August 2017 - Live Clean n Prosper

Inflammation and the Immune system

Todays post is about Inflammation,

Last week I wrote about the Immune System and how when it is compromised, we get sick. Well, this week I am going to expand on that subject.

One of the symptoms of a compromised immune system is Inflammation.

There was an article in todays Body & Soul that focused on this issue. Finally scientists are saying that Inflammation in the body is one of the major causes of illness. Many Naturopaths and practitioners of complimentary medicine have been saying this for years.

Scott and I first heard about Inflammation in the body and its relationship to illness approximately 8 years ago.

Normally Inflammation is a good thing. It’s a sign of the body’s defense system fighting infection or repairing damage. This is all well and good when our immune system is working well. However, as I mentioned last week, many of us have a compromised immune system due to the stressors we put on it.

We often suspend the body’s process of using inflammation to deal with issues. We start to feel the aches and pains and take anti-inflammatories. Therefore the body doesn’t get to complete its healing processes.

The result being that instead of only calling on our inflammatory defences when we are injured or sick, we’re increasingly triggering the response day in, day out. This creates a situation where our body is consistently emitting small quantities of inflammatory compounds. These levels are often too low to create noticeable symptoms.

There have been recent studies linking high levels of inflammation in the body with some major health problems, such as cancers and heart disease.

So where does the inflammation come from?

Some is produced inside the body. Excess weight is a cause as fat cells excrete inflammatory substances. We also create it by not taking care of ourselves; stress causes the response as well as lack of sleep. If we soldier on with our aches and pains, ignore allergies and if we don’t look after our teeth, our levels of inflammatory chemicals rise.

Another cause is many of the foods that are a large part of the Western diet.

Foods such as sugar, alcohol, high fat meats, fried foods and refined grains cause inflammation.

How do we reduce our inflammation?

The good news is diet can also be used to protect us against inflammation. There is scientific evidence to show that there are foods that reduce inflammation in the body. These are green leafy vegetables, onion, garlic, herbs and spices such as ginger, turmeric and pepper. So by reducing our intake of the Pro-inflammatory foods and increasing the Anti-inflammatory foods in our diet, we are taking steps to lower the inflammation in our bodies.

This strategy along with improving our sleep, reducing our stress and getting some exercise, goes a long way to improving our immune system ability to cope.

A stronger immune system is a stronger, healthier body.

Till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

Our Immune System and how we get sick.

Todays post is about the Immune System.

This past week I have been resting, letting my body and immune system work through a virus.

This one really crept up on me. Most of us usually feel when we are becoming unwell. We feel achey, maybe get headaches or a ‘heavy head’. Usually this is what happens to me. Well, this time I didn’t see it coming.

The previous week, I had been very busy, I worked more hours than usual. I had appointments to attend and other projects to complete. I was feeling tired, but that was to be expected after my busy week. Or so I thought.

So, ending up in bed late last Sunday night with a fever, was a surprise. Not a nice one either. This got me thinking about how we get sick.

I had been quite confident that I was healthy, with a fairly good immune system. So, what let me down?

In hindsight, stress and lack of quality sleep. Not giving my body, and my immune system, enough time to recover.

The Immune System

The immune system is one of the hardest working mechanisms in the human body. What many people may not realise is that the body actually has two immune systems: the innate (or primary) system and the adaptive (or long-term) system.

When a possible threat from an illness-causing invader is detected, the innate system, is alerted to respond to the threat.

However, many people have a lowered immune system that can cause the innate system to work harder than it needs to in protecting the body.

So when that system has to work harder, we have less energy and in many cases, an overwhelming feeling of fatigue and feeling really tired.

The 4 most Common Causes of Lowered Immune System are

Stress. Nearly all of us have felt the effects of stress at some point in our lives. Headaches, pounding chest pains, uneasiness and an overall tense feeling are hallmarks of stress. These factors all combine to cause the immune system to have to work harder to defend the body against threats to health.
Lack of sleep.You may not realise it, but while you’re sleeping the cells in your blood that fight infections are working to keep infections at bay. So lack of sleep and fatigue can leave your defence system weak.
Not enough exercise. Your body’s defences will likely not be at their best if your lifestyle is too sedentary.
Improper nutrition, Fats, particularly polyunsaturated fats, tend to suppress the immune system. Also be on the lookout for the consumption of too much sugar, which can inhibit the process by which white blood cells work to destroy viruses and bacteria.

So while our immune system is struggling with keeping up with our busy lives, it is left open to attack. It now has a diminished ability to fight off the germs and viruses that can lead to colds, the flu and other threats to our well-being.

This is information that a lot of us already are aware of, however, our lives get so busy that it’s easy to forget.

It’s a shame we have to become ill to remember it all again.

Until the next post, take time to rest and

Live Clean n Prosper

Baths, Epsom Salt and Lavender for muscles

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Today I’m going to write about my relaxing bath.

Recently Scott and I have been doing a bit of renovating around the home. This usually means sore backs and aching muscles.

So, I decided that a nice hot bath with Epsom Salt would be just the ticket. I also added some fresh Lavender and some dried Calendula flowers. After a soak, my back and aching muscle felt so much better.

This prompted the question – Why do these flowers and the salt help to soothe our muscles?

After some Internet searching, this is what I found out.

Epsom Salt

It’s called a salt because of its chemical structure. The “Epsom” part is a place in England where it’s found in natural springs.

This salt is made from naturally occurring minerals Magnesium and Sulphate. These ingredients can help improve health in numerous ways. Magnesium helps muscles to release. If you aren’t getting enough magnesium, your muscles may cramp and spasm more easily. Also, by-products of metabolism such as lactic acid become harder to flush out without enough magnesium, which may lead to sore muscles.

Sulphate is also essential for many biological processes. It helps to flush out toxins and helps form proteins in joints and brain tissue.

So together, these minerals assist with the elimination of lactic acid, which contributes to sore muscles.

How Does It Work?

In water, it breaks down into magnesium and sulphate. The theory is that when you soak in an Epsom salt bath, these get into your body through your skin.

In a study conducted in 2006, levels of magnesium and sulphate in the blood and urine were measured, both before and after people bathed in Epsom salts. The study found the levels were higher after the baths! So, bathing in Epsom salt enables the body to absorb the Magnesium and Sulphate.

Then add Lavender….

Lavender essential oil is known as an excellent remedy for various types of pains including those caused by sore and tense muscles, muscular aches, rheumatism, sprains, backache, and lumbago. A regular massage with lavender oil can provide relief from pain in the joints. A study done on postoperative pain relief showed that combining lavender essential oil vapor into the oxygen significantly reduced the amount of pain experienced, versus those patients only revived with oxygen after a major surgery.

And Calendula….

You may not recognize the name Calendula. Perhaps you have heard of Marigolds, which is the name most commonly used describe this family of plant. Calendula officianalis is the most common species, but all possess certain compounds and substances that make them a valuable part of herbal health in certain parts of the world.

You may not have known that the petals are edible and have traditionally been used in soups and stews and salads, while a powerful chemical extract can be removed from the stems and leaves of calendula plants.

Calendula oil has anti-inflammatory compounds and unique antioxidant compounds.

Regardless of where the inflammation is occurring, calendula can significantly reduce the discomfort.

So together these 3 things can make a difference to our wellbeing, and a bath is always relaxing.

Till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

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