Probiotics are healthy bacteria that resolve two crucial factors:

1) Boost Immunity: They help in production of antibodies and other substances that fight infections.

2) Digestion: They help in digestive disordes, gastro as well as other stomach related problems.
Yogurts, Probiotics fortified drinks and foods are the common sources.

What are Probiotics?

Over time, we have caused tremendous harm to our immune system. Day in and day out, we have potentially risked our lives by being so casual with our health choices. But still, is it possible to leverage some of this burden and thus make our immune system stronger? What if we incorporate some healthy habits into our daily regime? What if we improvise on our diet? Take certain additional vitamin supplements perhaps? Make other lifestyle changes in the hope of achieving a near-perfect immune system?

What exactly is the Immune System?

The immune system in layman language can be considered as a protective cover of the human health system. We are surrounded by millions of pathogens (disease causing germs) that have the ability to enter into the body and cause damage to it. Here comes in the importance of the immune system, the body s natural shield against these pathogens.

How can you boost your Immunity?

You definitely cannot evade all the pathogens and get a top-notch, impeccable immune system, but you can at least try and listen to what your body has to say, and take steps accordingly.

The first and foremost protective measure can be to follow certain general good-health guidelines.

Do not smoke. There can be no compromise on this issue. Smoking or consuming tobacco in any form brings about a host of health complications; the most pronounced of them all is probably cancer. Smoking, in more ways than one, can spell real trouble for your immune system. So better cut down on your puffs or gear up to face the various medical banes of smoking.

Eat a diet which is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low in saturated fat. Some examples may include citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables such as spinach or lettuce, yoghurt, almonds, lean meat. Sipping on green tea thrice a day is a wise choice in this regard. These measures not only strengthen the immune system but also enhance the Immune System.

Drink plenty of water. Water keeps the body hydrated, the ultimate prerequisite for a strong immune system. It helps to flush out all the toxins and ensures that the cells get the optimum levels of oxygen. Drinking a glass of lukewarm water mixed with honey and lemon on an empty stomach after getting up in the morning can prove to be one of the best health choices that you can make for your body.

If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation. Excessive alcohol consumption causes dehydration and it can deprive your body of the valuable immunity boosting nutrients. It also impairs the body s ability to fight off germs and infections.

Get adequate sleep. One reason behind stressing on the need to get adequate sleep is because it s so closely linked to the immune system. While you sleep, the body secretes certain hormones and substances which help better fight infections and diseases. This makes these hormones so vital and indispensable at the same time. So now you know what wonders can those 8 hours of sleep do to you.

Exercise Regularly. If you're looking for a safe and smart way to boost your immunity, regular exercise is the answer to it. But we are not talking about being an ardent, hard-core gym-junkie; rather exercising in moderate amounts would suffice. Cardiovascular exercises such as walking or swimming, performed 30-45 minutes a day, can prove to be very beneficial.

Including good hygiene habits in your daily routine, such as washing your hands properly, bathing and brushing your teeth daily, etc. can be useful as well. Good sanitary habits can be the most basic way to ward off infections at the germination stage. Keep a hand sanitizer with you all the time.

7 Healthy Habits That Keep Your Immune System Strong

When you have soft drinks or sodas, the pancreas quickly start to make insulin because of excessive sugar. Insulin is a hormone the body uses to move sugar from food items or drink into the circulation system, where cells are then ready to use that sugar for energy purposes. Within 15 minutes, glucose levels increase and the liver reacts to the insulin by transforming sugar into fat for capacity. Here is how soft drinks affect our health:

Asthma: It is prevalently found in a large number of soft drink consumers. Soft drinks contain sodium benzoate, which is utilized as an additive to control microbial growth. Sodium additives get blended with the rest of the diet and decrease the amount of potassium in our body. This expands the odds of rashes, asthma and skin aggravation.
Tooth enamel: Soft drinks contain high responsive solvents, which when blended with saliva or acids in the stomach, become acidic in nature. This starts affecting the body immediately. Because of such a quick effect, our mouth and teeth get influenced. It is proven that with every sip of a soft drink, the layer of the teeth decreases by two percent. The skin in the mouth and throat is very delicate and is easily harmed. This also causes rashes on the face and leads to pimples some times.
Heart diseases: Soft drinks contain fructose corn syrup, which has been connected with an increased danger of metabolic disorder. This condition increases the danger of both diabetes and heart diseases. One of 40 deaths each day are caused by heart strokes, which is an aftereffect of consuming soft drinks.
Kidney issues: A number of soft drinks contain phosphoric acids. These phosphoric acids irritate the digestive system and healthy organs. The stomach-related framework is connected to kidneys. Phosphoric acid expands the odds of stones in kidney and other kidney issues and diseases.
Reproductive issues: Soft drinks contain tar in them which contains BPA (Biphenyl   A) and is a similar tumor-causing compound found in pet bottles, water bottles and tinned food cans. This affects the endocrine framework, bringing about untimely adolescence.
Osteoporosis: It is seen that calcium is urinated alongside phosphoric acids, by the use of these drinks. This leads to osteoporosis, which results in corrosion or thinning of bones.  This in turn leads to calcium deficiency, which is one of the vital minerals of the body.
Obesity: It is dangerous to gain weight because of soft drinks. So it is not encouraged to consume soft drinks regularly since they can lead to obesity-related issues.
Sugar over-burdening: After around 15 minutes of soft drink consumption, our glucose shoots up, bringing on an insulin burst. The liver acts by changing the sugar particles into fat. This excites the consumer and increases the pulse, which causes the liver to deposit more sugar into the circulatory system.


Soft Drinks - How They Affect Your Health?

An autoimmune disease often develops when your immune system, which guards your body against any kind of illness, starts attacking your own body. It decides that your healthy cells are foreign and attacks the healthy cells. Depending upon the type of illness, an autoimmune disease can influence one or various types of body tissue. It can bring about unusual organ development and changes in organ functioning.


A good diet is essential and a basic requirement so that it does not trigger aggravation in the digestion systems and further weaken your intestines. The diet should be taken in small portions to avoid bloating in the stomach. One should eat in small portions after every two to three hours. Some of the dietary measures for an autoimmune disease are as follows-


Stay away from gluten: In case you have an autoimmune disease, you generally require a lab test to know that you need to stay away from gluten. This protein, which is found in wheat, spelt, rye and grain, is connected to numerous immune system conditions.
Locate your reactive foods and discontinue them: Even grains that do not contain gluten like corn and rice can cause reactions in the immune system in a few people. Atomic mimicry happens when your body confuses your own body tissue for the similar kind of proteins found in a few foods. See whether you are having any food that you might be allergic to.
Include green tea and turmeric into your daily diet: They dampen the autoimmune reaction in many parts of the body especially the brain.
Stay away from refined table salt: Table salt has been shown to irritate and aggravate some of the autoimmune conditions.
Consume egg whites: They have anti-bacterial components and have the property to bind some of the nutrients. A few people will argue that they're fine when cooked. However, if you choose to just have the yolks, you can do so without any worry.
Take a healthy meat diet: Some meats like chicken, fish, sheep and turkey are good for the health. Swordfish and lord mackerel are high in mercury. Select infection free chicken, turkey, and sheep.
Consume low Glycemic Organic Fruits: Consume fruits including apples, apricots, avocados, berries, cherries, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, peaches, pears, plums for healthy glucose absorption.
Coconut intake: Coconut margarine, coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut oil, unsweetened coconut pieces, unsweetened coconut yogurt are great for health.
Herbs and Spices: Spices like basil, dark pepper, cilantro, coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, ocean salt and thyme should be used.
Fermented food: Kimchi, cured ginger, aged cucumbers, coconut yogurt, kombucha, water kefir, and so forth need to be consumed for the vitamins and nutrients they contain.

Autoimmune Diseases - 10 Diet Facts You Must Know

One of the most revered modes of healing, Ayurveda is entrusted with various beneficial properties that cures a wide range of ailments. Quintessential and indigenous methods of probing into the medicinal virtues of various herbs and other natural condiments, Ayurveda is attributed with remedial qualities for a number of ailments and all this without ushering any side effect whatsoever. 

One of the most frequent use of Ayurveda is found in healing allergies. Ayurveda over the centuries has emerged as a trusted recourse to take while combating an allergy. One needs to dig out the best therapies that Ayurveda has to offer in order to get rid of the stubborn annoyances that most allergies posit.

Inherent allergies
Certain people are born with lesser or nil tolerance towards certain specific particles in their immediate surroundings. On account of certain genetic predisposition, some are prone to react adversely to a few allergens. In the Ayurveda vocabulary, such a condition is designed to be caused by unstable influences. These influences may be in the form of environmental elements like dust and pollens or certain specific kinds of food items. 

While the most obvious solution might be to avoid the source of such allergies, in case where the interaction with the given set of allergens is unavoidable, Ayurveda offers viable solutions. Depending on whether the reaction is mild or chronic, Ayurveda prescribes specific cure Some of the mild symptoms in these cases are sneezing, coughing, conspicuous marks, rashes, watering of nose and eyes among others. For such allergies, one of the most effective Ayurvedic  remedies would be a mixture of beetroot, carrot and cucumber juice. Regular intake builds immunity and resistance power and thus, reduces the effect of such allergic reactions.

Acquired allergies
Unlike the natural allergies, certain allergies develop as the individual ages. These may be seasonal or procured sensitivities and these usually manifest certain stronger reactions. Most of the time, such allergies, known as amanita in Ayurveda terms, are associated with indigestion and imbalance in the digestive juices or dysfunction of the digestive organs. To deal with such anomalies, detoxing the body is essential. The first step to cure would be to detox the body of the allergy causing toxins. 

An easy and natural remedy would blending honey and lemon in lukewarm water and drinking it regularly for a prolonged period of time. This also has additional advantages for the skin and the overall organ system. Alma based drinks or tablets could also prove beneficial to abate such acquired allergies.

Allergies - How Ayurveda Can Help You Treat Them?

Catching a cold once in a while is nothing to worry about, but needing to take sick leave every few weeks is a sign of low immunity. Immunity can be defined as our ability to fight infections. By eating right and making a few lifestyle changes, you can easily strengthen your immune system and lower your risk of catching infections. On that note, here are 10 ways to strengthen your immune system.

Eat a balanced meal: Along with fruits and vegetables, your body also requires carbohydrates and proteins. Eating a balanced diet helps keep your blood sugar levels stable and allows your body to prioritize building your immune system over generating energy to perform normal tasks.
Drink plenty of water: When you re ill, fluids help transport nutrients to the infected area and flush out toxins from the same. Hence, it is important to stay hydrated in order to recover faster from an illness and to build your immune system.
Probiotics: 80% of your immune system is located in the gut. Probiotics help the body produce more healthy gut bacteria. Thus, probiotics directly boost the immune system.
A good night s sleep: Ideally, a person should get 8 to 10 hours of sleep on a daily basis. While we are asleep, the body produces cytokines ad antibodies that are vital to a strong immune system. Depriving the body of this sleep can thus make us more susceptible to infections.
Get some sun: While we put a lot of effort into protecting ourselves from the harmful UV rays of the sun, sunlight is also a rich source of vitamin D. Vitamin D helps protect us from a number of serious illnesses. Apart from sunlight we can also get vitamin D by adding cod liver oil, egg yolks and fatty fish to our diet.
Quit sugar: Sugar is an immunosuppressant and hence cutting out added sugar from your diet can have a drastic effect on your immunity. Added sugar refers only to refined sugar in cubed, crystal or powdered form and not the natural sweetners in fruits.
Exercise: Regular exercise improves blood circulation and boosts the production of antibodies. A healthy circulatory system combined with antibodies enables your body to fight infections in any part of your body.
Avoid tobacco and alcohol: Alcohol impairs the immune system and tobacco smoke weakens the body s basic immune system. This holds true for both first hand and second hand smoke.
Reduce stress: Stress increases the production of a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol suppresses the immune system and thus makes us more susceptible to illnesses.
Prevent germs from spreading: Lastly, make simple things like washing your hands before eating and after coming home or using the toilet a habit. This prevents germs from spreading and entering our bodies.

10 Ways You Can Strengthen Your Immune System

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