Page 23 - Florida Sentinel 8-21-15 Edition

Health
Before Vaccinating Your Child...
Disease-Fighting Plants You Need To Be Eating
If you’re a parent of a young child or teenager, then this is probably at the top of your list to talk with your doctor about.
In recent years, more and more parents have begun ques- tioning just how safe vaccines really are for their children and themselves even. Many parents are somewhat confused when it comes to vaccinations and the effects they can have on their child. Here are a few tips:
Keep up with your chil- dren’s immunization records. This is really going to come in handy when kids get to high school and college when they need to play sports in school. Oftentimes, parents don’t keep copies of their child’s immunization records, so I rec- ommend that parents keep a personal copy and update it as your child is getting their shots.
There are potential side effects. Some of the more com- mon side effects of vaccines can be a little pain at the site where the child received the injection. It can be painful for a couple days – they may need a little Tylenol to help relieve some of that pain. You want to check
with your doctor to see what can be given to your child to help them. That’s not the only poten- tial side effect, but it’s certainly the most common. Again, vac- cines for the most part are very safe.
Vaccines are not for everyone! There are some peo- ple that shouldn’t get certain vaccines, so when you take your child to the doctor, he or she will be able to look at your child and his or her medical condition and then really match up which vac- cines are important and which ones are not. If your child has a weakened immune system, if your child is really ill – say they have a fever – at the time they’re supposed to get a shot, or if your child has other medical condi- tions, this may change what shots we give them. Those are the three main things that would make a doctor say, ‘Maybe we should hold off this shot today.’”
If your child misses a vaccine, it’s not the end of the world. Simply, reschedule an appointment and get your child on their way to a healthy school year.
Nature provides some very powerful tools for boosting your body’s immune system, which is ulti- mately what keeps you strong and healthy. These plants have superpowers to perk you up daily.
Garlic
Superpowers: It’s antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antifungal, and it
reduces inflammation. Garlic can
lower the risk of lung cancer, prostate
cancer, and osteoarthritis and can destroy certain cancer cells. Preliminary findings suggest that it may also lower high cholesterol and blood pressure in people with hypertension.
Everyday perk: Eating garlic regularly could help you avoid the common cold.
Broccoli Sprouts
Superpowers: With concentrated
stores of the compound sulforaphane,
broccoli sprouts mobilize the body’s
natural cancer-fighting resources and might be the single most powerful cancer-fighter around. The sprouts have also been shown to lower blood sugar and cholesterol, which protects against heart dis- ease. They’re 10 to 30 times more potent than fully grown broccoli because they’re baby plants in their prime.
Everyday perk: Sulforaphane may reduce symptoms of asthma and other respiratory disor- ders, because it tamps down oxidative stress and in- flammation in the airways.
Mint
Superpowers: Mint may beat
back prostate and liver cancer using
the compound peryllyl alcohol, along
with carotenoids and retinoids. Another
compound, rosmarinic acid, scavenges free radicals and lowers inflammation, reducing seasonal allergy symptoms significantly. Preliminary lab tests sug- gest that peppermint oil may also boost the effective- ness of medications used for yeast infections.
Everyday perk: Mint can ease digestion by re- laxing the muscular lining of the digestive tract to quiet cramps and gas and reduce abdominal pain— even for irritable bowel syndrome. “
Asparagus
Superpowers: This slender stalk
has one of the all-time highest levels of
glutathione, a detoxifying compound
that removes poisons, including car-
cinogens and free radicals, from the
body. It’s also anti-inflammatory, mak-
ing it a top fighter of common chronic health prob- lems including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and
certain cancers. Asparagus is also rich in B vitamins, folate, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, zinc, man- ganese, selenium, and iron.
Everyday perk: Asparagus could be your hang- over helper by extracting boost levels of enzymes that break down alcohol.
Basil
Superpowers: Antioxidant, anti-
bacterial, and anti-inflammatory
properties, not to mention beta-
carotene and magnesium, give basil a
key role in protecting cells against a host of diseases, including heart disease, asthma, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel dis- eases.
Everyday perk: It may help soothe headaches. A component of basil called eugenol has been shown to work in the same way as aspirin and ibuprofen to block the activity of an enzyme called cyclooxyge- nase. Try chewing on basil leaves to dull headache pain.
Red Cabbage Microgreens Superpowers: Red cabbage mi- crogreens have a sixfold higher vita-
min C concentration and 69 times the
vitamin K of the mature vegetable. Vitamin C is a su- perstar antioxidant, fighting inflammation and guarding against cell damage to help prevent chronic conditions, including heart disease. It’s also a key in- gredient in collagen, strengthening muscles, skin, bones, and other connective tissues. Vitamin K helps with blood clotting and bone building, keeping os- teoporosis, atherosclerosis, and cancer at bay.
Everyday perk: Help prevent colds and flu. Vi- tamin C boosts the immune system by stimulating production of white blood cells—the body’s first line of defense against bacteria and infections.
Chamomile
Superpowers: This
antioxidant, anti-inflam-
matory, and antimicrobial
herb is one of the most well
documented medicinal
plants in the world. Prelimi-
nary findings suggest that it may deactivate cancer cells, but proven benefits include speeding wound healing (especially burns), preventing and treating colds, protecting against bacterial infections, calm- ing muscle spasms (great for menstrual cramps), easing stomach upset, and promoting sleep.
Everyday perk: Chamomile tea is the ultimate chill-out tonic, soothing frayed nerves. German chamomile may relieve anxiety and even reduce symptoms of mild depression.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 11-B