Back to School Immune System and Fall veggies

Dr. Mao's Secrets of Longevity

Top 5 Back-to-School Immune-Boosting Strategies 

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It's September, which means that it's time for the children to go back to school. Any parent that has sent their child off to school for a year of learning, growing, and exploring also knows that they're in for a year of sneezes, coughs, and other afflictions of a low immune system.

There is often a surge of the sniffles at the beginning of the school year. Whether it's because the children suddenly need to get up early every morning and are deprived of sleep, the cooling fall weather from the hot summer or they're feeling confronted by the sudden stress of the classroom's structure, September creates a need for healthy immune systems in both your children and yourself.

Below are five strategies that will help you and your children boost your immune system so that their return to school is free from trips to the nurse's office.

1. Eat cruciferous and root veggies. Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage contain isothiocynates, which help to build the immune system, and high volumes of vitamin C and other nutrients that also boost the immune function. Root vegetables like carrots and yams contain carotenoids, which are a yellow or orange pigment that are a significant source of vitamin A and antioxidants and likewise help boost the immune system.

2. An immune-boosting broth. Cook up a broth of shitake mushrooms, any kind of seaweed, cabbage, any type of squash, carrots, fresh ginger, oregano, and onion in chicken stock. Shitake mushrooms, which if dried must first be soaked, contain polysaccharides, sterols, and coumarin, as well as vitamins and minerals that increase your immune function. Seaweed cleanses the body, cabbage has cruciferous properties, ginger supports healthy digestion, and the remaining ingredients promote general health and well-being. If you eat this broth every other day, you will benefit from a strong and healthy immune system.

3. Tap the power of herbs. Herbs are plants from nature that possess healing powers, and many can be used for prevention and relief from illnesses such as a back-to-school cold. The Chinese have traditionally used atractylodes, astragalus, and siler root-herbs in a formula called Immunity during the cold season to stay healthy. For temporary relief of symptoms after catching a cold, try honeysuckle, forsythia fruit, kudzu root, and burdock fruit, part of the traditional Chinese Cold & Flu formula. Click here for more information.

4. Avoid sugar. The processed and refined sugars found in beverages, candies, cookies, cakes, and other types of junk food take a toll on the body's ability to process and digest, taxing the immune system. Gradually work more dried fruits and natural sources of sweetness into yours and your children's daily diet to promote a more active and functional immune system.

5. Play 30 minutes of active games with your children daily. Exercise is found to promote general wellness and health, and it is essential for maintaining the immune system. Find a high-energy activity to do with your child for thirty minutes each day, whether it's going for a soccer ball kick in the backyard after school or even just wrestling downstairs in the den. This won't only promote the immune function of both you and your children, but may evolve into an enjoyable family ritual as well.

I hope you will take these tips so that your family enjoys a happy and healthy autumn. I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.

--Dr. Mao

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Dr. Mao's Secrets of Longevity

Fall Veggies: Healthy Choices in Season Now

 

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Consider this: autumn is a time for eating white vegetables. Read on to find the many benefits in store for you this fall when you enjoy its wide selection of seasonal vegetables.

The Seasonal Food Palette
As we get into the cooler months of autumn, there is an abundance of white vegetables to enjoy. White vegetables contain isothiocynates, which support the immune system and protect us against the development of cancer. Below are four vegetables that are in season during this time of year and some of the many wonderful ways you stand to benefit from incorporating them into your diet in the coming months. Stock up!

1. Cauliflower: Cauliflower is what is known as a cruciferous vegetable, and belongs to the same family of plants as that of broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Cauliflower possesses high concentrations of fiber, vitamins C and B6, and folate. Along with the presence of isothiocynates, cauliflower also has a high concentration of glucosinolates, which are key to cauliflower's anti-cancer properties and help the liver detoxify carcinogenic substances. Along with treating low immune function, it is helpful to incorporate cauliflower into the diet when treating sinus problems, constipation, and conditions of the skin such as warts.

2. Cabbage: Cabbage, like cauliflower, is a cruciferous vegetable, and therefore possesses many of the same healing and nutritional properties related to the immune system and hindering the development of cancer. Cabbage is commonly associated with its high concentrations of vitamin C. It also contains the amino acid glutamine, which has been revealed to have anti-inflammatory properties. Along with treating immune-related conditions such as cold and flu, cabbage can also help anyone looking to treat acne, allergies, hives, constipation, arthritis, bronchitis, and yeast overgrowth. That's one versatile vegetable.

3. Turnips: Turnips are a root vegetable that are typically grown in temperate climates. Turnips are packed with vitamin C. And turnip greens contain vitamins A and K as well as folate, calcium, and lutein. Turnips treat immune-related conditions such as bronchitis, and other conditions such as incontinence, flatulence, and symptoms of jet lag. Lightly steam the greens for a healthy side dish. As for the bulb, cut and sauté or boil and mash.

4. Garlic: Garlic is a pungent, spicy herb that has bulbs, leaves, stems, and flowers that are edible. It is generally anti-bacterial in nature, and is used as an antiseptic and a remedy for infections. It is used for digestive disorders and as a treatment for intestinal worms. It is also used to prevent heart disease, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, regulate blood sugar levels, prevent diabetes-related conditions, treat allergies, reduce arthritis, counteract bone loss, and to treat ailments related to cancer. All those benefits, and it's delicious, too. Click here to view a video about the benefits of garlic.

With an abundance of white vegetables in your diet this fall, you will give your immune system the support it needs to ward off colds, the flu, and any number of other ailments associated with this time of year.

I hope you will take these tips and have a happy, healthy autumn. I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.

-Dr. Mao