Tips for a strong immune system
These days humanity is challenged more than usual. We're in the middle of a global pandemic, more than 33 million Americans have filed for unemployment, and the country is more divided than ever. It seems like there is a lot we are dealing with - and that this is a great opportunity for collective transformation.
One thing we could transform as a whole is our health and dependence on pharmaceuticals.
A healthy immune system always fares better with any kind of pathogen than an already compromised immune system. If your body is already dealing with underlying health issues, an additional challenge like SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus that causes COVID-19) will face less resistance because the immune system is already weakened and busy with other problems in your body.
In order to have a strong immune system we need to have a clean LYMPHATIC system.
The lymphatic system is like our second circulatory system. It can be seen as our garbage disposal or sewer system in the body. You may have noticed your lymphatic system's major lymph nodes located under the armpits, in the groin or in your neck. Those begin to swell during an infection when the body becomes overloaded with toxins and has a hard time eliminating them.
Most of us have a more or less congested lymphatic system, reducing its ability to detoxify the body. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated (source). A biologically inappropriate diet of animal proteins and too many starches leads to the lymph being sticky and congested. Sometimes the body tries to rid itself of its increased toxic load by discharges from the nose and airways, as we find in the common cold.
The lymphatic system is therefore an important part of our immune system. There are different ways to cleanse and to strengthen it.
Eating a nutritious and biologically appropriate diet
If you look at our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, the apes, what do they eat? They stick to a mostly fruitarian diet with lots of fruits, sweet vegetables, grasses, shoots and herbs. Sometimes they eat termites or other insects (I guess even a mostly fruitarian diet can get boring). They don’t cook their foods, they don’t kill a cow for its meat, they don’t consume dairy and they don’t eat high-fructose corn syrup or processed foods.
Genetically speaking, we are a fruitarian species. Sticky grains and animal protein congest our organs and lymphatic system and can lead to a whole array of diseases over time.
Sticking to a vegan, mostly fruitarian diet with vegetables, herbs and seeds is the healthiest diet for humans and the standard diet of our closest relatives (gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans).
Hydration
The more living plant foods we eat, the more we automatically hydrate ourselves. On a mostly fruitarian diet we don't have to drink the recommended 8 glasses of water a day (because we already consume fruit juices). You will be able to tell by the color of your urine if you are hydrating enough (the color of urine is light yellow when you are well hydrated. The darker it is, the more dehydrated the body is).
Juicing
Besides the obvious perk of hydrating the body, fruit and vegetable juicing is a great way to cleanse and flush out the colon from undigested and putrefied foods, parasites and toxins.
We generally don't digest animal protein (meat, dairy) well and undigested proteins and dairy mucus can get stuck along our intestinal walls which can also lead to a plethora of diseases down the road. Juice fasting for any length of time (one day for juicing “beginners” or 30 days for pros) works like magic to shed undigested food items that are lining our intestinal walls, and the parasites that feed on them.
Intermittent fasting
The body digests food OR detoxifies but it doesn’t do both at the same time. It utilizes the time when we sleep and not eat for 5 or 8 hours to detoxify (the acid smelling morning breath is an indication for our nightly detox). Giving yourself additional time to detox some more after rising in the morning is a great way to stimulate the kidneys and the other detoxification organs. A great length of intermittent fasting time is 12-18 hours. You simply stop eating at 8pm and consume your first meal at around noon. Do this a couple of times per week and you will see some additional detoxification in your body.
Exercise
It’s the best way to stimulate the lymphatic system, especially if you work up a sweat and help the body detoxify through the skin (the skin is our largest detoxification organ). Daily light to medium exercise is still recommended. Walking, running, swimming, yoga, working out at the gym ... all these are great forms of exercise, get your blood going and stimulate your lymphatic system.
Meditation
Stress has a huge impact on our immune system as well. A regular meditation practice helps you to lower your blood pressure and slows down your nervous system. (Research here and here.) It induces a hormonal healing response in your body and stimulates your immune system. A good, twenty-minute meditation brings as much relaxation as 5 hours of restful sleep. It helps the body to induce growth hormones which help young people to grow, and adults to heal cells and tissues in their body.
Strengthen your immune system, and take care of yourself and those around you.
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