Protecting And Building A Strong Immune System

Every day at Hippocrates Health Institute we are working with people challenged with all types of ailments ranging from mild health disorders to serious life threatening diseases. In virtually all cases health and vitality can be restored through enhancing the immune system to perform at its full potential. Although this may sound simple, our immune system is highly complex with over two trillion defenders capable of identifying and eliminating alien invaders. There are however some basic fundamentals that when adhered to can go a long way to optimizing and maximizing the potential of our immune systems.

Lets begin with by identifying the main defenders in the ranks of the immune system.

1. Phagocytes – These are cells that behave like scavengers consuming dead cells, inanimate rubbish, and large numbers of invading microbes. They also manufacture enzymes and antimicrobial agents, and act as communication links between other immune cells and the brain.
2. MHC (major histocompatibility complex) – Serve as badges on the surface of cells so the immune system can identify them as non-alien.
3. Helper T-Cells – These cells play a vital part of the immune system, identifying enemies and triggering the production of other immune system warriors. They call macrophages (white blood cells), other T-cells and B-cells to action, and stimulate the production of plasma cells.
4. Lymphokines – Act as protein mediators directing communication and signaling between immune cells.
5. Killer T-Cells – These identify and destroy cells harboring viruses and microbes, and can eliminate cancerous cells by punching holes in their membranes. 
6. B-Cells – These cells receive help from T-cells to create antibodies that stick to the surface of antigens on the surface of germs. These form into clumps that alert the body ‘s phagocytes to engulf and destroy the antibody-covered intruders.
7. Plasma Cells – A type of white blood cell that produce antibodies by the millions.
8. Antibodies - Proteins that travel throughout the body identifying and neutralizing bacteria and viruses, by clumping them together and attracting phagocytes to come and consume them. The also work with complement proteins to devour invaders. 
9. Complement Proteins – After the antibodies have clumped the invading antigens (bacteria and viruses, etc.) together, complement proteins arrive and destroy it by injecting liquid into the clumps causing them to burst. 
10. Suppressor T-Cells – Once an infection is neutralized and the immune system has won, these cells signal the system to stop all immune responses.
11. Memory Cells – Lasting many years these cells retain memory of previous invading microorganisms and will immediately recognize and destroy them again should they happen to enter the body.

This powerful system requires our help if it is to function as nature intended and keep us in a perfect state of health. Without going into too much detail lets summarize the external man-made causes that can weaken and compromise our immune system.

1. Lifestyle – This is an area the Hippocrates Health Institute has worked hard on over the past 40 years by promoting healthy eating, exercise, and positive thoughts. Imbalance and stress in any of these areas weakens the immune system that leads to illness and the development of disease.
2. Environment – Humans have polluted the planet to the brink of ecological collapse in many areas. Living in these polluted areas we become affected by toxic water, air, and even electromagnetic fields.
3. Chemicals – Artificial man-made substances are to be found everywhere in our food, bathing and drinking water, medicines, supplements, etc. that have exponentially added to the load on our immune system. This leaves our immune systems exhausted working constantly to fight an overload of toxic invaders.
4. Poor Agricultural Methods – In recent decades modern agriculture practices have resulted in soil trace mineral depletion, and contamination from chemical fertilizers and pesticides. As a result the plants grown in this soil become less nutrient dense, which our immune systems depend on to restock and rebuild itself.

Hippocrates Health Institute has witnessed great success in helping people strengthen and maintain a healthy immune system over the past decades. The following 12 guidelines are simple and powerful tips that will enhance and strengthen your immune system.

1. Receive direct sunlight for 20 to 30 mins a day (avoiding peak-strength sun in hotter regions). The sun is one of the most powerful immune system builders.
2. Consume more oxygen! Get out into forests, by the sea, and streams or into a greenhouse and learn to breath deeply. Ideally eat plenty of oxygen-rich foods such as raw leafy greens. Oxygen-producing air purifiers are great if you spend most of the day indoors. Many indoor plants also can help to oxygenate your home or office.
3. Drink clean and pure water that has been distilled or filtered by reverse osmosis. Ensure you are drinking an adequate quantity of water.
4. Remove all animal derived foods from your diet (meat, dairy, eggs), and ideally replace with at least 75% raw vegetables, such as sprouts and leafy green veggies. This is a process that you can develop over time and enjoy increasing vitality and wellbeing on the journey.
5. Drinking fresh green juice from sprouts, greens and wheatgrass twice a day. This is the fastest way to ingest high quantities of immune system enhancing nutrients from nature’s most healthful source.
6. Consume blue-green algae, spirulina, and chlorella (green algae). These are high quality natural and whole super-foods. 
7. Remove/reduce immune suppressing foods from your diet: processed salt, refined sugars and flours, dairy products, vinegars, heated oils, and foods containing artificial preservatives and colorings.
8. Don’t eat foods that have been fried or are heated in microwave ovens. There is much research linking these foods to various cancers and heart diseases.
9. Avoid alcohol (toxic to the body and destroys healthy cells), and only take drugs that are absolutely necessary.
10. Engage in exercise for 20 to 30 minutes at least three times weekly, such as stretches, aerobics, and resistance work.
11. Rest and relaxation – besides getting adequate sleep, fasting occasionally gives the body a ‘complete rest’ and allows the immune system to detox and recharge. This could be spending one day a week consuming only fresh juice and water.
12. Smile and be happy! A positive happy attitude is proven to contribute massively to maintaining health and maximizing wellbeing. The power of the mind on our state of health is incorporated into all the programs at Hippocrates Health Institute and should not be underestimated.

Brain / Body Nutrition

Over the years at Hippocrates Health Institute we have witnesses more and more people using

harmful levels of indigestible protein supplements. Usually body builders and athletes are notorious for consuming these toxic products, but now with the popularity of high-protein, fad diets we see this overuse extending to the general public.  Every day at Hippocrates we test people to access their state of health and can see the effects of excess protein on the organs and immune system. Most certainly

this toxic debris contributes, among other things, to hardening of the arteries, immune cell weakness, cancers, emotional disorders, and kidney and bladder impairments and failure.

At Hippocrates Health Institute we are also seeing increased levels of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among children, which later can lead to memory loss, depression Alzheimer’s and dementia. Many are then given chemical prescriptions that suppress the symptoms of the illness and at the same time create an on-going unhealthy need for psychiatric medicine.

For a number of years at Hippocrates Health Institute we could at best offer partial answers for replacing harmful substances such as indigestible protein with healthy food-based supplements. That was until research revealed the positive effects of fatty acids and specific berries on brain function. This posed as a problem for us since at Hippocrates Health Institute berries have high sugar content and are excluded from the Hippocrates optimum health living food program, since all forms of sugar feed every type of disease.

The findings also showed that the wrong kind of fats and oils reduced oxygen levels in the blood stream leading to disease. So if only we could have the benefits of the good oils in the berries without the disease promoting sugars, we would have an ideal supplement. The answer came when companies began to extract the seeds from berries and Hemp. The seeds are naturally high in Phytochemicals (even more so than the berry itself), but without the sugar, providing an ideal supplement for improving brain function. Extracting hemp seeds are that are naturally high in complete plant-based protein provides an alternative healthy protein supplement source.  Combining Hemp and berry seeds and we get the highest amount of brain and body building protein available. Such products are now commercially available and should be sought after in preference to protein from animal sources including whey protein.

Oils from Hemp also contain Hemp – All essential amino acids and the best form of Omega Oils (3, 6, 9). For optimum health Hippocrates Health Institute recommend consuming minimal quantities of oils using a manual pressurized sprayer which is commonly available from kitchen shops globally.

The Essenes of Health

At Hippocrates Health Institute we are often confronted with the question, why are so many people ill and lost? You might also want to ask, where are most people going wrong when they create priorities that are neither personally rewarding nor universally beneficially?

Why are we unwilling to live a life of virtue and integrity? It is easy to follow the masses and pursue creature comforts that are nothing more than facades for a true and significant future.

Day-by-day at Hippocrates Health Institute as we work with people who have attended our Life Transformation Program, we observe the surprising ease with which people can develop and maintain consistent health. Each of us has our own personal ways in which we achieve health and happiness and the path you proceed on is your choice.  One aspect of human nature is the ability to supersede abnormality. We come to this world with endless potential, but we are often socialized into believing that we are less than whole. At Hippocrates Health Institute we strive to help people recapture that limitless potential in order to help people fulfill themselves and flourish.  We have been privileged at Hippocrates to witness thousands of people each year recapture their natural birthright of health. These fortunate and special people represent human potential in action, and we are honored to stand with them on the threshold of greatness.

Through interacting and getting to know thousands of guests at Hippocrates Health Institute over the years, we have realized that there are very few divergent steps between a life gone wrong and a fulfilling life; these steps can be seen as treacherous or tempting, depending upon you perception of your own competence. If your perception is limited and you anticipate a struggle, difficulties will besiege you and impede your progress. However when you step forward with confidence, acknowledge your own limitless capabilities, and embody greater comprehension and awareness, you become liberated.

At Hippocrates Health Institute we believe in developing in developing lives by building positive change that will leave a beneficial legacy for the next generation. It is our utmost responsibility to structure a world that is better than the one we inherited, and as difficult as this challenge may appear, it is much easier than most believe. When people simply learn to release and accept, this is where we find the healing process occurring. And then by refocusing our eyes on the magnificence of nature, allow her to guide us into the rhythm that governs this earth. We will then become part of the already-perfect essence of who we really are. Achieve your true potential of wellbeing and help others to follow in your example and you like nature will be living your essence.

Maintaining The Hippocrates Lifestyle

Many of the guests who attend the programs at Hippocrates Health Institute feel amazing throughout the program with increased energy levels and mental clarity, but are often concerned with how they are going to continue eating a raw, living food diet when they go home. Fear not! Here are some practical tips that will help you on your way and put your mind at ease.

Search your locality for the good health stores and markets that stock a variety of fresh organic vegetables and foods. If your search does not produce favorable results you can always find online stores where you can order fresh organic produce.

The Hippocrates Health Institute also supplies a range of products such as Wheatgrass (ready to juice), a variety of sprouting seeds, and a full range of nutritional supplements that you can order from the website and have delivered to your home. Once you have tasted the delicious and creative raw food salads at the Hippocrates Health Institute you will wish to have them all the time.  Salad bars, delis and restaurants specializing in living foods are on the increase nowadays so check out your local area to see what’s available.

At the Hippocrates Health Institute we will teach you how to prepare amazing living food recipes yourself so that you can share them with your friends back home. As this becomes more of a regular occurrence in your life, your friends will be inspired to follow your example, and soon a local community of like-minded people will be inviting you to living food dinners.

Socializing and eating together is something promoted at the Hippocrates Health Institute and you will be sure to make some new friends during your stay.  At home you can tap into social media channels to see if there are raw food meet-ups close to you. Social media websites designed just for meet-ups of all types are becoming more popular, so get involved and start your own meet-up group. Soon you will have support and encouragement from all around.

Our preferences for entertainment and social activity can often be our own downfall when it comes to sticking with the Hippocrates diet, and if we are not prepared, we may end up eating fast food junk.  Think about hobbies and activities where you can bring your own food like picnics and non-barbecue barbecues, beach outings, hiking meals etc. A little planning and commitment goes a long way to maintaining all the healthful progress you received during your stay at Hippocrates Health Institute.

EMF Protection Device

Travel: Planning ahead is key to healthful travel. Call the airline in advance and request a special meal of raw veggies, which airlines often are happy to provide. Packing your own healthy foods like spelt bread, Sprouts, nuts, seeds Organic fruit and dehydrated snacks will be well worth the effort.
On longer trips take EMF protection magnets to protect you from the magnetic radiation inside the
plane. You can purchase these devices from the Hippocrates Health Institute store during your visit or via the website.  Finally research online where you can buy and eat raw foods at your destination.

When attending business dinners and functions it may not be possible to order raw food or bring your own. In this situation its best to eat what vegetables and salads are available and remember it’s quite acceptable and honorable in these times to say you are a vegetarian. Mostly people will not notice you are not eating. When it comes to family pressures, just be patient and stand by your convictions in the beginning, and as time passes they will see you are maintaining a strong and healthy body, and who knows, maybe you will influence them someday.

There are vast amounts of information and articles on the Hippocrates health institute website, in Hippocrates Magazines, and books about the Hippocrates lifestyle. By educating yourself more about the Hippocrates lifestyle you will become stronger in your conviction to remain at optimum health, and be an inspiration to others.

Chia Sprouts

Chia Sprouts

Here is how to sprout chia:

Chia seeds actually got their name from the Mayan word for “strength.” In ancient athletic competitions, indigenous people in Central America would sustain themselves on 1 to 3 tablespoons of chia seeds and a little water for over 24 hours. The seeds are storehouses of nutrients and contain one of the highest known sources of Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) higher than flaxseeds and even salmon.

Chia seeds are loaded with antioxidants which have strong immune-boosting properties which may help fight the common cold and flu. According to research from the University of the Valley of Guatemala, chia seeds have a remarkable antioxidant rating of over 1900. This is a higher antioxidant rating than blackberries, mango, noni fruit, grapes, and pineapple without all the fructose.All of the energy stored inside the seeds is ignited by the sprouting process. The vitamin, mineral, enzyme, and phytonutrient content in the seed explodes when sprouted. The baby sprouts have 4 to 6 times the nutrient value of the leaves from the mature plant.*

1.    Soak an 8” unglazed terra cotta saucer in water for 2 hours. Drain.

2.    Lightly sprinkle ½ teaspoon of chia seeds in the saucer. Evenly distribute the seeds leaving some space between each seed.

3.    Mist with water.

4.    Cover with a dinner plate.

5.    Mist twice a day for seven days. The cover plate is not needed after day three.

The Bare Facts about Skin

Your dermal surface is the largest organ of the body.

This organ contains…
one fourth of the blood supply for the body;
•    half of the primary immune cells of the body;
•    and every square inch harbors approximately…
o    15 feet of blood vessels,
o    12 feet of nerves and
o    100 oil glands!

The skin is the largest organ of excretion, releasing approximately one kilometer (two pounds) of waste every day. It has three layers: the subcutaneous layer, the dermis and the epidermis. Most cellular activity occurs in the dermis. The process of keratinization allows the cells made in the dermis to rise to form the epidermis. The epidermis contains five layers; the top layer consists of dead cells that serve as a barrier against bacteria, viruses and toxins. This layer also protects us against transdermal water loss. However, by the time that we are 35 the cellular activity of the dermis is approximately half of what it was when we were 18. This degeneration accelerates the process of keratinization, causing a thickening of the upper layer of the epidermis that, left untreated, prevents healthy dermal function.

We need only two things for excellent skin: Cell turnover and proper balance of oil and water. Most commercial skin-care concoctions do not work and cause harm. For example, collagen creams serve only to soothe, because the collagen molecule is too large to cross a dermal junction. Instead of adding collagen to the skin, we must stimulate the skin to produce more of its own collagen to maintain health and youthful appearance. Most of the skin dryness that fosters the appearance of aging is caused by a break in the dermal junction that allows trans-dermal water loss. Rather than adding moisture to the skin – which is merely a comforting effect – we must stimulate the skin to produce its own cells for the regeneration of the dermal junction.

The lymphatic system cleanses body tissue, so it is one of the aesthetician’s primary concerns. Lymph is a clear, colorless fluid that is carried throughout the body, especially in the subcutaneous layer of the skin. Its function is to eliminate toxins from all of the body’s tissues. One of the primary means of removing toxins from the lymphatic system is through the skin. We call this the excretory function of the skin. Unfortunately, after the age of 18, many of us develop a thickened epidermis due to sun damage, lethargy, poor diet and disease. A thickened epidermis combats the excretory process by inhibiting skin function: This forces toxin back into the body, where the lymph must dump them either into the venous blood supply or the urinary system.

Exfoliation is the key to reducing the epidermis and stimulating the lymphatic system. The skin therapy known as the Salt-Glow encourages and enhances detoxification by the exfoliation and stimulation of the skin.

Healthsthetics at Hippocrates Health Institute is a vital part of the Active Aging Team. We offer various hydrotherapies, wraps and facials for detoxification and beautification. These procedures include the entire body – except for the face. They have the residual effect of providing you with soft, healthy, glowing skin.

The Art and Science of Aesthetics

Aestheticians are devoted to improving and maintaining the health and beauty of the skin. It is an exciting time to be an aesthetician. During the past decade the art and science of aesthetics has gone from being a minor service to becoming an integral part of specialized services at health centers, spas, and medical facilities.

The skin is the window to the whole person: MIND/BODY/SOUL. The skin is a reflection of everything that we do and are; the health and the beauty of the skin is directly related to every aspect of our lives – diet, relationships, emotional health, physical activity, rest and spirituality.

The skin also serves the following basic functions: It protects the entire body; is a fundamental immune barrier; helps to regulates body heat; and controls excretion, secretion and absorption. Complete skin health and rapid detoxification require maximum skin functioning which can largely be accomplished simply by exfoliation, a process that is fundamental to all of the skin therapies of Hippocrates.

The tradition of aesthetics began with ancient medicine. The Greeks, Romans and Egyptians used aesthetics to prevent and promote the healing of illness with the use of massages and baths. Ayurvedic, Asian and Middle Eastern practitioners utilized the skin’s property of absorption by treating abnormal conditions with essential oils and poultices. Although various ancient modes of practice had their own theories of treatment and application, their unifying and underlying philosophy was the balance of mind, body and spirit which is essential for health and beauty.

It is this honored and proven understanding that provides the cornerstone Healthsthetics at the Hippocrates Health Institute. Today we combine traditional natural therapies with modern healing rejuvenation. This comprehensive approach involves spa therapy, facials, wraps, hydrotherapy, essential oils and contemporary scientific therapies that include laser, infra-red and radio-frequency treatments.