Keep The Bugs Away

December 21st marks the winter solstice, which also happens to be one of my favourite days of the year. Although winter solstice is the shortest day and longest night of the year, it’s one of my favourite days because the daylight hours will start to increase making the days a little longer and the nights a little shorter. It’s also the first day of winter, and for some, that means the cold and flu season.

Although the cold and flu ‘bugs’ seem to be lurking just about everywhere we go nowadays, we can reduce the risk of getting a cold or the flu with antioxidants such as green tea and grape seed extract, proven to neutralize free radicals and support a healthy immune system.

Antioxidants are a broad group of compounds that destroy single oxygen molecules, also called free radicals, in the body, thereby protecting against oxidative damage to cells. They are essential to good health and are found naturally in a wide variety of foods and plants, including many fruits and vegetables. During the winter months however, there is less of a variety of fresh and nutritious foods to choose from, so we need to supplement with a daily intake of antioxidants. (It’s also worth mentioning that free radicals have been linked to many age-related diseases such as cancer, heart attack, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease.) A strong immune system is the best ways to ward off illness, and what better way for our immune system to get a boost then to take a variety of antioxidants.

AIM Proancynol™2000 is a combination of seven antioxidants which work together (antioxidant cycling) to improve each other. AIM Proancynol™2000
combines the proven ability of these seven antioxidant compounds— green tea extract, rosemary extract, grape seed extract, N acetylcysteine, alpha-lipoic acid, lycopene, and selenium—to provide us with the best antioxidant supplementation available.

It may be the cold and flu season but we can fight back this winter and help protect our immune system by eating a healthy diet and supplementing with AIM Proancynol™ 2000. Let’s have a fun, happy and healthy winter season and keep the bugs away!

For more information about AIM Proancynol™ 2000 please visit the AIM website at http://awealthofhealth.myaimstore.com where you can read more, download a datasheet and watch a video. As with any supplement it is always recommended to read the literature thoroughly to find out if this product is right for you, and consult your health care practitioner if you have any medical conditions or concerns.

Avoid The Flu By Building A Stronger You

With all the hype in the media about the H1N1 flu (or swine flu as it is commonly known) people are lining up in droves to get vaccinated. Although there are people at risk of contracting the virus who have compromised immune systems, I feel (and this is my personal opinion and not meant to deter anyone away from getting the flu shot if they are at risk or feel they should have one) people need to work at building a stronger immune system by focusing on diet, exercise, lifestyle changes and sleep.

Health officials are also concerned this flu strain will combine with other flu strains, which will continually mutate making it more and more difficult to create an effective vaccine. In my opinion, by maintaining a healthy immune system we will be less susceptible to the virus and help protect ourselves from infectious diseases. If this is going to keep mutating then it makes sense to build up a resistance naturally rather than rely on vaccinations and other drugs when a “pandemic” occurs. I haven’t had a flu shot for a number of years now and I also haven’t had the flu. Sometimes I feel a little under the weather or catch the odd cold, but I know this is my body fighting off any attacking viruses.

While washing our hands frequently and keeping surfaces clean helps prevent the spread of the virus to our mouth, nose, eyes and other people, we must also look toward whole body health to minimize the risk of becoming ill. Washing our hands and keeping things clean should be the norm all of the time, not only when there is a flu bug going around. Proper hygiene is also essential to good health.

We can fortify our immune system with a diet rich in bright orange and green fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins such as chicken, fish and eggs, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and plenty of fresh water. We also need to make sure we are getting enough fibre in our diet (25-30 grams daily), and have an ample supply of “friendly bacteria” in our digestive system. Yogurt and kefir can help replenish digestive bacteria but in order to prevent the loss of these good bacteria we need to take a probiotic supplement. Reducing acidic foods (sugar) and increasing alkaline foods (BarleyLife®) will help prevent many illnesses as disease and other health conditions cannot survive in an alkaline environment.

Vitamin D will also help to build a stronger immune system and what better way to get both vitamin D and exercise than to enjoy activities outdoors on a nice sunny day. Although our days are cooler and shorter at this time of year, spending some time outside helps not only our body but our mind as well. Adequate sleep is also essential in preventing illness as our body does its best healing when it is well rested. And last but definitely not least, is a healthy lifestyle. Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, pharmaceutical drugs and stress are detrimental to good health and well-being and will play havoc on the immune system. These should be avoided as much as possible.

It is also important to realize there are a lot of natural remedies being marketed as “cures” for the H1N1 flu. As far as I am concerned, a product cannot “cure” anything. It is the human body that has the ability to prevent and cure and this is why it is important to provide it with all of the essential ingredients such as proper nutrition, exercise, adequate amounts of rest and a healthy lifestyle.

AIM provides a variety of superior whole food concentrates and nutritional supplements to support a healthy lifestyle, strengthen the immune system, and nourish our cells. Especially during this “pandemic” with the H1N1 flu circulating world-wide our body needs more than just good food. AIM’s key nutritional supplements can promote whole body health and fortify the immune system. Why not avoid the flu, by building a stronger you!

For more information on products AIM carries to help strengthen the immune system, please visit My AIM Store at http://awealthofhealth.myaimstore.com where you can read more, download datasheets and watch videos. As with any supplement it is always recommended to read the literature thoroughly to find out if this product is right for you, and consult a health care practitioner if you have any medical conditions or concerns.