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Lifestyle
Prepping For Cold And Flu Season
Many of us work in office buildings, day care centres and schools where flu germs spread quickly. These germs lead to an array of undesired symptoms, work and school absences and an overall decline in well-being. It's important to begin taking steps now to support your immune system and stay healthy throughout the entire year.
Top 5 tips for avoiding colds and flu:
Get Enough Sleep
?It may seem simple but regular, good quality sleep is incredibly important for immune health. While we sleep our bodies are working to detoxify and cleanse, so without proper sleep the body is unable to function at its highest level. Poor quality sleep also weakens the body's ability to heal and protect itself from pathogens. Sleep requirements differ for every person, but eight hours of undisturbed sleep is usually enough.
Manage Stress
Any form of stress will release excess cortisol, which suppresses the immune system (also known as an immunosuppressant). Not only is winter the beginning of cold and flu season, but it is also a time of high stress during the holidays. It is important to find ways to reduce daily stress through meditation, reading, deep breathing, or gentle exercise.
Protein Intake
We need protein for many different things including the ability to create antibodies, white bloods cells and other immune tissues. Antibodies are proteins that are released by our immune system to recognize and destroy pathogens. Without adequate protein in our diets the body has less ability to create these antibodies. Starting the day off with good quality protein in the form of a nutritious smoothie made with Genuine Health Fermented Vegan Proteins+ or omelette will promote a healthy robust immune system.
Don't Over Sanitise
Triclosan and triclocarban are antibacterial agents found in many soaps and hand sanitizers. These ingredients have the ability to destroy all bacteria and it is creating a major issue within our society called antimicrobial resistance (among other concerns). In other words, we need some dirt and germs to stay healthy. A much better strategy is to learn proper hand washing techniques using natural soap and warm water.
Key Supplements
Lifestyle plays a large role when prepping for cold and flu season, but there are also key supplements that can help to to keep you feeling well. Oregano oil taken at the first sign of a cold can help to stop the progression of symptoms. St. Francis Deep Immune is popular with nurses and daycare providers and can be taken on a regular basis.
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How do you stay healthy during cold and flu season? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
https://youtu.be/8eRH30Uc2ZU
By Andrea Bartels CNP NNCP RNT
https://www.purelabvitamins.com/
Chronically constipated individuals have been led to believe that their only choice in prevention and relief is a fibre supplement---one that can potentially lead to more trouble if an inadequate volume of water is consumed. Alternatively, the use of inferior magnesium products as laxatives can lead to sudden and urgent bathroom trips that interrupt your work day. There’s a better way.
Constipation is the infrequent or incomplete evacuation of stool, “infrequent” meaning less than once per day. You feel bloated, heavy, lethargic, irritable and plugged up. Straining to have a bowel movement with the result being rabbit pellets, a hard, dark sinker, or often, nothing to show for your efforts--- is no one’s idea of time well spent!
Not only is constipation discomforting---it can also contribute to weight gain, lack of appetite, GERD, high cholesterol, general malaise, hemorrhoids and loss of productivity, to name a few.
From my observations in clients within my nutritional consulting practice, the biggest contributors to constipation are:
- Inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption
- Low fluid intake
- Medications like morphine and codeine
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Suppressing ‘the urge’
- Stress
- Use of antacids and acid-reducing drugs
- Low dietary magnesium intake
Magnesium: the Nutritious Antidote for Constipation
Magnesium is an essential mineral critical for our muscle and nerve functions. Whereas calcium contracts, magnesium relaxes. Regardless of which of the above factors is contributing to your constipation, a highly absorbable form of this mineral can be a very effective way to get a tight bowel to relax and re-establish your regularity.
Read the full article here!
L-Theanine: Nature's Antidote To Stress
By Andrea Bartels CNP NNCP RNT
https://www.purelabvitamins.com/
L-Theanine: Nature's Antidote to Stress
A Noble Beginning
For thousands of years the benefits of green tea have been discussed and documented in Asian cultures. Originally green tea was only available to Chinese nobility but eventually the 'noble' beverage spread to Japan and India and the health benefits became more apparent and widespread.
Green tea is comprised of bioactive compounds that can impact cellular differentiation, free radical production and neurotransmitter function. One of the unique compounds found in green tea is the amino acid l-theanine, discovered in 1949.
The Antidote to Stress
L-theanine has the unique ability to reduce anxiety and make stressful situations more manageable. It achieves this through the rebalance of brain neurotransmitters which communicate information between nerve cells. Specifically, l-theanine regulates calming neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and GABA while simultaneously inhibiting the effects of the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine.
Read more about the effects of L-Thenine on brain waves and sleep here!
https://www.purelabvitamins.com/blog/l-theanine-natures-antidote-to-stress
