Here are 11 ways that I have found useful in strengthening the immune system. These are an accumulation of 5 years of work and experience. Add any of these or a combination of several to your daily activities and it will change your life. Another idea would be to try one of these each month for the next 11 months. You will never know the benefits of something unless you try it!

1.) Regulate the PH level in your body with positive thought:
The PH scale goes from 0-14 and is a good gauge of how healthy a person is. Most doctors check a persons PH level when you go in for a yearly checkup, but it is seldom discussed. Our bodies are made up of 55 – 60% water and our PH is checked similarly to checking the PH level in a swimming pool. The most optimal PH level for a person is 7% which is considered a neutral PH. Anything under 7% is considered an acidic PH and anything over 7% is considered alkaline. A well trained athlete for instance may have a PH level of 7.4, which is very good. Most people however have a PH level below 7% which is in the acidic range. The lower your PH level the more prone you will be to acquiring diseases and viruses. There are many contributors to a persons PH level and food is one of them, but another main factor is what you think. It has been scientifically proven that people who think positively have a significantly higher PH level than people who worry, and are stressed out all the time. Have you ever heard the saying “you are what you eat”? We can also now say “you are what you think”!

2.) Cleanse the body of toxins:
For centuries people have practiced cleansing or fasting. In the United States most people associate cleansing or fasting with weight loss. Of course you will loose weight when cleansing but it is not the main purpose. Approximately 55-75% of a persons available energy is spent digesting food. When you give your digestive system a break and consume only water or juice for several days, it allows the body to heal and repair itself with the excess energy that it now has available. Cleansing is like sending the digestive system on vacation. One of the other main benefits of cleansing is clearing toxins from the body. The body does not have the capability to process chemically enhanced food and over time these chemicals build up in the body. I could go on and on about the benefits of cleansing. Think of it as spring cleaning for the body. My wife and I do what’s called “The Master Cleanse”. It’s a combination of water, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice. To learn more about the Master Cleanse I suggest reading “The Complete Master Cleanse” by Tom Woloshyn.

3.) Remove colored and hydrogenated foods from your diet:
Ever since the invention of frozen dinners in 1962 companies have been looking for ways to extend the shelf life of food. There are many different types of chemicals that are used in the food industry today. It is common practice for companies to add colorings and to hydrogenate food to make it appear more appetizing and last longer. The dyes are nothing but synthetic chemicals and are described on the food packaging as red#5 or yellow#3. Hydrogenation is a process food is put through to extend it’s shelf life. It may also be described as partially hydrogenated. Many companies are now starting to offer plant based colorings and are doing away with hydrogenation. However the majority of the market is still using these chemicals additives.

Chemicals like these weaken the immune system. The body has no way of breaking these chemicals down, so the the body turns them into what’s called free radicals. Free radicals are what cause cancer in some people. There are several countries that have banned the use of chemicals like these in food. For some reason the US has not. Take it upon yourself to control what is good for you and your family.

4.) Try Kombucha tea:
Kombucha tea is a aerobically fermented beverage made from sugar, tea and the Kombucha mushroom which is not a traditional mushroom, but just looks like one. The Kombutcha mushroom is referred to as a “scoby”, which stands for “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast”. Kombutcha aids the stomach to better digest food and assists the spleen to deliver nutrition. It also aids the liver to remove toxins in the body. Kombucha provides the digestive system with a good bacteria and assists the digestive organs to work more efficiently. Another benefit of Kombucha tea is it assists your body in balancing it’s PH level.

A friend turned me onto Kombutcha tea 7-8 months ago and I have been brewing it ever since. For a period of 3 months I drank a small amount everyday. Now I drink maybe a half a glass 2-3 times a week or when ever I feel like it. I choose to brew my Kombucha at home. It is a lot cheaper that way. You can purchase bottles of Kombucha in many grocery stores. It usually costs around $3.00 per bottle or serving. For more information on Kombutcha and how to brew it I recommend the happyherbalist.com.

5.) Practice yoga or Tia chi on a weekly basis:
In March of this year I wrote “10 reasons how yoga balances your mind body spirit”. I have been practicing yoga for 3 years and it has changed my life. Yoga and Tia Chi are both forms of moving meditation and one may resignate with you more than the other. These forms of physical movement in combination with the breath balance you emotionally and physically. If you feel like your on an energetic roller coaster all the time and are not attracted to traditional mediation, you may want to give one of these a try. Many of the poses in yoga such as the “plow” pose, assist in speeding up the body’s metabolism. A strong balanced metabolism works jointly with a healthy immune system.

6.) Add AFA blue-green algae into your diet:
Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA), (means invisible flower of the water) is a fresh water nutritional plant referred to as cyanophyta. Cyanophyta are living water plants that grow in nearly all droplets of sunlit water and in every gram of soil, on the bark of trees and the surfaces of rocks. It is estimated that there are as many as 50,000 species, including various seaweeds and plankton.

AFA Blue green algae is one of the most nutritious foods that you can eat. It has been touted as a super food. It is organic, easily digested and full of antioxidants. It is extremely rich in minerals and has a higher concentration of beta-carotene than broccoli. A rich source of calcium, iron, vitamin B12, enzymes and antioxidants make the blue green algae an ideal food for both adults and children. There has been a lot of scientific research to back up these facts. To learn more about AFA blue-green algae or to order a bottle visit e3live.com.

7.) Exercise, walk or experience nature in some way:
There are many ways to exercise, and the best form of exercise is one that you enjoy. If you do not enjoy exercising, most likely you will not do it for long. So find some form of exercise that you find fun. Even two to three hours of exercise a week is better than none. If for some reason you are not able to exercise then walk somewhere or even better, walk through a park or around a lake. Try to spend more time in nature. If you are not able to walk, then find your way to a wooded area or near a tree and simply breath. The breath is our life blood. Taking time to connect with nature and the breath will do wonders for your mind, body and spirit.

8.) Remove energetic blockages in your body:
Even though you may not understand what an “energetic blockage” is, most of you acknowledge that thoughts effect the physical body. Thoughts are energy and with each thought is attached a specific karma. Everyone wants to talk about and discuss the crazy events in their life. What most people don’t realize is how a casual conversation and listening to the drama of someone else’s life will effect you energetically. The same as a toxic substance, energetic karma will build up over time. Like cleansing the body of toxins, it is important to clear out all the unbalanced energy that resides within you.

Many of the poses in yoga assists the body in releasing energetic blockages. There has been more than one time I had tears running down my face in a yoga class for no apparent reason. We may or may not be aware of the reason for an energetic release. A blockage may release simply from you acknowledging something you have been ignoring for a period of time. Many of us push away what we do not want to face. When you deal with something you have been fearful of or putting off for some reason, this is an energetic release as well. The longer you allow these energetic blockages to reside within you, the more they will manifest issues within the physical body. Energetic blockages may show up as headaches, back pain, mental disorders, or chronic fatigue. There are more reasons to clear energetic blockages than I can list here. Until you experience this for yourself you will never know what it feels like to be free of this type of energy. Do not let fear stand in the way of your happiness, so try it! Visit a Shamballa, Reiki or healing practitioner in your area today. I have had countless clearings and healing sessions performed on me over the last few years. You can literally feel the energy lift from your body.

9.) Limit your intake of beef and pork:
For a period of time I was a vegetarian and through that experience I learned a lot about how the body responds to different foods. Every kind of food has a specific energy. As food is broken down in your digestive system, you take on the energy of that food. As I mentioned, the digestive system uses the majority of the available energy in the body. Beef and pork take 2 to 3 times longer for your digestive system to process, compared to fruits and vegetables. Like an engine in a car if you run the engine wide open for a period of time, things will begin to break and wear out. The same principals apply to our body. You have to feed your body good fuel and give it a break every once in awhile if you want it to run efficiently.

The other thing to consider is how food is raised or grown.  The less stress an animal or plant goes through the better it will taste and nutritionally be for you. Organically grown food is great but if it has to be transported across the country most likely it did not ripen on the plant or in the ground. It most likely ripened in the transport truck on the way to you. Therefore the freshest most nutritious food you can find will be locally grown. For animals, it comes down to what the animal eats and how much freedom it has to walk around. Beef and pork producers have turned their industry into an assembly line. Keeping the animals in cages and pumping them full of drugs to make them grow faster. The animals never get the freedom to walk through a field, which in turn creates a lot of tension and stress for the animal. This stress and tension builds up in the muscles of the animal and when you eat it you take on the energy of the animal’s experience. If you’re going to eat beef or pork, try purchasing it from a local farm instead of a grocery store. Chances are the animal would of had a happier life and in turn will make yours happier also!

10.) Limit your exposure to toxic chemicals:
We are exposed to toxic chemicals throughout our daily life, such as the cleaning products in our home, laundry detergent, body cremes, hair products, deodorants, building glues and sealants. The body absorbs these chemicals through the skin,  lungs and digestive system. What the body cannot release or expel it stores in tissue throughout the body. Over a persons lifetime these chemicals build up and cause issues throughout the body. This is one of the main reasons to do a body cleanse or fast. My wife and I have tested and tried all kinds of different cleaning and personal products over the last few years. You can get the job done with non-toxic cleaners which have proven to be just as good as traditional cleaners. The cost of the non-toxic cleaners are now comparable to the chemical brands also. The same goes for all the other products such as shampoos, body lotions, tooth paste, hair gels, dish washing liquids and so on.  Take responsibility for the environment for which you live.

11.) Laugh and enjoy life:
When was the last time you spent a whole day or even a few hours consumed in laughter? Laughter has tremendous healing power and is truly a form of medicine. Laughter can heal the physical body of disease. Laughter can heal the emotional body of loss and depression, and laughter can bring you out of fear. During laughter your bodies energetic system raises in frequency and chemical changes happen. Have you ever said “I really needed a good laugh”? Subconsciously you know the power of laughter, but  seldom use it. Practicing laughter on a weekly basis will do wonders for your emotions and physical body. It should be a requirement for you and your family. Put it on your calendar if you have to, “it’s laugh time”.

In closing:
Many of you who read this may be saying to yourself, “I can’t do that. I don’t have the time to do that. I don’t have the money to do that or that sounds scary.” Realize that this is the voice of the ego in your head. You do have the time, money and will power to do these things. You have to just stand up for yourself and take control. Your mind, body and spirit work together like a well-tuned machine. If one of them is out of balance, it throws all three of them off. There are no excuses. We are in control of our existence and reality. If you want to expand your awareness and have a more joyful time here on earth, then you have to take control of your life. Do not take for granted the power within you!

Joe Weaver

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