Most people understand the basic function of the Immune System. Like a built-in security system, it monitors everything coming into your body to ensure it belongs there. When the system performs optimally, it detects harmful intruders and damaged tissue and responds appropriately.
Like any other system, Immune function can become over-challenged and under-supported. It may be obvious that a poorly functioning Immune system would lead to a person getting sick more often. What may not be obvious is that Immune OVER-reaction is also a sign of a dysfunctional system. This over-reaction can commonly be seen in auto-immune conditions…and more recently in the more severe cases of people affected by COVID-19.
Most people will try to help their immunity by taking Zinc, Vitamin C and drinking tea. While these tactics are useful, there’s more that can be done…
MOST OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM LIVES IN THE GUT
This gives us insight into three major ways we can support Immune function: Water, Food and Digestion.
Water:
If you’re tissues are dry, so are your nasal passages, throat and lungs…and this makes it harder for them to keep bad stuff (like viruses) out of them. Dehydration thickens your blood, slowing the transport of vital nutrients and immune cells. It also makes your skin more brittle, making it easier to crack or split and allowing bad stuff inside. Among 100’s of other issues, being dehydrated also slows the process of digestion, which we will cover later…
Diet:
While every person is very different than the next, there are some foods that are most common to create an immune response. These are not “allergies” per se, but introducing these substances can increase the responsiveness of the immune system, unnecessarily. At the top of that list is sugar / simple starches (including bread and it’s derivatives). Gluten and Corn compete for 2nd place. Further explanation of this is warranted, but is beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say that if you cut these things out (which is not easy), you’re likely to reduce strain on your Immune system and free up resources for improved healing and response.
Digestion:
This is a huge topic, so we’ll just skim the surface. Symptoms like diarrhea, constipation and bloating are signs that the digestive system is working too hard to do its job efficiently. While medicines can temporarily ‘help’ with symptoms, they do little to FIX the issues here. This is where Visceral Manipulation (VM) is extremely helpful. VM can not only restore the basic functions of digestion, but can be instrumental in helping the body FIX the causes of conditions like reflux, colitis and IBS.
A happy, healthy and EFFICIENT gut will greatly improve your immune and cognitive function. Don’t believe me? Try a session of VM and see for yourself!
