Immune system - or "How to get Healthy??"
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive May 2004:
Immune system - or "How to get Healthy??"
Just interested in hearing from those of you with strong immune systems, and how you keep them that way.........what vitamins or supplements, etc. do you take? Have you ever had a weak immune system and how did you get *healthy* again?
I know stress plays a huge part in your immune system. Mine pretty much sucks right now and I'm trying to change that, so any suggestions or ideas are MUCH appreciated! TIA.
Thats a good question... I would have to say I have a pretty healthy immune system. I very rarely ever get sick, and I very rarely ever take vitimins, even when pregnant. Iknow a bad thing. I have them, but I just forget most of the time.
I dont know how I managed to be so healthy. Growing up, I would get the usual illnesses,colds, flu etc.. Nothing ever more serious.
As an adult, I get sick less and less. My kids both had strep this week, I did not get it(Knocking on wood  ), My son has gotten strep so often since he was small, and somehow in almost 10 yrs I only managed to get it once.. My husband on the other hand, is always complaining of something, not sure its true, or just he wants some sympathy..
I dont always eat healthy, and Ive always been overweight most of my adult life. But, I do not have high bloodpressure or diabetes...
I have always exercised regularly.
And, I know we all have stress in our life.. So I dont have a real answer as to how I remained healthy , I dont have any secret pills or potions..
I do hope you find your answer.
We are all pretty healthy. We've taken Golden Neo Life Diamite supplements for about 10 years. I can't afford them like before, but still get the basics.
We also have a juicer. I try to have a grapefruit and 2 oranges juiced in the morning.
The kids take lots of fresh fruit and veggies in their snacks. We have veggies for dinner at night. What they say is so true - 5-9 every day, and the higher the number, the better. You can really get all you need from eating a diet filled with whole foods.
Vitamin B is great for stress.
I think exercise helps tremendously. It helps ease the stress at the same time it helps boost the immune system.
Adequate sleep, exercise, eating lots of fruits and veggies, don't overcommit your schedule, no fast food, 1 or less soda a day, no smoking, no heavy drinking, wash your hands a lot, have a positive attitude, laugh a lot (watch Letterman!).
I really agree with everything that Mommmie posted. I am rarely sick with anything more than a cold and we buy and take Airborne everyday. Twice during cold season unless we are coming down with something. We get it at Trader Joe's but I think they have it at drugstores now too. We swear by it and have converted most of the extended family to it. Its a tablet that you drop into an ounce of water, let dissolve like Alka-Seltzer and then drink. Tastes a little like Tang and safe for kids.
I seem to have a healthy immune system....but I am usually pretty stressed LOL
We never smoke, never drink and always eat our fruits and veggies
I would like to take a multi-vitamin, but don't even know where to begin shopping for one. There are *so* many to choose from!?
I'm another one with a very healthy immune system...
As a kid I was always sick with colds and flues...as a teenager and young adult I had a lot of really bad lung/ear/throat infections...
But by about 23, I started getting really healthy.
Part of it was being a vegetarian...and really loving fruits and veggies....
Not smoking and very little drinking....
Lots of sleep....trying to cut down on stress(hard at times)....
Positive outlook is really important I find too.
I never or rarely take vitamins.
I take vitamin C's if I feel like I am coming down with something.
fiona
After reading replies, I find it so interesting..
I dont drink alcohol(Well not just because Im pregnant). I may have 2 drinks in a whole year, and Ive never smoked.
I get stressed very easily... but still somehow managed not to get sick .I cant say my diet is always healthy, as we do have fast food 1-2 days a week..And, I do drink a diet soda everyday, but I do drink 8-10 glasses of water a day as well..
I just think some bodies are just more prone to illness then others.
I really think it depends on how much you are exposed to. My first year teaching, I seemed to be sick all the time. After that, the most I ever came down with was a sinus infection, due to allergies.
Having a positive outlook, eating well (not perfectly every day), making sure you're getting the vitamins and minerals you need, whether from food or supplements and regular exercise are all key ingredients of a healthy lifestyle and hopefully a healthy immune system along with it.
Ame
I'm just asking because my health is fragile right now and I am worried. And before I go on, I don't want to turn this into a pity party for me, just to be clear about that up front. My intention is not to moan about what's wrong with me. I'm just sort of panicking right now.
I take supplements every day as well as numerous Rx meds. I need them to function. I have several health issues going on. I've treated with a rheumatologist, endocrinologist and an osteopath in physical medicine. I've just recently had bone scans where arthritis was confirmed in my neck/shoulders, back, hips, hands and knees. I have consistently tested negative for RA or Lupus. I'm going through an AWFUL root canal, which hopefully will be complete this week.
I take better care of myself than I ever have. I don't smoke, I rarely drink - maybe one or two drinks a year. I eat a low fat and fairly low carb diet. I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegies, drink a rare Coke, drink half my body weight of water each day (if you weigh, say, 120, you should drink 60 ounces of water a day). I do love my coffee though.
I have a very low HGH (IGF1) level, that's the one that is necessary for cell repair and healing. That is possibly directly related to poor sleep, which has been a problem for me since back surgeries. I sleep whenever I can, I've turned into one of those old fogies who takes naps in the afternoons on weekends just to catch up on rest. I am catching every cold, etc. that goes around.
I'm doing everything I know of to take care of myself, but I seem to be getting worse, not better. I saw my PCP recently and had blood tests and everything she ran was within normal limits.
I *thought* I was doing all the right things, but apparently I'm missing something. So this is why I asked........and if anyone can offer any more suggestions, PLEASE DO!
Thanks for all your replies!
Wow, lots of stress, rightfully!
If you test results show a clean bill of health, you have to look at lifestyle. Could it be you are under more stress than you think?
For myself, I cannot say enough about exercise. Walking is super. I am under alot of stress related to things I cannot change. I find when I don't exercise I get run down very quickly. Let's do some brainstorming here. What type of environment do you live in. Are you exposed to moulds of any sort? Lack of sleep is certainly not good. What about relaxing. Swimming, water aerobics are easy on the joints and very relaxing. Hot tubs, saunas help detox and are good for arthritis. My dh takes a supplement for arthritis. Very popular amongst the old and young. If you want the name, I will post it when I get the proper name off the label. "My" belief is you should give your body a break from vitamins....if you are eating well IMO you may be ingesting to much of something. Animals are supposed to have a calming effect on people. I agree with the ladies as above. Best to ya!
hmmm...have you taken all the supplements and rx's to your pharmacist and had him double check that they all work well together or if any of them could make you feel rundown?
I take (when I remembe) a liquid multivitamin called Body Balance that really gives me quite a boost.
Gosh, you do have a lot going on medically. It seems from what I've observed and read (I read litigation discovery all day which is every gory detail of people's lives) that once you get one medical dx, after that it seems to snowball. One thing leads to another and to another and then it's hard to exercise and sleep and then it all gets expensive and you don't have the money to eat properly (bec really healthy food is more expensive) and then you get depressed bec it hurts to walk across the room and other people in your life start to get frustrated with your limitations and they aren't understanding and you take so many meds that they are countraindicated but no one notices and it just snowballs.
I'm not sure how to turn it around. And I'm not saying this is what happened to you. It's just what I noticed reading these plaintiffs' life experiences. I think a lot of it has to do with genetics.
Wow Karen, it's no wonder you are feeling nervous. You do have a lot going on, and as others have said, stress is a huge factor in health. It sounds like you are doing all the right things. In you low fat diet, are you getting enough protein.
Since switching to a high protein diet, I've found I have a great deal more energy than I used to, and my body seems to bounce back from things more quickly.
Can you see a dietician? Perhaps there are some foods you could be eating that are exacerbating what's going on?
Fish oil is supposed to be a good anti inflammatory. Are you taking any? It's also great for your skin. If you keep the bottle in the freezer, you won't have any after taste.
I don't know what else to suggest. I just hope you find a way to feel better.
Ame
Protein is the key to building and repairing cells. It should really help you in the energy department.
If you're taking lots of antibiotics, acidophilus is a must. Prescriptions kill off the good bacteria in your body, which can cause so many problems.
Salmon oil is excellent for so many things, including arthritis.
Have you ever been to a naturopath? You might get some great drug free ideas.
I hope something helps!!!!
OK, here's what I take:
Chewable vitamin C, 500 mg, several times a day
Flax Seed oil
Vitamin E d-alpha
B complex
Acidophilus
CoQ-10
Citracal Plus (calcium, magesium, Vitamin D, zinc)
Cranberry capsules (for urinary tract health)
Zyflamend - from Whole Foods - it's for joints - I tried Glucosamine/Chondroitin for months with no results, also I can't take any of the Rx anti inflammatories because they either don't work or tear up my stomach.
Milk thistle a few times a week for liver health
I eat plenty of boneless/skinless chicken, I eat eggs once a week, I was anemic for years so I starting eating beef, but only eat lean beef, sometimes we grill pork tenderloins or babyback ribs. I'm not a fan of fish and I'm allergic to shellfish/iodine.
Never eat canned vegies, always fresh or fresh-frozen. I prefer raw vegies, and eat fresh fruit.
I was told to limit dairy and wheat, which I have cut to a minimum. I don't eat white bread, only whole wheat or whole grain.
I never add salt or sugar to anything, although that doesn't mean I don't eat ANY salt or sugar.
I eat low fat yogurt with live cultures, steam or grill vegies when I cook them.
I'm at a loss. I'm seeing my osteo tomorrow and I'm hoping he has lots of time to listen to me.
Along with the obvious suggestions of eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep, etc. there have been many scientific studies that show a direct and obvious correlation between health and one's spiritual life. Here's a link to one such study from the Mayo Clinic (www.mayo.edu/proceedings/2001/dec/7612r1.pdf). I have found that my personal relationship with God and having a close church community have helped me get through some very stressful times...of both emotional stress and physical problems.
Hope you are feeling better all around soon. If you are in BR, or even wanted to make a special trip over or meet halfway, I am a good listener (and *typically* only give advice if solicited) and I'd be willing to treat you to lunch . Hang in there Karen!!
We are often sick with ds being in preschool so I won't say we are healthy.
DH swears that low carb and low fat makes you tired. I switched to being particial vegetarian so don't go by me. I think I feel better having some vegetarin meals two or three times a week.
If you take the 10,000 of vitamin c spread out in a day, you will feel better the first day. It works immediately.
We also take vitamin c like it is going out of style. Take 2,000 vitamin c when waking up and going to sleep.
If you don't feel well take 1,000 vitamin c an hour till you feel better. If you take too much you have run to the bathroom fast. Really helped his mom with arthritis and flu. I was sick yesterday and took about 13,000 vitamin c yesterday spread out and felt great to walk around the zoo for 5 hours. No swelling of joints because of the vitamin C.
http://www.evitamins.com/product.asp?pid=1025
This is emergen-c which I just started taking. You can get the lite one with no artifical sweetner and no sugar if you want no sugar. I like the sugar drink. Fizzles and takes good.
Just posted for the reviews for you. I really think more vitamin c will help you aches and pains.
Also DH puts 3000-4000 pure vitamin c powder in oj for me sometimes in the morning if I feel lousy.
Dh says that the body uses fat or carbs to make energy. It uses protein very poorly to make energy by itself. So he says eat some fat or eat some carbs.
Sorry I know he is controversal with his theories.
he also says that fat makes hormones, which makes sense to me. I can't eat fat because we have been trained not to eat fat, but he said he will post some research articles.
Karen,
I'm sorry you're not feeling well 
I think you've been given some excellent advice so far. It does sound like you're under a lot of stress and that, by itself, can definately make you sick.
Of all the things mentioned I personally think that SLEEP is the most important.
Do whatever you need to do to be able to get more sleep...massage, drink warm milk at bedtime, get some fresh air, etc. I wouldn't rule out sleeping pills either.
Lower carbs can sometimes make you more restless at night. I find that if I take something carby before going to bed, I sleep better.
How long ago did your medical issues begin?
Can you link them to a specific change in diet or lifestyle?
If you like I can post some information on what Feona mentioned.
Feel better
Feona, John, everyone else........thanks!
John, these medical things have been on-going for years, just steadily getting worse.
I had a long visit with my doc today. He injected one elbow again with cortisone. I think this may be the last time I can do that, I have tissue degeneration there now. Just from him rubbing the alcohol swab on my elbow, the skin became raw and bled.
We discussed some changes in meds and another treatment he wants me to try *if* my insurance will cover it. I'm going to research the meds and think about it and let him know when I go back in 5 weeks.
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