As we enter the Winter season, it is more important than ever to have a strong immune system
to keep you healthy.
This is one of the most important goals of an Age Management Medicine program
and living a long and healthy life.
Our immune system is our body's army.
In this newsletter, I will cover the 7 Immune System Boosters that you can use to make
sure your army stays strong.
1. Give Sleep Priority:
Not getting enough sleep increases the hormone cortisol- your stress hormone-
and destroys your immune system.
Make it a priority to get 7-9 hours of restful sleep nightly.
Another hormone- melatonin- is made during sleep and it helps to restore
your immune system by keeping cortisol levels low.
This is the reason you feel so much better after a good night of sleep.
Make sure you sleep in cave like conditions:
DARK (use dark curtains, eye pillows),
QUIET (use ear plugs, a sound conditioner like the one made by Dohm),
COOL ( between 65-72 F)- not too cold and not too hot.
2. Avoid smoking and smokers (second hand smoke).
Smoke- of any kind- undermines your army's ability to fight and raises the risk
of getting bronchitis, the flu and pneumonia in everyone, and middle ear infections in kids.
3.Drink less alcohol.
Too much alcohol lowers the immune system and increases vulnerability to lung infections.
Too much alcohol deprives the body of valuable immune-boosting nutrients such
as Vitamin A and the B Vitamins and can make white cells - your body's defense
against illness and disease - less able to kill germs.
Damage to the immune system increases with the level of alcohol consumed.
4. Check your Vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D is a very important hormone ( yes, it is a hormone and not just a vitamin)
for keeping your army strong.
Have your Vitamin D level checked and keep it between 50-80 ng/dL by taking
the appropriate amount of Vitamin D supplement ( usually between 2,000 IU- 5,000 IU daily
to keep it in good range- but check your level).
5. Zinc.
Zinc promotes resistance to infections, particularly as we age, a time when
the immune system slows down.
Zinc has been shown to:
increase the activity of natural killer cells (a type of white blood cell that destroys
tumor cells and cells infected with certain organisms)
and to boost the production of antibodies (proteins produced by the immune system
that recognize and help to fight infection) in response to infection.
I usually recommend Zinc as Opti Zinc -zinc monomethionine 30mg daily and Copper
(as copper sebacate) 300 mcg daily.
It is important to replenish copper when taking zinc at a higher dose on a daily basis.
6.Decrease stress.
All types of stress- that lead you to being overloaded, wound up, tense,
short tempered and worried- increase the hormone cortisol.
Cortisol- the stress hormone- when kept elevated all the time- destroys your army.
Think of the hormone cortisol as your alarm system and when it is high- your alarm is blaring.
Make time to lose yourself in a relaxing activity- during which you breath easily
and leave all of your troubles behind.
Massage, yoga, guided meditation, music, your favorite hobby- can all help.
Make sure to exercise- or move in a purposeful way- daily.
7.Eat a nutrient dense diet.
Avoid junk food, fast food, convenience food, processed foods, chemicals,
additives, preservatives, anything that has a label that a child would not be able to understand.
Your army- like any good fighting force- marches on its stomach.
Don't feed it the way you would feed your enemy.
I hope these 7 Immune System Boosters help you to stay healthy and happy
through this Winter and into the New Year.
Wishing you and yours all the best,
Ana Casas M.D.
to keep you healthy.
This is one of the most important goals of an Age Management Medicine program
and living a long and healthy life.
Our immune system is our body's army.
In this newsletter, I will cover the 7 Immune System Boosters that you can use to make
sure your army stays strong.
1. Give Sleep Priority:
Not getting enough sleep increases the hormone cortisol- your stress hormone-
and destroys your immune system.
Make it a priority to get 7-9 hours of restful sleep nightly.
Another hormone- melatonin- is made during sleep and it helps to restore
your immune system by keeping cortisol levels low.
This is the reason you feel so much better after a good night of sleep.
Make sure you sleep in cave like conditions:
DARK (use dark curtains, eye pillows),
QUIET (use ear plugs, a sound conditioner like the one made by Dohm),
COOL ( between 65-72 F)- not too cold and not too hot.
2. Avoid smoking and smokers (second hand smoke).
Smoke- of any kind- undermines your army's ability to fight and raises the risk
of getting bronchitis, the flu and pneumonia in everyone, and middle ear infections in kids.
3.Drink less alcohol.
Too much alcohol lowers the immune system and increases vulnerability to lung infections.
Too much alcohol deprives the body of valuable immune-boosting nutrients such
as Vitamin A and the B Vitamins and can make white cells - your body's defense
against illness and disease - less able to kill germs.
Damage to the immune system increases with the level of alcohol consumed.
4. Check your Vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D is a very important hormone ( yes, it is a hormone and not just a vitamin)
for keeping your army strong.
Have your Vitamin D level checked and keep it between 50-80 ng/dL by taking
the appropriate amount of Vitamin D supplement ( usually between 2,000 IU- 5,000 IU daily
to keep it in good range- but check your level).
5. Zinc.
Zinc promotes resistance to infections, particularly as we age, a time when
the immune system slows down.
Zinc has been shown to:
increase the activity of natural killer cells (a type of white blood cell that destroys
tumor cells and cells infected with certain organisms)
and to boost the production of antibodies (proteins produced by the immune system
that recognize and help to fight infection) in response to infection.
I usually recommend Zinc as Opti Zinc -zinc monomethionine 30mg daily and Copper
(as copper sebacate) 300 mcg daily.
It is important to replenish copper when taking zinc at a higher dose on a daily basis.
6.Decrease stress.
All types of stress- that lead you to being overloaded, wound up, tense,
short tempered and worried- increase the hormone cortisol.
Cortisol- the stress hormone- when kept elevated all the time- destroys your army.
Think of the hormone cortisol as your alarm system and when it is high- your alarm is blaring.
Make time to lose yourself in a relaxing activity- during which you breath easily
and leave all of your troubles behind.
Massage, yoga, guided meditation, music, your favorite hobby- can all help.
Make sure to exercise- or move in a purposeful way- daily.
7.Eat a nutrient dense diet.
Avoid junk food, fast food, convenience food, processed foods, chemicals,
additives, preservatives, anything that has a label that a child would not be able to understand.
Your army- like any good fighting force- marches on its stomach.
Don't feed it the way you would feed your enemy.
I hope these 7 Immune System Boosters help you to stay healthy and happy
through this Winter and into the New Year.
Wishing you and yours all the best,
Ana Casas M.D.
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