Your Aging Immune System: What You Need To Know - Part 2

Your Immune Support Program: Start with a general assessment

The more I research the immune system and what it takes to support and enhance it, the more I realize that removing toxins and negative behaviours is equally as important as eating well, taking supplements, and exercising.

Taking AWAY what is taxing our immune system will allow it to do its primary job - fighting infections, allergies and cancers, and healing our wounds. And do it perfectly, as it was designed to work.

I’ve come up with these 15 basic points,  all of which can affect our immune function, one way or the other.

To help you think about your current situation and assess your immune support needs, I encourage you to take a close look at each area, ask questions of your providers and local authorities, and get informed so you can make a personalized health plan.

Keep a list or journal that you can refer to as time goes on and you start to work on tuning up your aging but magnificent immune system.

1. How clean is your air?

How clean is the air you breathe? At home? At work? Pollutants, allergens, dust, mold and spores all reach us by air.

2. How pure is your water?

Where does your drinking water come from? Are you in a city or out in the country on well water? Do you drink bottled water out of plastic bottles, or boil water in a plastic kettle for coffee or tea? And, very importantly, are you drinking enough pure, clean water?

3. What about your food?

Is it free of pesticides and chemicals, fresh and whole? Or processed, preserved, packaged, 'fast'? Do you cook at home or depend on restaurants? Do you eat on the run, grabbing lunch sitting at your computer? Or do you sit down and chew slowly, mindfully?

4. How healthy is your gut?

Have you thought about that? You don’t have to have stomach or bowel symptoms to have a sick gut. Do you have daily,easy bowel movements? Gas or bloating? Headaches, rashes or acne, problems absorbing nutrients such as iron or Vitamin B12?

5. Are you taking medications - prescription or otherwise?

Do you smoke...anything? Use prescription, over-the-counter or other drugs? Drink alcohol? How much, how often?

6. Do you take any supplements on a regular basis?

Vitamins? Minerals? Probiotics? Omega-3s? Other? If so, where do you purchase them - local pharmacy, health food store or via a health practitioner?

7. How healthy is your mouth?

Do you visit your dental hygienist every 6 months and have dental check ups at least annually? Have you had root canals, extractions, gum disease? Do you brush and floss at least twice a day?

8. How active are you?

Do you exercise regularly? Are you sitting for long periods of time? Get outdoors? Exposure to daylight/sunlight?

9. How restful is your sleep?

How many hours do you sleep? Do you wake up through the night? Do you feel rested in the morning and throughout your day?

10. Do you feel stressed out?

Never? Occasionally? Often? 24/7?

11. Have you thought about your household products?

Cleaners, detergents, fabric softeners, bleaches, etc? Are they 'environmentally-friendly'?

12. What about personal care products?

Are your skin, hair, and nail and make up products as toxin-free as possible?

13. How much electromagnetic radiation are you experiencing?

Do you carry your cell phone on your body - in a pocket or (God forbid) in your bra? Are you sitting in front of a computer all day? Use a laptop? Have wifi on 24/7?

14. What's your usual mindset?

Are you generally positive and optimistic? Or tend to expect or fear the worst?

15. How about family, friends, pets, your love life?

Are you socially connected, spending time with your loved ones, including furry friends? Are you a loner - by choice? Do you feel alone?

Now you have a picture of the main contributors to our immune system workload!

Has this exercise given you an idea of some areas you can work on to remove stressors on your immune system? Are you shocked by how many potential toxins there are to our health?

Don't panic! We've all been exposed over and over again to myriad toxins in our environment.

It's never too late to start reducing your toxic burden and take some of the load off your immune system. It's the best thing we can do for ourselves, each other, and our Earth home.

The next post in this series will focus on cleaning up the first three: Air, Water and Food.

My aim is to give you an overview of basic changes you can make to support the function and enhance the longevity of your immune cells.

Stay with me!