Last week’s Women’s Wellness Circle featured Shawn Nisbet as our guest presenter with a timely topic for fall; How to Strengthen Your Immune System.  As the allowable numbers for indoor gatherings in our geographic area only permitted a maximum of 10 people, I promised to write a summary of the information shared on the 22^nd.  So here is my attempt to share what actually would be a whole book of information and then provide a link for Shawn’s incredible resources.

What is your Immune System?

It is a collection of billions of cells that travel through your body via your bloodstream. The cells move in and out of tissues and organs defending the body against foreign (antigens), such as specific bacteria, viruses and cancerous cells that can make you ill.

The Main Parts of Your Immune System

• White blood cells
• Antibodies
• Lymphatic
• System
• Spleen
• Thymus
• Bone Marrow        
• Tonsils & adenoids
• Appendix   
• Peyer’s Patch
  
  

There are actually twenty-one different kinds of immune cells and each of them have numerous jobs to do to keep us healthy.

How Do We Strengthen Our Immune System?

• Don’t smoke.
• Manage your stress.
• Drink less alcohol.
• Sleep well.
• Exercise moderately, preferably outside.
• Spend more time outdoors, even in winter.
• Get more Vitamin D.
• Nourish your gut biome.
• Eat less sugar.
• Eat a healthy diet full of fruits, veggies and other plants.
• Eat less bad fats.
• Manage your weight.
• Breathe deep and relaxed through your nose.
• Stay hydrated.
• Wash your hands properly.
• Add important bio-available supplements to your daily diet.
  
  

This is a comprehensive list that we discussed in detail with statistics and tips to follow through.  Many that we already know, because we have heard them before and some are common sense.  Some have new findings to support a more thorough understanding which can motivate us to make new choices.

Taking It One Step at a Time

Taking a lot of information in can be intimidating, sometimes deterring us from taking action.  Shawn recommended that we each pick one thing that we are prepared to implement the next day.  Once we felt comfortable with that change, then we could add another step.

It was a fantastic evening and we had active discussions on many topics.  I encourage you to sign up for Shawn’s newsletter or peruse her website for recipes and ideas on health promotion. https://www.nutritionwithshawn.com/

Other incredible resources that I recommend are;

• Watch “Kiss the Ground Documentary” on Netflix or YouTube
• Any interview from Zach Bush, MD, including this one, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_EDQSp5ayU
  
  

So, let’s keep our dialog going, share your thoughts and let’s take this time to learn more about our brilliant bodies and how much they can support us when we support them. 

To your health and wellbeing,

Karen