How to Boost Your Immune System at Every Meal

Your immune system’s not a muscle, but you should treat it like one. The same things you focus on when it comes to bulking up, like diet, exercise, and sleep, also play a big role in fending off colds and the flu. But, unlike the radical diet you might adopt to help speed up the six-pack process, the trick to using food to keep your immune system strong is balance, says Heidi Skolnik, a sports nutritionist and author of Nutrient Timing for Peak Performance. Foods with Vitamin C: 5 Nutrient-Rich Dishes…

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Amelia Freer: What to eat to boost your immune system for winter

Time to bulk up (in a good way): don’t scrimp on food and keep your vitamin intake topped up to avoid coughs and colds As the weather turns colder and the nights draw in, the season of coughs and colds begins. Now is the perfect time to build up your body’s natural defences, by following my simple tips: Are you eating enough food? Under-nutrition (often a result of juice fasts and crash diets) suppresses normal immune function. Don’t gorge, but eat a well-balanced, adequate and nourishing diet full of hearty…

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Beijing Updates Air Pollution Alert System

A red alert, the most serious level, will be issued for air pollution in Beijing if the Chinese capital’s air quality index reaches 500, local authorities said today. The information office of the municipal government released an updated emergency response plan for severe air pollution, aiming to better address air pollution with minimal disturbance to people’s lives. According to the new plan, which will become effective on Decemeber 15, more gas-burning vehicles will be pulled off the streets when an alert is issued. Li Kunsheng from the city environmental protection…

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Chronic Anxiety After Stress Linked to Immune System

Immune cells in the spleen can contribute to prolonged anxiety following psychological stress, new research has found. The abundance of white blood cells in the spleen could be sending messages to the brain that result in behavioural changes long after experiencing repeated stress, the study conducted in mice showed. “Our findings emphasise the possibility that the immune system represents a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of mental health conditions,” said Daniel McKim from Ohio State University in the US. In this study, the scientists determined that the immune cell…

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Smoke From Fire Crackers Can Damage Respiratory System: Doctors

With numerous cases of burns and irritation reported every year during Diwali, health experts on Wednesday cautioned people to avoid fire crackers as their smoke can cause damage to the respiratory tract, especially among children suffering from asthma. Health experts here said people having a healthy respiratory system can suffer from lung-related problems after getting exposed to the smoke of crackers, which mostly includes aluminium powder, sulphur and barium nitrate. “During Diwali, children prefer crackers prepared from aluminium powder, sulphur and barium nitrate. When they are burnt, they release pollutants…

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As Population Rises, UP’s Healthcare System Collapses

In Uttar Pradesh, the number of public health centres (PHCs), the frontline of the government’s healthcare system, decreased 8 per cent over the last 15 years to 2015, a period when the state’s population increased by more than 25 per cent. Smaller sub-centres, the first point of public contact, increased by no more than 2 per cent over the 25 years to 2015, a period when the population grew by more than 51 per cent. These data, from the 2015 Rural Health Statistics (RHS), indicate how successive UP governments have…

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