Beauty and Immunity – The Connecting Link That You Didn’t Know Existed
We’ve splurged on umpteen beauty products and given brands just the right kind of market they need to thrive in! Consumerism is at its peak, and the idea of looking beautiful is skewed towards having a fat bank balance. How many times have you heard your friend gush about a new concealer that blends with your face like your second skin? Remember the time you chanced upon an anti-aging cream ad in a magazine and wanted to try it immediately? Or the time you were toying with the idea of getting a laser treatment done to get rid of your pregnancy scars? Here’s a reality check!
The solution is not addressing just the problem; it’s addressing the root of the problem. Maybe what you should consider is building a strong immune system. Surprised? Well, here are 4 things you need to know about how immunity and beauty are interconnected:
- The Role Of The Lymphatic System
You may remember your doctor examining the lymph nodes on your neck during one of your regular health checkups. Well, that’s because the lymphatic system is one of the most important defense components of your immune system, which also reveals the first signs of an infection.
Lymph nodes contain a translucent liquid called lymph. This liquid circulates cells that fight disease and infections to different body parts. A blocked lymphatic system can lead to problems like buildup of cellulite, edema, and stretch marks. Enjoy a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and dietary fiber, known to promote lymphatic health. Stay physically active and stimulate your system with a lymphatic drainage massage regularly.
- Immunity And Male Attractiveness
It’s not only a man’s chiseled jawline or his deep baritone that makes him desirable. Findings of a research conducted at Abertay University, Scotland, suggest that men with high levels of testosterone, a hormone responsible for the masculine, sexual facial characteristics are found to be more attractive to women. The study measured the immune responses of 74 Latvian men to a hepatitis vaccine. It was concluded that men with better immune responses had higher testosterone levels, low levels of cortisol (stress hormone), and their pictures were rated higher by women on the attractiveness scale.
- Immunity And Hair Health
Many studies have found that erratic lifestyles and dietary habits can hamper immunity, which can in turn lead to hair falling out. This is especially true in the case of yeast infections like Candida, triggered due to a weakened immune system, which can cause severe hair loss. Sometimes even an overactive immune system can lead to conditions like alopecia areata and thyroid, which can cause hair loss. Though genetic transfer is one of the main causes of these autoimmune diseases, they can also be triggered by foods that contain high sugar, gluten, and quinoa as well as due to stress and toxic substances including pesticides and other harmful chemicals.
- Immunity And Skin Health
Don’t just blame your genes for the persistent acne that you’ve been battling all your life. Poor skin health can also be a sign of a weakened immune system. Dietary deficiencies of essential nutrients like vitamins A, B, C and E, zinc, arginine and phytonutrients can cause a drop in the levels of the infection-fighting white blood cells and thymic hormones, thereby making you susceptible to skin problems like acne and eczema.
Include foods like cruciferous vegetables, mushrooms, nuts, seafood, and citrus fruits to improve your WBC count and ward off bacterial and fungal skin infections. It’s true that external beauty is reflective of a healthy mind and body. Make sure you enjoy a wholesome diet by including foods like garlic, carrot, leafy green veggies, berries, papaya, cumin seeds and fish in your diet and minimize your intake of processed foods.
Follow a set exercise routine everyday and stay active. It is also important that you get enough sleep and most essentially, stay stress free! All these factors collectively determine the health of your immune system. Stay strong, stay beautiful!
References:
- abertay.ac.uk/about/news/newsarchive/2012/name,9216,en.html
- ehow.com/facts_4883813_immune-deficiency-skin-disorders.html
- umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/garlic
- stylecraze.com/articles/amazing-benefits-of-nigella/
About the Author
Water-Only Fasting Protocols Found to Enhance Cancer Treatments
Intermittent fasting has become popular for health and weight loss. But could fasting also be a highly effective tool for fighting and reversing cancer?
Across the world, nearly every culture has a tradition of fasting, but in our modern lives we’ve created a world of surplus and with it a constant and easily satiated hunger. With this excess food, our society has become plagued by diseases of excess.
Dr. Alan Goldhamer is the founder of True North Health Foundation, a therapeutic clinic for water-only fasting that helps patients suffering from a range of illnesses including hypertension, inflammation, autoimmune disorders, and cancer.
“We’ve gone from being criminal quacks to cutting-edge researchers because this idea of fasting has definitely gained some popular support,” Goldhamer said. “Our approach is very different, we believe that there is a cause of real health and the cause of health is healthful living. So, we focus on diet, sleep, (and) exercise, and we use fasting to undo the consequences of dietary excess, essentially. That’s why the conditions that respond the best to fasting are the conditions caused by dietary excess – so, obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and certain forms of cancer, including Lymphoma.Â
Studies have shown that fasting acts to help the body’s natural ability to destroy dead or diseased cells — a process called autophagy. Now, doctors have begun to study how fasting protocols in conjunction with drugs, such as chemotherapy, can improve the efficacy of cancer treatment.
“It turns out autophagy is the process the body uses to get rid of cellular debris — aging cells and cancer cells — and it turns out that fasting is one of those things that may profoundly enhance autophagy in, not just humans, but also in other animals. In fact in rats, if you do periodic fasting with rats you can double their lifespan (everything else being equal). So, this is something that’s very interesting and promising. I don’t know that we have what I would consider definitive research on the issue, but it certainly raises one of the mechanisms by which fasting may also be effective,” Goldhamer said.
