How does Kinesiology support the immune system?
Natural support for the immune system
In Kinesiology we understand that the immune system is quite literally wrapped up in every other system of the body. It has multiple organs and systems that provide the foundation that immune health feeds off, it can’t be categorized or labelled on a diagram, the whole body is your immune system!
When we think about our immune system in this way, we begin to understand that to boost our immune function we need to balance and support all of these organs and systems. Below I’ve listed four ways that Kinesiology does just this.
Kinesiology provides emotional support and stress relief
The influence of mental health on immune function cannot be underestimated.
The most important mental requirements for a strong immune system are a positive attitude, an optimistic sense of purpose and trusting in the process of life. The study of this science is called psychoneuroimmunology, looking at the interactions between our nervous and immune systems, showing how positive emotions enhance our immune function and negative emotions compromise it.
There’s no doubt that the events of 2020 brought a whole new level of stress. The lack of clarity, uncertainty and lack of information are proven to be the biggest drivers of stress.
On top of this, we all have everyday responsibilities and worries on our shoulders which can become incredibly draining, emotionally and also physically. If we’re isolated and stressed the stress becomes internalised, leading to inflammation and other physical symptoms.
A core part of Kinesiology is helping you alleviate those stresses and unburden you of your worries, gently lifting them off your shoulders. Sometimes all we need is to be seen and heard to feel stronger, supported and less alone. Releasing stressful and negative emotions is incredibly powerful and can bring back that light, joy and hope you thought was gone.
Kinesiology manually moves the lymph
Your lymphatic system is absolutely incredible. It runs everywhere in the body feeding the cells, clearing out harmful toxins and filtering waste out via the elimination channels of the body.
It also feeds and cleans on an intracellular level, where the blood can’t reach, sending in antibodies and white blood cells to engulf bacteria and dead cell debris, and removing it from the body. It is vital for the healthy function of muscles and organs and especially immune function.
We have twice as much lymph in the body as blood but, while blood has the heart to pump it round, the lymphatic system has nothing like that to help it move. This is why we need to move and exercise, so it doesn’t become stagnant. If we’re too sedentary we’ll experience lymphatic congestion, meaning the tissue isn’t fed or cleaned properly.
People who experience an unreasonable number of infections and colds, or do not improve as fast as we would expect after an illness, often need to look at the lymph flow to see what’s restricting it.
In Kinesiology we manually move the lymph with firm massage.
This targeted lymphatic work gets the lymph working in the area that needs it most, nourishing your immune function through improved lymph flow. This is incredibly beneficial for anyone who is feeling under the weather with low energy levels, feeling sluggish or drained and those struggling to regain their energy post illness.
Kinesiology supports the digestive system
In Kinesiology we understand that your immune health is intricately linked to your digestive health. In fact, we say that about 50% of immune function comes from a fully-functioning and healthy digestive tract. The gut is the core of your health so it is vital it is functioning for your immune system to be thriving.
Your digestive health is made up of your ability to digest food, absorb the nutrients and efficiently eliminate waste. There are many things that impact digestive health: eating the wrong foods and liquids, not having enough variety in your diet, poor eating habits and stress.
When our digestive system is struggling it can lead to a variety of symptoms and drain essential energy from other systems in the body. So in Kinesiology we look at gut health as a priority for every single client.
Everyone is talking about how important Vitamin C, D and Zinc are for immune health. The thing is, everyone is different so what I might need to improve my immune function is very different from what you might need. Everyone is biochemically unique so in Kinesiology we test, we don’t guess.
Checking the health of your digestive system
Firstly, we test for deficiencies. Due to poor soil quality and lack of variety none of us receive adequate mineral and vitamin qualities from our food. So we find out what your body is missing and needing to restore homeostasis.
Secondly, we check your HCL and Enzyme levels are balanced which is vital for efficient absorption in the stomach and small intestine. If these levels are imbalanced efficient digestion and absorption isn’t possible.
Finally, we check that your organs within the digestive tract are balanced and working well, especially your ileocecal valve which is, 99% of the time, a major cause behind many unpleasant symptoms.
Kinesiology balances the endocrine (your hormones)
The other major system in the body that contributes to immune function is your endocrine. We call it the core of your health. This is your hormonal system, a network of ductless glands that secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream, like little messengers, telling our bodies what to do and when to do it.
Adequate support for these glands in the body is vital to maintain a strong immune system. This is because the production of hormones involved with the immune system is greatly disturbed when there is any inefficiency in the endocrine system as they are completely inter-related.
Let’s take a look at some of these glands (I haven’t listen all of them) and why are they important:
The Hypothalamus links the nervous system to the whole endocrine, we call it the conductor of the orchestra. It can become severely impacted by constant fear, stress, shock and injury, especially due to environmental stresses.
The Pineal gland sets our body clock rhythms and libido. If we go to bed late or don’t get enough sleep it can lead to problems. A dark bedroom and adequate sleep is essential for the Pineal to relax and repair.
The Pituitary gland produces hormones that control our growth, sexual development and conversion of food into energy. Under-nourishing our body with the wrong food causes problems in this gland.
The Thyroid is a well-known one that affects the metabolism of cells. This can become imbalanced over time and contributes to weight issues, energy heat issues, sleep function, exhaustion and bowel movements.
The Adrenals produce hormones to control blood sugar, burn fats and proteins and respond to stressors (real or imagined). With modern life these are often completely exhausted leading to us feeling both wired and tired.
You can understand how the stress and uncertainty of 2020 might have negatively impacted our endocrine function, and immune system as a by-product. This is why, in Kinesiology sessions, we nourish these glands through nutrition, emotional stress relief and gentle energetic meridian work to restore these essential glands to balance.
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