by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
Like most things in life, health is simple. Maintaining a healthy immune system is also simple, yet in our enormously complex and hurried environment it become complicated to live a simple life and stay healthy. This is an important perspective to wrap ourselves around especially regarding our lifestyle choices and how we take care of our health – which is in the main, our immune system.
The short version of immune hygiene is this:
remember that everything that goes into your body impacts your immune function and immune health
plant based, living, nutritious food = a healthy body
your thoughts creates proteins that communicate those specific thoughts to your immune cell membranes, so be mindful of your thinking
chronic stress and adrenal gland function suppress your bone marrow and immune system functions
laughter and joy strengthen immune function by increasing serotonin
clean air and water are basic essentials to a healthy immune system
compassion and caring increase Immunoglobulin-A, an immuno-protein
exercise pumps 10,000 white blood cells through the lymph glands, cleansing and detoxifying the “little garbage cans” of the body
cleanliness and sanitation prevent immune assaults by micro-organisms
loving and being loved increases positive immune responses and secretions
purposeful living reduces stress and balances the nervous system
eliminating debt enhances longevity through immune system integrity
everything is connected to everything else in your life - especially your immune function, so be kind to your body ~
These are simple, intuitive and common sense guidelines to preserve and protect the system that protects you.
The next installment will focus on muscles and bones, with a few surprises in store.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Our Wonderous Immune System
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
Truly one of the most amazing examples of inter-cooperative, biochemical engineering imaginable! The immune system – our own personal National Guard and Marine Corps, rolled into one. It is always vigilant - 24/7 to keep us from harm and invasion by foreign enemies – microbes that want to grow and flourish in our internal environment.
One of the fun things about teaching this course for the past 30 years is watching the reactions of learners as they “get” what their immune system really is – that great
“ah hah” moment when the dots get connected and it all makes sense. This is when we start to have a different relationship with our body and a new respect for how awesome, amazing and comprehensive the immune system is!
When most of us think “immune system” we think tonsils, spleen, lymph nodes (glands in our arm pits, throat and groin) and of course our white blood cells. These body parts certainly are members of the immune elite. If you check with the encyclopedia or on Google, you are likely to find these wonderful entities under the definition of immune system.
However, when we look at this amazing system from a Whole Person Health perspective, this short list of parts becomes a much longer one, indeed. There are dozens of white blood cells and related specialized immune cells that do a phenomenal job of playing “Pac Man” with the unwanted microbes in our blood stream, tissues and organs. Every organ in our body has an immunological role to play from the liver, which detoxifies, to the stomach which contains hydrochloric acid to kill bacteria and microbes coming in thru the mouth, up to and including our nostril hairs that trap unwanted foreign particles before they can irritate our airways.
In fact, there is no part of our body that isn’t part of our immune system. The largest “part” of our immune system is our skin which is responsible for protecting our insides from outside entities and vice versa. As the skin is the number one rated beauty or sexual attraction in both men and women around the world, (anthropological research by Margaret Mead and others) we can easily see that to have beautiful skin is a reflection of a healthy immune system and a strong indicator of a healthy productive system.
Beautiful skin and a healthy immune system, always start from the inside out. The next blog will discuss how to achieve a radiant complexion while building a healthy and robust immune system.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Truly one of the most amazing examples of inter-cooperative, biochemical engineering imaginable! The immune system – our own personal National Guard and Marine Corps, rolled into one. It is always vigilant - 24/7 to keep us from harm and invasion by foreign enemies – microbes that want to grow and flourish in our internal environment.
One of the fun things about teaching this course for the past 30 years is watching the reactions of learners as they “get” what their immune system really is – that great
“ah hah” moment when the dots get connected and it all makes sense. This is when we start to have a different relationship with our body and a new respect for how awesome, amazing and comprehensive the immune system is!
When most of us think “immune system” we think tonsils, spleen, lymph nodes (glands in our arm pits, throat and groin) and of course our white blood cells. These body parts certainly are members of the immune elite. If you check with the encyclopedia or on Google, you are likely to find these wonderful entities under the definition of immune system.
However, when we look at this amazing system from a Whole Person Health perspective, this short list of parts becomes a much longer one, indeed. There are dozens of white blood cells and related specialized immune cells that do a phenomenal job of playing “Pac Man” with the unwanted microbes in our blood stream, tissues and organs. Every organ in our body has an immunological role to play from the liver, which detoxifies, to the stomach which contains hydrochloric acid to kill bacteria and microbes coming in thru the mouth, up to and including our nostril hairs that trap unwanted foreign particles before they can irritate our airways.
In fact, there is no part of our body that isn’t part of our immune system. The largest “part” of our immune system is our skin which is responsible for protecting our insides from outside entities and vice versa. As the skin is the number one rated beauty or sexual attraction in both men and women around the world, (anthropological research by Margaret Mead and others) we can easily see that to have beautiful skin is a reflection of a healthy immune system and a strong indicator of a healthy productive system.
Beautiful skin and a healthy immune system, always start from the inside out. The next blog will discuss how to achieve a radiant complexion while building a healthy and robust immune system.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
The Amazing Adrenal Glands
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
The ability for a human being to adapt to its environment and to deal with the many ongoing challenges and changes it faces is the hallmark of a healthy body. That we can withstand day to day events that challenge our nervous systems and subsequently our immune systems is the expression that our body is working very efficiently.
Understanding the connection between how events affect our stress adaptation system, primarily the adrenal glands, and how the adrenal's hyper-secretions under stress can create havoc with the digestive and immune systems is important so we can make informed lifestyle choices that will preserve and respect our body and our long term health.
Most of us do not know what stressors are. We tend towards the idea that emotional upset is what constitutes stress. However, there are 12 major categories of stress that can impact our body and health. Unfortunately, we are subject to these stressors on a regular basis. A stressor is any activity or event which requires the body to have to change or adapt to maintain its homeostasis, or balance. Therefore, it becomes essential to know the factors we must be mindful of in order to keep our stress levels in check.
Here are the stressors to be aware of in your day to day life:
> Weather – hot cold, exposure
> Sleep and Rest – not enough
> Infection or silent inflammation in the body
> Allergies – all types
> Dental or medical procedures and surgeries
> Reproduction – for women: menstrual cycle, pregnancy, breast feeding, menopause
> Sexual Activity – men and women
> Nutrition – too much or non-nutritious
> Exertion, exercise – too much or not enough
> Trauma – any form
> Fear, anxiety, worry – ongoing
> Loss or grief
By keeping your stress level low you will reduce wear and tear on your body parts, which in the long term will lead to chronic illness and disease. It is not the stress itself that makes you sick, but the ongoing wear on the body that causes dysfunction and dis-ease.
There are many ways to reduce stress and maintain a balanced nervous system. While the list is endless here are some of the most popular ways to do so:
> Exercise
> Music
> Yoga
> Sports
> Gardening
Each person finds their best way to relax and de-stress. It is something we all need to do on a regular basis to balance or nervous systems and stay healthy!
Next time, we discuss the immune system.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
The ability for a human being to adapt to its environment and to deal with the many ongoing challenges and changes it faces is the hallmark of a healthy body. That we can withstand day to day events that challenge our nervous systems and subsequently our immune systems is the expression that our body is working very efficiently.
Understanding the connection between how events affect our stress adaptation system, primarily the adrenal glands, and how the adrenal's hyper-secretions under stress can create havoc with the digestive and immune systems is important so we can make informed lifestyle choices that will preserve and respect our body and our long term health.
Most of us do not know what stressors are. We tend towards the idea that emotional upset is what constitutes stress. However, there are 12 major categories of stress that can impact our body and health. Unfortunately, we are subject to these stressors on a regular basis. A stressor is any activity or event which requires the body to have to change or adapt to maintain its homeostasis, or balance. Therefore, it becomes essential to know the factors we must be mindful of in order to keep our stress levels in check.
Here are the stressors to be aware of in your day to day life:
> Weather – hot cold, exposure
> Sleep and Rest – not enough
> Infection or silent inflammation in the body
> Allergies – all types
> Dental or medical procedures and surgeries
> Reproduction – for women: menstrual cycle, pregnancy, breast feeding, menopause
> Sexual Activity – men and women
> Nutrition – too much or non-nutritious
> Exertion, exercise – too much or not enough
> Trauma – any form
> Fear, anxiety, worry – ongoing
> Loss or grief
By keeping your stress level low you will reduce wear and tear on your body parts, which in the long term will lead to chronic illness and disease. It is not the stress itself that makes you sick, but the ongoing wear on the body that causes dysfunction and dis-ease.
There are many ways to reduce stress and maintain a balanced nervous system. While the list is endless here are some of the most popular ways to do so:
> Exercise
> Music
> Yoga
> Sports
> Gardening
Each person finds their best way to relax and de-stress. It is something we all need to do on a regular basis to balance or nervous systems and stay healthy!
Next time, we discuss the immune system.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Stress and Digestive Function
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
Understanding the connection between brain function, cranial nerves, digestive and immune functions illuminates the how and why dysfunction and “dis-ease” can occur in the body. Just as our machines need electricity to operate, so do our internal organs and cells require electrical impulse to function and operate as well. The degree to which our nervous system is balanced and well functioning – or not - is the degree to which we are healthy and able to function at maximum capacity in the world.
Many healing arts such as acupuncture, yoga postures, meditation, chiropractic, breathing techniques, biofeedback, hypnosis, EMDR and other healing modalities attempt to restore balance to the nervous system as the pathway to improving internal and external bodily function. These methods address the cause of the presenting condition and not just treat the pain or symptom of the bodily malfunction.
Looking more closely at the digestive system and its intimate relationship with the immune system and the nervous system, we can easily follow the pathway of how brain function and the nervous system can create a “whole body”, systemic cascade of bodily reactions which overtime lead to chronic illness and disease.
Our nervous systems are impacted by stressors; however stress is not limited to just emotional stress as many believe. We will explore the topic of stressors and adrenal function in the next blog.
When our stresses or anxiety cause our limbic system (refer to the brain blog) to send biochemical messages to our cranial nerves, our digestive systems can be functionally affected. The anxiety and stress increases our adrenal function output (more on this later) and this increase of adrenal hormones and steroids in term decrease our digestive and immune system functions.
A written schematic would look like this:
Stressor = a limbic system response and/or increased adrenal cortisol secretion = decreased digestive function thru sympathetic cranial nerves (vagus nerve) and decreased immune (bone marrow) function.
The effect of a stressor on the body in the short term can be readily overcome by a healthy, adaptive nervous system. It is the longer term stress, the chronic ongoing conditions and issues that place wear and tear on our nervous systems and organs and it is this friction or wear and tear leads to chronic illness.
By understanding the intimate dance of our body’s organs and systems and how to maintain a balanced, healthy nervous system we can avoid illness and chronic disease, live long, productive and disease free lives!
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Understanding the connection between brain function, cranial nerves, digestive and immune functions illuminates the how and why dysfunction and “dis-ease” can occur in the body. Just as our machines need electricity to operate, so do our internal organs and cells require electrical impulse to function and operate as well. The degree to which our nervous system is balanced and well functioning – or not - is the degree to which we are healthy and able to function at maximum capacity in the world.
Many healing arts such as acupuncture, yoga postures, meditation, chiropractic, breathing techniques, biofeedback, hypnosis, EMDR and other healing modalities attempt to restore balance to the nervous system as the pathway to improving internal and external bodily function. These methods address the cause of the presenting condition and not just treat the pain or symptom of the bodily malfunction.
Looking more closely at the digestive system and its intimate relationship with the immune system and the nervous system, we can easily follow the pathway of how brain function and the nervous system can create a “whole body”, systemic cascade of bodily reactions which overtime lead to chronic illness and disease.
Our nervous systems are impacted by stressors; however stress is not limited to just emotional stress as many believe. We will explore the topic of stressors and adrenal function in the next blog.
When our stresses or anxiety cause our limbic system (refer to the brain blog) to send biochemical messages to our cranial nerves, our digestive systems can be functionally affected. The anxiety and stress increases our adrenal function output (more on this later) and this increase of adrenal hormones and steroids in term decrease our digestive and immune system functions.
A written schematic would look like this:
Stressor = a limbic system response and/or increased adrenal cortisol secretion = decreased digestive function thru sympathetic cranial nerves (vagus nerve) and decreased immune (bone marrow) function.
The effect of a stressor on the body in the short term can be readily overcome by a healthy, adaptive nervous system. It is the longer term stress, the chronic ongoing conditions and issues that place wear and tear on our nervous systems and organs and it is this friction or wear and tear leads to chronic illness.
By understanding the intimate dance of our body’s organs and systems and how to maintain a balanced, healthy nervous system we can avoid illness and chronic disease, live long, productive and disease free lives!
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Monday, May 17, 2010
Digestive Function and the Nervous System
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
Now that the connection between the brain, nervous system, organs and tissues has been identified in the previous blogs, the next step is to connect that information with one of the major components effecting health and wellness status – the digestive system and how it relates to our nutrition.
The single most reported complaints in all hospital emergency rooms are digestive relative complaints. The most “stress affected” system of the human body is the digestive system. According to the October, 2008, Drug Topics News Magazine for Pharmacists, in 2008, American’s spent 5 billion dollars on over the counter digestive or “stomach” remedies, with an expected 40% increase by 2010.
Wouldn’t it be helpful to understand and educate others on how and why they are suffering from digestive ailments?
We all know people who eat organic, natural food and are meticulous about the quality and quantity of what they put in their body and are sick, tired, plagued with health issues. Then there are others who eat anything and everything, the good, the bad and the ugly and have energy to burn, not a pimple on their entire body and feel great.
Often, what this is the result of the function and efficiency of their individual nervous systems. Those who have an active “sympathetic” nervous system, with the tenth cranial nerve reeking havoc with their alimentary canal, they are the folks that no mater what they eat and how, pure, clean and organic it is – they just don’t do well and feel ill and unwell much of the time.
For the individual with a well tuned central nervous system and balanced “para-sympathetic” cranial nerves, the digestive system can be a culinary playground that accepts all types of nutrients and food stuffs and produces ample nutrition without up set or illness.
What makes one nervous system different from another, one person’s experience different from another? It has more to do with the limbic system of an individual than any other single factor, with the exception of the rare congenital or pathological occurrence.
The next installment will explore more about the digestive system and it's intimate relationship with other systems including the immune system, reproductive, circulatory and endocrine systems and what can be done to improve the overall health of the digestive system.
With all good wishes,
G
© By NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Now that the connection between the brain, nervous system, organs and tissues has been identified in the previous blogs, the next step is to connect that information with one of the major components effecting health and wellness status – the digestive system and how it relates to our nutrition.
The single most reported complaints in all hospital emergency rooms are digestive relative complaints. The most “stress affected” system of the human body is the digestive system. According to the October, 2008, Drug Topics News Magazine for Pharmacists, in 2008, American’s spent 5 billion dollars on over the counter digestive or “stomach” remedies, with an expected 40% increase by 2010.
Wouldn’t it be helpful to understand and educate others on how and why they are suffering from digestive ailments?
We all know people who eat organic, natural food and are meticulous about the quality and quantity of what they put in their body and are sick, tired, plagued with health issues. Then there are others who eat anything and everything, the good, the bad and the ugly and have energy to burn, not a pimple on their entire body and feel great.
Often, what this is the result of the function and efficiency of their individual nervous systems. Those who have an active “sympathetic” nervous system, with the tenth cranial nerve reeking havoc with their alimentary canal, they are the folks that no mater what they eat and how, pure, clean and organic it is – they just don’t do well and feel ill and unwell much of the time.
For the individual with a well tuned central nervous system and balanced “para-sympathetic” cranial nerves, the digestive system can be a culinary playground that accepts all types of nutrients and food stuffs and produces ample nutrition without up set or illness.
What makes one nervous system different from another, one person’s experience different from another? It has more to do with the limbic system of an individual than any other single factor, with the exception of the rare congenital or pathological occurrence.
The next installment will explore more about the digestive system and it's intimate relationship with other systems including the immune system, reproductive, circulatory and endocrine systems and what can be done to improve the overall health of the digestive system.
With all good wishes,
G
© By NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
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