Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Fatty Liver Disease By: Noreen Kodula, Certified Natural Health Professional (CNHP) Also known as hepatic steatosis is the excessive accumulation of fat in the liver cells. Having small amounts of fat is to be expected but excessive amounts cause inflammation in the liver, which can …
Getting to the Heart of the Holiday Blues Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND While for many people holidays are a time of joy for other people it can lead to the holiday blues or holiday season-induced depression. Now I am sure your thinking is not holiday …
Holidays and Immune Health
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
While the holidays are often times of fun, exciting travel and a time to reconnect with family and friends they can also be a time when we are exposed to different pathogens or germs than we are used to. In addition to exposing our bodies to different germs there are aspects of holidays that can negatively impact on our immune system. Let us get into it, shall we?
One aspect of holidays that can negatively impact on the immune system is stress. For example, the need to travel, a common part of the holidays is stressful! Not only do you have the stress of catching public transport or being stuck in traffic there is often the stress of having motion sickness. Then of course there is the stress of both gift giving and gift receiving. It’s also important to remember that the holidays can often induce finical stress. Gatherings, both attending and hosting also increase our stress level. As you can see the holidays can increase feelings of stress for many reasons. This is important when it comes to our immune system because stress can and does weaken the immune system. (1) This leaves you more vulnerable to germs such as those that cause colds.
As we all know, holiday time is often a time to indulge in sweets and other foods that you may not normally eat. (1) In my clinical experience this change in diet often has a negative impact on your digestive health. This is important when it comes to the immune system because so much of our immune system lives in the digestive system. In fact, up to 80% of our immunity comes from our digestive system! (2) As I always say, a happy digestive system means a stronger immune system.
Another aspect of holidays that can affect the immune system is alcohol intake. Many holiday beverages include alcohol. And in my experience even those individuals who normally don’t indulge in alcohol will have a drink or 2 around the holidays. Unfortunately, alcohol intake can weaken the immune system and leave you vulnerable to germs. (3)
Yet another aspect of holidays that can affect our immune system is something that may surprise you! And that is hygiene. Now hygiene may not weaken or strengthen our immune system, but it can impact what your immune system is exposed to and expected to fight off! We all know how important it is to wash our hands. But let us be honest with each other. The truth is that while a t a friend’s house or while visiting family it can be easy to skip hand washing before you eat. Now I’m not saying you did not wash your hands after using the restroom! But did you use public transport that day? Did you buy something at the store? If you did not wash your hands before grabbing that cheese and crackers, I’m sorry to say all those germs you came into contact with today are now on those cheese and crackers! (3) Now it is not just hand washing that exposes you to germs. In my experience just going out to the shops during the holidays exposes to you coughing, runny noses and sneezing people! There are germs everywhere! (1)
Moving on another aspect of the holidays is a change in your activity level. Regular exercise is important to help stimulate the immune system. (4) Exercise does not just mean going to the gym! Do you walk to work? Walk to the store? Take the stairs instead of the elevator? These are all immune booting activities! However, during the holidays there is often travel which is a sedentary activity. In addition to travel, I personally have found that visiting family often entails being more sedentary than I am normally used to.
Then there is the changes in sleep patterns that can crop up during the holidays. Lack of quality sleep can weaken the immune system and leave you vulnerable to germs. (1)
Some families like to travel together for the holidays. This can be a concern for our immune system for a number of reasons. For example, you may be exposed to unfamiliar bacteria and viruses that can make you sick. For example, most people know not to drink tap water in a different country. But what about prepared food? Is the cook using tap water in your food? Even travel to a different country itself can trigger jet lag which can weaken the immune system. (5)
What can you do to fight off germs and boost that immune system?
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Managing Diabetes during the Holidays Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Managing diabetes during the holiday time may seem to be an insurmountable task. But with a little twist to some classic recipes and a little help from classic invite supplements, eating healthy during the holiday is …
Holidays and Digestive Woes Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND As we approach the holiday season family gatherings become more frequent. These family gatherings often include new or different foods that may affect your digestive health. Family gatherings also frequently include travel and even stress, both of …
Stress and Holidays
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Holiday time can be both fun and exciting. However, it is also a time that can induce stress. As a person who has both hosted holiday dinners and attended them, I can confidently say both situations are stressful in their own way. And then there is the stress of travel. And do not get me started on gift giving! It is a lot to ponder so grab some tea or hot cocoa and let us get into it, shall we?
We all understand the different ways that holidays can trigger stress but how does this stress affect our health? Being under stress at bedtime can make it difficult to sleep at night. Both stress itself and its link to poor sleep can increase restlessness, cause a lack of motivation/ focus, and even affect our memory. Stress can also lead to muscle tension/ pain as well as trigger headaches. Chest pain and upset stomach are both common symptoms of stress. Stress can even affect your immune system, making it easier for you to get sick. Stress can also affect our mood, triggering sadness, depression, anxiety, anger outbursts and just overall a feeling of grumpiness! Being under stress can even affect your appetite and you may find yourself over or under eating. In addition to changing your appetite you may also find yourself avoiding things you enjoy such as exercise or even socializing with friends or family. Stress can increase alcohol use as well as tobacco and drug use. (1) Long term stress can even affect our cardiovascular health. For example, stress is associated with both high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Even our joints are not immune to the effects of stress! This is because stress can increase any inflammation in our body. In my experience this inflammation increases pain in our joints. Long term stress can even impact how we look by affecting our hair, skin and nails! Anyone who has ever been stressed knows it bothers our digestion leading to either diarrhea or constipation (or in some cases both). It can also affect our digestion by triggering indigestion, bloating and stomach pain. Stress can even affect how well we process our food! It can and does slow down nutrient absorption from the food we eat. Every woman knows that stress can affect hormone health and thus affect our menstrual cycle. (2)
So, what can you do to help reduce the effects of stress?
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