Intro

Disease: it’s a word that’s thrown around too often these days. It seems that we’re constantly bombarded with the threat of disease lurking at every corner. Some of the more common diseases that afflict people these days are heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (Type 2, specifically), obesity, cancer, inflammation and chronic joint conditions. This is a boon to the Big Food machine and Big Pharma cartel as their executives and shareholders continue to reap absurd profits. As a matter of fact, treating those aforementioned illnesses is among Big Pharma’s most successful drug offerings. Aside from that relationship, what’s the common thread between all of those so called “diseases of affluence”? They are all preventable. That’s not really a secret, however. The Holy Grail of prevention is acquiring the knowledge to make quantifiable changes in your health.

What Is Disease?

Almost any person who is reasonably aware can provide a definition for disease. Essentially, it’s a condition that causes “dis-ease” or abnormal biological functions in an organism. Generally speaking, the root cause of disease is divided into two categories: internal malfunction (autoimmune disorders), or external factors (environmental, nutritional, pathogenic, etc).  As is often the case with most things health-related, there is rarely a single cause or cure for any disease. So there is often a casual relationship between internal and external factors. With that in mind, your approach should be two-fold: 1) limit your exposure to toxic external agents (processed sugary foods, medicine, cigarettes, etc.) and 2) strengthen your immune system to effectively eliminate dangerous pathogens (virus, bacteria, fungus, parasites, microbes, heavy metals).

How Your Immune System Works

I’m not an epidemiologist and this really isn’t meant to be a medical essay on the inner workings of the immune system.  However, I do think that a basic working knowledge of how it works will enable you to understand how to prevent illness.

As macabre as it sounds, I once read somewhere that the simplest way to tell how efficient your immune system works is to notice how fast a dead body decomposes.  Opportunistic bacteria, fungus, parasites, etc break down the organism cell by cell until there is nothing left but bones.  These same pathogens exist when that organism is alive as well.  It’s the immune system that protects our bodies from these microbes wreaking havoc. 

Of all the bodily systems, the immune system is my favorite by far because of it’s amazing, intricate nature and far reaching ramifications if it’s not properly supported.  Pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungus, parasites) have been around for billions of years with one goal – survival.  In order to achieve this goal, they are constantly adapting.  Our immune systems (along with every other cell in our body) have the same goal, and go about achieving that goal in an identical manner.  So, there’s a constant battle between these pathogens and our immune system.  We’ve only been around for a few million years, so the pathogens have a significant head start.

Most of us don’t realize our immune system until one of these microbes gains an advantage.  This can take the form of a mild infection on a small cut to joint inflammation to severe immunodeficiency due to some viral or bacterial disease.  The main point is that our immune systems are at work 24/7.  Your immune system is the reason you don’t wake up with mold on your skin, why your injuries heal (and get infected), why most bacteria/fungi/viruses/parasites don’t kill you, why some organ transplants aren’t successful, why there’s an inflammatory response, and why allergies can be a problem for some folks.  It’s a mind-boggling armyof soldiers that include anti-microbial substances, melanocytes, leukocytes, lymphocytes, and cytokines (among many other cells).  Each of these come embedded with specific instructions and therefore play a specific role, just like an actual army.  In addition to all of that, our immunity cells are able to essentially “tag” microbes so that if the exact same one enters your body again, your immune system remembers how to kill it.  If you’re ever inspired or curious to learn more, I encourage you to read up on how it all works.  To borrow from the current NBA slogan – “where amazing happens.”

How Lifestyle Affects The Immne System

As I mentioned earlier, pathogens have existed pretty much since the beginning, so there isn’t much we can do about that.  However, we can prepare our immune systems to fight these invaders as best we can.  Preventable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, hypertension and the like affect the immune system as well.  To put it simply, our lifestyle choices have a cumulative effect of either supporting or depressing our immune systems.  There really isn’t one specific choice that causes disease, per se.  However, constant bad health decisions over a period of time could have an additive effect on several factors – appearance and energy, internal/external (skin) organ function, and immune system.  Below is a list of some common relatively lifestyle choices (or lack thereof) that can sometimes cause irreparable damage to our health:

• Nutrition plan high in processed carbs (this includes most meals, snacks, beverages, desserts, and breakfast foods that most Americans consume)
• Overuse of pharmaceutical and OTC meds – only use when medically necessary (for example, steroids have an immunosuppressive effect and antibiotics not only kills bad bacteria, but also kills good bacteria [gut flora] as well, which affects immune response)
• Inadequate water intake (aids in the production of lymphocyte cells and helps flush out toxins)
• Not getting enough high quality veggies and fruit (local and organic is ideal to reduce toxic load from dangerous herbicides, pesticides and fungicides)
• Consumption of inferior meat and fish from factory farms/fisheries (free-range, cage-free meat and wild fish is ideal)
• Lack of exercise (numerous studies continue to be published that support how moderate exercise boosts the immune system)
• Stress (chronic, long-term stress is probably the most insidious culprit on the list since it can suppress immune function and manifest itself in countless ways)
• Proper rest (during deep sleep, your body releases potent immunity-enhancing chemicals, which is why you’re inclined to sleep when sick)

The Role Of Supplements and Herbs

Let me preface this by saying that I’m a staunch believer in letting food be your medicine, first and foremost.  If your diet is primarily comprised of nutrient-dense, unprocessed whole foods (which will nourish your cells with ample vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants), you’ll find that you rarely need to spend any money on supplemental or herbal remedies.  However, there may be times when one of those solutions may be helpful to you.

Of all the astounding characteristics, I think the coolest feature is the fact that our immune systems are innately designed to fight illness, assuming we support it with a sensible nutrition plan.  It’s some of Mother Nature’s best work, in my humble opinion.  As if that weren’t enough, she provided powerful herbal intervention right in our living environment.     Couple that with a supportive nutrition plan (and high-quality supplements, in some cases) and your immune system will be a formidable opponent for pathogens.

(One caveat about herbs – these are not like standard vitamin supplements where you can ingest megadoses with little or no side effects.  Herbs are essentially nature’s medicine, so proper dosing is paramount.  I implore to do your research and visit a reputable, licensed medical practioner who is well-versed in herbology if you choose this route).

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• Wash your hands – This is probably the easiest and most overlooked thing you can do.  Any respectable health provider agrees that thorough hand washing for about 20 seconds plays a large part in preventing bacteria and viruses from entering your body via eyes, nose, or mouth.  Skip antibacterial soaps and gels since numerous studies have shown that regular soap and water work just as well.  Triclosan is a chemical and the active ingredient in these soaps,  the long-term safety of which has not been determined.  An even larger concern is that bacteria may adapt to these chemicals and evolve into something that can’t be killed by current antibacterial drugs.  We’re well on our way given how doctors over-prescribe and patients over-consume antibiotics.  After all, bacteria (whose sole purpose is survival) has been around for a few billion years and counting, so I’d say they’re pretty adept at adapting.    But, I digress.

• Reduce (or eliminate) processed carbs – Ideally, it would behoove you to eliminate processed carbs altogether but that’s virtually impossible these days.  In addition the chronic inflammation, a diet high in processed carbs can compromise your immune system.  Sugar, snacks, deserts, sodas, juices, breads, etc. are all metabolized by your body the same way…insulin levels spike, then fall precipitously.  Over time, this roller coaster leads to inflammation, which not only depresses your immune function, but increases your risk factors for diseases like hypertension, heart disease, high cholesterol, cancer and myriad of other autoimmune disorders.

• Build your diet around whole foods (no, not the supermarket) -  Contrary to washing your hands, this one is probably the hardest for most people to implement if it’s not already part of your lifestyle.  Whole foods include fresh vegetables, fruits, lean meat and fish.  Organic, locally-grown produce and wild, free-range, hormone-free fish/meat is optimal.  Take baby steps first though.  If you can, try to eat all your produce fresh since cooking denatures (kills the nutrients and enzymes) it.  Instead of trying to figure out all the benefits of eating fresh vegetables and fruits, keep it simple.  Eat a variety of colors as these colors mean that each vegetable/fruit contains certain polyphenols, flavonoids and phytochemicals.  They’re rich in antioxidants as well, which help to mitigate free radicals (which cause cancer).  Fruit is not inherently a bad choice, but vegetables are a better option since many fruits can spike your insulin as well.

• Supplementation – As you know, I’m a proponent of letting food be your medicine.  However, if you need to supplement your diet, there’s a plethora of options available.  Some my favorites are Vitamin D, Zinc, Oregano Oil, Astragalus, Echinacea, and Black Elderberry.  I’ll write a more detailed article about these and more later, but they have served my family and I well over the years.  All of the ones I mentioned have a good mix of antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties.  Everyone is different, so experiment a little until you find a regimen that works for you.

• Exercise – Studies continue to find strong links between consistent, moderate exercise and a strong immune system.  By moderate exercise, I mean a brisk walk (or light jog if you’re in shape).  These moderate bouts of activity increase blood flow and help your body distribute immune cells more quickly.  In turn, this enables your body to lessen symptoms and decrease the frequency with which you get sick.

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