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Tag: immune

Colds and Flu – Your Immune System

by Alison Bowler

Arm yourself with the tools you need to boost your immune function and help fight against illness such as colds and flu.

Key nutrients for a strong immune system include citrus fruits of all kinds which are rich in vitamin C, a potent antioxidant that plays a key  role  in  the  mobilisation  of  your  immune  system  defences.  However, vitamin C is not the only nutrient beneficial to your immune system.  Zinc is another powerful immune system supporter, found in meat, eggs, seafood, nuts and seeds. Zinc helps infection-fighting white blood cells to  be  deployed  at  the  first  sign  of  a  disease-causing  invader,  such  as  a  virus  or  bacteria. These two nutrients form an essential immune system foundation to help  reduce  the  incidence  and  severity  of  colds and infections.

Vitamin D also plays an important role in the overall function of  your  immune  system,  working  behind  the  scenes  to  help ‘marshal’ your immune cells to the site of an infection. During winter your stores of vitamin D can decline as you spend more time indoors and less time soaking up the sunshine required to manufacture your own supply. Supplementing with  this  important  vitamin  can  help  maintain  your  infection-fighting capacity over the winter months. At ABee Health we use and recommend  high  quality,  clinically  effective  immune-boosting nutrients at the correct dose to help you stay well this winter.

Vitamin D testing (blood spot or pathology lab) is available through ABee Health to monitor optimal levels of Vitamin D.

Looking after your immunity

Your gastrointestinal tract contains approximately 70% of your immune system, so ensuring your gut is populated with plenty of beneficial micro-organisms (‘good bugs’) is central to  you  maintaining  optimal  immune  function.  These  beneficial bacteria or ‘probiotics’ are now understood to have very different health  benefits  depending  upon  their  subset  or  ‘strain’,  with certain  specific  strains  able  to  support  your  immune  system and  help  keep  it  in  top  form.  Lactobacillus acidophilus (NCFM strain)  and Lactobacillus  rhamnosus (LGG and  HN019  strains)  in  particular  can  reduce  the  incidence  of respiratory infections that are common in winter.

Lifestyle Tips to Support Good Health

Busy people  often  forget  to  prioritise  regular  ‘down-time’, but the stress of being on the go all the time can significantly drain your immune function and leave you more susceptible to  falling  prey  to  any  viruses  you  may  come  in  contact  with.  Help  yourself  recharge  by  scheduling  regular  relaxation  and ‘me time’ such as reading a good book, getting a massage, or perhaps a yoga class followed by a long soak in a warm bath. Ensuring you get sufficient sleep also enables your body to rest and repair, keeping you ready to fight whatever battles you may encounter tomorrow.

Prevention

Rather than succumbing to yet another cold or flu this year, help  support  your  immune  system  and  keep  you  enjoying what the winter season has to offer. Make an appointment or enquiry at ABee Health about how you can boost your  infection-fighting  capacity  with high  quality,  clinically  effective  vitamin  C,  zinc,  vitamin  D, immune-boosting probiotics and practitioner prescribed and personally formulated herbal medicines.

Zinc and Vitamin D testing available.

Gut Health

by Alison Bowler

What is in your gut?

The nutrients for your body are absorbed in your gut to support a healthy digestive system which influences your overall health.  Nearly 2kg of bacteria reside in your gut!  Billions of micro-organisms live and grow in your gut which is known as the ‘microbiota’ or the ‘microbiome’.   These beneficial bacteria encourage healthy digestion and support an efficient immune system, keeping any undesirable bacteria at minimal levels.  If the numbers of undesirable bacteria begin to outweigh the beneficial bacteria this can lead to digestive symptoms such as constipation, wind and bloating or immune conditions such as recurrent infections, eczema and allergies. Rebalancing or maintaining a healthy microbiota in your gut can be achieved by supplementing with beneficial bacteria in the form of a ‘probiotic’. The term ‘probiotic’ means ‘for life’ so by looking after your gut microbiota you are looking after your overall health.

At ABee Health I can help you select the most appropriate probiotic for you by keeping the following criteria in mind:

  • Different strains of probiotic bacteria perform very different tasks within the body; therefore it’s important to consider ‘strain specificity’ and select a strain that will be up to the task.
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM® and Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07  are  particular strains that have been shown to promote the regrowth of many species of  beneficial  bacteria  within  the gut.
  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus  GG  can assist with reducing eczema symptoms and diarrhoea.
  • Lactobacillus plantarum 299v  is a specific strain  researched to treat  inflammatory bowel conditions such as medically diagnosed Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). By choosing a formula that features probiotic strains and doses based on clinical research you can be confident of getting great results.

Is less or more better?

Single strain formulas or those containing only a few strains do not promote a ‘monoculture’ of micro-organisms in the gut.  Research has shown that strains such as L.  acidophillus NCFM® and B.  lactis Bi07 facilitate the regrowth of a diverse number of micro-organism colonies by altering the gastrointestinal environment to favour the proliferation of beneficial bacteria, which is what you want for a healthy gut.  Therefore, it isn’t necessary to replace every strain of bacteria to achieve the best microbiota balance required for good health.

Get That Healthy Gut Feeling

Supporting an optimal balance of gut bacteria is key to achieving good digestive function along with overall health and wellbeing. At ABee Health I can advise you on the best probiotic formula to support your overall wellbeing based on your specific health needs, and can recommend high-quality, scientifically validated strains of probiotics.