Archive for the ‘Immune System’ Category
When Pets Take Care of You
There’s no doubt about it-pets cheer people up. They wait by the door for you to get home, they cuddle with you at night and, if you’ll let them, they’ll even share a meal with you.
But can pets actually work as an immune system booster? Many would say that they can, and they do. Research conducted on ill hospital patients and pet-therapy dogs shows that visiting with animals can: relieve depression and loneliness, provide distraction from pain and illness, and reduce symptoms induced by stress.
When someone is under a great amount of stress, it can lead to a weakened immune system, and if you are a cancer patient, for example, you want all the immunities your can get.
Pets can also take part in helping accident victims through the trying period of rehabilitation. Brushing your dog or cat’s coat, or playing fetch with your pup can work as low impact muscle exercise important to a full recovery.
Burn Off That Holiday Fat!
- Image by sirwiseowl via Flickr
During the holidays most of us manage to pack on a few extra pounds, because we like to enjoy ourselves when we are socializing with our friends and family members. Who can pass up those especially delicious desserts that are served up to celebrate the holidays? After the holiday feasting we need to take effective action to remove the weight we have added during the holidays. Amazingly enough we can achieve our goal of returning to our pre-holiday weight without resorting to drastic measures. Aerobic exercise is generally one of the means folks can employ to take off some of the fat they packed on during the holidays. For seniors walking or bicyling are fine exercises, but it turns out that walking or biking using the interval training approach provides a more rapid amount of fat-burning. In the interval training approach folks walk or bike a nearly their fastest pace for about 2 minutes and then walk at a slower pace for 3 minutes. This interval training type of walking apparently increases the amount of fat-burning enzymes. Compared with straight brisk aerobic walking or biking at about 70% of maximum heart rate, interval walking or biking folks lost nearly nine times as much fat and the fat-burning effects lasted for 24 hours. This is good news for seniors who are trying to take preemptive aging steps to enhance their senior health by participating in cardiovascular activities.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=a6b9df21-cf34-460c-959b-347387eadc59)
Vitamin K Aids Seniors’ Hearts and Bones
- Image via Wikipedia
When vitamin K was discovered back in 1929 it was initially believed to be required to insure healthy blood clotting. Only recently in the last ten years have other areas been researched that reveal that vitamin K has important contributions for bone and vascular health, apoptosis of cancer cells, immune support and suppression of chronic inflammatory factors. As we age one of the pathological processes that occurs is the calcification of tissues in the body. The risk of heart attacks is increased by arterial calcification. Vitamin K performs two important functions that benefit senior health. It regulates the calcium balance so that the calcium goes to our bones and not to our arteries. The good news is that vitamin K can assist in reversing arterial calcification which contributes to cardiovascular disease. In trials ingesting a higher amount of vitamin K reduced coronary artery disease by over 55%.
Vitamin K is found in two forms, K1 and K2. Foods such as organ meats, eggs and dairy provide K2. K1 is found in green leafy vegetables. The K2 in foods is much more easily absorbed into our system than is K1. Fortunately for seniors supplements containing both vitamin K1 and K2 are available at affordable prices. A caution for folks who are on anticoagulant drugs; they need to work with their physicians to achieve the optimal therapeutic INR range between the drugs and vitamin K. In conclusion vitamin K has been shown to assist getting the calcium into the bones which stops the slide into osteoprorosis. In the trials used to evaluate fracture risk vitamin K reduced hip fractures by over 70%.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=a106c318-35ca-4a0c-95be-18de2076f0f3)
Dynamic Combo Defeats Atherosclerosis
- Image via Wikipedia
The nutrition health literature is full of reports about the health benefits of drinking green tea. The polyphenols in green tea are known to contribute to cardiovascular health. Olive oil which is used in the Mediterranean diet is known to contribute to preventing cardiovascular disease. In a recent study olive oil and green tea polyphenols were used in lab tests to study the heart healthy effects of olive oil versus the effects of combining olive oil with green tea polyphenols. Earlier research had shown that consuming extra-virgin olive oil raised the level of the beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL) which benefits cardiovascular health by removing potentially harmful cholesterol from the bloodstream. Olive oil is known to produce a second heart healthy effect which is the reduction of lipid peroxidation.
In the study olive oil increased the removal of cholesterol by more than 40%. When the extra-virgin olive oil was combined with the green tea polyphenols the cholesterol removal was increased by more than 135% compared with a placebo. In terms of reducing atheriosclerosis, olive oil by itself reduced the size of the atherioschlerotic lesions by more than 10% and the dynamic combo of olive oil and green tea polyphenols achieved a 20% reduction.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=d00b09ed-0e3a-4f73-bdf6-829374b44079)
Seniors Need More Vitamin B-12
- Image via Wikipedia
Recent research has identified a serious vitamin B-12 deficiency among many seniors. The researchers estimated that as many as 40% of Americans have low levels of vitamin B-12. Making matters worse some of the drugs used to reduce stomach acid tend to increase the deficiency. In fact more than 20% of seniors over the age of 65 suffer from severe B-12 deficiency. Unfortunately the symptoms of B-12 deficiency may go undetected, because they are subtle. B-12 deficiency has been identified as a link to age-related dementia, cognitive impairment, and depression. Even mild B-12 deficiency may be a contributor to Alzheimer’s disease. Getting adequate B-12 in their diet is obviously a preemptive aging measure that will contribute to senior health.
On the positive side B-12 plays a critical role in breaking down homocystene that contributes heavily to the development of a number of chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, and rheumatoid arthritis. It turns out that B-12 works synergistically with folic acid to reduce high levels of homocystene. Getting absorption of adequate amounts of B-12 can be a problem for seniors, because of changes in the stomach linings of seniors. This absorption problem means that eating foods that contain B-12 such as meat, milk, and eggs will not help. Taking oral supplements of B-12 may not succeed either, because it is not adequately absorbed. Taking B-12 by injection has its own limitations. Two other approaches offer hope for achieving adequate absorption by seniors. B-12 can be taken sublingually or by one of the newer oral supplements.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=e65cc69d-d18a-4c46-b344-716163dd14d1)
Black Tea Aids Healthy Blood Sugar Levels
- Image via Wikipedia
The health literature is full of glowing reports about the many health benefits of drinking green tea, but what about the other tea, black tea? It turns out that it can provide a number of health benefits, too. Both types of tea contain polyphenols that are generally regarded as the substance that has been source of the teas’ historic ability to alleviate a wide range of medical ailments. Recent university research on nutrition reported that the polysccharides from black tea might moderate the spike in sugar levels that typically follow a meal. This report is good news for folks who are struggling to manage pre-diabetes or diabetes.
The researchers studied three types of tea including black, green, and oolong tea. All three were rich in polysaccharides, but they discovered that the black tea’s polysaccharides had a unique feature that made it better suited to support the body’s own function that reduces the spike in glucose levels in the blood after a meal. The lower molecular weight of the black tea’s polysaccharides is suspected to be the cause of its enhanced ability to lower the post meal spike in the glucose levels. Based on this research black tea has the potential to provide a natural glucose inhibitor against diabetes that will be a genuine benefit to senior health. For seniors drinking black tea after meals can provide a preemptive aging effect against diabetes.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=ecee5bb9-7072-467c-a33e-6f2cceaecc2d)
Nothing Fishy About This Healthy Food!
- Image via Wikipedia
For seniors who are concerned about eating foods that are healthy for them this particular food is a real powerhouse. It is just loaded with nutritional benefits including protein, potassium, coenzyme CoQ10, and a long list of other nutritional winners that energize senior health. It is one of the very best sources of the heart-healthy omega-3 oils that benefit the heart and the circulatory system as a first line of defense against cardiovascular disease. Additional advantages include providing anti-inflamatory benefits and nourishing healthy skin. Seniors who are concerned about maintaining healthy bones can depend on it, because it is rich in vitamin D and calcium.
The key to its anti-aging power resides in its rich source of anti-aging proteins called nucleotides that help our bodies repair and rebuild tissues. These nucleotides provide a substantial immune system boost as well. Foods that are rich in nucleotides include brewer’s yeast, anchovies, and oysters, but the food that is number one in anti-aging nucleotides is sardines. This is good news for seniors who are concerned about improving their health by eating the foods that have both high nutritional value and strong anti-aging benefits. The genuine sardines are caught in the Mediterranean waters. They make a tasty snack when served with lemon juice and olive oil according to the preferences of the folks consuming them.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=6d87b15e-8d4d-4406-b53b-799de739b470)
Strengthen Immune System
Most of us are all conscious of staying healthy enough to perform our responsibilities well. With flu season upon us, it is time to start taking extra measures to ensure our health. One of the best ways to do this is by taking supplements and medications when are first starting to feel sick, so we can get better quickly.
An immune system boost can be achieved by paying attention to these factors:
~A balanced, healthy diet
~Regular exercise and adequate sleep
~Vitamin and mineral supplementation
~Periodic medical checkups
The Top Foods To Boost Immune System
- Image via Wikipedia
With the imminent arrival of winter, folks have major health concerns about contracting colds and the flu, especially the H1N1 flu. Instead of waiting until a cold or the flu has already arrived and is causing illness, why not take preemptive measures before any respiratory infection occurs. It turns out that a number of common foods can provide an immune system boost. More than a dozen are included among the top immune system booster foods. For breakfast orange juice and oatmeal are first class contributors to a healthy immune system. The oats are a source of beta glucans an immunity system booster and orange juice supplies more than the daily requirement for vitamin C. Pouring milk fortified with vitamin D over the oatmeal will provided additional strength to the immune system to prevent upper respiratory infections. To provide further protection drink a cup of black tea and continue through the day, because black tea builds up your immune system’s T cells into super T cells that end up successfully fighting flu and cold infections.
Later in the day you can snack on yogurt that has been fortified with Lactobacillus acidophilus as well as Bifidus and L. rhamnosus, because they appear to stimulate the white-blood cells that fight infection. For lunch make sure that you include chicken soup several times a week, because it thins mucus and relieves the symptoms of a stuffy nose. By adding garlic and onions you can increase the immune boosting strength of the soup. The allicin in garlic is a strong bacteria fighter. For dinner a soup of clam chowder or oyster stew will provide selenium that helps the white blood cells fight viruses. For the main course make certain to include some fish like salmon, mackerel or herring in order to get the benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids that boost the activity of the cells that eat up the bacteria. For dessert a slice of pumpkin pie with black tea can round out the day. The pumpkin contains abundant vitamin A that will combine with zinc from the shellfish like oysters to fight infection.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=faf2e45a-49b1-4c83-86d6-faaaeff42389)
A Positive Attitude Is Healthy
- Image by ziga-zaga via Flickr
The list of preemptive aging remedies is long, but one obvious remedy is frequently overlooked. Most seniors know about the importance of eating healthy foods, frequently engaging in exercise, and taking supplements including vitamins and minerals designed for seniors. It turns out that a fourth category that can contribute mightily to fostering a healthy life is attitude. A negative, pessimistic attitude does not contribute to a healthy life, but a positive, optimistic attitude does contribute to a healthy life especially for senior health.
A number of studies have provided hard evidence that fostering a positive attitude promotes a healthy life. In one eight year study of nearly 100,000 women, the optimists reduced their risk of heart attacks by more than 15%. In an earlier study of about 1000 elderly folks in the Netherlands found a lower risk of death from heart disease among the optimists. The contrary was found to be true for the pessimists. In a long term 30 year study at the Mayo Clinic that tracked more than 800 patients the pessimists showed a 19% greater risk of an early death compared with the optimists. Researchers have not found a specific mechanism for optimism, because it takes different forms. In one form optimists do not dwell on life’s setbacks, but cultivate expectations of a positive future. Another form of optimism is manifested by folks who maintain a can-do attitude in the face of obstacles. Cultivating an optimistic, positive attitude toward life appears to provide an immune system boost that is vital for healthy senior living.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=c5b12a24-9ba3-4e68-b817-acbbb76ca8fe)