Get Ready for Winter with an Immune System Tune-Up

 

immune system

Increase your odds of fending off illness this flu season by doing your part to make sure that your immune system is primed and ready with a functional medicine visit. Function medicine testing evaluates antecedents, triggers and mediators of disease. It is the most comprehensive method to evaluate your overall health.

What Do Your Nervous System and Immune System Have in Common?

When it comes to having the best possible defense against disease, bacteria and illness, your immune system needs all the support it can get. The New York Times on May 13, 1993, reported in an article entitled: Nerve Cells Tied to Immune System, that the first anatomical connection between the nerve system and the immune system had been uncovered. The connection that they made was specifically between the nerve cell endings and the white blood cells–both key players in system defense.  Balanced Well-Being Healthcare knows that to achieve total body wellness you have to work on your body from the inside out.  

By committing to regular sessions with us, your body can achieve better balance and an improved immune response. Your immune system depends on nerves to send messages to your brain. When your nerves aren’t functioning properly, your immunity suffers.

The Endocrine System and the Immune System Molecule

The nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune system are linked, and each have an important part to play in keeping you healthy. When it comes to your immune system health, one of the things these three systems have in common is a messenger molecule called interleukin 2 (IL-2) which is commonly referred to as the immune system molecule. The levels of IL-2 and T-cells–key players on your immunity defense team–have been shown to increase following chiropractic adjustments. Spinal adjustments can actually influence and improve your biological immunity.

Your Gut and Immunity

“All disease begins in the gut,” Hippocrates stated over 2,000 years ago. Science agrees. Research has proven that when your gut contains more bad bacteria than good bacteria, your immunity is compromised. Chronic digestive issues also reduce the effectiveness of your immune system. Conditions like dyspepsia, acid reflux, and leaky gut can all limit how well you fend off disease.

Balanced Well-Being Healthcare can improve the health of your immune system by helping you restore the healthy function of your gastrointestinal system. During your in-office consultation, we can also counsel you on ways you can boost your immunity through dietary and lifestyle changes.

Manage Your Stress

NeutrophilThe levels of cortisol in your system can wreak havoc on your immune system. The overproduction of cortisol weakens the immune system by suppressing neutrophil function. (Neutrophils – white blood cells critical for immune response.)  Alleviating your stress through practices like mindfulness, can help restore your good health and let your immune system focus on the areas that need repair and defense.

Balance Your Hormones

When the body’s hormones are either too high, or too low, the immune system can suffer. Keeping your hormone levels properly balanced is important for your short-term and long-term health.

Hormones support how each of your body’s systems communicate with each other. Sometimes, because of our lifestyle choices, diet, medications, stressors, and environment, these hormones become imbalanced.

The sex hormones–estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone–are just one set of hormones that may become imbalanced as we age.  Establishing true hormone balance in the body is imperative because of the interconnectedness of all hormones.

Proper Thyroid Function

How healthy is your thyroid? Do you know? Many women suffer from the symptoms of thyroid dysfunction (anxiety, fatigue, water retention, depression, irritability, insomnia, difficulty coping, poor memory–just to name a few) but never make the connection that their thyroid is to blame.

A strong immune system needs an active production of Natural Killer Cells (NK or NKCs – part of the immune system’s first line of defense) to fight off foreign intruders. Research has shown that NK cells are more active in individuals with balanced levels of thyroid hormones.

Call for a Functional Medicine Consultation for Fending off Illness

Our functional medicine approach to treatment improves your health, for the long-term. We give you the tools to heal for a lifetime of wellness. Learn how you can benefit from functional medicine today by calling 970-631-8286 and discover how healthy you are on a biochemical, molecular level. Learn strategies and tips to balance your body physically, mentally and emotionally so you can have what you need for total body wellness.