How to Build Your Immune System

Our immune system does an incredible job of fighting off foreign germs inside our bodies, keeping us strong and healthy. Often, our immune system is not working to its full potential, though. Things like everyday stress, poor nutrition, and a sedentary lifestyle weaken our immune system. When our immune system is not working as well as it should, we have a good chance of becoming ill. Being sick takes a toll on the body and it can be difficult to get over some of the illnesses we get.

There are things you can do to build your immune system up and it doesn’t have to mean taking a pill or other medication. The easiest way to boost your immune system is to get the right nutrition every day and to eat a balanced diet. Certain foods are especially important and here is more information about these foods:

• Citrus Fruits - Grapefruits, oranges and the other citrus fruits are very good for your immune system. Vitamin C found in these fruits is essential to the production of white blood cells and antibodies that our immune system need. Oranges can have as much as 75 mg of Vitamin C.

• Carrots - The beta carotene in carrots is a nutrient that works together with our immune system to produce the cells that fight off the germs in our bodies and prevent infection. Another benefit to carrots is they contain falcarinol, which is thought to reduce the risk of developing cancer.

• Garlic - Garlic can defend our bodies against infection. Many herbal remedies contain garlic. If you include garlic in your diet a few times a week, you will be healthier and your body will be stronger. It is best to eat raw, crushed garlic in order to get the most health benefits out of it especially with regard to fighting infection.

• Yogurt - When you eat yogurt you are getting a lot of bacteria, which sounds bad but the kind of bacteria in yogurt is acidophilus bacteria, which is good for your immune system. This good bacteria helps the digestive system and fights bacteria in the body. Yogurt is very good for older people because of the bifidobacterium in it.

• Oysters - Oysters are very high in zinc, which is a necessary nutrient that helps your body produce the antibodies your immune system needs. Oysters are also known to slow bacteria growth and the growth of viruses in your body.

• Fatty Fish - The Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish like tuna and salmon are essential for the health and growth of your white blood cells that the immune system uses to fight germs. You can also get Omega-3 from a vitamin E supplement.

When you keep your immune system healthy and strong, you rarely need to take medications like antibiotics to get rid of infections and diseases in our bodies. Eating the foods listed above will help you do just that.

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Treating an Ear Infection at Home

Ear infections are a common illness especially among children. It’s unusual to find a child that hasn’t had a least one ear infection. Some children get them several times a year. Sometimes, ear infections show up after your child has been sick with a cold or sinus infection. Ear infections can cause a lot of pain and a lot of sleepless nights not only for the child, but also for the parents. You can do something to help your child get rid of his ear infection. Read on for a few home remedies.

Applying heat can reduce the pain. Make sure it is not wet heat as water in the ear could cause more problems. You can use a heating pad, a damp washcloth warmed up in the microwave or a rice filled sock heated in the microwave.

Garlic has been said to help ear infections and other infections too. Boil a few cloves in some water on your stove and place a few drips of the liquid inside the ears. Another option is to mix the garlic after it is pureed with olive oil and put a little inside the ear, draining it out after no more than 10 minutes.

A few drops of Lobelia extract, an herb available at a most health stores, in the ear can help as well.

You can boil a few grinded up mango leaves in water for a few minutes and drop some of the liquid in the ear. This can be done several times a day.

Colloidal silver is a substance that can be taken by mouth or placed in the ears and is often used for ear infections and colds.

One thing said to be very effective at treating ear infections is breast milk placed in the ears. Some children get better in as little as two days. You can use breast milk from anyone; it doesn’t have to be yours.

Probiotics are substances full of good bacteria that are supposed to fight and eliminate the bad bacteria that are making your child sick. You can give these daily to reduce the chances of illness or they can be taken when your child is sick.

Antibiotics are not always the best route for treating an ear infection. Doctors don’t like to use antibiotics if it is not truly necessary. You can do many things at home to help your child deal with and get rid of his ear infection. If the home treatments don’t work, take your child to the doctor and see what treatment he recommends for the ear infection.

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Probiotics: “Growing” Your Digestive Strength

You may have heard the term probiotics in the past but never really given any consideration to what they are or whether or not this is something that you should make a part of your life.

Let’s see what this is all about, shall we?

Probiotics are actually something that everyone can use because they have wide-reaching benefits that are scientifically proven to boost your health. For most people, probiotics will not only help you improve your current state of health, they will also prevent future conditions. Now that’s worth investigating!

Understanding Probiotics

Probiotics are essentially dietary supplements that provide the body with beneficial or “good bacteria.” Here’s the dictionary definition of probiotics:

“Live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.”

In other words, there are “good bugs” and “bad bugs,” and probiotics are the good kind!

There are many different types of probiotics in use today with the most common being lactic acid bacteria. This is a common type of probiotic because of its ability to convert sugar and carbohydrates into lactic acid.

This probiotic called “lactobacillus” is present in many dairy product, and that’s why doctors often recommend that someone with gastrointestinal problems eat yogurt. This way, you get more “good bugs” in your intestines to fight off the “bad bugs.”

Here’s how it works: probiotics basically assist the body’s naturally occurring flora (good bacteria) to re-establish themselves. Doctors as well as nutritionists often recommend probiotic supplements after a patient has undergone antibiotic treatment since antibiotics tend to kill off the “good bugs” leaving you susceptible to illness.

Other reported benefits of probiotics:

• strengthens the immune system
• alleviates allergies
• eliminates toxins
• improves digestion
• fights off disease

Here’s an even simpler way to understand probiotics: you want to increase the body’s beneficial bacteria in the hopes of outnumbering the negative or harmful bacteria.

Amazingly, this simple principal has been shown to work time and time again, so if you’re going through any sort of medical treatments or struggling with your health in any way, it’s a good idea to take probiotics both as treatment and as preventative natural medicine.

Inside our body, there are little battles happening every day. Foreign bugs and invaders are constantly trying to take over, so the more beneficial bacteria we have, the better prepared our body will be to win the war!

Probiotics have been used for ages, dating back to the 1920’s and 1930’s before there was even a concrete understanding of what was taking place inside the body.

Today, it’s believed that these beneficial bacteria can even help with the tolerance of lactose, the prevention of colon cancer, lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, and reducing inflammation.

Probiotics have also been linked to improving mineral absorption and immune function, as well as helping to relieve diarrhea caused by the intake of antibiotics. Generally, probiotics have no negative side effects making them a great option in just about every case where better health is the goal.

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