Best ever IMMUNE SYSTEM SUPERHEROES!

Published: Thu, 09/10/15

Just this morning (and what a gorgeous morning it was! check out all the treasures we found - I've posted pictures on Facebook), my walking partner complained about a bit of a sore throat and swollen glands on her neck. "Yeah," she said, "I've been battling this for about a week now, but the glands feel real puffy today." I usually try not to bring work with me to the walks, so I kept my mouth shut. For a while, anyway...

Do you think Niki's immune system benefited MOST from

a) our heart to heart conversation;

b) breathing fresh air;

c) me dragging her up and down hills, going off trail on Julia's classic " let's just check this out" route, and getting her all sweaty and gasping for breath?

Can you guess who the immune system superheroes are?

In the previous eNEWS I walked you through creating your very own PAIN MANAGEMENT PLAN. Thank you for all the comments and questions – I LOVE hearing back from you!

How’s your PAIN MANAGEMENT plan working for you? Were you able to find the CALMS (check out meditation classes), ESCAPES (pain care yoga classes are great for that), and CHALLENGES (perhaps a beginner yoga class, or some daily walking?) to fit into your day? Please share your insights and your AHA moments – with me (I’d really love to know how the program is working for you), and with others, so they can help themselves!

There are more pain management tips coming your way in the very near future; for now, though, it feels like immune system needs to be on our priority list.

School has started just a week ago, and already I hear a great number of my clients complaining about the usual yuck – colds and stomach bugs – coming down the pipes (no pun intended!).

How do you defend yourself and your loved ones from the standard beginning-of-the-school-year ailment?

The usual suspects include washing one’s hands, getting adequate sleep, cutting down on the oh-so-sweet items, and, possibly, pounding back the “Antiviral.”

Well, what about your alignment (you knew I was going there, right?)?

Meet the new (well, not really new – we just don’t talk about it much) kid on the immunity block: your LYMPHATIC SYSTEM. To put it simply, the fluid in this system needs to circulate freely for you to have an adequate immune response. Circulate freely - as in move A LOT - is our key operational word here.

Why wouldn’t it circulate, you might ask?

Well…. The obstacles to that free circulation might include tense shoulders, tight hips, or the lack of everyday movement.

You see, lymph doesn’t move very well on its own; unlike our cardiovascular system, lymphatic system doesn’t have this great big pump (the heart!) to move the fluid around. Instead, lymphatic system depends on muscles - the less you move your muscles, the more your lymph resembles stale pond water.

But wait, there’s more: you actually have to move all of your muscles in their appropriate ranges on motion to get your lymph going. Tight muscles limit the motion of the joint, and that’s where the lymph tends to back up. And here is the real deal breaker: the largest lymph node clusters are conveniently located in those areas where we tend to be the tightest – the neck, armpits, chest, ribs and groin (for women: those armpit lymph nodes are very, very, just way too close to your breasts; get your shoulders loosened up to protect your girls). And so we are back to tight hips and tense shoulders…

Can you guess who those immune system superheroes are yet?

So Niki's glands were way less puffy by the time we were done this morning. And the answer to the top of the newsletter questions are all of the above, BUT it was the sweaty effort that flushed her lymph glands during our walk. She still needs to work on her neck and shoulder alignment though, especially when she is working with the computer.

You can most definitely guess where I am going with this, but I will say it anyway:

Want better immunity so you can ward off seasonal nastiness and some scarier bugs, too? Start moving now!

Join a yoga class – conveniently, Fall Yoga Session starts next week!

Stretch your muscles to their appropriate length, get your joints moving in their full range of motion, breathe better, SLEEP BETTER and enjoy amped immunity all winter long!

Oooooops, did I just utter the "w" word?