Tag: Exercise

The Foundations of Immune Health: Part 4 – Exercise

 

In order to make sure our bodies are functioning optimally, we must first address the foundations of immune health. If we can work towards the foundations of health, then we provide the body with a fighting chance against many different illnesses and disease. It is a good idea to come back to these foundations every day, and check in to see where you may need some additional support to ensure that we can prevent illness. The foundations of immune health include…

This week we will be talking about exercise and immune health.

Why is Exercise Good for Immune Health?

There are several different mechanisms that exercise can affect immune health. First, it increases blood circulation in the body. When the heart rate is increased, it means that our white blood cells, our immune fighting cells, will move faster around the body and identify any invader to the body. It also means that the body is able to remove toxins and pathogens from the body faster.

The immune system has a direct impact on the number of white blood cells. Research shows that during exercise our white blood cell levels increase. This means that during exercise we are more able to fight infections.

There are also indirect ways that exercising helps the immune system. Exercising has a huge role in stress management and mental health, which are foundational to immune health. Additionally, exercising outdoors allows you to connect with nature and get additional vitamin D, both of which are incredible for immune health.

What do we suggest for exercise?

  • Time: Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week at moderate intensity or 150 minutes a week.
  • Type of Exercise: The type of exercise mainly studied was aerobic exercise. However, anything that gets your heart rate up can be beneficial!
  • Schedule time in your day to exercise. Stay dedicated to this time. Look at is as a self-care time and understand that it is very important for your whole health.
  • Don’t get discouraged. If you don’t hit your goal of exercising, understand that that’s okay. This is a behaviour change and it requires effort, dedication and time.
  • Try to get outside to exercise at least 1-2 times a week. The additional vitamin D you get from being outside can add to additional benefits to your immune health. You get extra points if you exercise surrounded by nature. This can decrease stress hormones and provide extra benefits to the immune system.

3 Lifestyle Tips for Post-Concussion Syndrome

After a head injury, people may suffer from symptoms of concussions. These symptoms typically disappear between 7 and 10 days. But what happens when these symptoms persist?

 

This is known as post-concussion syndrome and it can last months and even years. Symptoms of post concussion syndrome include headaches, insomnia, dizziness, concentration difficulty, fatigue, memory difficulty, irritability, and intolerance of stress, emotion, or alcohol. There are several different approaches in which naturopathic doctors may take in treating post-concussion syndrome. Dr. Mason-Wood, ND has experience supporting those with concussions and post-concussion syndrome and will use a range of modalities to get his patients feeling better.

 

These are a couple of basic lifestyle tips that can help people with post-concussion syndrome.

  1. Limit Screen Time

    • Patients with post-concussion syndrome often have increased sensitivity to noise and light. The light given off from screens, such as T.Vs, computers, and cell phones is considered blue light.  Blue light activates a certain part of the back of your eye and brain which can aggravate symptoms. By reducing your screen time, you are letting your eyes rest and helping your brain recover. Reducing screen time may not be easy if your job or schooling requires you to be on a computer so there are several different ways you can get around this. You can use a red light filter on your screens (or in the meantime, turn night shift on your MacBook or iPhone) and try blue-blocking glasses.

  2. Exercise

    • Starting with light aerobic exercise after 1-2 days of the injury has been shown to speed up time to recovery and improve symptoms. It is believed that light exercising increases the ability of your brain to repair itself by increasing the amount of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Make sure to pick activities that do not increase your risk of re-injury.

  3. Listen to your body

    • Be gentle with yourself. Listen to your body, and identify when it is telling you to rest. Step away from your computer, move into a dark room, if you are having bad symptoms with a certain food or drink, avoid it and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Honour what your body is saying and rest when you need it. This can significantly help in your recovery.

For more ways to help manage your concussion or post-concussion syndrome book an appointment with Dr. Mason-Wood, ND