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There is a health care crisis in this country to which most people agree is complicated and lacks easy solutions. Costs are spiraling. We appear to be fighting a losing war against a variety of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, arthritis, AIDS, diabetes, and so on.
A rise in allergic and toxic hypersensitivities appears to be occurring. Clinical ecology is a growing area which is sometimes referred to as ecological medicine. This is based on the premise that the patient is allergic to almost everything environmentally. Sadly, iatrogenesis (medically induced illness) is responsible for nearly one-third of all hospitalizations.
Can we consciously overcome some of these seemingly huge obstacles? The answer is more of a yes than a no. There is no magic wand to end environmental toxins, or disease. However, we can take a personal proactive position. We can recognize that life is not only biochemistry, but includes the power of our minds, emotion and spirit where we can direct our energies toward a desired goal: a healthy immune system.
It’s Your Choice
Life is full of choices. Victims often consciously or subconsciously choose to let others control their circumstances. Excellent health may be no exception to this idea.
We can have a tremendous physiologic impact on our immune system through nutrition, lifestyle, and attitude. By making informed choices we can avoid becoming a victim as we strengthen, rather than impair our immune system.
You’ve heard it all. “In order to be healthy, stay away from fat. Eat lean. Eat fruits and vegetables, drink fluids, take vitamins and exercise.” In our complicated world this sounds “as easy as pie.”
Okay. It is “as easy as pie”. You decide to go on a little shopping spree to buy your arsenal in hopes of combating the obvious plethora of toxic insults and/or microbes. Walking into a health food store, you become a child in candy-land struck with an endless array of vitality promises. Everywhere there are vitamins, minerals, herbs, homeopathic remedies, enzymes, antioxidants, amino acids, seaweed, green stuff, roots, powders, liquids, teas (curing every ailment), special organic fruits, detoxifying formulas, and edibles you’ve never heard of.
Where do you start? How do you choose the right supplements? What is really in them? How does the immune system work? What is the story on weight loss? Do vitamins really work to prevent illness and promote health?
These are some of the questions which will be addressed in this manual which is designed to help one strengthen the immune system in the late 1990’s and beyond. In addition, an overview of some helpful diet therapies, benefits of exercise, nutritional supplementation, allergies, and diagnostic tests will also be discussed. Finally aspects of psychoneuroimmunology a new frontier, will be touched upon.
It is the hope that nurses and their patients will be able to benefit from the information contained, as a strong immune system can make a difference between health or sickness. An enhanced immune system might even make a difference between life and death.
Enhancing the immune system is an area in which this writer believes more research and more pro-activity is needed. As we move towards the next century and witness the evolution of microbes and their growing resistance to the established drug therapies of this century, we will most likely need to have the tools to make healthy choices daily. At this point, one can at least avoid known toxins while adding beneficial nutritional supplements.
Signs and symptoms of toxicity appears to be growing which can be immunologically damaging. Maybe we cannot fix our environment immediately, however we can have a tremendous impact in our own personal health choices and, for those we care about as we move forward in time.