GO OUTSIDE, GET DIRTY, AND SWEAT…. THE HEALTHIEST THING TO DO FOR YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
Growing up in Cuban family the mantra “cleanliness is close to godliness” was not said, but definitely lived by. It was seen as unsafe to go outside while it was raining as you could catch a cold and unsanitary to go outside without your shoes on. In general, inside was preferable where you can’t get sick or dirty. This is something deeply ingrained in the culture of Hispanic people but I shook these traditions off quite easily as an adult especially when I learned of the health benefits of being outside, getting dirty, and sweating.
Sunlight- Sunlight is one of the best sources of Vitamin D and it’s completely built into our ecosystem by design. Vitamin D has been classically known as a way to help absorption of calcium however newer findings have seen Vitamin D play an important role in the antimicrobial response of the body. Without going into a full-scale chemistry lesson, the basic concept is that the immune system fights off foreign, invading organisms, promoting protective immunity. Vitamin D plays an important part in the innate antimicrobial response system. Your innate antimicrobial response system identifies pathogens and works on killing those pathogens to keep you from getting sick. Studies have shown that lower levels of vitamin D have been associated with increased infections. Doctors unknowingly have been using this treatment for over a century. During the outbreak of tuberculosis infirmaries and hospitals would bring their patients outside to lie in the sun or go for a walk as they noticed improvement in their condition and symptoms. They called this morning constitutions, because it would improve the patient’s mood as well as their health. Of course, there are many food sources and supplements that can provide you Vitamin D, however they don’t affect your mood and state of mind like a walk in the morning sun would. I find it very interesting that in the United States the cold and flu season correlates with the coldest parts of the year when there are fewer daylight hours.
Getting Dirty- So at this point you are hopefully ready to go outside and spend some time in the sun. Now let's’ dive into the microbiome of the body and why it’s important to get dirty. For many years now the main theory has been and still is, that germs are bad. In actuality bacteria aka germs are very good for the body. Our bodies have over 50 trillion bacteria living in our gut. The good bacteria take care of making sure there is not too much bad bacteria. “The bacteria in the microbiome helps digest our food, regulate our immune system, protect against other bacteria that cause disease, and produce vitamins including B vitamins B12, thiamine and riboflavin. The bacteria living in and on us are not invaders but beneficial colonizers” It is a symbiotic relationship in which they live inside our body and help to keep us alive and well. When you have a poor diet and you overuse antibacterial and don’t expose yourself to any germs you leave your microbiome lacking in fire power and yourself susceptible to disease and infection. Much to the horror of my own mother, my children go outside barefoot and run in the dirt, fish off the river, and generally look like they have been through battle at the end of a hard day of play. Have we had little injuries? Absolutely, but in general it's nothing a band aide and some water can’t fix right up. Some people have termed this “rewilding” a process of getting back to nature and our roots in order to live more healthy and harmonious lives. I just knew that I wanted my kids to grow up close to nature and close to the dirt. What Hippocrates said thousands of years ago is still true today “all disease begins in the gut”. The gut is where 80% of our immune system lives and is the reason why most of those trillions of bacteria are living in the gut.
Sweat- I can hear you now “Dr. Michelle… I HATE sweating, it makes me feel gross”. Sweating tends to be something we dislike and try to hide and I don’t disagree but let’s keep an open mind as to how sweating is a normal body process that can help you. Sweating has two functions: it is a cooling system for the body and it is a detoxifying system. We already know how the cooling system works. When we get warm the body releases sweat also known as perspiration and it is mostly made of water and small amounts of ammonia, urea, salts and sugar. Sweat is your body’s way of regulating your temperature. The other great benefit of sweating that I want to dive into deeper is detoxification. Our bodies are constantly being bombarded with toxins from the air we breathe to the water we drink and of course, more importantly the food we eat. Simply put we all need to detox our bodies periodically. Even if you are eating the best diet in the world detoxing seasonally will help rid you of accumulated toxins in the body and keep you on track with your health and wellness goals. Studies show that certain toxins show up in your sweat that are not in the blood or urine, therefore must have been stored in the body. “Many toxic elements appeared to be preferentially excreted through sweat. Presumably stored in tissues, some toxic elements readily identified in the perspiration of some participants were not found in their serum. Induced sweating appears to be a potential method for elimination of many toxic elements from the human body.” There are lots of ways to detox but an easy way that can be incorporated into self-care routine is dry brushing along with the periodic use of a sauna. Of course going outside and getting the amazing benefits of Vitamin D is ideal but I also want to introduce you to another great way to sweat.
Sauna or “Sow-na”, as the Finnish people call it, is an excellent way to simultaneously relax and detoxify the body through the skin via perspiration. In Finland the Sauna was known as the poor man’s apothecary and according to some estimates the practice in Finland is over 2000 years old. The infrared sauna is a relatively new invention in comparison being invented in the mid 1970’s and then really honed and perfected over the last 20 years. The rays of the infrared sauna are able to penetrate the skin further than a traditional sauna causing your pores to open and sweat out of toxins on a deeper level. It is extremely important to hydrate during this process to replenish your body. Some people report weight loss however this is just water weight and is easily gained back after hydrating.
I started dry brushing my skin during a detoxifying cleanse as it was highly recommended. I had always seen those brushes in bathrooms but had wondered about their use as the bristles were not super soft like a loofah or sponge. The results were spectacular and it is a practice that I use daily. What I noticed was if I started my day out by dry brushing my skin it was like taking a shot of expresso. I felt as though I had awakened my entire body not just my eyes but everything and it left me feeling very refreshed and invigorated. Dry Brushing is an Ayurvedic practice and is seen as a powerful way to remove cellular waste products. It enhances blood circulation and stimulates the skin and lymphatic system and as an added bonus it is also a very easy way to detoxify the body. Dry Brushing should be done in the morning before you shower so that you can rinse off all of the dead skin. Using gloves or a dry brush massage vigorously keeping the direction of the stroke moving towards the heart. The stomach is much more sensitive so use circular motions with lower pressure and long strokes on the arms and legs towards the heart. Start from your feet and move up to the torso and neck. If you feel a certain area is sensitive then listen to your body and back off the pressure while in other areas you can increase the pressure. Integrating this into your daily routine can help you detoxify the largest organ of your body and allow you to start your day off with boundless energy. I would definitely dry brush before hopping into the sauna as a way to prepare your body to eliminate toxins.
I hope that you are inspired to get outside, take your shoes off and have some fun sweating. The healthy benefits are vast for both mind and body to connect with the earth and relax.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3166406/
The Microbiome Solution Robynne Chutkan
https://depts.washington.edu/ceeh/downloads/FF_Microbiome.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23213291
About Dr. Michelle:
Dr. Michelle Trias is a graduate from the University of Central Florida and completed her Doctorate in traditional naturopathy from the New Eden School of Natural Health and Herbal studies. Whether it's digestive discomfort, skin conditions, cholesterol, or fatigue, natural foods and herbs are the way back to better health. Dr. Michelle is on a mission to help you heal your gut and help you take control of your health and wellness.
You can find Dr Michelle by visiting www.mynaturowellness.com where you can schedule an appointment to talk about your health goals.
