‘Tis the Season…Fa La LaaaChoooo!
Article by Shannon Gregory, Live Blood Analysis
As the holiday season approaches, we have many stressors.
- We rush to buy baking to pass off as our own or stay up all night baking, to prove we can still do it all
- We decorate the home to look festive so our families will have fond memories.
- We wrap
- We endure malls to find that perfect gift
- We forgo lunch to pick up a last minute item
- We frantically realize that we have not bought the teacher a gift and will have to pick up something from Hasty Market
- We say ‘yes’ to every party invitation
When will it be Boxing day!?!
One of the most immediate signs of being over-stressed is a cold or flu, both of which are caused by an immune system that is overwhelmed by a bacteria or virus. During winter and early Spring, your system is compromised by low levels of daylight and cold temperatures, throwing off your natural balance of hormones. Stress compromises your immune system and lowers your body’s natural defenses.
When we react to an external stressor, a fight or flight response is initiated. This reponse creates a surge of energy (adrenalin) that keeps us ‘running’ (maybe in the new year haha), elbow the old lady in the Walmart so we can get the last package of ornaments, clean the house or bake cookies until 2am. However, while our adrenal glands are busy releasing these fight or flight hormones into our bloodstream they are also releasing cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone released when under chronic stress and this is what suppresses our immune system.
If we remain in a chronicly stressed state over a prolonged time, cortisol continues to be released, and the immune system is weakened. The end result? A cold or flu.
If you are the kind of person who catches every virus going around (like I was), you may need to take a serious look at the areas of your life that are causing you the most stress, and learn ways to reduce, cope with or modify the stressors. But more importantly, going to yoga, reducing stress, or breathing more deeply, will not fix the problem – weakened adrenal glands. You must build these tiny but important glands back up, through proper nutrition and the right supplements.
Live Blood Analysis will allow us to evaluate the whole body on a cellular level. By looking at the red blood cells and your immune cells together we can see the current state of the body and work together to achieve better balance. Nutritional, lifestyle and supplementation are the tools we will use to help you regain that balance and cope better with those “Seasonal Stressors’.
Try these immunity boosting recipes: