Boost Your Immune System

In the face of a disintegrating healthcare system, skyrocketing insurance costs, and increasing need to be self-reliant, we would do well to improve our health and remain free of accident, illness, and injury. Achieving this requires balance on both a metaphysical and physical level. Let’s examine the metaphysical preconditions for good health first.

Metaphysical Causes of Illness

We know that stress reduces the immune system, but aside from the biological mechanism behind this, there are metaphysical ones as well. The physical body is supported at the quantum level by the etheric body, an energetic scaffolding that keeps everything in order. A breakdown in the etheric body leads to increased entropy in the physical, allowing viruses, fungi, and bacteria to more easily establish themselves with an infection. Several things lead to damage of the etheric body in the form of rips, blockages, and darkenings.

First are negative emotions like fear, worry, anger, hatred, contempt, guilt, and depression — especially if repressed. For example, reading an emotionally distressing news article and boiling with anger, but being unable to do anything and just letting the anger linger, that causes negative etheric energy to build up in one’s etheric body (actually the astral, but it filters down into the etheric) and causes damage. It also spikes the cortisol and adrenaline levels which can wear down one’s physical immune system. Another example: excessive fear, worry, depression, and cynicism over financial and economic conditions will affect one’s etheric body and magnetize one to the probability of getting sick. Last example: internally raging at someone and wanting to verbally thrash them but having to hold it in, that can case an imbalance in the throat chakra and increase chances of a sore throat infection.

Second is stubbornly pushing oneself toward some goal or duty that causes one great stress and discomfort, especially something that is soul-killing. This is a big one. There is a flow to life, a rhythm and direction of optimal balance where your soul maintains health and equilibrium because what it experiences in life matches its spiritual needs. Going 180 degrees against this is like pressing on the gas pedal with the breaks on; it creates friction and stress that can burn out the engine and the breaks. How does one go against the flow? By pursuing ego-inspired or socially-forced goals that go against wisdom and destiny. Sometimes we feel we have no choice, and sure enough sometimes we don’t, but other times we do have the choice to stop some unwise course of action but stubbornly push for it anyway. That’s when accidents and illness increase, which are synchronistic forms of “smoke” and “fire” caused by “friction.”

So those two factors alone, negative emotions and pushing against the spiritual grain, are enough to weaken the immune system and attract disease. Other factors like sleep deprivation and substance abuse can also weaken or damage the etheric body, beyond the obvious things they do to the physical.

Third is holding on to hypochondriacal belief systems, that is, having subconscious programming that one is under constant assault and at risk of falling ill at any moment. It is true that with chemtrails in the air, fluoride and chemicals in the water, pesticides and GMOs in food, BPA in plastics, and superbugs in our environment that we are under physical attack. However, due to epigenetic and occult reasons a constant and deep seated fear of these threats (beyond mere calm awareness useful for strategic solutions) can catalyze their effects on the body, mind, and soul. For example, in attempting to avoid all toxins in foods and eating clean and organic, one can go overboard and become neurotic, training the body to treat everything as a potential threat, and that can lead to autoimmune issues and a runaway cascade of allergies to anything and everything.

Therefore you may benefit from meditating a few minutes before sleep and after awakening with the thought and feeling that you are completely well and at ease, safe and protected, healthy and sound in mind, body, and soul. This will reprogram your subconscious and epigenetic responses toward being better able at coping with various threats.

Physical Support of the Immune System

Numerous physical factors can reduce one’s immune system.

The first is not getting enough sleep. This leaves the nightly cleanup of metabolic toxins unfinished, creates a stress response (cortisol, adrenaline, and homocysteine) and makes the immune system sluggish. Sleep deprivation can cause loss of brain cells, obesity, heart disease, and more. Do your best to get enough sleep. Even a 20 minute power nap at some point each day can revitalize the mind, soul, and body. It’s far better for you than caffeine.
Caffeine only surges more adrenaline through one’s system, which is like adding nitro to an engine full of sand. It can lead to eventual adrenal fatigue and burnout, and perpetual illness.

The second is the aforementioned stress factor, which also comes from pushing too hard against the spiritual grain and harboring / repressing negative emotions. The worse you feel, the worse your immune system feels.

Conversely, the better you feel, the better your immune system. Hence, if you get sick, make yourself warm and sleep as much as you can. This speeds up your lymphocytes, conserves calories, and energizes your entire system. Then the lymphocytes are likewise energized and ready to tackle the pathogens. Since oxygen is also crucial for energy, do some short breathing exercises throughout the day. Simply inhale and exhale deeply through the noise, to the point of first onset of mild hyperventilation, then hold breath until it goes away and repeat a couple more times. Alkalizing foods such as vegetables help increase the oxygen content of the body as well.

The third is lack of sunlight / vitamin D. The reason flu season is in full swing by February is not only because people spend more time indoors breathing each other’s air, but because by that point it’s already been a few months of wearing cold weather clothing and not being in the sun as much, plus the sun being lower in the sky causing the atmosphere to block the UVB rays needed to make D. Without vitamin D, a host of biological processes cannot function optimally, and the immune system suffers. Unfortunately, supplements are neither as safe, strong, or efficiently absorbed as sunlight, but a D3 supplement is better than nothing during winter months or low-light areas of the world. Zinc, K2, and magnesium can enhance the absorption of Vitamin D.

The fourth is a poor diet, and not only the consumption of immune-reducing foods, but the lack of certain macronutrients. So too little of the good stuff is as detrimental as too much of the bad stuff. That’s why a toxin-free “organic whole foods” diet can create its own problems unless supplements or high-potency foods (like liver) are included.

Not eating enough calories can depress the immune system because the body lacks energy to operate properly. This is especially the case if you’re eating enough carbs to stay out of nutritional ketosis, but not enough to meet your caloric needs. Ketosis is a special mode the body enters when deprived of carbohydrates, where it switches to burning body fat for energy. In that state of ketosis, there’s an immense amount of energy available from body fat. But if you eat too many carbs, it keeps you out of ketosis and the fat cannot be burned efficiently. If one then also lacks overall calories, the body and hence lymphocytes run out of energy and can’t fight off the pathogens. So either eat enough carbs to fuel your immune system, or fast to enter ketosis (as one naturally would when nauseous and unable to eat for a day or more).

Inadequate fat intake is itself quite deleterious to the body. Fat is necessary for hormone production (and cholesterol for testosterone) and the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Going on too low-fat a diet will lead to malnutrition, fatty acid deficiencies, loss of myelin (fatty insulation) in neural tissues, and autoimmune problems. The type of fat matters too. Different fats/oils have different fatty acid profiles. The body mainly needs oleic acid, omega 3s, and nervonic acid for proper functioning. Butter and coconut oil are very low in oleic acid, and eating only those exclusively can lead to oleic acid deficiency whose symptoms include intestinal inflammation and dryness of mouth and eyes and cardiovascular issues. So be sure to include fish (or algael) oil and olive oil in your diet to get those essential fatty acids. An optimal non-ketogenic diet should have at least 30% of daily calories come from fat. So for 1800 calories, 540 calories in fat, which is 60 grams minimum fat. If you are concerned about obesity, then simply make your fatty meal lower in carbs to balance out the calories. It’s the mixture of high carb and high fat that lead to obesity the quickest.

The three biggest immune-knockers, however, are wheat, sugar, and dairy.

The high gluten levels in modern wheat products has been linked to mild or severe allergic reactions in people. These reactions cause intestinal and systemic inflammations. Commercial wheat is also high in Roundup herbicide (glyphosate) which is toxic to healthy gut bacteria and impairs the function of glial cells (which comprise much of the nervous system).

Modern commercial wheat products are not fermented, have extra gluten added, use fast-rise yeast that cannot break down the complex starches in wheat, and come from a species of wheat grain that has far more gluten than what our ancestors originally ate. The info on wheat is out there, for example read this book review on the book Dangerous Grains.

The problem is that Celiac Disease is just the most severe type of reaction to wheat gluten, whereas a lesser condition is more common but tends to go undiagnosed. The condition known as gluten sensitivity leads to symptoms that aren’t obviously linked to gluten being the problem. Those with Celiac Disease ought to eliminate gluten entirely, while those with sensitivity can get by with largely reducing their gluten intake. Please do further research on gluten sensitivity and Celiac disease to know what foods are okay to eat, if you suspect you have either.

If you do have to eat wheat bread, then the two safest types are genuine sourdough and sprouted wheat bread, especially if made from organic wheat. Real sourdough uses no fast-rise yeast and is given a long rise time in which the starches are broken down by the natural micro-organisms in the sourdough starter. This is closer to the kind of bread eaten before the advent of modern industrial bread making. Sprouted wheat has some of the gluten and anti-nutrients deactivated, so it’s not as harsh as the regular commercial breads.

Traditional substitutes for wheat include rice, oats, corn, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, or amaranth. Beware that the non-organic types may contain Roundup. Of these grains, rice is the least problematic. But while these alternatives contain less gluten (some none, some less than others) it’s generally acknowledged that grains overall aren’t as ideal for human consumption as fruits, vegetables, and tubers. The safest carbs from a dietary, epigenetic, and allergenic standpoint are red potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, cooked plantains, and fruits.

As for sugar, it’s fine in moderation but there are two potential problems.

The first is overeating. Beware of larger quantities as found in soft drinks, cool-aid, fruit juices, cookies, cakes, and pastries. Interestingly, the biggest sugar danger of all is high glycemic carbs such as white bread, soft mushy white rice, fat-free pastries, mashed potatoes, porridge, or mushy pasta. These turn into blood sugar quickly because they are so digestible, and that level of sugar either turns into fat or cross-links with proteins in your blood vessels, causing damage to them and accelerating the aging process. It’s the sugar crash one gets 1-4 hours later that really kicks the immune system down.

A big glass of juice can do it, a lot of bread or pastries can do it, a big pile of mashed potatoes can do it — if you get a sugar crash, never eat that food or that quantity again, because every sugar crash is a step closer to cancer, diabetes, obesity, and accelerated aging. The aforementioned safe carbs avoid this by having enough fiber and complex carbs that they are slower to digest.

The second is fructose. There are many types of sugar, but the primary ones are fructose and glucose. Table sugar, which is sucrose, is half fructose and half glucose. Glucose is used by all cells in the body for energy. Fructose, on the other hand, is a metabolic poison that, like alcohol, must be sent to the liver to be converted to safe metabolizable form. Table sugar, honey, agave nectar, maple syrup, fruits, and high fructose corn syrup are all at least half fructose or higher. That is very bad. It’s said that the body can metabolize about 7-14 grams of fructose per day. Anything more, and it’s like consuming more alcohol than the body can handle, which leads to fatty liver disease and other issues.

So if you eat carbs and sugar, avoid high glycemic foods to ensure you don’t get sugar crashes. Use non-gmo dextrose (pure glucose powder) in place of table sugar, or just use stevia or monk fruit extract if you need a calorie free sweetener. For those cutting down on sugar itself, it’s fine to have a teaspoon here and there. In fact, that can reduce cravings and prevent binging. It’s the several tablespoon’s worth found in juice and soft drinks or pastries, cookies, puddings, etc. that should be had in moderation or avoided altogether.

As for dairy, well that has several problems: 1) high estrogen content in milk fat (means ovarian cancer for women, breast enlargement in males), 2) pus content from cows with infected udders, 3) lactose sugar which causes intestinal problems for some people, 4) A1 casein protein which not everyone fully digests, causing undigested proteins to circulate in the blood and act as cancer-causing inflammation producers and opium mimicker which screws with brain chemistry and may aggravate autistic and schizophrenic symptoms, 5) pasteurization, which destroys the enzymes that would normally help us digest milk better, and 6) homogenization, which breaks fat globules up into little jagged particles that go rancid more easily. That’s what you get in modern commercial dairy.

If you do cow dairy anyway, butter and half-n-half are alright in moderate quantities, other than the high estrogen levels, so guys don’t go crazy with the butter unless you like a little more weight on your chests. Grass-fed cows produce safer dairy fat (more omega 3s, less estrogen) so stick with a brand like Kerrygold if you consume butter. Butter has vitamins K, A, D, and cholesterol which the body needs. Goat milk and cheese is a decent substitute for regular milk, if you can get used to the goaty taste. Else, there is almond milk, just watch out for some having lots of added sugar. Avoid soy milk since it has estrogen-mimickers.

Mainly it is cow cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, and whole/2%/1% milk that cause the biggest problems. Best to reduce them to condiment-levels, and stick to alternatives for larger quantities. What is the problem exactly? As mentioned, dairy proteins don’t always digest well and the homogenization process turns fat globules into jagged little particles (as small as .2 microns) that can permeate the gut lining. In both cases, dairy particles escape into the blood where the lymphatic system has to clean them up, which clogs it up and reduces its ability to clean up pathogens. For example, the tonsils are a part of the lymphatic system that excretes this waste down the back of the throat, and consuming too much dairy can cause white secretions to form in the tonsils which shouldn’t be there and are a symptom of an overloaded lymphatic system. Stopping dairy will make those go away, proving they are dairy particles the body is trying to eliminate. These particles in the blood can also create an allergic and inflammatory condition, leading to sinusitis, acne, cancer, and other health issues. Thus dairy nowadays isn’t a good idea to consume daily or in large quantities.

Here is a list of the top food combinations to avoid, from the most damaging to the least damaging:

• Wheat + Dairy + Sugar — Cheese cake, custard pie, cream-filled donuts, cookies/cakes/pastries with milk, bagels with sweet cream cheese, ice cream with sugar or waffle cone, etc…

• Wheat + Sugar — Cookies, cakes, muffins, pastries, pies, pancakes, waffles, etc…

• Dairy + Sugar — Ice cream, eggnog, flavored yogurt, pudding, custard, etc…

• Sugar — Soft drinks, fruit juices, candy, milk chocolate, popsicles, especially anything with high fructose corn syrup, etc…

• Wheat + Dairy — Pizza, cheese sticks, bread with cheese slice, sandwiches, etc…

• Low-fat Dairy — yogurt, skim milk, casein protein, sour cream

• Fatty Dairy — butter, half-n-half, cream, ghee, cream cheese

The top three ought to ideally be eliminated altogether, and the rest used sparingly or in moderation. Everyone has different biology and metabolism, so it takes some fine tuning to settle in on the foods that give you energy. For most people, wheat, dairy, and sugar don’t have to be eliminated completely, just restricted. A little butter, a little cream in coffee, some wheat breading on chicken, and a little sugar added to stews or oatmeal are fine for most people. It’s mainly the larger quantities and combinations of two or three of the wheat, dairy, and sugar, that do a number on the immune system.

It’s also worth reducing caffeine intake since caffeine creates a stress-response in the body (adrenaline and cortisol increase) — anything over 30mg of caffeine per day is getting into health-negative territory, leading to fatigue, headaches, and rapid aging.

The best immune-supporting meals are those with moderate to low glycemic index (35 to 50 range, doesn’t cause sugar crash), that are low in wheat gluten, and have a neutral or alkalizing effect on body pH. Examples include split pea soup, steamed asparagus, pan-toasted plantains, boiled sweet potatoes, boiled butternut squash cubes, stews/chillis, sauerkraut, oatmeal with just a little butter and honey, fruit and nut mixes, apples, salads, fresh meat and fish, sauteed vegetables, and so on. Simple ingredients, minimally processed, maximum nutrient density.

As for supplements and the immune system, the major thing to watch out for is being deficient in zinc, B-vitamins, vitamin C, and vitamin D. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is safe to take up to 1/4 teaspoon per day (1000 mg) for maintenance or every two hours when sick. Deficiencies in any of those will lower your immune system, therefore read up on deficiency symptoms and compensate as necessary. A good site for getting up to speed on nutrition is http://whfoods.com. There are other immune boosting supplements like chaga, elderberry, garlic, and lion’s mane mushroom to look into, but do your research before taking these.

Physiological Adjustments

A little bit of exercise can go a long way. If you sit on your butt all day and heart rate rarely ever elevates, your overall health may decline. The body will become like a stagnant pond versus a clear bubbling stream. Exercise is necessary to oxygenate cells, accelerate the expulsion of accumulated toxins, and flush out your circulatory system. No, jogging isn’t necessary, nor is exercising so hard that your chest hurts. Just increased breathing and breaking into a light sweat by maintaining elevated heart rate for at least ten minutes per day is enough. Simple home exercises like pushups, bicycle crunches, barbell movements, and leg lifts or squats (if you don’t have weak knees) do the job. Whatever works.

On the other hand, avoid extreme physical stress. For example, if you aren’t in ketosis and haven’t eaten enough carbs today, but then go to the gym for a high intensity workout that leaves you feeling dead tired and wanting to fall asleep — that’s a sign the body is so drained of energy it can barely keep going. How do you think the lymphocytes are feeling? And what were you breathing in when you were huffing and puffing? That’s why intense workouts like that can cause upper respiratory infections in some people. Don’t overdo it, not without enough fuel to sustain yourself.

In that same vein, as mentioned earlier, get enough sleep — every night. If you can’t, then take power naps when you can rather than hitting the caffeine. Some people view sleep as something that gets in the way of living, but that’s like saying coming up for air gets in the way of diving. Sleep is when the body repairs itself and charges up with physical and vital energy. If you sacrifice sleep for trivial reasons, you will burn the candle at both ends. Your immune system will suffer for it, you will age faster, get sick more often, have lowered creativity and initiative, get stressed and irritated more easily, and become more zombie-like. Get the sleep you need to feel your fullest, and take a short nap if you hit an energy slump during the day.

Note that all the above principles also apply toward improving health, feeling better, and slowing aging. Boosting immunity is only one benefit among many.

Metaphysical Adjustments

Moderating your emotional response to situations will become an invaluable skill in the times ahead. I prefer staying on the slightly positive side of neutral — not so flat as to be stone-faced, but not so giddy as to see through rose-colored glasses. Rather, good-natured, optimistic, and most of all sharp, balanced, aware, and lucid.

How can this be done in very challenging circumstances? Well, through a combination of faith and understanding. Faith is needed where knowledge fails, where you have done what you could and the rest is not in your hands. Then it’s better to invoke a feeling that that things will work out, than to worry unnecessarily. Understanding comes down to feeling security in knowing what you must do, that panicking will get you nowhere. An attitude of strategic optimism, that you will get through this and will play your moves smartly, that really helps. If you are confronted with anger or fear, ask yourself whether you can do something about the problem right now. If yes, then do it. If not, then let those emotions go and don’t worry since it’s out of your hands right now.

Catching yourself before you let loose with a blind emotional reaction will keep you from having to suppress that emotion, by nipping it in the bud. How? By noticing yourself reacting the moment that you do, instead of being entranced by the thing triggering your reaction. Notice yourself, notice how you the observer are actually calm and silent deep inside while the emotion is an external thing trying to latch itself onto you, trying to get you to align and identify with it. Ask yourself if this is really necessary. Then look for understanding, the meaning, the lesson, the way out of this situation you are in, and act logically and strategically.

If you build up a momentum of balanced optimism then when confronted with a negative emotional trigger you are less liable to lose control because you are already centered and stable. Therefore it may help to start your day with some thoughts of gratitude, hope, and wonderment. If you do this, you will also notice it affecting the probability of your experiences throughout the day, reducing incidences of aggravation and misfortune and increasing positive synchronicities. That is because consciousness subtly affects how the future flows into the present.

A harder task is aligning with the optimal flow of life. It can be accomplished by consulting your intuition, heart, and common sense when making decisions, by spotting genuine inner and outer resistance to going in the wrong direction (see my article Battle of Opposites).

The key to survival and good health in the coming years will be keeping your eyes open and acting smartly without losing your emotional composure or spiritual integrity, no matter what happens to you or those around you.