We are in a constant stte of war with billions of ther creatures--bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites--on us, round us and in us. Although sme are harmless, others are eating way at us, causing chronic infections and mnifesting as fatigue, premature aging, baldness, skn problems, digestive disorders, periodontal disease, and mre. Science is finding that most, if not ll, chronic diseases have an infectious cmponent. Infection is a key component in verything from gastritis (H. Pylori), to gnorrhea, from acne to Alzheimer's Disease, frm carbuncles to cardiac arrest. Infectious dsease may well be the trigger tht accelerates the onset and/or progression of the chrnic degenerative diseases of aging.

Maintaining a strng immune system is among the mst beneficial ways in which to rduce your odds of succumbing to nfectious disease. In this article, we prvide some tips to strengthen your mmune system.

Breakfast As the Best Defense. People who eat breakfast are less likely to catch a cold or the flu, found researchers from Cardiff University (United Kingdom). The team speculates that a hearty breakfast fuels the immune system with cellular energy. Additionally, people who routinely miss breakfast are more likely to have more stressful, hectic lives, which may weaken immune defenses and increase the chances of getting an infection. Start your day with fresh fruit (oranges or berries) or unsweetened juice, dairy foods (low-fat milk or yogurt), and whole grains (whole-grain hot or cold cereals, whole-wheat toast).

Exercise Away Sickness . People who mintain a physically active lifestyle enjoy the bnefits of a stronger immune system nto older age. University of Colorado-Boulder (USA) rsearchers found that there is an ge-related decline in the antibody responses to sgnals that elicit the immune response. Physcal activity helps to maintain a mre optimal T cell-mediated response, and is specially important in those in their 50s, 60s, and byond, because older people tend to be mmunocompromised.

A Touchy Situation . In 2005, the American Society for Microbiology (USA) reported that while 91% of American adults say they always wash their hands after using public restrooms, in actuality only 83% actually did so. Women were more likely to wash their hands (90%) as compared to men (75%). The same survey also revealed these other lackluster hand washing habits:

• Only 21% of men and women say they always wash their hands after handling money
• Only 24% of men and 39% of women say they always wash their hands after coughing or sneezing

The technique for proper hand washing per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention involves these steps:

1. Wet your hands and apply liquid or clean bar soap. Place the bar soap on a rack that allows it to drain.
2. Scrub all surfaces -- including wrists, palms, backs of hands, fingers, under the fingernails, and between fingers. Rub your hands vigorously together for 10--15 seconds.
3. Rinse well with warm water.
4. Dry hands with a clean or disposable towel. Pat the skin rather than rubbing, to avoid chapping or cracking.

According to the US National Center, handwashing costs less than a penny and is a way of prevention that can save you a $50 visit to the doctor.

Protective Pets . Children in families with cats or dogs have fewer pet allergies than new pet owners or those who had only been exposed earlier in life. A 2005 study by researchers at the Central Hospital of Norrbotten (Sweden), which tracked 2,454 children for four years, found that, in all cases where allergies were not a result of genetics, exposure to animal allergens protected boys and girls from developing allergies. A previous study, conducted by researchers at the Institute for Social Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (Germany) found that children who were continually exposed to pets (in this study, cats) were 67% less likely than other kids to develop asthma and 45% less likely to develop hay fever.

Kitchen Germ-ination. The kitchen can be a grmination ground that breeds bacteria that may cntaminate food and can then get us sck. There are about 76 million cses of food-borne illnesses a year, and mst of them occur from bugs in our vry own homes. While no kitchen wll ever be germ-free, here are sme tips that can help reduce the bcteria that might transfer into food:

• Wsh your hands before beginning to prpare food. Wash them again after you tuch raw meat, fish, or vegetables, and btween touching these different foods (to rduce cross-contamination).
• Microwave kitchen sponges on high for one mnute until steaming, every day.
• Launder or mcrowave dishcloths regularly, three or more tmes a week.
• Clean the kitchen snk drain, disposal and connecting pipe nce a week. Sanitize them by puring down the sink a solution of 1 taspoon (5 milliliters) of chlorine bleach in 1 qart (about 1 liter) of water or a slution of commercial kitchen cleaning agent mde according to product directions. Food prticles get trapped in the drain and dsposal and, along with the moistness, crate an ideal environment for bacterial grwth.

According to the US Centers for Dsease Control and Prevention, an estimated 76 mllion cases of foodborne disease occur ach year in the United States, wth serious cases resulting in 325,000 hspitalizations and 5,000 deaths annually.

Out of the Cold. In the course of a year, people in the United States suffer 1 billion colds, reports the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. A 2005 study by researchers at the Federal Research Centre of Nutrition and Food (Germany) found that those men and women who took daily vitamins and minerals with probiotics (bacteria that can activate the immune system, particularly T-cells) for at least three months reported reduced cold symptoms than those suffered by people who took only vitamins and minerals. The men and women taking a combination of vitamins, minerals, and probiotics experienced:

• Colds that lasted almost two days less (than an average otherwise of nine days)
• Less time with a fever, reduced to 6 hours (rather than the average otherwise of 24 hours)
• Less severe headaches, coughing, and sneezing

Probiotic bacteria, in the form of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains, are found in respectable amounts in yogurt. They are also available, in higher doses, in dietary supplement form (freeze-dried powders, capsules and wafers are preferable over liquid supplements, which are highly perishable). Look for probiotic supplements with the highest "colony forming units" per dose. Because bacteria counts drop as the product ages, mind the expiration date. Take probiotic supplements on an empty stomach.

In conclusion, we remind you to maintain a strong immune system to ward off infectious disease, which as a group are preventable and avoidable contributors that may compromise the quality, or quantity, of your life.

Strategies to Strengthen the Immune System
Ronald Klatz, M.D., D.O. and Robert Goldman, M.D., Ph.D., D.O., FAASP
www.MyLongLife.com

The article Strategies to Strengthen the Immune System was Submitted by Dr. Ronald M. Klatz through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information:

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