, depression and anxiety disorders unable to handle stress.

Level Four: At this stage diseases develop (Chronic nervous disorder and AIDS). All symptoms of level one through level three worsen. Fatigue is disabling.

Level Five: Complete immune failure. Death from opportunistic infections and cancer.

This sounds scary?  We know. But the good news is that you can turn these stages around. I hope to catch you back at level one or two. But even the other stages can be reversed through the Body Confidence Fitness Plan. The root of the problem is an imbalanced lifestyle-a junk diet, no exercise, little time to rest and renew, stress at home or work, and neglect of ones spiritual life. Change these foundational factors and you change your life!

Crucial components to good immune functions are healthy diet and supplements.

Eat ripe fruits and fresh vegetables, lean meats, grains and legumes, non fat dairy, and healthy oils suggested in the Body Confidence Diet Plan.

But don’t overeat, even on these good foods. Eat wisely and  in moderation. Take a multivitamin and mineral supplement to ensure daily requirements are met. Vitamins that are especially important for strong immunity are Vitamin A (the anti-infection vitamin; raises IGA levels, the antibodies that protects your mucus membranes, your immune system first defence), Vitamin C (most important for immunity), Vitamin E (builds the body defence), and zinc (a mineral that boosts the immune system’s response).

Eat all you want of whole foods (not packaged). Poor food habits have been shown to be associated with fatigue, physical inefficiency, and decreased work output

Exercise: Natural killer cells that attack infection and other immune system fighters increase with exercise and as do levels of hormones specific for good immune function.

In addition, physical activity regulates all functions of the body, which in turn improves immunity. Ninety per cent of Nigerians agree that exercise is a key factor in good health. But only about 25 per cent  get the exercise they need. Over 65 per cent neglect to do even one lively activity per week. Yet a certain percentage  will die of preventable diseases. Get moving! Moderation in all things, however. Research also demonstrates that excessive traumatic workouts tear down the immune system.

Sleep: The hours that you are asleep in bed are the restorative part of your day. Most individuals require eight hours of sleep; those suffering from infections of any kind need nine or ten hours of sleep. Lack of sleep causes vulnerability to virus and bacteria and decrease the level of natural killer cells.

Pure Clean Water And Air: Milk may do a body good. But, with apologies to the dairy industry, there is a beverage we need even more.

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