Dr. Keesha To Appear on Natural Choice Radio

On Tuesday, April 9th at 12:30pm Keesha will appear on Natural Choice Radio on 1150AM KKNW in Seattle. The show will focus on spring cleaning for the mind and body. If you are out of signal range you can listen live online by clicking here. Busy? The show will be available in the KKNW archives. We will also post a link on the Fern Life Center web site.

Be sure to tune in and find out how you can do a spring cleaning for your mind and body!

Dr. Sarah Skolout, ND

Dr. Sarah's Corner

While colds and flu tend to be more common in the winter months, if you are getting sick all year long, you may have a weak immune system. While there are many herbs and nutrients that can help boost your immune system, many lifestyle habits can significantly reduce your body's ability to fight off viruses and other infections.

1) Lack of sleep: Studies have shown that people who get 4 hours of sleep or less in ONE night can have reduced antibody response to viruses. Sleep is essential for the body to heal and recover from illness. If you are constantly getting sick, evaluate how much sleep you are getting. Most adults need 7-8 hours per night.

2) Lack of exercise: 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise (enough to get you breathing a little harder than normal) stimulates immune response and helps to prevent infections. Even when you have a mild cold, a little light exercise, such as walking, can reduce the duration of symptoms. Consider adding regular exercise into your routine to strengthen your body against foreign bugs!

3) A bad attitude: Studies have shown that optimists tend to have higher levels of cells involved in the immune response. This could be because optimists tend to take better care of themselves, or because they have less stress damage to their system. Either way, taking the time to adjust your attitude towards a situation (or life in general) will benefit your health. Start with writing a daily gratitude list of things for which you are thankful.

4) Little downtime: Constant stress and work activity can suppress the immune system, leaving you vulnerable to colds and flu (thus increasing your stress even more since now you must take time off from work due to illness. A vicious cycle!) People who take time for enjoyable, relaxing activities, such as hobbies and spending time with friends, tend to have fewer illnesses and a stronger immune system.