healthyimmunesystem

Building a Healthy Immune System
By Debi Hopkins

Helping your child to learn the importance of building and keeping a healthy immune system is one of the greatest gifts any parent can ever give to their child. God's Word tells us that our children are gifts from Him, a reward from Him, and as such, I want to cherish that "reward" and helping my child to have good understanding of what a blessing good health really is, is just one of the ways I as a parent can show my love towards them.
Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from Him. Psalm 127:3 NLT
Building a healthy immune system takes special care and is done in many ways. First, we must limit the amount of toxic materials that come in contact with our children even before birth. Things as simple as water need to be examined and scrutinized for impurities because this is one of the most important things our bodies use to flush out other toxins we might be ingesting on a daily basis. Too much of any one thing, like fluoride, chlorine or lead can lead to many serious health problems, not to mention what they do to our immune systems. Tony Lees, a dentist for over 40 years in Herefordshire England, believes that fluoride should be banned from toothpastes and water. The marginal benefit it displays for teeth does not outweigh its general dangers, he says this:

"In the scale of toxicity, fluorides fall between arsenic and lead," he says. "Dental fluorosis is not just a cosmetic problem, but the visible sign of chronic fluoride poisoning, and children are more vulnerable than adults." This is just one example of the sort of dangers parents may be unaware of, that are common place in most households in America.
Every single moment our bodies are building bone cells, muscle cells, liver cells, pancreas cells, brain cells, skin cells and so on. In a one year time frame we rebuild and replace every single cell in our bodies. The point here is this---- what quality of raw materials are we putting in while we are building all these cells? What kind of nutrients are you giving your body to renew your body’s ability to build a strong immune system and to stay as healthy as possible?
When we eat food that is not recognizable by our body as "real" food, our bodies have to work extra hard to do what normally would take little effort. Our bodies essentially use up those "reserves" that are supposed to be saved for emergency situations like when we are exposed to a virus or unhealthy bacteria, or an accident or illness that requires healing of bones and flesh. From the moment of birth we have reserves set aside in a "bank" which our body is meant to use when we are in just such a crisis, when extra healing is needed. When we choose poor quality foods, we use up our reserves kept in that special bank account. When we eat poorly continuously, we overdraw our "bank" dangerously. These reserves are also meant for when we need to do major bone building, teeth building, brain building, etc. When we do not have enough minerals for building our bones or teeth, our body sends out powerful messages to our brain which we call "pain." Those messages come in the form of illness, pain, and sometimes even serious things like cancer, and are intended to tell to take our health seriously. God has so incredibly designed our bodies, that we are given "pain" as a message to alert us that something is out of balance and needs to be corrected.
This is why most doctors recommend breast feeding as the best way to ensure a baby has optimum health. The more scientists delve into this, the more they learn just how really important the nutrients are in mother’s milk----especially the first milk, colostrum. Colostrum contains lots of antibodies that help to protect the vulnerable newborn from infection by coating his intestines and protecting him from viruses and bacteria. It contains growth factors that help prepare baby's digestive system for absorbing and digesting milk. It is very easy for the newborn baby to digest, and is exactly what he needs to eat during the first days after birth. Colostrum is different from mature milk in that it contains more salt and protein, and less sugar and fat then mature milk. It also contains high levels of lauric acid, something that helps the brain and nervous system to function properly, all the while strengthening the immune system.
Coconut Oil is also high in lauric acid, and much research on the nutritional and medicinal benefits on coconut oil has been done in recent years. Much of that research has been done by Dr. Mary Enig. Dr. Enig has classified coconuts as a "functional food," which provides health benefits over and beyond the basic nutrients. She has specifically identified lauric acid as a key ingredient in coconut products, and says this:
"Approximately 50% of the fatty acids in coconut fat are lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid, which has the additional beneficial function of being formed into monolaurin in the human or animal body. Monolaurin is the antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal monoglyceride used by the human or animal to destroy lipid coated viruses such as HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza, various pathogenic bacteria including listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia. (which can cause food poisioning) Some studies have also shown some antimicrobial effects of the free lauric acid."
I share all of that information for this reason, as a mother, one of my major goals is to pass on to my children the importance of what food is intended to be used for, and how it affects our health. Children are born with a natural instinct and intelligence towards food which we as parents should not underestimate. We should nurture that knowledge, and as they grow and become able to understand more and more, we can help them to learn such things as why food should be used to nourish our bodies, and that it is not to be eaten just to please our taste buds, which can turn into a lust problem with food, which in turn can lead to obesity problems as they grow older.

Many studies have shown that diets high in processed foods and sugar depress the immune system. So one of the best things we can do is to always strive to keep the food we serve our families as close to it's natural state as possible. Fresh vegetables should always be a large part of every meal, along with a healthy form of protein. Healthy sources of protein include:
Organically raised poultry, beef, deep water fish, free range chicken eggs (fed organic feed), organic beans, soy foods like tofu (in moderation----too much soy food can have a negative affect on the thyroid), peas and organic nuts and seeds.
Vitamins and minerals play an important part in building and maintaining a healthy immune system. Vitamin C is one of the most important vitamins our bodies need daily, as it actually helps to prevent a wide range of human diseases, helping our immune system function at peak performance. The problem with supplementing vitamin C in a child's diet is that most forms come loaded with sugar, which actually lowers the immune system's ability to function, drastically! Every tsp. of sugar ingested has an effect on the white blood cells ability to fight germs. One white blood cell can destroy something like 14 germs, but when 6 tsp. are ingested, only 10 can be destroyed and 24 tsp., only 1 is destroyed. How many teaspoons of sugar are in the foods you buy that are processed foods like cereal, fruit drinks, pancake syrup.....look at your labels!

Sugar also robs the body of the B vitamins. White flour can have the same effect on our bodies as that of refined sugar. My favorite book on dietary health matters, Prescription for Dietary Wellness by Dr. James Balch says this:

"When you consume as little as two teaspoons of sugar, a change
occurs in your blood chemistry and the body is no longer in
homeostasis, the balanced state where our body functions best.
After the body digests sugar, the mineral balance will change,
for example, calcium may increase and phosphorus decrease. When a
mineral in our blood stream increases dramatically, it can become
toxic. This is because minerals only function efficiently in balance
with each other. Kidney stones, gall bladder stones, arthritis,
hardening of the arteries, and cataracts of the eyes can be caused
by toxic calcium. When minerals in the blood stream decrease, the
body does not have enough to work synergistically with enzymes,
since enzymes are mineral dependent."

So, when at all possible, try to use keep sugar to a minimum in your family’s diet if you are trying to build strong immune systems.
Iron plays an important part in every diet. Low iron intake doesn’t necessarily produce obvious signs of anemia: it often increases the risk of infection and disease because the immune system functions less effectively and it can also impair intellectual performance and learning.
Low zinc levels in our body often manifests itself by the presence of slow wound healing time, and children will even fail to grow properly, if zinc is severely lacking in their diet. This is because zinc is a vital factor in many key life processes, such as our immune function.
When at all possible, all vitamins and minerals should come from the nutritious choices found in whole foods, not supplements, but this is hard to do in today's world, when so many foods are far from the nutritious originals that God gave us. Vegetables and fruits have been "hybrid" to the point that nutrients have been bred out of them. If you garden, try to look for non hybrid seeds, which are called open pollinated, or heirloom seed. Look for older, "antique" varieties of fruit and berries to grow in your garden. Use rotation gardening practices, and organic growing techniques, which help insure no compromise to the human immune system.
Too many "unhealthy" carbohydrates will also hinder a bodies ability to build a healthy immune system. A large number of children live on diets high in pasta, potatoes and bread, and although these foods can be a part of a healthy diet, they do not offer children the essential nutrients that are necessary to fast growing little bodies, that can be found in fresh vegetables and organic protein. Protein is essential for proper immune system function. Your child should have at least one serving of fish, poultry, eggs or meat; or two servings of beans, lentils or seed foods at each meal, everyday. Also things like runner beans, broad beans, baked beans, soy foods like tofu and peas are all seed foods and a good source of protein. Consider also the kind of carbohydrates your child is eating and whether they are delivering any health benefits. You may think that giving your child boxed cereal for breakfast is a healthy option. But things like corn flakes as a breakfast cereal can be detrimental, because they are laden with things like sugar and salt---not to mention the preservatives that are used to preserve the shelf life of such products. Oat flakes on the other hand, are a much better choice because they release carbohydrates slowly over a period of time. Your child will also be getting a very significant amount of protein from oats which is a whole cereal and a seed food.
Also critical for overall health are enzymes and friendly bacteria. There are two main kinds of enzymes - digestive and metabolic. Digestive enzymes help break things down in our body and metabolic are the building blocks of every cell in our bodies. When we have low digestive enzymes, our miraculous body can change our metabolic enzymes into digestive enzymes so that the big dinner we ate can be digested. However, that means we are depleting our very essential metabolic enzymes which give us life. The more we do this the more we age and the more out of balance we become, and this allows things like mood disorders, depression and disease to take hold. Also, when we do not have enough digestive enzymes, our body, because it is so intelligent, will produce something called Candida yeast to break down excess undigested foods, toxins, non-foods etc. This overabundance of Candida can give us all kinds of unpleasant symptoms, such as:
1. Skin infections (acne, rashes, psoriasis, excema, hives, boils, athlete's foot);
2. Headaches, migraines, sinus trouble, sore throats;
3. Frequent upper respiratory tract infections, colds, post nasal drip, and so on;
4. Recurrent bladder, prostate, vaginal infections;
5. Extreme and/or increasing sensitivity to chemical fumes, tobacco smoke, perfumes;
6. Multiple allergic symptoms;
7. Asthma;
8. Arthritis;
9. Swollen or aching joints, muscle aches for no reason;
10. Abdominal bloating, distention, gas, diarrhea or constipation, anal itching, hemorrhoids;
11. PMS;
12. Fatigue, lethargy, forgetfulness, foggy thinking, inability to concentrate;
13. Depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, irritability, insomnia, mood swings, low self-esteem;
14. Weight gain or loss; and
15. Cravings for sweets, alcohol, and bread.

Friendly bacteria is the bacteria that we are supposed to have in our bodies to help with digestion and keeping bad bacteria under control. Medication, antibiotics, drugs, sugar, chlorine, soda pop, etc. will all kill friendly bacteria so if we are consuming too many harmful foods, our body never has a chance to rebuild its friendly bacteria. Supplements like acidophilus or bifidus are friendly forms of bacteria and are available from any health food store and in better forms of yogurt (read ingredients labels closely, and look for ones with "active cultures" added, and with no sugar, fruit juice sweetened is ok in moderation). It is also called a probiotic which is the opposite of antibiotic. It does the same work as an antibiotic but it is supportive of the body rather than killing all bacteria in the body.
Essential fatty acids are also very important to our immune system. A partial list of EFA's include omega-3, alpha-linoleic, and omega-6 linoleic acid. These cannot be synthesized by the human body and therefore are termed "essential". More of these EFA's are required by the body than all other types of fats or nutrients that are "essential". Every single cell, organ, and tissue requires a daily supply of EFA.

Omega-6 is obtained from vegetable oils, but the omega-3 is often lacking. The vegetable oils that contain the highest amount of omega-3 include:

Pumpkin seed oil, flaxseed oil, canola oil, walnut oil, and soy oil.

The two most common omega-3 fatty acids are eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and decosahexanoic acid (DHA). The fat content of fish varies. Cold water fish have a higher fat content and thus contain the largest amounts of EPA and DHA.

All dark leafy vegetables also contain high amounts of the omega-3 fatty acids.

Flaxseed oil has the highest content of omega-3 (52%) and contains twice as much as fish oil. Flaxseed is less expensive and more stable. About 2 Tablespoons of flax oil daily will add a generous supply of the essential omega-3 fatty acids to your daily diet.

If you buy flaxseeds, grind them just before you plan on using them, as their oil will turn rancid quickly---store your flaxseeds in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Do not heat flax oil as it will destroy the nutrients. Use as part of a salad dressing recipe or drizzled over granola for a snack.

Causes of EFA deficiency-----

1. A diet rich in saturated fats
2. consumption of processed vegetable oils containing trans-fatty acids that prevent the proper formation of linoleic acid
3. Excess alcohol consumption
4. Diabetes
5. Aging
6. Lack of magnesium, zinc, and vitamins E, C, and B-6
7. Viral infections
8. Radiation, chemotherapy, and cancer
9. Smoking tobacco
10. Environmental toxins
11. Using certain drugs

Omega-3 has the ability to thin the blood. If taking blood thinners like aspirin, avoid high amounts of omega-3. (although it would be better to take the EFA's and avoid the aspirin, as aspirin can be toxic). If you take cod liver oil as an EFA supplement, be sure to only take 1 teaspoon daily, as the A and D vitamins can be toxic if your body does not process oils efficiently. (Hypothyroid conditions would cause this to happen, as would liver disease). 3 capsules of fish oil like salmon, totaling 1,500 mg. a day is a good dosage. (fish oil is not the same as cod liver oil)

Be sure to take vitamin E along with fish oil supplements. This will protect your cells.

What is Omega-3 Fatty Acid good for?

1. rheumatoid arthritis
2. all forms of arthritis
3. helps control viral infections
4. reduces cholesterol and tryiglycerides
5. lowers risk of stroke or heart attack
6. reduces risk of artereolsclerosis
7. improves psoriasis
8. improves immune response
9. lowers harmful effects of prostaglandins aiding in preventing breast cancer
10. reduces severity of migraine headaches
11. improves brain function
12. improves function of the glandular system
You can obtain these "good fats" from avocados, ground flax seeds, raw nuts and seeds, almond or peanut butter, soy nuts, dark green veggies, deep water fish like cod, cod liver oil (Alexander's is the brand I favor) extra virgin olive oil, flax seed oil, and other pure, properly processed oils.
Keeping all of the following items to a minimum or avoiding entirely will encourage and promote rapid healing and help bring your body back into balance, also aiding your body's ability to build a healthy immune system:
Avoid: white sugar and flour, including a diet consisting of exclusively whole wheat flour products, rotate other whole grains into the diet on a regular basis to avoid becoming allergic to any one grain; All soda pops and carbonated beverages; Caffeine, alcohol, nicotine; Food additives such as MSG, dyes, artificial sweeteners; Processed dairy products; (unless you can obtain free range organic) Animal products; (unless you can obtain free range organic) Chemicals such as chlorine, drugs, over the counter medications; and bad fats such as margarine, lard, anything deep fried.

Highly beneficial nutrients for bringing the body back to balance, giving the body the power to reverse depression, disease, acidity and aging include:
Include: Complex carbohydrates in the form of fruits and vegetables (which include the most powerful fruits and vegetables: carrot, parsley, beet, broccoli, kale, cabbage, spinach, tomato, apple, orange, pineapple, cranberry, acerola cherries and papaya); Soybeans and soy products in moderation; organic Beans, nuts, seeds, dried fruits; organic whole grains such as brown rice, wild rice, kamut, rye, millet, barley, spelt, quinoa; Salmon, white fish, deep sea fish such as cod, free range, organic fed turkey and chickens, organic free range eggs; For sweeteners, use honey, molasses, organic cane sugar like Sucanat or Rapdura, stevia, and unsweetened fruit concentrate; Minerals/vitamins - selenium, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, chromium, niacin, Vitamin D, B vitamins - remember----all of which are best derived from whole food rather than specific supplements.
By putting all of the basic nutrients into your body on a daily basis, getting good quality, restful sleep each night, and plenty of exercise to help build strong bones, you will be giving your body the best and most important tools it needs to build and maintain a healthy immune system. You will also be showing your child how to do the same!
Debi <><

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