The research, a mouse study, showed that when two mice–one healthy, one obese with liver disease–were put in the same cage, the healthy mouse became obese. Many factors, including mice’s tendency to eat other mice’s feces, could enter into the equation. But, the bad bacterial strains from the fat mouse ended up in the healthy mouse’s gut. This change in gut microbe populations–more bad bacteria, less good–manifests itself in more disease susceptibility and weight gain (bad bacteria dominating the digestive track can inhibit nutrient absorption while also signaling for imbalanced immune response, triggering inflammation).

None of this, of course, is even close to being conclusive. But it does kind of relate to other research showing that a pregnant mother’s bacterial and pathogen exposure and the immune composition shaped by that exposure can be transferred to the fetus.

If you don’t view the whole thing ,at least  make sure to watch the segment from 3:23 to 5:20, where he talks about the optimal immune health state:  the state of “balance.”  That’s where the nutritional and life management insights that we talk about in this blog come into play; attempting to create a healthy level of immune balance so that immune cells react appropriately to pathogens, but don’t overreact to point of harming healthy cells.

But, with her crazy hours, lack of sleep many nights and other factors, I’m totally down with the green tea. Keep it going, I say. There are immune health benefits to be had. Some new data published last summer suggests green tea “appears to be a natural, plant-derived compound that can affect the number of regulatory T cells, and in the process improve immune function…” The research said the most  prominent, active compound in green tea, EGCG, likely provides these benefits without long-term toxicity or damaging underlying DNA in immune cells.

Fact: My daughter also takes EpiCor regularly.

Fact: She hasn’t had a sick day causing her to miss class during her two years in college to date.

More new research this week. Yesterday, news about a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences was racing all over the news stream. The study showed that constant arguing and personal conflict can trigger cellular inflammation within the body, which, if persisting over the long term, can lead to serious health problems including high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and depression.

Inflammation is an immune response. A bit of short-term, temporary inflammation can be protective and beneficial. Long-term inflammation is immune function running amok…out of balance. See my recent post on stress, the gut, and immune health.

During this political season, I’ll have a new perspective as I watch the election year unfold. Hope they are all taking EpiCor and doing The Five S’s.

Some of the winners you’d expect: blueberries, spinach, broccoli. Others were bit more exotic:  hemp seeds, chia seeds and, the winner, spirulina (algae). If I could add another, it might be yeast culture, the active ingredient in EpiCor. Yeast culture is a basic yeast that has been heated and oxidated to promote outgrowth from yeast cells, called yeast culture. The culture, combined with the yeast, collectively contains a rich mixture of antioxidants and B vitamins plus many other natural micro-nutrients.

Of course you can’t just go out and buy a proprietary yeast culture and sprinkle it on your Cheerios every morning. Although I guess you could take an EpiCor capsule, break it open and shake it on. Nah, it’s easier just swallowing with water.  Although, EpiCor does come in tasty chews now.

Oh well. Your choice!

That’s why it’s great to know when a reliable consumer product receives even more confirmation that it is safe. The International Journal of Toxicology recently published a safety review of EpiCor, one of the leading nutritional supplements for support immune health (through immune balancing). As it states: “Results of the studies performed indicate that EpiCor does not possess genotoxic activity and has a low order of toxicity that is well tolerated when administered orally.”

That’s on top of previous safety studies over the past several years.

I’ll give another toast for an innovative ingredient that is safe, natural and effective any day.

You ever notice how you feel just a bit better when you come home to a clean abode?  It just seems things are brighter, calmer, easier when the dirty towels are off the bathroom floor, the laundry is off the bed and put away, the kitchen floor shines, and the bookcases don’t sport a double layer of dust.

Many in the body/mind/spirit practice take this space clearing to a higher realm. They believe negative energy can be cleared from the environment inside a dwelling as well, leading to a more relaxed, positive “field” and even better health. Such space clearing has its roots in the Feng Shui movement, a centuries-old Asian suite of practices claiming to help achieve spiritual balance between people and their environments.

See the video below. It’s a news story of a space clearing conducted in a home for sale in Massachusetts, which sold 2 days later after having been on the market for a long time. Kind of thought-provoking. The home owner is a college biology professor, who is steeped in science but had a space-clearing expert give her home the once-over. The scientist was impressed, and talked about new developments in quantum physics, string theory etc. that may play a role in such a practice. My question is, can space clearing lead to better immune function? There sure are a lot of space clearing experts and consultants out there.  Any one know of a traditional health professional who has adopted this approach?

Here’s a brief explanation.

Stress can alter the bacterial composition of the digestive tract. When that happens, good/bad bacteria are out of balance. When bad bacteria rule the roost (in the gut), the ability of the body’s immune system to operate at top efficiency is compromised. Gut bacteria are the “educators” of the body’s immune cell behavior, signaling aggressive or passive response as needed, depending on the kinds of pathogens or antigens that enter the body and alert the immune system.

An even better, but lengthier, discussion is here. The author likens immune balance as a “four-way seesaw” that needs to maintain balance to work.

Go, stress, gut, immune. They make your health world go round. That’s why stress management over the long term is so important. It can impact so many other parts of your health and eventually, your quality of life.

The Five S’s refer to five things you can do to maintain optimal immune health. In my book, these measures will also impact many other health areas, including weight, cardio, skin and mental health.

The are:

Sustenance – Meaning diet and nutrition. A diet tilted toward fruits and veggies, less processed sugar, moderate lean fresh meat consumption, healthy fats, a good amount of water and maybe a red wine or dark beer here and there, can help feed healthy gut bacteria essential for immune health while also addressing cell inflammation that damages health. Think Mediterranean.

Sport – Moderate exercise can improve immune function. The science is there.

Stress – Managing stress helps impact gut health, where stress can upset the balance of immune-controlling beneficial bacteria.

Sleep – A solid 7 or 8 hours of sleep a night can do wonders for immune health.

Supplementation – Nutritional support with EpiCor can help optimize immune health, especially during stretches when diet, stress management, sleep or exercise might be lacking.

Keep these Five S’s at the fore. See how things go during the year. You may be surprised.

1. The sleepless plane ride over. A guy behind me insisted on talking at a yelling volume to the guy next to him. During the dark (sleep) time on the plane. For two hours straight. That, combined with the sleepless 7-hour layover in Newark Liberty Airport means I got no quality sleep for 23 hours. Then, I had a 2-hour nap before starting the new day in Scotland. No sleep is bad for immune function.

2. I tried haggis my first morning in Scotland, and kind of liked it.  In my quest to eat more haggis in the ensuing days, I’m pretty sure I was served “black pudding” instead. Made of pig’s blood. I don’t think it agreed with me. I spent 24 hours finding out the hard way, but it did not put me down.

3. Rainy weather in Edinburgh. It rained nearly every day. And I was outside during a lot of it. Cold rain. And wind.

4. The plane ride home. Surrounded by two screaming kids and two coughing kids. I think kids under 8 years old should not be allowed on flights more than 2 hours in duration. Again, no sleep. Also, two men coughing their heads off and not doing it into their bent elbow.

So how did I live? Dumb luck? Maybe. A daily EpiCor regimen before, during and after the trip? Maybe. Washing hands several times a day? Perhaps. Getting plenty of sleep at night while on vacation? Possibly. And, finally, a certain beverage may have helped as well. See the picture.