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Chasing Health From The Inside Out
by Amber Belt, ND
Anyone else out there taking a deep breath and bracing yourself for fall and winter and the expected increase in seasonal viral illnesses? Yeah, me too. While an uptick in seasonal viral illnesses seems overwhelming considering what we’ve collectively been through over the past 18 months, I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to cross your fingers, squeeze your eyes shut, and hope that you don’t get sick. You can take action to set your immune system up to take on these bugs when they come around.
I’m also here today to tell you if you’re trying to bolster your health solely with medications or supplements, you’re missing a big part of the picture. Health comes from the inside out! But, unlike chasing health by taking a medication or supplement, being healthy from the inside out requires consistent work, vigilance, and dedication. But you can do it! Here are three areas to work on to prime your immune system for the upcoming fall and winter.
Hydrate
Sometimes I feel like a broken record talking about hydration, but it is something that people perpetually struggle with (myself included!). Did you know that being dehydrated hampers your ability to fend off bugs?
One of the ways that bugs sneak into our systems is via our mucus membranes. Mucus membranes line our mouths, throats, eyes, lungs, and tracheas (windpipes). Our mucus membranes create an obstacle to infection by both creating a barrier of tissue and by secreting mucus to keep that barrier slippery. A slippery mucus membrane is better and healthier than a sticky mucus membrane. Dehydration allows that mucus gets way too sticky, taking away one of your defenses. When our mucus membranes are exposed to a bug it’s preferable for the bug to slide off that membrane. When a bug is allowed to stick, it can start to get past the innate defenses of the mucus, replicate, and get past that nice thick mucus membrane barrier to cause systemic issues.Because fall and winter are so dry, we need to make excellent hydration a priority and remember that electrolytes make up half of the hydration equation. So don’t forget some sodium, potassium, chloride, and magnesium!
Diet
Again I find myself wondering if I sound like a broken record because I talk about health diet a lot But, considering the lines of cars waiting to get their sugar-coffee and fast ‘food’, I think that diet should be mentioned again.Here are a few general guidelines so that you can take steps toward a healthier diet and a healthier immune system.
· Eat food that looks like it did when it was on the farm. By this I mean whole foods, rather than processed foods that come in boxes and several layers of plastic
· If a food label has more than 5-7 ingredients and you need a chemistry degree to understand what those ingredients are, it’s a good idea to stop and think about what you are eating before you put it in your mouth.
· Eat seasonal and local foods. You don’t find much processed food at the Farmer’s Market! In Flagstaff, we have a CSA that carries local produce year-round. You might have to be more conscious and look, but local whole foods are out there.
· Avoid sugar. Sugar suppresses the immune system hours after eating it. Not to mention that excess sugar, over time, can lead to dysregulated blood sugar. And we know that people with dysregulated blood sugar, like diabetes, have more complications with viral illnesses including COVID.
· Avoid booze. This is a big one! I have seen more fatty liver from excess alcohol consumption in the past 18 months than I have collectively in my 16 years of practicing medicine. Excess alcohol consumption disrupts respiratory immunity is associated with increased susceptibly to pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Alcohol also negatively impacts gut health by altering the gut microbiome and damaging intestinal immune cells. At least 70% of our immune system is found in our gut, so damaging it with alcohol can’t be good. Booze also dysregulates blood sugar in the body and can lead down the obesity/diabetes path, too. Cutting alcohol out can be difficult, but with so many strategies available to help people quit there has to be one out there for you!People, understandably, have fallen into poor dietary habits over the past 18 months as a means to find comfort and alleviate stress. I truly understand this, but I have seen many people harming their health with excess alcohol, sugar, and just plain bad food consumption since the pandemic hit. It’s time to hit the reset button.
Exercise
Exercise is another healthy habit that many people have let slide since March 2020. If your workout happens in the gym and the gym is closed, it’s tough to maintain physical activity without making a change to your exercise routine. Right?
But we can’t let exercise slide out of our lives without it being quite detrimental. Working out benefits the immune system, reduces stress, stabilizes mood, balances hormones, and produces endorphins. During and after exercise, as long as we aren’t overexercising, we get an immune boosting and overall anti-inflammatory impact on the body. In fact, a recent South Korean study showed that regular physical exercise was associated with a lower risk of COVID infection, severe COVID illness, and COVID death.
If you haven’t been exercising there is no time like the present to get started! It’s worth looking into hiring a trainer to get you started if you haven’t worked out in a while. No need to get a self-induced injury when you’re just getting started.
Conclusion
Of course supplements can play a role in how we respond to viral illness, including COVID, too. Some supplements that I find beneficial to support the immune system are Vitamin C, Vitamin D, selenium, n-acetyl cysteine, and zinc. However, I encourage you to work with a provider knowledgeable about the testing for and dosing of these supplements to get optimal results. And I don’t want anyone to forget that health starts from the inside out. You can start getting healthier today by making just one change!
Chasing Health From The Inside Out
by Amber Belt, ND
Anyone else out there taking a deep breath and bracing yourself for fall and winter and the expected increase in seasonal viral illnesses? Yeah, me too. While an uptick in seasonal viral illnesses seems overwhelming considering what we’ve collectively been through over the past 18 months, I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to cross your fingers, squeeze your eyes shut, and hope that you don’t get sick. You can take action to set your immune system up to take on these bugs when they come around.
I’m also here today to tell you if you’re trying to bolster your health solely with medications or supplements, you’re missing a big part of the picture. Health comes from the inside out! But, unlike chasing health by taking a medication or supplement, being healthy from the inside out requires consistent work, vigilance, and dedication. But you can do it! Here are three areas to work on to prime your immune system for the upcoming fall and winter.
Hydrate
Sometimes I feel like a broken record talking about hydration, but it is something that people perpetually struggle with (myself included!). Did you know that being dehydrated hampers your ability to fend off bugs?
One of the ways that bugs sneak into our systems is via our mucus membranes. Mucus membranes line our mouths, throats, eyes, lungs, and tracheas (windpipes). Our mucus membranes create an obstacle to infection by both creating a barrier of tissue and by secreting mucus to keep that barrier slippery. A slippery mucus membrane is better and healthier than a sticky mucus membrane. Dehydration allows that mucus gets way too sticky, taking away one of your defenses. When our mucus membranes are exposed to a bug it’s preferable for the bug to slide off that membrane. When a bug is allowed to stick, it can start to get past the innate defenses of the mucus, replicate, and get past that nice thick mucus membrane barrier to cause systemic issues.Because fall and winter are so dry, we need to make excellent hydration a priority and remember that electrolytes make up half of the hydration equation. So don’t forget some sodium, potassium, chloride, and magnesium!
Diet
Again I find myself wondering if I sound like a broken record because I talk about health diet a lot But, considering the lines of cars waiting to get their sugar-coffee and fast ‘food’, I think that diet should be mentioned again.Here are a few general guidelines so that you can take steps toward a healthier diet and a healthier immune system.
· Eat food that looks like it did when it was on the farm. By this I mean whole foods, rather than processed foods that come in boxes and several layers of plastic
· If a food label has more than 5-7 ingredients and you need a chemistry degree to understand what those ingredients are, it’s a good idea to stop and think about what you are eating before you put it in your mouth.
· Eat seasonal and local foods. You don’t find much processed food at the Farmer’s Market! In Flagstaff, we have a CSA that carries local produce year-round. You might have to be more conscious and look, but local whole foods are out there.
· Avoid sugar. Sugar suppresses the immune system hours after eating it. Not to mention that excess sugar, over time, can lead to dysregulated blood sugar. And we know that people with dysregulated blood sugar, like diabetes, have more complications with viral illnesses including COVID.
· Avoid booze. This is a big one! I have seen more fatty liver from excess alcohol consumption in the past 18 months than I have collectively in my 16 years of practicing medicine. Excess alcohol consumption disrupts respiratory immunity is associated with increased susceptibly to pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Alcohol also negatively impacts gut health by altering the gut microbiome and damaging intestinal immune cells. At least 70% of our immune system is found in our gut, so damaging it with alcohol can’t be good. Booze also dysregulates blood sugar in the body and can lead down the obesity/diabetes path, too. Cutting alcohol out can be difficult, but with so many strategies available to help people quit there has to be one out there for you!People, understandably, have fallen into poor dietary habits over the past 18 months as a means to find comfort and alleviate stress. I truly understand this, but I have seen many people harming their health with excess alcohol, sugar, and just plain bad food consumption since the pandemic hit. It’s time to hit the reset button.
Exercise
Exercise is another healthy habit that many people have let slide since March 2020. If your workout happens in the gym and the gym is closed, it’s tough to maintain physical activity without making a change to your exercise routine. Right?
But we can’t let exercise slide out of our lives without it being quite detrimental. Working out benefits the immune system, reduces stress, stabilizes mood, balances hormones, and produces endorphins. During and after exercise, as long as we aren’t overexercising, we get an immune boosting and overall anti-inflammatory impact on the body. In fact, a recent South Korean study showed that regular physical exercise was associated with a lower risk of COVID infection, severe COVID illness, and COVID death.
If you haven’t been exercising there is no time like the present to get started! It’s worth looking into hiring a trainer to get you started if you haven’t worked out in a while. No need to get a self-induced injury when you’re just getting started.
Conclusion
Of course supplements can play a role in how we respond to viral illness, including COVID, too. Some supplements that I find beneficial to support the immune system are Vitamin C, Vitamin D, selenium, n-acetyl cysteine, and zinc. However, I encourage you to work with a provider knowledgeable about the testing for and dosing of these supplements to get optimal results. And I don’t want anyone to forget that health starts from the inside out. You can start getting healthier today by making just one change!
