Why Germs Are Actually Good for Your Immune System

Ever hear someone tell a child to go wash their hands after playing outside or at a playground park?

Does the above image bring you flashbacks to microbiology class and conjure up images of what you grew in those petri dishes? Well, thanks to Tasha Sturm, a microbiology lab tech at Cabrillo College, she decided to see what was on her sons hands.

She made her 8-year-old son, who had just played outdoors, leave a handprint in a petri dish that was filled with agar jelly. After warming it to body temperature in an incubator, the bacteria and fungus on her son’s hand grew into the cultures that could be seen in an image she posted on Microbe World.

The image is stunning, beautiful and somehow disrupting at the same time.

But don’t be alarmed, Sturm told Today: “It’s normal stuff that we’re exposed to every day. The skin protects us from a lot of the bad stuff out there. The take home message is that to have a healthy immune system, you’ve got to be exposed to stuff.”

Look at it this way... When you exercise in the gym, you build your muscles and you metabolism improves.  When you are exposed to microbes, you exercise your immune system and give it what it needs to help you adapt to your environment.

So keep living dirty, kids. It’s good for your microbiome. 

definition of microbiome - the microorganisms in a particular environment (including the body or a part of the body). "we depend on a vast army of microbes to stay alive: a microbiome that protects us against germs, breaks down food to release energy, and produces vitamins")

Bulletproof Your Immune System this Winter

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The Stress Free Holiday - Physical Stress

In the holiday season, most of the physical stress will come down to driving long distances (sitting), and lifting heavy things.  Sure, there will be the occasional bumps to the head and drunken stumbles, but let's just focus on the common things.

Driving long distances and sitting.  When it comes to driving, it is always a good idea to take a break every hour or two.  This will allow you to get out and move around or stretch a bit.  This will help you wake up and refresh you spine.

Sitting inactive while driving can really wear on a spine.  Here is one of my favorite things to help that out, the back vitalizer.  This is a cool little air bladder that allows you to actively sit in your seat.  You can use it at work and/or you can use it while you drive.  You can either buy 2 of them and place
one under your bum and one behind your low back, or just get one and switch it back and forth every hour or so.

By the way, when you're driving and you hit traffic, remember to breathe.

Lifting heavy things.  What is the first step when you are going to lift something heavy?  Most people say, "Bend your knees."  This is a pretty good answer, but I always say that the first step is to assess the situation.  Use your brain before your back.  How heavy is it?  Should I get help first?  Is there a tool I can use to make this easier on me?

Then, bend at the knee, engage your core and smoothly lift it.  Do your best to never bend and twist when lifting.  Discs hate this.

Also, here is an interesting one to consider.  Poop before you lift.  A full colon can weaken the low back and set you up for a blow-out.  Bet you didn't see that tip coming.

Have a great holiday season.  Look for our Holiday Detox Workshop coming January 11th. 

The Stress Free Holiday - Chemical Stress

Thanksgiving is the granddaddy of gluttony.  How can you avoid the chemical stress most of us have been programmed to enjoy on the holidays?

First, let's go over a couple of reasons why you would want to consider limiting your caloric intake and eating a more balanced holiday meal.

5 - 10 pounds - Do you really want to put on an extra 5 - 10 pounds over the holiday?  Most of us will put on the weight and then set a New Year's Resolution to lose weight.  Maybe, if this IS your New Year's Resolution in 2017, start it now.

The "Flu Season" - When your body (or you) gets stressed, your immune system goes down.  People often wonder why the "flu season" is in the winter.  One of the main reasons is the caloric intake and increase in sugar in the diet.  From the candy binge of Halloween to the drunken toasts on New Year's Eve, this is the time when most of us are most susceptible to infection.  Instead of going for that highly ineffective, and toxic, flu shot, eat better and bump up your supplements.

Susceptibility to a bad holiday - Eating out of control puts your body into "Fight or Flight"--the physiological response to a threatening situation in which your body prepares itself  to fight for your life or run like heck. This makes every moment a matter of life and death.  When your mind moves into this place, it is much more easy to say hurtful things or lack the ability to weather through a hurtful comments directed at you. It becomes harder to cope with frustration and remain peaceful.  By avoiding the chemical stresses of overeating and poor food choices, you will be much less likely to end up in a family fight or stuck holding a grudge for the next several years.

Here are some strategies you can implement this holiday season.

1) Pace Yourself -  In the holiday season, it's a marathon, not a sprint.  Slow down.  Chew your food.  Our tendency is to shovel it in so fast that we don't realize how stuffed we are.  Unfortunately, our sense of fullness is a slow trigger.  Often times we are stuffed before we recognize the signal that we are stuffed.  By slowing down, we give ourselves the opportunity to feel full before it's too late.  You may want to put your fork down in between bites, or count how many times you chew each bite of food.  If you are unbuttoning that top button on your pants after you eat (or while you eat), you're eating too fast.

2) Be Selective - Remember, there are proteins, fats and sugars (carbohydrates).  Proteins are, for the most part, meat.  For fats, think butter, cream and gravy.  Carbohydrates are the desserts, veggies, bread, alcohol, and potatoes.  It's usually the carbs that screw us up.  Here is an eating plan that will help you master your holiday eating.

Limit your alcohol.  For every glass of wine or beer you consume, drink a full glass of water.

Forget the bread.  Just don't eat it.  The star of Thanksgiving is the turkey.  Bread is not even close.  Okay, there is one bread item on the table that comes with the turkey... the stuffing.  Enjoy your stuffing, but only on round one.

Here is something else to consider. Stuffing, mashed potatoes, squash, cranberries, candied yams, bread, think of all of these things as the same.  These are the things you can enjoy, but please limit them.  Ideally, all of these items should make up about a quarter of your plate.  If you limit these, you can have more dessert!

Veggies. Eat 'em up!  Generally speaking, veggies are pretty safe at the holidays.  This can easily make up half your plate of food.  Go ahead and try the brussels sprouts.

Meat.  This can make up about a quarter to half your plate.  Easy on the cranberries and gravy.


3) Dessert - If you were good with your carbs at dinner, you can have a little more dessert.  Every holiday, we would have at least 5 pies to choose from.  I would want try them all.  Go for slivers.  Don't add ice cream.  The goal is to enjoy the holidays, not pay for them later.


Here are a couple of my favorite recipes.

1 package of Trader Joes organic green beans
4 strips of bacon
1/2 red onion
1/4 cup of chicken broth

Cut up bacon and cook in a large saucepan.  Once bacon starts to get brown and crispy, add onion.  Cook a few minutes until translucent.  Add chicken broth and beans and cover for about 8 minutes.  Flip it into a bowl and serve.


Brussel Sprouts


Next week we will cover physical stress.  Be well!

The Stress Free Holiday

Holidays can sure be stressful.  In this month of November, I will discuss some strategies and tools that you can use to help turn that stress down a few notches so you can have the best holiday season ever.

This week we are tackling emotional stress.  I get it.  Family gatherings can be stressful,  and thanksgiving is the granddaddy of family gatherings.

Here are some techniques and tools you can use this holiday season, even if your family is not as
dysfunctional as mine.

1) Have a friend, spouse, or coach that you can talk to if you find yourself in a crisis.  Speaking to someone who will listen (and not judge) is a wonderful stress reliever.  In fact, I would just schedule a time that you will both be available for each other.  Just knowing that you'll get a chance to chat with someone will help your stress load.

2) Try to keep it in perspective.  All of your family members know exactly what buttons to push to get you going.  Most of the time this is happening because they are uncomfortable with just how awesome you have become.  You intimidate them.  You moved away from them because you wanted to evolve and better yourself.  This scares the hell out of them. They may take it personally that you had to leave to accomplish your goals, and may feel that you think less of them for not doing the same.  This is on top of all the regular rivalry, assumptions, and divergence of values. When the button pushing starts, breathe.  Say something like, "Thanks for telling me that."  Try not to engage.  Smile and walk away.

Remember, some of the strangest family holiday experiences can become a story told for generations and a real family bonding moment.

3) Watch your sugar and alcohol intake.  Sugar and alcohol can really make you drop your guard and get you into a mess.  Pace yourself.  If you eat sugar, add some protein.  This will help balance it out a little.

4) Make sure you get your adjustments.  Keeping your nerve system static free will help you handle the stress better.  You may want to increase your visit frequency during the holiday.

5) When all else fails, go for a walk.  Walking helps bring your nerve system to balance.  And focus on how beautiful your environment is.  Watch the sunset.  Listen to the birds. Check out all of the fall colors and falling leaves.

Hope that helps.  Take some time before the holidays to put some steps in place to minimize your emotional stress, and get in for an adjustment.


P.S. - Remember to Vote Tomorrow