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Health 2000’s Stu Cook says your gut holds the key to staying well this winter.

 I recently saw a T-shirt that broke down the side effects of drugs, along the lines of: “I take Metformin for the diabetes caused by the Hydrochlorothiazide I take for high blood pressure which I got from the Ambian I take for the insomnia caused by the Xanax I take for the anxiety that I got from Wellbutrin I take for chronic fatigue which I got from the Liptor I take because I have high cholesterol – because a healthy diet and exercise with regular chiropractic care and superior nutritional supplements are just too much trouble!”

Now my initial reaction is to laugh, but it raises an interesting point: do we take the body as a whole into account when we try to fix what’s wrong with us? And what effect will taking a lot of medication have on our biggest immunity creator – the gut?

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For optimum gut health it is important to treat your body like an engine, and with winter on its way, here’s what you can do to ensure it’s optimal performace.

Fuel

Your vehicle engine is a finely tuned machine, and if you put the wrong fuel in you’re going to have a rough ride. Our body is the same; fill it with sugar, bad fats and poor quality carbs and you’re going to have a rough ride. The better quality fuel we put into our body, such as quality proteins, good wholefoods and the right vitamins and minerals, the engine has a lot better chance of running the way it should.

Servicing

We are told to service our car every year or 10-15,000km. If you are a regular driver, you can have a simple service and use basic oil. If, however, you race your vehicle or really put it through its paces, the likelihood is you’re going to need to give it a more regular service and use higher grade oil.

Once again, it’s the same with our own body. If we go through most days with OK food and the recommended 30 minutes exercise a day, we can probably get away with a basic detox once a year and an all rounder multi-vitamin. If, however, you are someone who pushes their body hard, the likelihood is that you need high-quality supplements and to regularly review them.

All in all, the ‘garbage in, garbage out’ philosophy is true. So to look after your immunity this winter, think about how you are fuelling your body, and whether you need visit a natropath or doctor for a tune-up.

 Article | Stu Cook

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