The changing season sickness.

It’s that time of year when people around you start getting sick way more frequently.  It starts with someone you know and then someone else a little closer to your circle and before you know it, you’re sick, your partner is sick and shit maybe your dog gets sick too!  It happens every year here in Venice and it’s at this time when listening to the little voice of your 4 doctors becomes more important than ever.
 
Dr. Happy is telling you to make sure you have something worth getting out of bed for each day because with it being colder now, the other voice in your head might just be telling you to stay in bed a little longer and forget about going on that morning run or Home Holistic beach class you planned on the night before.  Also remember, when you do things that make you happy, your body will respond by producing exactly what hormones you need to keep you alive and well.  When you are, your body will still respond, this time producing hormones which will push you in the other direction.  Not to sound dramatic, but I am, I heard someone say a few weeks ago that when you don’t have an overarching dream for yourself or something to live for, essentially you are signaling to your body that you are ready to die… This might take a long time but some of the immediate responses to this include a greater decrease in the feel good hormones produced by your brain, less energy or get up and go, your dietary habits might start to slide, you might feel tired, depleted and sluggish and visibly, this will show in your skins complexion.  
 
Dr Quiet is telling you to make sure you are getting enough rest, because the colder and darker months are a good time for it and all of the cells in your body are syked after our expressive and celebrative seasons of Summer and Fall.  Meditation and intention setting are a great way to make sure that you are getting enough rest in the colder months and still setting yourself goals to keep you moving.
 
Dr Movement is always telling you to move as much of yourself as you can.  This doesn’t always have to be training, movement in general is important as it is the only way we can transport lymph around the body.  Lymph is responsible for transporting all kinds of important stuff around, as well as picking up bacteria to send back to the lymph nodes, where they are destroyed.  If you don’t move you are going to get sick and if you don’t know how to move go for a walk.
 
Dr Diet and the health of your gut always need to be considered if you want to avoid sickness.  Studies show that 70—80% of your body’s immune cells are found surrounding your gut and it makes sense; your gut lining is the first line of defense against anything from the external world.  Technically, if you are to look at the gut as the hollow tube, running from mouth to anus, it is the only thing inside of our body that actually isn’t inside of us at all.  Think about it this way, anything inside the digestive system has to go through many processes before it will be assimilated into our human tissue.  Food doesn’t turn into blood, hormones, human tissue or feces the second it gets swallowed.  It needs to be processed and pass all of the ok’s before it can move from the digestive system into the body.  Sickness and disease can deter this process but in a healthy human, this is how it works.  All of the 4 doctors effect this digestion process, but eating whole organic and pasture raised foods is essential in order to nourish and protect it.  Look after your gut by staying away from inflammatory foods and make sure to keep the balance of good and bad bacteria in order by eating lots of probiotic rich foods such as yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi.

Keep reading next week for more tips on how to avoid the flu's and the blues.