A Greener Tomorrow

With all of the hysteria about the Swine Flu, from constant news coverage to tremors on Wall Street, we’re moving into Red Alert mode. Get past the hysteria, and there are several ways you can protect yourself without staying inside all day and dressing up like Michael Jackson in a hospital mask and gloves. It all has to do with increasing your immune system.

Supplement

1)      Probiotics

So much of our health comes from our digestive system. Get that part working right – flushing out the toxins – and you’re on your way to better health. Because the intestines are where we absorb nutrients, when they aren’t functioning at their best, we’re missing out on key vitamins and minerals.

This is how probiotics support immune function:
a)      increase nutrient absorption
b)      helps to displace potentially pathogenic bacteria and yeast in the GI tract
c)      play crucial role in detoxifying metabolic and digestive waste products
d)      support crucial immune system components, called Peyer’s Patches, found in the intestinal tract, that are responsible for about 70% of immune function
e)      boost capability of white blood cells
f)        assist in the manufacture of natural antibiotics
g)      prevent formation of cancer-causing substances
h)      actively fight certain types of tumors
i)        hinder pathogenic bacteria and virus growth
j)        produce antibodies and anti-carcinogens
k)      break down toxins

There are a lot of other great things probiotics do, from maintaining regularity and controlling excess LDL cholesterol levels, to balancing sex hormones and enhancing fertility. Here’s a great combination of prebiotics and probiotics, which are specially formulated to deliver 90% of active organisms to the gut, far out-performing most OTC products. Additionally, only a human strain of bacteria are used, where most other brands use a strain derived from cows.

2)      NutriFeron

Created by the same immunologist that discovered interferon, Dr. Y Kajima, this nutritional product increases your body’s ability to produce its own interferon and calls the body’s own “killer cells” to action. Interferon is a protein produced by cells when viruses invade them. It is released into the bloodstream or intercellular fluid to induce healthy cells to manufacture an enzyme that counters the infection. The ingredients are pumpkin seed extract, plantago seeds, safflower flowers and Japanese honeysuckle flower buds.

This product actually also helps during allergy season, too, because allergies are really the body producing histamines to fight off what it thinks are invaders, but which turn out to be nothing.

3)      Defend & Resist Complex

Made with Echinacea, Black Elderberry, Larch tree and Zinc Gluconate, this should be used at the on-set of symptoms to promote the body’s natural resistance, soothes sore throats, helps resist infections. And promotes white blood cell production. This is great for children and can be chewed or made into a tea with hot water, as well as swallowed.

4)      Immunity Formula I

This provides the essential nutrients to keep your immune system strong and functioning well. Supports healthy skin (your body’s first line against invading organisms) as well as internal organs. Rich in antioxidant protection, with Beta-Carotene, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, B12, Zinc, Selenium, and Copper.

Reduce your stress

Ok, maybe a little tough during these economic times, but reducing your stress with help your body function better, as it won’t be constantly flooded with cortisol, suppressing your immune system.

1)      Meditation

Quiet time to reflect and organize your thoughts, as well as calm your breathing, can significantly reduce cortisol levels in your body. You might even slow down enough to prioritize your lengthy To Do List and become more productive. Or forget about the To Do List long enough to be open to new ideas that just might solve a few problems for you – you never know!

2)      Exercise

Moderate, consistent exercise can result in the temporary production of macrophages, the cells that attack bacteria. Additionally, during moderate exercise, immune cells circulate through the body more quickly and are better able to kill bacteria and viruses. And exercise

Remove saturated fats from your diet and get more colorful veggies

Ok, maybe you’re like me and can’t think of doing this for your entire life, but right now would be a great time to swear off bad fats for 2 weeks and add more purple cabbage, kale or tomatoes. Try a nice cut of salmon with a light sauce over wilted spinach tonight, and maybe chicken in a pasta salad tomorrow. Start small, try it for 2 weeks, and see how you feel about the changes you’ve made.

Get enough rest
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When we’re fatigued, it’s not just our mind that’s not working at peak performance – our body hasn’t gotten the rest it needs to function properly. Get the rest you need and your immune system will be operating at full power.

Drink more water

Fluids transport nutrients around the body and take toxins away for disposal. There’s nothing wrong with getting some of the fluid you need from juices and teas fortified with some of the extra nutrients you need, but watch out for those calories – sweet drinks tend to pack on the calories without our body noticing.

Protect yourself from picking up germs

Mom was right – wash your hands often, watch where you put your hands (and with whom you shake hands), and cover your mouth when you sneeze. These admonitions aren’t just good manners, they protect everyone from transferring the nasty germs that spread flu and colds. Using anti-microbial gels and soap is fine in a pinch, but good old hot water and regular soap, sudsing for 20 seconds (long enough to sing the alphabet in your head), is really the best choice. The overuse of anti-microbial soaps may lead to “super bugs” that become resistant to these soaps and gels. But the physical act of scrubbing will do just fine to remove the germs from your hands at all.

It is important for governments to stay on top of the Swine Flu to protect their citizens, but it isn’t necessary for us as individuals to panic. Take precautions, take supplements, and reduce stresses that reduce your body’s ability to handle stress, and you’ll be just fine.

If you are contemplating updating your home or office and are interested in “going green” to do it, here are the important points to know about what to do.

To begin with, the are three facets of “green”: energy and water efficiency, air quality and environmental stewardship. Knowing the importance of each will allow you to invest your money in these updates most effectively.

Energy and water efficiency are probably the most important and easiest to understand. Especially with the current energy crunch and recent water crisis in Florida, most people are beginning to care about going green. The “low-hanging fruits” of going green include replacing incandescent and some halogen light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs, using Energy Star computers and appliances, putting non-vital electronics on strips that can be unplugged or turned off in one place to eliminate “ghost” energy usage, and insulating walls, ceilings and around doors and windows.

Taking it a step further, if you are upgrading your light fixtures, invest in fixtures that use fluorescent bulbs. But be aware that the fluorescent bulbs require correct disposal due to mercury.

Concerning water efficiency, invest in landscaping that requires little or no water, use zoned irrigation specific to the type of landscaping, and use cisterns for irrigation, rather than from a well or city water. If you are upgrading your bathrooms, look into dual-flush toilets and waterless urinals.

Every dollar invested in efficiency should save $1 or more over time – these create greater value over the lifetime of the building.

Air quality has become very important as mold and “sick building syndrome” have been highly publicized. Investing in fixing water infiltration into buildings, and correctly sizing air conditioners to manage moisture are very important to stamp out mold. Another factor in mitigating “sick building syndrome” include using materials that don’t off-gas toxic volatile organics such as formaldehyde, which can be in paint, cabinets and carpet.

Right now, you need to ask for low-VOC paints, and you will spend more for these. Higher-quality cabinets often will use low-VOC plywood, but you should ask for any cabinetry and countertops, whether created with MDF or plywood, without formaldehyde. Even your new desks and chairs may harbor VOCs like fire-retardants, so ask about the material content before purchasing - sometimes using gently used desks and chairs (recycling) has air-quality benefits, too.

Also, you should use mold-resisting ducts and good filtration in air conditioning systems if you are modifying these systems. Additionally, ensure that the cleaning products that you or you staff are using don’t contain harsh chemicals. Clean shouldn’t smell – Shaklee has produced a basic cleaning product for decades that doesn’t have a smell. They wouldn’t still be in business if it didn’t work.

When looking at In-door Air Quality, think of these costs as offset by reductions in medical expenses – these improve the quality of life. (and potentially protect you from litigation from no-longer sick employees.)

Environmental stewardship mostly refers to choosing finishes with low environmental impact. This includes using recycled plastic or wool for carpets, renewable woods like bamboo for flooring, wall coverings or furniture, or even ditch the new floor coverings and stain your concrete floors with soy-based stains for a crisp, modern look. You can even explore the many beautiful recycled glass or concrete tile options, or even reclaimed or managed-growth wood (look for the “FSC-certified” logo).

These choices can cost more without direct return on investment, but in terms of long-range health of the environment, they do make an impact. They also impart emotional or intellectual benefits. Someone may comment on the beauty of your new bamboo floors, and be just as impressed that it is a sustainable product manufactured with low impact to the environment. Additionally, durable finishes that will stand up to repeated abuse for many years and won’t need to be replaced often are both financially and environmentally friendly.

To reiterate, there are three facets to going “green”: energy and water efficiency, air quality, and sustainability. Start with the easiest first, but look into the other choices and determine what your comfort level is – you might be surprised to find that there are a lot of great choices out there that you want to make.