Actual Immunity

I don’t believe it is my place as a citizen, parent, friend or family member to tell you to get your family flu vaccinations or not. I think it is a wonderful thing that this is still a choice, it is a personal decision that should be researched on both sides and discussed with a trusted health practitioner. This is NOT a debate on either decision, as parents no matter what your choice has been you are doing it for the health of your child and community. I know people who are herbalists, engineers, yoga teachers, doctors, nurses and bio chemists who have vaccinated and have done their research. On the other hand I also know people who have their PHD’s in biochemistry, teachers, olympic athletes, chiropractors and health & wellness experts who have not vaccinated their children, they are not simply following some celebrity advice and they have read actual books (not just taken 30 min to browse the net) and spoken to real doctors. I tip my hat to all of those who have made informed decisions to come to the best conclusion for their families.

That being said what i do want to address here is that fact that I continuously hear health officials and politicians urging citizens to get vaccinated this ‘flu season’. Is this the only way we should/we can build our immunity? Does this sacred needle give me immunity as if I was on an episode of survivor? Just because I get this ‘immunization’ am I free to do/eat/drink whatever the heck I want? I am sure you are all smart enough to realize the answer to these questions…

Ah, the holiday season! A time to bake cookies, eat chocolate and stuff our children full of sugary candy canes. Wait a minute! Could this be one of the main causes of the ‘flu season’? But what about our traditions? You can’t have Christmas without sugar? Can you? Can you potentially put some honey or even maple syrup in your cookies instead? Maybe:)

Here is the thing that a lot of people seem to need to be reminded about; refined Sugar is a drug, it is addictive and it basically causes your white blood cells and macrophages (the big eaters) to react like Johnny Depp in Fear and loathing in Las vegas when he took too many drugs and tried to walk on that trippy carpet into the casino. When viruses and bacteria are introduced to our bodies our hero’s are too busy trippin’ out on sugar. And guess what, it does the same number on your children’s immune system. That is a very basic explanation and really just the tip of the iceberg. Refined sugar effects our whole body pretty negatively.

Just try to work sugar out of your diet and see how you feel; headaches, shakes, and total lack of focus. Imagine how a toddler feels with then without it. I know it is not easy to keep sugar away from your children, loving relatives want to make them happy, grandparents say, ‘it won’t kill them.’ Well, actually it can… and slowly.

So instead of us getting emotional and angry about people who do or don’t vaccinate, instead of staying at home in fear of going out and getting sick, instead of blaming other people we need to (especially as parents) step up and take responsibility for ourselves and our children. Get the refined sugar out of our cooking and cupboards! Sugar is NOT a holiday tradition, being amongst good family and friends with a healthy home cooked meal can be instead. Even ‘Santa’ doesn’t need sugary cookies… maybe he is the one spreading this ‘flu season’ around in the first place? He does come to everyones house to eat cookies, drink milk and drop off ‘presents;)’

All jokes aside, this is something that is very serious and totally controllable. I wanted to post this simply because i think it is basic common sense to stay away from all refined sugars, not easy though as we are constantly told how yummy sugary shit is. If you want to check out more resources on sugar, addiction and health I like; ‘Molecules of emotion’ by Candice Pert, Books, blogs and videos by Dr. Cate Shanahan, how toxic is sugar and Nourishing the Terrain are also a good read. It may take sometime to convince your children and their grandparents, but don’t give up and maybe use a different analogy then fear and loathing as they likely haven’t and shouldn’t have seen it 🙂 Once you draw a picture or create an animation for children to explain why sugar is bad for their bodies they have really great understanding and potentially memories of being sick and how to avoid the worst of it. There are various ways we can actually support our immune systems and getting a cold/flu about 2 times a year is normal and if dealt with properly can actually improve our immune systems. Our child’s eating habits begin before they are even born, so the best time to instil a healthy appetite for actual healthy real foods and to establish optimal gut bacteria and immunity is during pregnancy:) See this awesome video 🙂