Keeping healthy

Hi guys,

Curious what you guys recommend to stay healthy? By healthy i mean flu and cold free.

Since moving to Pretoria in 2011 I have the worst time with colds and flu each winter. The addition of 3 girls into the family sure didn't help as they are germ carriers of the worst kind.

This year I thought to try the flu vaccine route, got the normal flu vaccine as well as pneumo vac to prevent all the chesties. Got the shot on the Saturday and by Monday sick as a dog and cant get rid of it. Varies between sinus infection and bronchitus.

Tried every kind of multi-vit, natural oil etc with no luck. Am I only unlucky or is there similar experiences out there? And if you are one of the superheroes with an immune system that's bullet proof please share some tips if you have.

Affecting my training and recovery due to all the bloody antibiotics as well.

Cheers guys.

food allergies can add to that as well... i always had the same problem.... cut out some dairy... mainly milk and i don't really get sick anymore...

a good Vit C is "The Real Thing - Ester C" , check at dischem. that and trying to keep your body's acidic levels low helps ( some people think its BS, i find it works).... so lots of greens and stuff

Getting a VitB12 and B complex shot every second week as well, 1ml each to try and keep nasties away but no luck.

Any specific target for low acid levels and how to monitor Demolish?

you should be able to monitor it with a pH test ,You can test your pH levels by using a piece of litmus paper in your saliva or urine first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything.. not too sure if you can get it at dischem. The ideal range is 7.30 to 7.45. and the levels shouldn't really be out of that range otherwise something is very wrong. I know if blood ph level are acidic its bad.

do some research on google for what food are more alkaline to give you an idea

Kids + Winter = guaranteed flue

Its the other kids in the school that's the issue

haha true that Oupa, daar word geen hande gewas by n kleuterskool nie, net soos in die gym haha :blink:

Demolish wrote: haha true that Oupa, daar word geen hande gewas by n kleuterskool nie, net soos in die gym haha :blink:

Die werklike rede is ouers wat siek kinders skool toe stuur. Snot hande is maar net die manier hoe die kieme oorgedra word.

Bulrider76 wrote: This year I thought to try the flu vaccine route, got the normal flu vaccine as well as pneumo vac to prevent all the chesties. Got the shot on the Saturday and by Monday sick as a dog and cant get rid of it. Varies between sinus infection and bronchitus.

Tried every kind of multi-vit, natural oil etc with no luck. Am I only unlucky or is there similar experiences out there? And if you are one of the superheroes with an immune system that's bullet proof please share some tips if you have.

I give the entire family a flu shot every March/April when they come out and this year's has been the most successful thus far. I think the trick is to take the flu shot before you get any flu.

Demolish wrote: haha true that Oupa, daar word geen hande gewas by n kleuterskool nie, net soos in die gym haha :blink:

If you're not washing hands / showering directly after lifting, you are a fool.

Haha agreed. I wash my hands twice after gym... got sick last month for first time in around 3 years. (Only missed one day though :lol: )

Few people understand the basics of cold/'flu virus transmission. I'm no expert, but there are many medical studies suggesting that avoiding touching your face can significantly reduce your risk of getting colds/'flu

WHAT IS HEALTH?

What is health to you? To some it means not being sick, some say it’s being able to do what they want to do. Some equate health with energy, and some say health is long life. To me, health is not just the absence of diseases, but it should also mean a life full of energy and vitality

But where does energy or vitality comes from within us? We learned in school about cells and mitochondria within our cells which are the power source that gives us that energy. Our body is made up of about 100 trillion cells which need to be treated with care in order for us to always have that energy supply. We should treat our body as 100 trillion cells and not just as flesh, blood and bones.

There are many of these within one single cell. This is the power source of our energy.By knowing this, we now have a choice of how we want to grow old. We can choose whether to grow to 70 but feel and look like 50; or we can choose to grow to 50 but feel and look like 70 (assuming you’re not there yet).

Having said that, I want to tell you that there is no such thing as aging. There is only the degeneration of our cells — either our cells are damaged or they die prematurely because of our ignorance and careless eating.

What we put into our body causes our cells to die. It could be from the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, and the food that we eat that are choking and killing our cells. Even prolonged emotional stress can cause havoc in our body.

Our reckless lifestyle causes our cells to die due to toxins, acidic environment and oxidation. If only we know how to feed our cells correctly, we can prolong the lifespan of our cells to keep our body looking and feeling young. How do we do that, you ask? Read on …



CELLS DEGENERATION

Most diseases start from a simple inflammation or a discharge that you would ignore.
Then you start feeling fatigue, constipated, have a headache, or lower backache or even simple skin blemishes. These are all signs of the beginning of your poor health. If at this stage, you start to realize and take action and start eating and living healthy, there might yet be hope that your problem may be reversed.

When the doctor tells you that you have high-blood pressure or cholesterol, or you have asthma or worse, tumors, you would know that you are at Stage 3 where you chronically encounter very poor and weak health.

HOW OUR CELLS DIE

When we take too much acid-forming (harmful) foods, it creates an acidic environment in our body that causes cells to die. When the cells die, our body becomes even more acidic and it creates a perfect environment for bacteria and parasites to breed and diseased cells to spread.

Then we fall sick and we see the doctor who prescribes more acid-forming drugs. The drugs will create other side effects because our body is already acidic. It becomes a cycle and it goes on and on until our body starts to break down and degenerative diseases set in.

We need to break the cycle by cutting out on the harmful foods as much as possible and feeding our cells with proper nutrients. Our 100 trillion cells basically need only four very important factors to stay healthy and happy. If we take the trouble to adhere to these four factors, we can be sure that our happy cells will keep us energetic and generally healthy.

BACK TO BASICS

1. Waste Elimination

First and foremost, we need to reduce our intake of harmful foods. If you want to correct a health condition, then you will have to cut out the harmful foods totally. It is not going to be easy, but you cannot continue to feed your body with junk and expect it to heal.

There is no drug in the world that can heal your condition. Your body was made to self-heal so you need to give it a chance to heal by itself. But your body cannot self-heal as long as it is still full of toxins from the harmful foods you have ingested over the years. This is where detox comes in.

There are many ways to detox, but whatever detox program you choose to do, always ensure that the products are safe and natural. You can try juice fasting, or just go on total fast for a few days to let your body rest and detox and heal. When doing a detox program, always drink plenty of water to flush out the toxins.

Cleansing the colon is an important part of detoxification. Cleansing with herbal fiber is a gentler approach and requires more patience, but provides a thorough and highly effective colon cleanse. Most fiber cleanses take from 2-3 weeks to reach maximum efficacy; but the wait is often worth the result.

For extreme cases, one has to consider doing a colonics. A congested colon (constipation is a symptom) may be carrying as much as 10-25 pounds (or more) of dried fecal matter in it. This is the perfect environment for bacteria to breed and they multiply by the millions every day. A congested colon leads to an overall unclean blood that is toxic and harmful to your 100 trillion cells which will quickly dwindle in number from damage.

2. Oxygen

One of the basic needs of our cells is oxygen — clean, fresh air. Proper detox helps clean up your colon and liver that in turn encourages cleaner blood in circulation. One of the functions of our blood cells is to carry oxygen, water and nutrients to our entire body.

We have heard this often enough — exercise is so important. Exercise enables our heart to pump blood and encourages blood circulation throughout our body. When blood circulates, it stirs up stagnant blood which otherwise would cause a host of health problems.

Deep breathing is also therapeutic. Take a walk outside, early in the morning when the air is still fresh and do deep breathing exercise. This alone does wonders and helps provide energy that can last you for hours.

3. Water

I can’t stress enough the importance of drinking enough water. Our dehydrated cells can’t talk, but they give signals to our body through pain. When they are dehydrated, they cause pain and when we give them enough water, most of these pains would just go away.

Don’t just say that you’re drinking plenty of water. Check if you are drinking enough. I recommend drinking the purest form of water, distilled water. Hard water and so-called mineral water will deposit inorganic elements in your body that your body cannot assimilate, thus treated as toxins. And finally ….

4. Nutrients

Nutrients is what this site is all about. Once you have done proper detox and eliminating unhealthy food from your diet, taking sufficient water and exercise everyday, then you feed your cells with proper nutrients from live food.

Our bodies have been deprived of nutrients for most part of our lives because of “modern day diet” that consists of processed foods that are high in fat and low in fiber and nutrition. I have found that juicing is the most effective and fastest way to get the nutrients to our deprived cells.

When we talk about holistic nutrition, they should include:

Amino acids (protein)
Complex carbohydrates
Essential fatty acids (EFAs)
Vitamins
Minerals and trace minerals
Phytonutrients
Anti-oxidants
Bio-flavonoids
Chlorophyll
Enzymes
Fiber
Healthy colon flora (friendly bacteria)

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Sauna Treatments have helped me huge in fighting off colds and flu.

Much has been made of the health benefits of sauna bathing. With good reason. Physically, nothing is more reinvigorating than a deep, healthy sweat every day. Tension fades. Muscles unwind. Mentally, we emerge relaxed, revived and ready for whatever the day may bring.

A few minutes a day is all it takes to look and feel better. The body’s response to gentle, persistent heat is well-documented and proven day in and out by people all over the world. Which is why more and more doctors are recommending its purifying benefits.

Ten key health & wellness benefits

1. Saunas relieve stress.
2. Saunas relax muscles and soothe aches/pains in both muscles and joints.
3. Saunas flush toxins.
4. Sauna cleanses the skin.
5. Saunas can induce a deeper sleep.
6. Saunas bring about recreational and social benefits.
7. Saunas improve cardiovascular performance.
8. Saunas burn calories.
9. Saunas can help fight illness.
10. Saunas just feel good.

1. Saunas relieve stress.
Not surprisingly, sauna bathers most frequently cite stress reduction as the number one benefit of sauna use. Medical studies often determine that stress in our daily lives can negatively affect our health. In fact, the vast majority of disease (i.e. heart disease) is at least partially stress-related. Heat bathing in a sauna provides stress relief in a number of ways. It’s a warm, quiet space without any distractions coming from the outside. As we like to say, "Step into a Finnleo sauna, and close the door on the rest of the world." The heat from the sauna relaxes the body's muscles, improves circulation and stimulates the release of endorphins. Endorphins are the body’s all-natural "feel good" chemical, and their release provides a truly wonderful "after sauna glow.”.

2. Saunas relax muscles and soothe aches/pains in both muscles and joints.
Under the high heat provided by a sauna, the body releases endorphins (see health and wellness benefit #1). Endorphins can have a mild, enjoyable "tranquilizing effect" and the ability to minimize the pain of arthritis and muscle soreness other from, say, an intense physical workout. Body temperature also rises from the heat of the sauna.. This causes blood vessels to dilate, therefore increasing blood circulation. This increased blood flow in turn speeds up the body’s natural healing process via soothing aches and pains and/or speeding up of the healing of minor bruises or cuts. After participating in physical sports, use the heat and/or steam of a sauna to promote muscle relaxation by helping to reduce muscle tension and eliminate lactic acid and/or other toxins that may be present.

3. Saunas flush toxins.
Many - if not most - of us do not actively sweat on a daily basis. Deep sweating, however, has multiple proven health benefits. Benefits derived from a deep sweat can be achieved via regular sauna bathing.Due to the heat of a sauna, the core body temperature begins to rise. The blood vessels then dilate, causing increased blood flow (see above). As heat from the blood begins to move toward the skin's surface, the body’s nervous system then sends signals to the millions of sweat glands that cover the human body. As the sweat glands become stimulated, they produce sweat. Sweat production is primarily designed to cool the body, and is composed of 99% water. However, deep sweating in a sauna can help reduce levels of lead, copper, zinc, nickel, mercury and chemical - which are all toxins commonly absorbed just from interacting with our daily environments.There is no shortage of books from Doctors and practitioners, who describe the benefits of detoxifying our bodies regularly. As many doctors will agree, a big reason for the popularity of saunas is that they are one of the best ways to detoxify our bodies.

4. Sauna cleanses the skin.
Heat bathing is one of the oldest beauty and/or health strategies in terms of cleansing one's skin. When the body begins to produce sweat via deep sweating, the skin is then cleansed and dead skin cells are replaced - keeping your skin in good working condition.Sweating rinses bacteria out of the epidermal layer and sweat ducts. Cleansing of the pores has been shown to improve the capillary circulation, while giving the skin a softer-looking quality. Dr. Ben H Douglas, a professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and author of "Ageless: Living Younger Longer,” attests that "Sweating is a way of energizing the skin almost the way exercising a muscle energizes it.” He goes on to explain that, when you sweat, the rush of fluid to the skin "bathes skin cells with a liquid rich in nutrients,” which "fills in the spaces around the cells” and even "plumps up" tiny wrinkles. He also mentions that the nutrients and minerals in sweat "are essential to maintaining the collagen structure of the skin.” Bathing skin in sweat on a fairly regular basis, therefore deters collagen breakdown that can ultimately result in wrinkles and sags. By continually flushing body waste through individual cells, one eventually brings back vitality, tone and a healthy glow to the skin. Sauna usage is certainly not a cure for acne, but it can very often help - due to the deep cleansing it provides from a deep sweat (that is, cleaning the pores from the very inside out - instead of just cleaning the top of the skin).

5. Saunas can induce a deeper sleep.
Research has shown that a deeper, more relaxed sleep can result from sauna use. In addition to the release of endorphins (see above), body temperatures, which become elevated in the late evening,fall at bedtime. This slow, relaxing decline in endorphins is key in facilitating sleep. Numerous sauna bathers worldwide recall the deep sleep experiences that they feel after bathing the the calming heat of a sauna.

6. Saunas bring about recreational and social benefits.
While the social benefit is rarely talked about, it's really actually quite important. The sauna can be a private, personal area of relaxation and solitude. However, it can just as easily be a relaxing environment for socializing with family, friends and soon-to-be friends. The sauna room environment is conducive to open, intimate and quiet conversation.

7. Saunas improve cardiovascular performance.
In the high temperatures of a traditional or infrared sauna, skin heats up and core body temperature rises.In response to these increase heat levels, the blood vessels near the skin dilate and "cardiac output" increases. Medical research has told us that the heart rate can rise from 60-70 bpm (beats per minute) to 110-120 bpm in the sauna (140-150 with more intensive bathing), and can often sink to below normal after the cooling off stage. With regular sauna useage, we not only train our heart muscles and improve the heart rate/cardiac output, but we also help the body's regulatory system.Even more cardiovascular conditioning takes place when the sauna bathing is taken in multiple "innings”, with sessions in the sauna separated by a cool shower or a quick dip into a cool pool or lake. Each time you rapidly change temperature (from hot to cool or vice-versa), your heart rate increases by as much as 60%, which is very comparable to the increase experienced during moderate exercise..

8. Saunas burn calories.
Outlandish claims are often made by some sauna sellers (primarily those who sell infrared saunas) to promote saunas as an end-all weight loss tool. While some individuals may experience high amounts of calorie burn at first - particularly those individuals in poor shape to begin with - over the long term, saunas are simply treated as one of many tools in our arsenal when it comes to burn additional calories.The sweating process itself requires a notable amount of energy. That energy is derived from the conversion of fat and carbohydrates in a bodily process that burns up calories. According to U.S. Army medical research (Ward Dean, M.D.), "A moderately conditioned person can easily sweat off 500 grams in a sauna in a single session, consuming nearly 300 calories in the process.”The body consumes said calories due to the acceleration of heart activity (the cardiovascular section). As heart activity increases and as these processes demand more oxygen, the body begins to convert more calories into usable energy.

9. Saunas can help fight illness.
German sauna medical research shows that saunas were able to significantly reduce the incidences of colds and influenza amongst participants. As the body is exposed to the heat of a sauna and steam (in the case of traditional saunas), it produces white blood cells more rapidly, which in turn helps to fight illnesses and helps to kill viruses.In addition, saunas can relieve the uncomfortable symptoms of sinus congestion from from colds or allergies - especially when used with steam (tip: add eucalyptus to the water for added benefit and overall enjoyment). The steam vapor action helps to clear up unwanted congestion and is a wonderful aspect of the Finnish sauna experience.

10. Saunas just feel good.
A sauna not only feels good, it’s good for your body. Whether it’s the physiological changes that occur during the warmth of a sauna, or if it’s simply the time spent in the calming and still retreat of the sauna, every seasoned sauna bather agrees - it feels wonderful! As we progress through our stressful everyday lives, the sauna provides a pampering retreat - where we can relax and restore body and soul. Sauna bathing truly makes you "Feel Better”, "Look Better” and "Sleep Better”!

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I also rate massage.

It goes hand in hand with the sauna programs.

The Benefits Of Massage
What exactly are the benefits of receiving massage or bodywork treatments? Useful for all of the conditions listed below and more, massage can:
Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion.
Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers and shorten maternity hospital stays.
Ease medication dependence.
Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body's natural defense system.
Exercise and stretch weak, tight, or atrophied muscles.
Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous workouts.
Improve the condition of the body's largest organ—the skin.
Increase joint flexibility.
Lessen depression and anxiety.
Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks.
Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation.
Reduce postsurgery adhesions and swelling.
Reduce spasms and cramping.
Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
Release endorphins—amino acids that work as the body's natural painkiller.
Relieve migraine pain.
A Powerful Ally
There's no denying the power of bodywork. Regardless of the adjectives we assign to it (pampering, rejuvenating, therapeutic) or the reasons we seek it out (a luxurious treat, stress relief, pain management), massage therapy can be a powerful ally in your healthcare regimen.

Experts estimate that upwards of ninety percent of disease is stress related. And perhaps nothing ages us faster, internally and externally, than high stress. While eliminating anxiety and pressure altogether in this fast-paced world may be idealistic, massage can, without a doubt, help manage stress. This translates into:
Decreased anxiety.
Enhanced sleep quality.
Greater energy.
Improved concentration.
Increased circulation.
Reduced fatigue.
Furthermore, clients often report a sense of perspective and clarity after receiving a massage. The emotional balance bodywork provides can often be just as vital and valuable as the more tangible physical benefits.

Profound Effects
In response to massage, specific physiological and chemical changes cascade throughout the body, with profound effects. Research shows that with massage:
Arthritis sufferers note fewer aches and less stiffness and pain.
Asthmatic children show better pulmonary function and increased peak air flow.
Burn injury patients report reduced pain, itching, and anxiety.
High blood pressure patients demonstrate lower diastolic blood pressure, anxiety, and stress hormones.
Premenstrual syndrome sufferers have decreased water retention and cramping.
Preterm infants have improved weight gain.
Research continues to show the enormous benefits of touch—which range from treating chronic diseases, neurological disorders, and injuries, to alleviating the tensions of modern lifestyles. Consequently, the medical community is actively embracing bodywork, and massage is becoming an integral part of hospice care and neonatal intensive care units. Many hospitals are also incorporating on-site massage practitioners and even spas to treat post-surgery or pain patients as part of the recovery process.

Increase the Benefits with Frequent Visits
Getting a massage can do you a world of good. And getting massage frequently can do even more. This is the beauty of bodywork. Taking part in this form of regularly scheduled self-care can play a huge part in how healthy you'll be and how youthful you'll remain with each passing year. Budgeting time and money for bodywork at consistent intervals is truly an investment in your health. And remember: just because massage feels like a pampering treat doesn't mean it is any less therapeutic. Consider massage appointments a necessary piece of your health and wellness plan, and work with your practitioner to establish a treatment schedule that best meets your needs.