Is it all in the head? Are you born with a strong immune system to fight off disease? Can you do something about it, if you’re not? Anyway, what does it mean to have immunity? Well, a very simple explanation is that there are basically two types: active and passive immunity.

The definition of ‘immune’ is that your body is so strong and resistant to any disease that you will not succumb to it.

Active immunity is considered to be long-lasting and tends to be life-long. If you’re in this category then, whenever you’re exposed to a disease organism, your immune system will instantly start to produce antibodies to that disease. Furthermore, if you should come into contact with that disease in the future, your immune system will identify it and immediately fight it off with the stored antibodies.

Passive immunity is not inherent in your system. It is when you cannot produce enough antibodies to fight off disease, and get an external boost by injection, medication or nutritional supplements.

Healthy people with an active, innate immunity are usually referred to as being resistant to disease in general. The term immunity is usually applied to general protection against a specific organism. Even if you are generally healthy, you may from time to time need a boost in order to help fight off a virulent strain of a specific infection or virus. The more severe the disease producing organism, the more the passive immunity is applied.

The medical profession recommends boosting your inherent immunity with specific antibodies to fight off a potentially dangerous infection or virus.

A good digestion and healthy appetite are indicators of a strong immunity. “Getting better quickly is a better indicator of immune health,” says Dr Dennis Alexander, head of molecular immunology at the Babraham institute in Cambridge.

Immune globulin can be administered to provide immediate protection from specific health threats to those who have a severely impaired or suppressed immune system. For instance, some who may normally have fairly good resistance to disease suddenly realize that their system cannot handle the sudden onslaught of germs in the hospital.

Likewise, the body under stress, i.e. disease or sudden accident, is often not capable to fight off multiple vaccines in one shot.

Judging by the large numbers of people coping with disease, the human system is inherently fragile and cannot handle multiple onslaughts, like the ones discussed above.

Many believe that if you are generally healthy and look after your health, you will only have a mild version of what’s going around. “In truth, there’s no such thing as a normal immune system,” says Angus Dalgleish, professor of oncology at St George’s Hospital, London, who researches cancer vaccines. He says the system is naturally very variable.

The rise of allergies, auto-immune diseases (where the body attacks itself) and inflammatory bowel disease are all indicators of immune resistance performing under par.

Both types of acquired immunity respond to peptide sequences called antigens. Antigens help the acquired immune system recognize invading bacteria, viruses and other harmful organisms (pathogens).

Leftovers, non-organic foods, and foods laced with preservatives can severely tax the digestive system. This can, in turn, clog your circulation, and create a sluggish, compromised immune system.

Going to be late, working at night, irregular eating habits, sleeping during the day, and exposing the body to stress and fatigue can all affect the digestion and body rhythms and thus compromise your resistance.

Therefore, be good to yourself. Eating nutritiously and keeping an active, happy lifestyle will go a long way to boosting your immune system.

But you don’t need to suffer from this uncomfortable backing up of stomach acid that manifests as heartburn, regurgitation of stomach liquid and nausea. And you don’t need to resign yourself to taking a pill every day for the rest of your life to keep symptoms down.

I know what I’m talking about because my father had a major reflux problem caused by a surgery in which a bile duct was connected to his stomach instead of his intestine. For almost a year, he suffered for GERD that was so severe he threw up several times a day.

But eventually he discovered, quite by chance, that a simple supermarket apple made him feel better. He eventually determined how much apple and what kind of apple was the best to be consumed each day to keep all of his symptoms in check for good.

There are many other things that people with acid reflux can do to eliminate their symptoms. One of the most important things is to try to stop causing irritation and scratching of your esophagus, which will just make your acid problems worse.

Eating smaller meals is often helpful for people who have acid reflux. Some people recommend not drinking during a meal, since the liquid dilutes the acid and makes it easier for the acid to reflux. On the other hand, it’s a good idea to drink a glass of water after eating, because it helps cleanse the lower esophageal sphincter, which then closes up tighter, which means less acid will be able to get to your esophagus.

Cutting back coffee, alcohol and carbonated beverages, especially at meal times, are also good natural aids to eliminating acid reflux. It’s a good idea to cut back your coffee intake to just one cup a day, because coffee is acidic. If you do continue to drink coffee, drink a glass of water right after to clear away the acid.

One of the most important things you can do if you have GERD and you smoke is to quit smoking. Of course there are all sorts of wonderful reasons to quit smoking, but one that has to do with acid reflux is that smoking actually irritates your throat. What’s more, the chemicals in cigarettes cause your lower esophageal sphincter to relax, which allows even more fluid and other unpleasantness into your esophagus. Some people find that even quitting for just a couple of days is a big help for eliminating some of their irritation.

No one remedy works for everyone, but these ideas (plus tons of others in the Reflux Remedy Report) should get you back to feeling like your old self in no time.

One of the nation’s pre-eminent genetic researchers, Eric Hoffman, PhD, of Children’s Research Institute at Children’s National Medical Center, predicts that in relatively short order, medicine’s next innovation–individualized molecular therapies–will have the unprecedented ability to treat muscular dystrophies, and other disorders.

In the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Hoffman posits that the results of a small clinical trial involving a new treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy provides a proof-of-principle for personalized molecular medicine. Practical implementation of the ‘exon-skipping’ approach described in the co-published report of vanDeutekom et al. will require advances in systemic administration of large amounts of customized DNA-like drugs, and proof that long-term delivery is not toxic. However, these advances are likely to come in short order, with the oversight and regulations of the FDA critical for appropriate labeling and marketing of such personalized molecular target drugs.

Though this particular treatment remains in its early stages, within the foreseeable future the now-standard Phase I, II, and III pathway to drug approvals may need to be re-evaluated.

How can DNA-like drugs specific to a single patient’s mutation go through the existing approval process” Are the current standards of rodent and monkey toxicity studies relevant and appropriate for DNA-like drugs, when the animals do not have the same DNA target (or off-target) sequences as humans” These and other questions are certain to pose exciting challenges to both the approval and marketing processes of drugs.

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There are several factors that affect the metabolism of a person, such as the amount of muscle tissue, the frequency of the meals one consumes, genetics, the digestive system, stress levels, personal diet, and activity levels. Metabolism slows down due to the following: loss of muscle because of not enough physical activity, the tendency of the body to cannibalize its own tissue because there is not enough food energy to sustain it, and the decrease of physical activity that comes naturally with old age.

Here are several ways to fire up one’s metabolism:

1. Build up on lean, mean body mass. It is only natural that metabolism decreases along with age, but it is possible to counter the effects. The amount of muscle a person has is a very strong determinant in the ability to burn calories and shed fat. So it goes without saying that exercise is essential. Build strength and resistance by working out at least twice a week, preferably with weights. Do easy exercises in between workouts. Simple tasks such as walking the dog and using the stairs in place of the elevator can already take off calories. The key is to match the amount of eating to the amount of activity one has. Here are some guidelines in getting the right exercise:

For strength training

-Increase the amount of repetitions of a particular exercise.
-Add the level of resistance
-Utilize advance exercise techniques if possible

For cardiovascular training

-Insert intervals between exercises
-Perform cross-training and combine the exercises
-Add up on resistance and speed

2. Eat breakfast. A lot of people are ignoring the fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Surprisingly, the ones who eat breakfast are thinner than the ones who do not. Metabolism can slow down considerably if breakfast is taken during mid-morning or if one waits until the afternoon to eat.

3. Avoid sugar. Sugar enables the body to store fat. It is recommended that a person consumes food that helps sustain an even level of blood-sugar. Additionally, progressive exercise 2-3 times a week should be in order to stabilize blood sugar.

4. Eat spicy foods. Hot cuisine with peppers can increase metabolism.

5. Sleep more. According to research, it is riskier for people who do not get enough sleep to gain weight. Also, muscles are regenerated during the last couple of hours of slumber.

6. Increase water intake. Water flushes out toxins that are produced whenever the body burns fat. Majority of bodily functions involves water, and lack of water causes the body system’s operations to decrease its speed, and produces unneeded stress as a result.

7. Detoxify the digestive system. A clean and healthy digestive system not only helps the body to run more efficiently, it also gives you energy and helps you to crave healthier foods. This makes a cleansing program, such as Isagenix 9-Day Cleansing and Fat Burning System, a great way to jump-start a weight loss regimen.

8. Eat smaller meals. It is advisable to consume 4 to 6 small meals that are timed 2 to 3 hours apart.

9. Never skip meals. People tend to skip meals in order to lose weight, which is a big mistake since it slows down metabolism.

10. Plan meals in detail. Always prepare the right amount of food to be consumed at the designated intervals. Do not commit the mistake of eating meals in sporadic patterns.

11. Ditch the stress! Stress, be it physical or emotional, triggers the release of a steroid called cortisol, which decreases metabolism. Also, people tend to eat excessively when stressed.

12. Guzzle up on green tea. It can be used as a substitute for coffee. Tea has the ability to stimulate metabolism, and unlike coffee, it has no undesirable side effects when too much is consumed.

13. Include more energy foods in the diet, such as fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains.

Achieving the desired body weight is never impossible if one has the determination and patience needed to stabilize the metabolism level, which plays an important role in weight loss. A person needs to realize that eating right and working out is not just a passing fancy, but a way of life. Fighting cravings is hard for most of us.

Government experts are calling for more children to receive the pneumococcal vaccine, as new figures show its introduction is already saving lives.

A year after the rollout of the pneumococcal vaccine programme, 300 immunised children have avoided serious illnesses such as meningitis, septicaemia and severe pneumonia, a Department of Health analysis shows.

The department estimates that out of these 300 children, 17 would have died, and around 30 would have been left with permanent disabilities.

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Figures for the first month of this year’s campaign show 54.7% of over 65s were vaccinated, up from 34.2% last year and 48.9% in 2005/6 – the campaign with the highest overall uptake to date.

The impressive performance casts doubts on the Government’s desire to reform the way GPs order flu vaccines, indicating the blame for previous uptake problems lay firmly with delays in manufacture and distribution.

Uptake in at-risk individuals has nearly doubled since last year’s delay-hit campaign, stands at 28.5%, compared with 14.5% in 2006/7 and 25.0% in 2005/6.

The figures reflect the efforts of GPs to restore the momentum of the seasonal flu vaccination campaign after the problems of recent years.

Dr George Kassianos, RCGP immunisation spokesman, said: ‘The flu vaccine uptake for October is higher than the previous two years because of the hard work of the primary care teams.

‘Practices are well organised, vaccines are available to them, call systems are in place and many practices have carried out mass open-door immunisation sessions.’

 Read the full article here

Antioxidant vitamins such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E are very important to healthy skin because it is these vitamins that share in the responsibility of controlling the damage that free radicals byproducts of energy production within the body and of environmental contaminants such as air pollution produce. Among the several types of damage done by free radicals is the destruction of collagen and elastin which are fibers that support the skin and keeps it looking supple. As these are damaged wrinkles and a lack of that youthful firmness can occur. Vitamin C also plays a part in the production of collagen making it essential to the function and look of the skin. Recent studies have found that Vitamin C and E used together may help to repair sun-damaged skin.

Vitamin A has its own important role in skin health and beauty in addition to its anti-oxidant properties. In terms of diet even small deficiencies can negatively affect the skin causing flakiness and dryness. Dryness can make lines and wrinkles that are much more apparent. Its primary use however, is as a topical solution for the treatment of severe acne and the reduction of lines and wrinkles themselves. Recent research has showed that a topical solution that contains both Vitamin A and Vitamin C can in some cases reverse the damage done by the aging process and by sun-damage.

Deficiencies in the Vitamin B complex can leave the skin prone to cracking, bleeding and dangerous skin lesions that allow all kinds of bacteria, viruses and other contaminants to easily enter the body. But in terms of strictly cosmetic concerns even a little shortage of the Vitamin B complex can result in scaly and poorly textured skin. Topical preparations have been found to play an important role in the hydrating of skin cells leading to noticeably firmer and healthier looking skin.

Vitamin K has been found to relieve those awful dark circles under the eyes. Some research has found that creams made up of both Vitamin K and Vitamin A are more effective than those that just contain Vitamin K but researchers are still following up on these results.

Minerals important to the look and to the health of the skin include selenium, copper and zinc. Selenium whether used as a topical solution or taken in the form of a dietary supplement is thought to play a big role in the prevention of skin cancer. Copper, zinc and Vitamin C work together to form elastin which helps to support skin keeping it firm and healthy.

Topical solutions and dietary supplements can help to keep the skin healthy and youthful in appearance. However, it is important to recognize that these are powerful substances and using them within the standard guidelines of dosage is essential to good health. There is such a thing as too much of abusing such natural healing powers which could then result to a not so pretty sight. But when used correctly however, your skin can look better than ever.

Well, there is a way to get some exercise into your day and that way is to simply exercise at your desk. No, that was not a typo. Here is a little routine that you can do right at your desk. It doesn’t take up much time and while it will not make you a candidate for the next fitness competition, it will give your muscles enough work to stay firm.

Complete one set of each exercise in order. Do 10 to 20 repetitions of each exercise, and follow with 1 to 2 more sets in order if time permits it.

Chair crunch:

Sit tall in your chair with your feet flat on the floor. Begin to slowly round your upper back downward until you feel your abdominal muscles tighten. Hold for 3-5 seconds, and then return to the start position.

Squats:

Stand up in front of your chair. Sit back into a squat like you are sitting back down in your chair, keeping your weight on your heels and your knees behind your toes. When you are almost touching your chair with your butt, push yourself back to the standing position using your leg muscles.

Calf raises:

Stand in front of your desk and put your hands on the desk for balance. Lift yourself up onto the balls of your feet. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds, and then lower yourself back down to the floor.

Desk pushup:

Stand 4 to 5 feet away from your desk and put of your hands on the edge of the desk. Relax your lower body and using just your arms, lower your chest down toward the desk and stop when your chest is about 3 to 6 inches away from it. Then push yourself back up to the starting position again using only your arms.

Seated triceps lift backs:

Sit tall in your chair. Put your arms down at your sides with your palms facing forward. With your arms strait and elbows locked, slowly bring your arms up behind you until you feel your triceps muscles tighten. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then lower your arms back to the starting position.

Seated bicep curls:

Sit tall in your chair. Start with one arm down at your side, palm facing forward in a fist. Put your other hand over your fist and push against it for resistance while bringing your fist up toward your shoulder. Once your fist is close to your shoulder, lower it back down to the starting position maintaining constant resistance with the other hand throughout the entire movement. Complete all repetitions for that set, then switch sides and repeat.

After you have completed each exercise for the amount of repetitions and sets you can do, sit down and straighten your legs. Now gently reach for your toes until you feel you can’t go any further, hold for 10 seconds (do not bounce), then return to the starting position. Next, reach your arms out to your sides as far as you can. Keeping them fully extended, bring them slowly to the front and cross them over each other as far as you can. Hold for 10 seconds, and then return them to your sides. Now, reach your arms over your head as far as you can, hold for 10 seconds, and then return them to your sides.

Taking the time to do this simple but effective exercise routine at the office will help to keep you toned and you can do it even with the worst schedule possible because it can be done during your lunch break and still leave you enough time to eat your lunch.

Enjoy your workout.

A very key point to good stretching is to hold the stretch for at least seventeen seconds. This is a pearl of wisdom gleaned from a ballet teacher a few years back. She said that any stretch under 17 seconds was just not effective.

The 17 second rule is exceeded in the high intensity Bikram’s yoga where stretches are held for about 30 seconds. Don’t forget the high level of heat that is used in Bikram’s to extract that last little bit of stretch out of your muscles. An interesting twist that is not necessary to gain benefits from stretching. But, it can’t hurt, right?

So what kind of benefits can you expect from stretching? That’s an easy one. Have you ever seen the movie, Blood Sport? Did you know that Frank Dux could truly stretch his body to the extreme. The actor that played him was quite elastic as well.

Great elasticity is also something you might see in well trained Spetsnaz(Russian)agents. They often work out with Russian kettlebells too. They are for superior strength gains and the ability to withstand ballistic shocks.

Why are stretching and flexibility considered important to these people? Stretching gives one the ability to have explosive power available at one’s fingertips without the need to warm up. Of course most of us are not martial artists or agents. But, you’ll be happy to know there are plenty of other benefits.

Let me give you an example. After learning to sit in the full lotus position for long periods of time, my ankles became very flexible. One day I was walking along and my left foot fell into a pothole. This mishap pushed my ankle sideways to about 90 degrees from it’s normal position.

Amazingly, this didn’t even hurt, not one bit. If my ankle hadn’t been so flexible, I may have suffered a sprained ankle. At the very least, it would have hurt for days.

Key point: stretching helps us to avoid injuries. Not only that but if you do have a muscle, tendon or ligament injury it should heal faster, theoretically speaking.

Stretching actually grows the ligaments, tendons and muscles being stretched. They really grow longer over time. Check with your physician before undertaking any type of exercise, including stretching.

Aloe Vera is grown throughout the world, historically in drier tropical regions, and is used both for it’s aesthetic beauty and other purposes. It is mainly known as a treatment for the skin, applied to cuts, burns, eczema, etc. The gel contained within the plant is widely recognised as the best source of the healing properties. While modern science sometimes refutes the plant as having much medicinal value, it has been used throughout history, by ancient cultures all over the world and also by famous individuals. Nelson Mandela praises the plant and Christopher Columbus too (Aloe Health UK).

Aloe Vera contains enzymes that the body needs from foods, and a whole host of vitamins and minerals. It also contains plant steroids with analgesic, anti-inflammatory properties. In it’s raw form, parts of the plant also act as a powerful laxative. Those who support Aloe Vera believe in its use as a drink or foodstuff and not just as a source of chemicals for health products, though unfortunately the raw plant has a bitter taste and is best to be prepared with fruits.

Aloe is still hotly debated in medicinal circles. There is evidence both for and against its restorative powers. The main problem with testing the effectiveness of the plant in speeding the recovery of wounds is that one cannot wound a person beyond minor incisions for the sake of medical trial. Nevertheless the tributes of ancient people, folklore and mythology give hope to the idea of using the plant as a healing aid.