Strengthen your God given shield

Yesterday I spoke of taking measures in improving your immune system response. Many different theories about the best way to do that exist due to many different ways of thinking. We live in a country where we have a right to our opinions, and that includes how we take care of ourselves. I sometimes wonder if there is a chance that one day we may not have such rights, but that is a different topic to write about some other time. Today, I will write mainly about the subject at hand which is improving our defenses. I believe that it goes without say that we, as human beings, are struggling to maintain health. As we struggle to contain a virus that is inevitably becoming a pandemic, we also fear losing the battle because we generally cannot have faith in our immunity. We are born with the defenses we need (most of us anyway, I realize there are those who unfortunately are not), but we do harm to the integrity of said defense mechanisms. Mostly by having a poor diet, but also due to the dilution of our innate immune system through chemicals. One way to ensure a strong system is to allow, but monitor, natural responses such as fevers. We have been falsely scared into believing that a fever is a bad thing to have. The truth is that the illness that causes it is the bad thing to have, and a body responding by increasing temperature (which most viruses and bacteria hate), is truly a great thing. Thank you God for giving us this ability. Of the things that make it difficult for a person's body to respond that way, one is chemically suppressing the reaction with acetaminophen. Instead we should monitor a fever, and only intervene if it is getting out of control. I will discuss more on fevers some other time. Now, I will get to the topic at hand in more detail. I could discuss many reasons why a person may struggle to have a strong immune system, and will in time, but today's discussion is more about how to support your system.

 

First of all, take vitamin C everyday. EVERYDAY. At least 1000mg, but sometimes more is even better. This is a vitamin that is wonderful in its support of the immune system, and many other things. Instead of spending time here on it, I will include a great link that will help understand all of the great things this vitamin can do. 

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-c-benefits#4.-May-reduce-blood-uric-acid-levels-and-help-prevent-gout-attacks 

We know that citrus can provide great vitamin C, and this is citrus season, so take advantage. Sure you can get vitamin C at your local pharmacy or mega store, but why not get it from a food instead? Eating more vitamin C rich foods is certainly the way God intended for us to get it, and that makes sense. I should point out that it may not be realistic to get all of your nutrients the way God intended though. Fact is, we have depleted our soils of the natural microbiome, and nutrients that supply the plants, therefore, we do not get enough from smaller amounts of food. Again, I can write about soil problems in itself, and will some other time. As much as I love the action of getting our nutrients through quality, nutrient dense foods, it may not be all that possible. As we try and eat less to avoid the pounds that seem to come with anything you eat these days, foods low in nutrients fall short of giving us what we need. We can still get good vitamin C through some foods even though we may need to take a supplement. Broccoli, Kale, Rose hips, Berries, Chili peppers, and of course citrus fruits all give us great amounts of the vitamin. Besides vitamin C, I encourage patients to find good quality, reputable, whole food supplements to fortify our diets. It is also important to get the vitamin in its truest form. There are many synthetic vitamins out there, which means you are getting a far less quality product and likely less of the nutrient you strive for.

It is sad to say that we may need to supplement our foods with concentrated multi nutrient pills or liquids, but it is much safer than chemicals. The end result of not getting our nutrition is poor health, which includes a weakened immune system. So to ensure we do not lack in what we need, besides eating good healthy foods, we can invoke an insurance policy with quality supplements. Think about it. With this way of eating and taking supplements, we strengthen our immune system, thereby avoiding having to take chemicals. We don't get sick because we supported our body correctly, and then we don't spend on the medications or doctor visits. Plus, you won't dilute your system by choosing to take chemicals that inhibit our innate response. Of course you spend on the supplements. But if you were going to spend anyway on meds and doctors, which would you rather do? Feeling well all the time, and not letting illness interfere with life is far more productive, and enjoyable than feeling bad and taking time to get over it. Agreed? If we all just realized that vitamins and minerals are what give our immune system strength, and that this would keep us from having downtime with illnesses, I believe we would all do a better job of making sure we get our nutrition. What gets in the way is the unhealthy habits that we accumulate and abuse. Besides eating well and taking supplements to get nutrition, we should also look at moderation. The dreaded word that we all have been told is the key to a healthy life. As true as it may be, we all dislike being given limits to abide by. We like choosing for ourselves, yet fail at self control. Everyone is different, and therefore, everyone has a different area of life that we experience that lack of control in. If we are honest with ourselves, we will see that we all need work in honoring moderation. Don't deny yourself the things you really enjoy that are not so good for you. Instead, treat yourself to these things on occasion, so that the bad habits are not a part of your everyday life. A "reward" from time to time for being so good to yourself is a great way to look at it. I will refer to it as self awareness and behavior that we can practice in the areas of life we are weakest in. To discipline one's self in having control over things that can get out of our control easily, is a very fulfilling experience. Think about the last time you completed a project or accomplished a goal. These victories make us feel good about ourselves. I believe we all possess this ability, but some need to work at it more than others. To summarize, I feel that taking measures to bring one's immune response to a heightened level with natural foods and supplements is a powerful way to encourage our faith in our own defenses. As we get healthier by doing less to weaken our bodies, we spend less time and money on illness. We can all do more to feel less susceptible to COVID-19 or any other Corona Virus, or other diseases. Support your body with all of the nutrients that build immunity. Vitamin A, B, C, D, E, K and minerals like zinc, calcium, iron, iodine, magnesium, and potassium, are all great for your defenses. Stock up on these items and quality foods that contain them instead of say..... toilet paper?

Tomorrow I will be writing about more immune system building and supportive ideas. Until then, God bless you.