So it’s day 12 of Survivor and the Kucha tribe has been living off the land and going head to head against Ogakor for immunity and to send them back to tribal council for another elimination…
Whoops wrong article…
Or is it? Immunity can come down to a lot of factors but one element is like the show Survivor and that it is a survival of the fittest.
The Spiel
Immunity is the balanced state of multicellular organisms having adequate biological defences to fight infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion. And in today’s day and age with the COVID – 19 pandemic immunity is more of a hot topic that it has ever been.
The concept of immunity has intrigued mankind for thousands of years. The prehistoric view of disease was that supernatural forces caused it, and that illness was a form of ritualistic punishment for “bad deeds” or “evil thoughts” visited upon the soul by the gods or by one’s enemies. Up until the mid to late 1800s leading to Louis Pasteur’s germ theory of disease, the fledgling science of immunology began to explain how bacteria caused disease, and how, following infection, the human body gained the ability to resist further infections.
Speaking recently to Interactive nutritionist Monique Stagnitti from the Natural Perspective she was saying that approximately 70% of your immune system is in your gut which is the gut associated lymphoid tissue and apart of the lymphatic system. Now the lymphatic system is a purification system made up of not only organs but a series of vessels and ‘stations’ so to speak called lymph nodes that filter and drain bacteria, toxins and microbes from the body to fight infection and disease, which then return the clean and filtered fluid back into the blood stream.
Unlike a system like the cardiovascular system the lymphatic system doesn’t have a ‘pump’ like the heart to propel the fluid around the body and through the vessels. So the system relies on the bodies movement to propel the fluid through the system. And this is where Pilates comes into play, all those pumping movements that you tend to do laying down like single leg stretch and the famous hundreds all lend it self with effective ways of stimulating and moving the lymphatic system. Inverting and rolling movements like roll overs also help in the same way as the exercises laying down work against gravity’s influence on the systems flow.
Now let me take you on a little history lesson. When World War I broke out in 1914, Joseph Pilates (the founder of this brilliant method) and his brother were touring in England in a martial arts type of act in a traveling circus show common of that era. Due to Joe’s German nationality, he was deemed an enemy alien and sent to an internment camp on the Isle of Man near Lancaster, where Pilates started to develop and teach his method. Now before the war ended in 1918 our last major global pandemic hit – the Spanish Flu. Coming in 4 consecutive waves over the globe infecting 500 million (approximately one third of the worlds population) and killing around 50 million (1 in 10 if you’re quick at maths) including people of all ages and not just the venerable. In fact History.com reported that more U.S. soldiers lost their lives from the pandemic flu of 1918 versus the same amount of deaths that year from the war.
Now how many detainees succumbed to the Spanish Flu under Joe’s care in that camp… ZERO. Having discussed the merciless widespread immensity of this pandemic, it really puts into perspective the astonishing fact that not a single person in the internment camp with Joseph Pilates succumbed. The camp had the same conditions crowded conditions and the same varying ages of detainees as any other camp. The only difference that could be pinpointed was to be responsible for creating robust internal immune systems within the individuals.
So let’s keep our bodies ‘pumping’ our bodies through exercise for a healthy immune system.
Enjoy
The Facts
Studies show that leading a physically active lifestyle reduces the incidence of communicable and non-communicable diseases, implying that immune competency is enhanced by regular exercise bouts.
The lymphatic system has no pump it relies on the bodies mechanical movement, gravity and pressure to help move the fluid around at an effective rate.
Those who did aerobic exercise five or more days of the week lowered the number of upper respiratory tract infections (like the common cold) over a 12-week period by more than 40%.
-British Journal of Sports medicine
The Tips
Walk the walk or jog the jog
Go for a walk or a jog to get those arms and legs swinging and the body moving
Pump up the jam
Do a Pilates class, they are not short of pumping and opening movements to help move the lymphatic system around.
Look at it form a different angle
Spinal Rolling and inversion exercises like roll ups and roll overs are a great way to move the lymphatic fluid around the system. And even if you bony want to exercise you cold even lay brown and put your feet up the wall for 10 minutes or so each afternoon.
*Please note these exercises and tips are general in nature if you are experiencing pain or any adverse symptoms please consult a medical or allied health professional.
Benjamin Rashleigh 