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If you are
suffering from candida overgrowth / yeast infection then its highly likely that
your immune system is compromised. It is
believed that up to 80% of our immune system is
based in the gut.
So first step towards recovery is to start to
look after yourself and do everything you can to
boost your immune system. I personally
believe that the reason I kept getting candida
was because my immune system was compromised.
I was always feeling run down.
There were specific reasons for this including
taking the contraceptive pill, an imbalance of
the gut flora due to food poisoning and most importantly of all STRESS.
So please take a
good look at your life, habits and diet and see
what you can do to be kinder on yourself.
Sometimes it’s easier to start with little
steps towards new habits. I also kept a
personal diary (not my blog) to record my
progress as there were times when I didn't think I was actually making
any! After a few weeks I could read my diary and
I began to notice subtle but significant
improvements which kept me going.
I'm going to go
through some of my own tips for improving your
immune system and I hope you find some ideas to
help you.
Important of
Rest & Sleep
You need to make
sure that you are not doing too much if
possible. I know with modern busy
lifestyles that this can seem impossible but its
vital to your recovery if you can build in time
to rest. I know plenty of people who tell
themselves off or feel bad if they feel too
tired to carry out tasks that they feel
they ‘ought’ to be able to do. So they
basically tell themselves just to get on with
it. But they are ignoring their
body’s plea for rest. This is
dangerous.
Personally I only
started to get better once I started to listen
to what my body was trying to tell me and to
rest whenever I could. I decided that it
didn’t matter how big the pile of ironing became or
what state the house was in. If I was worn
out then I went
for lie down whenever I could. If I kept fretting
about I ‘should’ be doing instead then I would
listen to some relaxing chill out music.
Sleep is
especially important and research suggests that
its vital to go to sleep before midnight.
This was one of my mistakes. I was not
sleeping properly – tossing and turning all
night long. Worries would wake me up
regularly. In fact it got to the point
where I used to think, “there’s no point going
to bed early as I never sleep properly anyway”.
Big mistake!
I've learnt that
poor sleep not only wreaks your immune system,
it also upsets your endocrine (hormone) system.
Now I make it a priority to have early nights
and I have a routine which helps me to de-stress
and sleep well. It took a while to achieve
this as my body seemed stuck in bad sleep habits
but I persevered and it been one of the best
things I've done for my health. The
body can recharge and start to heal itself while
you are sleeping and resting so its very
important not to underestimate the importance of
sleep when fighting candida. It is vital to
understand that sleep patterns are habits which
take time to change. If you are having
trouble going to sleep or having a good night’s
sleep then it is worth trying a new approach for
a few weeks to see if it makes a difference.
Here are things that I tried to help me to sleep
better.
Insomnia
Hypnosis - DIY
If you have problems
falling asleep then you can try an insomnia CD.
A friend of mine actually made her own simply by
finding a free insomnia hypnotherapy script on
the internet. She recorded herself reading
out the script with some nice relaxing music on
in the background. (Obviously if you
do this then you cannot sell the CD as the music
and script will be copyrighted)
There are lots of
different insomnia scripts available so you may
need to experiment to find one which works best
for you. Once you are happy with
your recording save it to a CD or MP3 player.
Then play the recording back to yourself when
you lie in bed at night time.
Alternatively you
can buy one. If you can't find one in your
local stores please visit my Products page.
My Tips for a Good Night’s
Sleep
-
Switch off the tv or computer at least 1
hour before bed time and try to switch off
all electronic equipment in your room.
There's something about looking at a bright
screen which makes it harder for your brain
to switch off straight away.
-
Try
to develop a pre-bed routine to let your
body know that sleep time is coming.
If you can gradually dim the lights before
you go to bed too. Its all about
training your brain into new sleep habits.
-
Have
a relaxing bath before bed. I light
candles in the bathroom and turn off the
main light to create a relaxing atmosphere.
I'm a big believer in the power of essential
oils. Lavender can
promote a good night’s sleep so try adding a
couple of drops of lavender oil to your
evening bath. If you have sensitive
skin mix the drops with a small quantity of
milk or base oil (sweet almond oil is my
favourite) and then pour it into the bath
and mix it around. I also add a few
drops of tea tree oil as this is
anti-fungal and can help to fight the
candida which is a type of fungus.
-
Avoid caffeine late at night. This
means no coffee or tea and also if you are
taking medication check it does not
contain caffeine.
-
Try
some gentle stretches to remove muscle
stress before you go to bed. You may
like to try some gentle yoga.
-
Relaxation meditations can be stored on an
mp3 player and played after you get into
bed. They are great for helping you to
forget about worries.
-
Try
reading a relaxing, positive book before
bed. I love Louise Hay's You Can Heal
Your Life. I end by repeating a few
positive affirmations from her book and I
always sleep well afterwards. I
have no idea how it works but it does for
me! Check out my
affirmations page for more ideas.
-
Once
the lights are off you can try mental
relaxation techniques to help yourself to
wind down and drift off. I will be adding
info about my own mental relaxation tricks
soon as they may help you.
-
Try
taking 5HTP (5-hydroxy tryptophan) just
before bed. It is a natural
amino-acid. 5 HTP has a reputation for
working as a natural anti-depression as it
helps to boost levels of serotonin.
This is a feel-good chemical which has been
linked to killing off candida! You can
boost your serotonin levels by sitting in
the sun with no sunglasses for 15 mins each
day. If you take 5HTP it can
take several weeks to see a benefit so you
need to stick with it for a while before
deciding if it helps you. But if you
are already taking an anti-depressant please
check with your Doctor before taking
5HTP. You should also check to see if
your prescribed anti-depressant has a
negative effect on your immune system.
(For more information about 5HTP and
Anti-depressants please read ’10
Antidepressants Proven To Work’ by Dr Mercola. Make sure you read right to
the bottom to see what Dr Mercola has to
say.)
> Go to Page
2 Boosting Your Immune System
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