Disease Prevention Articles

How to Strengthen Your Immune System Against Colds Naturally

Having a strong immune system is important in maintaining our physical well being. It protects you from all types of virus and bacteria that may cause infection and other health problems. Colds and flu are only two of the most common sickness that you can get if you have a weak immune system. It may sound ordinary, but it is quite common to find people suffering from colds and flu that don't seem to go away. Hence, before you experience major medical complications, it's wise to learn natural ways to keep your immune system healthy and well-balanced.

What should be included in your diet?

Eating the right food is the perfect answer to how you can strengthen your immune system. Although there's nothing wrong with sodas and fries, it's still advisable to minimize your consumption on such food and focus on the healthier ones. Green leafy veggies should be on top of your "what to eat" list. Be extra creative when cooking meals and learn different ways incorporate green leafy vegetables on your diet. It's advisable to consume at least one meal with such vegetables.

Don't forget dairy products, as well. Milk and yogurt are only dairy products you should consume. Yogurt does not only strengthen your immune system, but it also helps you regulate bowel movement. This means you will be keeping less toxic in your body if you will consume yogurt regularly. You should also eat enough fish or other protein-rich food to keep your body well-balanced.

Fruits can never be erased. This is the other option of those who don't want to eat vegetables, and if you're one of them, it's healthy to know that you should double or even triple your fruit intake. It also wise to eat it fresh or turned into shakes, as long as limit the glucose and other flavorings. Here's a list of the top vitamins that your immune system needs.

• Vitamin C - this increases the production of bacteria and virus-fighting agents in your body. Papaya, guava, kiwi, orange, grapefruit, and strawberries are the best fruit sources of Vitamin C.

• Zinc - zinc helps in the production of T-cells which also helps in fighting various types of virus. It also slows down cancer cell metastasis and tumor growth.

• Beta carotene - beta carotene is also helpful in fighting cancer cells and balancing the immune system. It also erases the compounds that can cause aging.

Healthy habits

Living a healthy life means keeping in mind a good set of healthy habits. It may be challenging to follow all of it, but every small step can go a long way. Other healthy habits, on the other hand, sound too conventional that you may not consider it. But believe it or not, paying enough attention to such practices is a great way to spare you from cough, flu, and other health problems. Here's a shortlist of it.

• Wash your hands, especially before and after eating
• Consume enough water
• Have enough sleep
• Regular workout
• Stay happy and stress-free
• Give yourself a full-body massage

What should you avoid?

A right diet is not a license that you can already keep your bad practices. Aside from eating the right food and maintaining healthy habits, you should also know the things to avoid. This will balance all the changes you want to make. Aside from that, it will also spare you from diversified health problems.

I'm talking about unhealthy practices like, smoking, drinking, or doing drugs. All these three have negative effects to your overall health. It also weakens your immune system especially if you're doing it excessively. Drinking alcoholic liquids and smoking can be present in occasional parties, but having it a part of your daily life is a no-no. As for drugs, it's highly advisable to completely avoid it.

Extra facts you may not know

Apart from diet and habitual actions, there are more natural ways to strengthen your immune system. Making love is one of it. You read that right, having sex a couple of times a week was proven effective in increasing your immunoglobin A. this is an antibody that fights colds and flu. Eating garlic is also another way to strengthen your body. It has anti-microbial properties that blocks infections.

Heart Awareness: Do You Need a Cardiac Stress Test?

You may have heard of your friends, family or coworkers having a cardiac stress test done, but do you know what that means or measures?  A cardiac stress test measures how well your heart is able to perform when it is under physical stress and it is used to help diagnose heart problems.

While February was Heart Awareness Month, every month is important to take care of your heart.  That's why the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute list some of the following reasons why you may need a cardiac stress test:

• You have experienced symptoms of reduced blood flow to the heart, including shortness of breath and chest pains.
• You have arrhythmia symptoms during exercise, including a fluttering sensation in the chest, irregular heartbeat or feeling faint.
• You have shortness of breath without chest pain following exercise.

Heart Awareness Month: Obesity and Your Heart Disease Risk

It's a well-known fact that being overweight increases your chance of being at risk of a number of chronic diseases, including high blood pressure, stroke, and cardiovascular disease.  But research shows that even a small amount of weight loss can lessen your risk of falling victim to these deadly diseases.

Research also shows that, unfortunately, eating just 100 more calories a day than you should, can cause your body weight to be in the obese category and not just the overweight category.

To determine whether or not you are overweight or obese, use a BMI Calculator.  A BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight; a BMI between 30 and 39.9 is considered obese.  If your BMI is greater than 25 and you are older than 30 years old, you should strongly consider losing weight to reduce your risk of heart disease and other life-threatening conditions.

Thyroid 101

It's only the size of your thumb, but your thyroid controls three main aspects of your life - your waistline, your mood and your energy level.  Located between the voice box and the collar bone, and wrapped around your windpipe, your thyroid helps to control your energy levels.  The gland, shaped like a butterfly, pumps out a hormone that regulates both your metabolism and body temperature.  It also works with nearly every system in your body to help keep you on your toes : both mentally and physically.  But, thyroid disorders are on the rise and of the 25 million Americans with thyroid disorders, the majority is female.

Fortunately, we can check ourselves to make sure that our thyroid is the proper size, as an enlarged thyroid may mean that you are producing too much or too little hormone. You should do this self-test once every two months:

1. Hold a mirror in front of you and focus your gaze on the lower front area of your neck, right above your collarbone.

2. Tilt your head back, moving the mirror along with you.

3. Take a medium-size sip of water.

4. As you swallow, watch your thyroid area, checking for any unusual bulges or protrusions. (Note: Don't confuse your thyroid with your Adam's apple, which is farther up.)

5. If you see anything suspicious, go to your doctor.