With flu season and air travel at their peak during the
holidays, prevention is key for a healthy immune system
—especially with the increasing concern over antibiotic
resistance, which is a growing public health threat.
Gautam Dantas, an assistant professor of pathology and
immunology at Washington University School of
Medicine in St. Louis, and his colleagues recently
published a paper showing that the friendly microbes in
the intestinal tracts of healthy American children were
found to have numerous antibiotic-resistant genes .
It turns out that with repeated exposure to antibiotic
drugs, bacteria develop a genetic resistance to these
drugs.
According to Dantas, "From birth to age 5, children
receive more antibiotics than during any other five-year
time span in their lives.” (1)
Once microbial genetic code is wired for resistance, this
information moves on to later generations, as well as
nearby species of microbes. In other words, microbes
can swap genes coded for antibiotic resistance as easily
as a shopkeeper swaps money for his wares.
Dantas warns, "Frequent exposure to antibiotics
accelerates the spread of antibiotic resistance. Our
research highlights how important it is to only use these
drugs when they are truly needed."
4 Antibiotic Alternatives: Natural Ways to
Boost Immunity
Strengthening immunity is especially important
around the holidays when flu and stress-related
sickness are on the rise. A healthy immune
system can also decrease antibiotic overuse that
can lead to antibiotic resistance.
Fortunately, antibiotics are not always necessary.
Safeguard your immune system with the following tips:
1. Avoid Sugar. It is especially important to avoid refined
sugar stripped of minerals and fiber. Sugar is to your
immune system what kryptonite is to Superman. Sugar
can devastate your defenses.
Excess sugar tends to link up with proteins and fats,
forming cross-links . After a certain amount of time, the
cross-link between a sugar and a protein becomes
permanent. This is what is known as an AGE (advanced
glycation end product). AGEs wreak all kinds of havoc in
the body, with a tendency to interfere with the immune
system and its ability to protect against respiratory
infection. (2)
We like sugar, and microbes do too.
One reason that we like sugar is because our cells use
sugar as a source of energy. Microbes are no different,
and they rely on sugar molecules to survive—and even
thrive. Like fuel on a fire, sugar feeds Candida and other
opportunistic organisms in your body. Instead of sugar,
sweeten foods with stevia. Stevia is 300 times sweeter
than sugar, hitting the sweet receptors on your tongue
without crashing your immune defense system.
2. Enjoy Fermented Foods with Every Meal. Fermented
foods contain probiotic microbes. Probiotic microbes
displace the bad guys in the intestinal tract, and they also
produce natural antibiotics that kill any stray disease-
causing organisms.
Probiotic microbes work with your immune system,
giving it the buffer it needs during times of stress. This
includes air travel, missed sleep, heavy meals, mental
fatigue, or physical overexertion.
We always suggest probiotic foods—such as coconut
water kefir , cultured veggies, or InnergyBiotic—over a
probiotic supplement. Research shows that the beneficial
microbes in fermented foods are far more likely to
survive the harsh environment of the intestinal tract when
delivered with their fermented substrate, such as dairy,
cruciferous vegetables, or coconut water. (3)
3. Focus on Healthy Fats (and Fat-Soluble Vitamins).
When you eat healthy fats as they are found in nature,
you find that they are often accompanied by fat-soluble
vitamins, which nourish the immune system. These
vitamins—like vitamins A, D, and K2—work together to
support a resilient immune system.
Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines
contain especially high levels of vitamin D, a key nutrient
to ward off illness.
Vitamin D works best in concert with vitamin A. This is
why we recommend fermented cod liver oil, which
contains both vitamins A and D. Some research suggests
that vitamin K2 may act as a natural antibiotic, halting
the growth of infectious microbes and protecting against
infectious disease. (4) You will find vitamin K2 in
fermented foods, such as natto and cheese, as well as
egg yolks, butter from grass-fed cows, and goose liver.
4. Relax, Laugh, and Be Mindful. Relaxation and laughter
feel good, so it may not come as a surprise to learn that
they are also good for you (and your immune system).
Relaxation, laughter, and mindfulness support a healthy
immune response.
Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine
found that compassion mediation actually helped to
reduce levels of inflammatory cytokines—or messengers
that activate an inflammatory response. (5)
Other research out of the University of Wisconsin shows
that mindfulness practices like meditation can increase
resistance to respiratory infection and enhance recovery
time. (6)
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