Smile, Spring is Here!

Spring is here! It’s a new season, a fresh reason for hope as we emerge from the cold and often wet days into more sunny days. We have everything to be joyful about, given the wonderful world we live in…if we choose to make it that way. Louis Armstrong made a point of this in his song, and it is still true today. We all, however, have the responsibility to make the world wonderful by making wise choices.  

Here are some pieces of advice that can make a difference. This would be a way for the entire family to change lifestyle choices and make a huge difference to overall health and well-being.

Let’s begin by reminding ourselves of our Creator. Mindfulness practices - prayer and meditation set the tone for the day and create an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. This shifts one from ‘freeze, fight or flight’ (sympathetic dominance) to ‘rest, digest, detox, repair and heal’ (parasympathetic) functions –a much healthier state to be in. The state of fight and fright negatively impacts the immune system by stimulating the release of stress hormones. It is a fact that chronically raised levels of a stress hormone called cortisol can be very damaging to one’s health. It suppresses immune function, rendering the body less able to handle stress and other causes of inflammation (such as coughs and colds, or even major conditions like cardiovascular diseases and cancer). Also, chronically elevated levels of stress hormones make it difficult to manage weight. I am so sure that many people will emerge from the cold weather having gained a few kilos. I know many can relate!

Another piece of advice is to avoid excessive intake of sugar and flour. Flour is quickly converted into sugar in the body. Sugar inactivates or paralyzes macrophages, white blood cells responsible for engulfing invaders such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Studies have shown that ingesting 100 grams of sugar (in food or drink) can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by 40%, and the immune-suppressing effect can last up to 5 hours. This is very important because the choice of what to eat, and when to eat specific foods can determine whether the body can fight off invaders.

The third piece of advice is to eat a nutrient-dense diet. This greatly depends on choosing foods carefully – not always an easy task. It is often necessary to take extra supplements to bridge dietary gaps that invariably occur in the modern food supply. It is especially important to ensure high-quality supplements that provide Vitamins A, C, and D, which are important for the immune systems of mucous membranes that line the eyes, mouth, sinuses, airways, lungs, the entire gut, bladder as well as the skin. Also important are minerals such as zinc, magnesium, selenium, and iodine (to name a few).