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Berry Tasty!
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Over the next two weeks, The Weekly Beet presents a two-part series on increasing immunity. This week, The Beet reports on a berry tasty immune boosting fruit. Mary Kent puts Elderberry to the test, revealing why everyone could use a little kick in the glass.
From common colds to common bombings, these days it seems like we're waging wars from the inside out! In Boosting Your Immune System, we learn that in both the US and the UK deaths caused by infections have doubled in the last decade and that 50,000 tons of antibiotics are being used each year. Now, that's a lot of chemical warfare! To fight the war on infection, our bodies come well equipped with a serious line of defense known as the immune system, whose sole purpose is to defend the body from the harmful invasion of bacteria, toxins, parasites, viruses, cancer cells, and even energies. With B Lymphocytes, Monocytes, and Macrophages responsible for the body's weapons of mass destruction called antibodies, there is clearly an intricately designed military operation going on within! IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD and IgE antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins or the cellular armed forces, are produced in response to invasion of foreign intruders.
Unfortunately, foreign intrusion can go beyond bacteria and germs in the body! It is our surroundings, how we treat our body, and what we put in it that all have an impact on immunity. The following is a list of the main triggers responsible for a weakening of the immune system:
 - Stress & Depression
- Alcohol Abuse
- Smoking
- Poor eating habits
- Overexposure to toxins
- Overuse of medications
- Lack of exercise
- Sleep
- Radiation
- Unhappiness
Luckily, there are many things we can do to protect ourselves naturally from infectious invasion! As antibiotics can weaken the immune system it is sometimes necessary to turn to Mother Nature for a bit of natural defense. Discovered by a virologist, Madeleine Mumcuoglu, Elderberry, or Sambucus Nigra in Latin, is proving to be one of the latest herbs to provide excellent immune support! In recent research that appeared in the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, people exposed to the influenza virus who took Elderberry lessened symptoms by 20% within 24 hours and by 73% within 48 hours. Now, that's what we call unBEETable!
Just a spoonful of Elderberry extract helps to:
- Strengthen the immune system.
- Ease symptoms of the common cold.
- Fight viruses.
- Alleviate coughs and fevers.
It's time to get a berry strong immune system! Don't miss a Beet. Stay tuned for next week as The Beet reports on a few more natural tricks to increase immunity!
Love,
Mary Kent
PS. Mary Kent is wearing top from Edun and Buddha beads from Tibet.
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