Help your immune system by improving your digestion!
Did you know about the healing powers of essential oils?
It is not a new thing either!
“The best defense is a good offense.”
Vibrant Blue Oils
What is your offense plan?
You are preparing for the Superbowl… you are the coach and owner of your team. What are you going to do now to prepare for the big day…the day you are exposed to viruses as Covid-19?
A simple thing you can do now while you are practicing social distancing and staying “safe and healthy” at home alone… focus on eating real food (avoiding the WHITE evil foods- refined white sugar, flour and salt) and implementing “The WHOLESTIC Method” lifestyle habits as well as supplementing your digestion system. If you want to support your immune system then we work backwards and start NORTH with proper food choices, digestion and gut health.
Proper digestion improves our immune system by…
- Start with WHAT you are eating, how, when and why – as properly digested food provides our gut with the required nutrients and building blocks to support our immune system (remember apx. 70 to 80% of our immune cells is in our gut- ideally!).
- When our digestive processes are working at optimal level, our intestinal barriers are part of our first line of defense- designed to block out pathogens. Think football… or army battle. So if they are not working at optimal level (tired, exhausted, not strong…) then we have issues.
- If our proteins are not digested properly in our stomach (due to lack of acidic environment), then our maldigested proteins can activate our “army”- the immune system will respond to the threat.
- Start with WHAT you are eating, how, when and why – as properly digested food provides our gut with the required nutrients and building blocks to support our immune system (remember apx. 70 to 80% of our immune cells is in our gut- ideally!).
- When our digestive processes are working at optimal level, our intestinal barriers are part of our first line of defense- designed to block out pathogens. Think football… or army battle.
- If our proteins are not digested properly in our stomach (due to lack of acidic environment), then our maldigested proteins can activate our “army”- the immune system will respond to the threat.
- If the immune system (army first responders) start attacking then our inflammation rises and increases stress in the body (hidden internal sources of stress that can become chronic if left alone).
- We should be proactive in supporting our digestion if we want to improve our gut health and thus improve our immune system that resides in our mucosal barrier.
What if our mucosal barrier is damaged?
What if our gut wall lining has “holes” or gaps in between the barrier to we have “leaks”?
What if we are lacking diversity in our keystone bacteria living and trying to thrive in our microbiome?
What does the health of the microbiome impact our digestion, gut health and immune system?
How is this all connected to improving our resiliency and being able to fight Covid-19?
Rabbit holes left and right… never ending questions to investigate and understand the WHY?
Let’s focus on one thing right now… supporting your digestion and understanding WHY and HOW.
Pause, reset and reboot the WHOLE you to improve your digestion, gut health and immune system as we need to slow down, be in the moment and focus when eating real, nutrient dense whole foods.
Essential Oils to Support Digestion and Gut Health…learn more here
Digestion begins with your vagus nerve triggering the parasympathetic state to support the digestive process.
1. Turn on the Parasympathetic State for Digestion
Digestion begins in your brain. Signals from your brain, sent via your vagus nerve, turn on your digestive function and route blood flow to your organs of digestion, which turns on your digestive process:
- Your mouth releases saliva to both break down your food and as a defenses against disease-causing organisms, such as bacteria and viruses. It contains antibodies that attack viral pathogens.
- Saliva also contains enzymes that destroy bacteria in different ways, by degrading bacterial membranes, inhibiting the growth and metabolism of certain bacteria, and disrupting vital bacterial enzyme systems (more here).
- Your stomach produces HCL acid. In addition to breaking down proteins so they don’t trigger an immune response, stomach acid serves as a chemical barrier against infection, effectively killing any bacteria or viruses that have been caught in mucus in the airways or consumed in food or water.
- Your pancreas secretes enzymes which in addition to helping your body break down protein, fat and carbohydrates, can support your immune system by fighting pathogens in the intestines.
- Research shows that pancreatic enzymes can support your immune system and calm inflammation.
- Your gall bladder releases bile. New research shows that bile acids may help regulate gut immunity and inflammation.
- More specifically, bile acids have been shown to exert immune-modulating effect by interacting with immune cells in the gut. “Once bile acids leave the gallbladder and complete their fat-dissolving duties, they make their way down the digestive tract where they are modified into immune-regulatory molecules by gut bacteria.”
- Your sphincters open and close contributing to motility, allowing nutrients and waste to move through the digestive system and be properly eliminated.
- Any kind of compromised motility or constipation can impede absorption of key nutrients, some of which are needed to support the immune system, as well as other side effects such as inflammation and bloating.
- Over time, this lack of nutrient absorption and build-up of food matter will weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to the viruses.
- Constipation also affects the balance of good bacteria within your digestive system, which is crucial for the strength of your immune system producing substances that drive off or kill invading bugs and viruses.
A poorly functioning brain does not stimulate your vagus nerve, and healthy digestion is not turned on, which undermines a healthy immune system.
To support optimal brain function and enhance digestion, apply a small drop of Parasympathetic™ behind your mastoid bone before meals. When you apply it, take a few deep breaths, with the exhalation longer than the inhalation to fully relax and turn on digestion prior to meals.
Read the rest here from Jody and learn more about how to order your Vibrant Blue Essential Oils– only if you want to be proactive in taking ownership of the WHOLE you from the inside out!
