Wellmune

What did you do for fun last night? What are your weekend plans? Did you know that your social life can have a direct impact on your immune system?

Here are five ways that you and your friends could be setting yourselves up for illness.

1. Watching too much TV. If your favorite source of entertainment is watching TV or going to movies, you need to consider using your muscles more often.  There is mounting evidence that moderate, consistent exercise helps protect us from everything from the common cold to more serious, chronic diseases. How about riding bicycles to the cineplex?
2. Eating out too often. You may enjoy dining out with friends, but if you’ve got the expanded waistline to show for it you might want to find lower calorie pastimes. Those extra pounds put you at risk for diabetes, heart disease and cancer, partly because excess fat cells might be causing your body to produce fewer antibodies. Why not collaborate on a low-fat, low-calorie homemade meal instead? You may discover cooking with your friends is a lot of fun.
3. Feeling socially isolated. It doesn’t matter if you have just one friend or many. What’s important is how connected you feel to others in your life. Studies indicate that having strong relationships improves your mental as well as your physical health. Make time for good conversations without a lot of distractions, explore volunteer opportunities, and turn off your electronic devices when you’re together with friends.
4. Being pulled in too many directions. If your time is so over-committed that you’re running from one activity to another, it may be time to simplify your life. Numerous studies have linked stress with lower immune function. Try to prioritize your activities, and find ways to either delegate obligations or eliminate them entirely so that you’re spending most of each day doing the things that are most important to you.
5. Eating too much sugar. Researchers say that sugar suppresses immune system cells. Something to consider if you and your friends like to hit the yogurt shop regularly. Challenge your friends to find creative ways to eliminate sugar from your lives. Support each other until the temptations subside. Remember: you don’t need sugar to live a healthy, well-rounded life. Besides, enjoying just a little bit of sugar now and then will make the treat seem that much sweeter.

Ladies, here’s some good news if you lead a moderately or highly stressed lifestyle, and you’ve had enough of feeling sick and tired all the time. You may be able to reduce some of those miserable cold and flu symptoms such as sore throats and coughs, while also boosting your mood and energy level.

We all know that the psychological stress associated with everyday life can lower your immune system. It can also make you feel emotionally tired and less peppy. A study conducted by Dr. Shawn Talbott at SupplementWatch and presented to the American College of Nutrition involved 77 healthy women aged 38  + 12 years who were pre-screened for moderate levels of psychological stress. The women were given either a placebo or 250 mg. of Wellmune WGP for 12 weeks.

Whereas 29 percent of the control group reported having symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection (sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, and cough), only 10 percent of the Wellmune group reported similar symptoms.

The researchers also used psychological surveys to assess the women’s mental and physical levels, and found that vigor  improved in 41 percent of women taking Wellmune WGP (compared to 7 percent in the control group). Overall wellbeing, as measured by Global Mood State, improved 29 percent in women taking Wellmune compared to 16 percent in the placebo group.

“These are important findings for the millions of ‘stressed’ women around the world,” said Dr. Talbott.  “This study shows that while daily stressors can ‘wear down’ immune system function, supplementing with Wellmune WGP can bolster those natural defenses and help stressed women feel and perform at their best.”

It’s estimated that 35-37 million Americans suffer from sinusitis – that miserable inflammation or irritation of our sinuses that causes stuffy, runny noses. Sufferers may also get facial pain and pressure, a cough, fever, fatigue and even dental pain.

Typical causes include bacterial infections, allergies, upper respiratory infections or sometimes abnormalities in the structure of the nasal passage.

Wellmune WGP can help prime your immune system’s response to allergens and may reduce some of your most annoying sinusitis symptoms.  One study involving ragweed sufferers showed that Wellmune WGP reduced overall allergy symptoms and severity, while also reducing key nasal and eye-related allergy symptoms. We’ll give you a full report on the ragweed study in a separate post.

Four other natural sinus remedies that might give you some relief are:

1. Moist air.  Lean over a bowl of bowling water, with a towel draped over your head trapping the steam. Inhale continuously for 10 minutes. Repeat this two to four times a day until symptoms subside. For an extra boost, add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to the water.
2. Stay hydrated. Drinking water helps to lubricate your mucous membranes, reducing sinus irritation. Hot beverages such as tea give you the additional benefit of inhaling steam. And chicken soup has some anti-inflammatory properties that may also be beneficial.
3. Avoid smoke and alcohol. It doesn’t matter if it’s tobacco smoke or smoke from a campfire, it will irritate your already troubled sinus membranes. Alcohol may worsen sinus swelling, making it even more difficult to breath.
4. Nasal irrigation. You can try removing mucus from your nose by preparing a solution of 2 cups warm distilled water and one teaspoon of salt. Lean your head down into the sink, pour some of the solution into your palm and inhale it into one nostril at a time. Then gently blow your nose. Neti pots work pretty much the same way. Holding your head down and sideways, you slowly pour the solution into your upper nostril while breathing through your mouth.  The water will flow out through your lower nostril. Blow your nose then reverse the tilt of your head and repeat the procedure.