Natural Killers

Bette Dowdell

I'm talking killers, and I'm talking about you.

You have natural killers in you.

And these natural killers are a good thing. A very good thing.

Which is why I'm going to talk about how to keep your natural killers in top shape, ready for action.

First, let's talk about the company your killers hang out with. Natural killer cells are part of the endocrine system-thyroid, adrenals, etc-a bunch of glands that pretty much determine how good we feel. And these guys are a tight group.

When one part of the endo system has a problem, the others rush to help. No matter what happens to them, they jump in-then they all end up in a ditch. Which is bad. When the endocrine glands ain't happy, ain't nothin' happy. It's like a bus hit you.

So listen up. Let's learn how to keep these guys happy.

First off, our thymus gland, part of the all-for-one/one-for-all endocrine system, is top dog in keeping our immunity in fighting shape.

And the thymus creates the natural killer cells, otherwise known as NKs. They patrol your body 24/7, hunting for viruses, bacteria, etc. NKs kill the bad guys before they can take us down.

But sometimes the enemy is armed to the teeth: Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides-on our food, in the water, in the air-pretty much everywhere-can beat the tar out of our killer cells. The NKs are out-manned and outgunned.

This opens the way for free radicals-unbalanced cells-to jump in. Then they go on a tear attacking healthy cells to get what they need to get balanced.

This leads to oxidative stress. Oxide is, basically, rust. As you might guess, rust slows things down.

And rust keeps our cells from getting enough oxygen. Cells can't live without oxygen. Without enough, cells get very sloooow. Without any, cells die. You are on the road to dread diseases. Which announces its presence with visible signs of aging..

Which is why we hear all the talk about antioxidants. Get enough of those babies, and the oxidative stress problem goes away. Well, perhaps not completely.

Our food supply-fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy-comes chock-a-block full of toxic gunk. And food is only part of this mess. There's no way we can get enough antioxidants to win this war. We must get rid of some bad guys.

What can we do?

To fortify our killer cells, we absolutely, positively need antioxidants, starting with a full agenda of vitamin and mineral supplements. Our bodies insist on balance, so rather than random, hit-or-miss nutrition, give them everything they need to fight the good fight. It's a team effort, not a Lone Ranger kind of thing.

And we need exercise. Not the 'no pain, no gain' variety. Not even aerobic exercise. Weights, resistance training, walking and the like, done to tolerance. You don't do your body any favors by taxing your strength, so start where you are and get better.

Then, to level the playing field, we need to limit toxins as much as possible. In terms of food, go organic if you can-grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and eggs, organic produce. Let supermarket managers know you want organic. Shop at farmers' markets. Go on-line for grass-fed beef. In other words, make new shopping habits.

If you can't get organic produce, start washing and peeling. And don't eat anything that grows underground like carrots, onions and potatoes. They get drowned with toxic chemicals like you wouldn't believe, and no amount of washing cleans them up. They're an organic must.

The word's getting out, and people are voting for better food with their dollars. In the meantime, it's going to take effort to protect your natural killers, your immune system, your health and your youthful appearance.

You're worth it.

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