Health News
5 Detox Tips
(This is condensed from Your Best Health by Susan Hayes published in Natural Health Magazine February 2009)
Protect yourself against colds, allergies, heart disease—even cancer—with these easy immune boosting strategies. Check here for more next month.
1 - Get your sleep
To keep your complex immune system in peak working condition, you need to get seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Even minor sleep deprivation can cause an inflammatory effect in the body’s major systems (digestive, cardiovascular, and central-nervous) can set the stage for any of several diseases, including heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, and depression.
2 - Stay in shape
Get at least 30 to 40 minutes of aerobic exercise every day to strengthen your body’s antibody and T-cell response. Those who don’t exercise have been found to have higher levels of C-reactive protein in their blood—a sure indicator that the immune system is working overtime.
3 - Floss your teeth
The bacteria that causes gum disease also appears to trigger a dangerous immune response of inflammation throughout the body. Floss at least once a day to clear that bacteria and it could protect you from both heart disease and cancer, and may add 6.4 years to your life.
4 - Swear off Sugar
Sugar has a dampening effect on white blood cells, so avoid foods and drinks that list sugar, cane juice, or sucrose as one of the first three ingredients. Replace sugary snacks with fruit-juice-sweetened products, and processed sugar with agave nectar or honey.
5 - Listen to music
Listening to 50 minutes of upbeat music can boost your body’s levels of a protective antibody that helps destroy bacteria and viruses-and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
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