Good Health Plan
This is the plan to use if you feel an illness coming on, or just before the cold and flu season in order to strengthen your body against the possibility of infection. It's also the plan for you if you suffer from niggling health problems such as migraine, arthritis or allergies.
About health and toxins
While this whole book is about improving health and body function, this plan tackles what most of us think of as 'health' -the ability to fight off germs and prevent other problems.
The ability to do this depends on having a strong, balanced immune system. The immune system has a number of elements. First are physical barriers like the skin, the tiny hairs within the nose and lungs (called cilia) and the lining of the stomach and bowel, all of which prevent bacterial entry to the body. Plus, the body has a second wave of defence: the white blood cells, which attack invading bacteria. These cells travel in the blood and lymphatic systems. If these systems are inhibited so is the immune system, and we succumb to germs.
Our immune systems break down for a number of reasons, and experts believe that toxins play a part. It's been shown that alcohol lowers the numbers of a white blood cell called a lymphocyte, making us more susceptible to infection. Similarly, our ability to fight infection is lowered for four hours after a hefty dose of sugar. Stress is different. At first, it boosts the immune system, but if prolonged it depresses immunity and resistance to infection.
Toxic overload can damage our barrier systems: cigarette smoke damages the cilia, for example. The good news is that caffeine doesn't seem to have any effect either way.
So, it's clear that reducing alcohol, sugar and stress in the run-up to a cold season is a good thing. The Good Health Plan shows you a number of positive ways to improve your immune system, which will help you stop catching every cough and cold around.
Immune-system problems
The most common problem our immune system faces is invading germs, but there are others. An over-active immune system begins to attack substances that are, to most people, harmless - this happens with allergies. Instead of ignoring house dust or pollen, the body registers it as an invader and attacks it, creating classic symptoms. A more serious problem are auto-immune diseases, in which the body mistakes its own cells for invaders and attacks them. A common example is rheumatoid arthritis, where white blood cells attack joint tissues, creating pain and inflammation.
The solution
If you do everything in the plan for two to three weeks prior to the onset of the cold and flu season (and during the event itself) it should help fight off ailments and ills effectively.