Optimizing Your Immune System with Dr. Erik Natkin
DR. ERIK NATKIN was born in Berkeley, California, and lived and traveled throughout Europe during the peak of the Cold War from the sixth grade through the first year of college, and eventually ended up at the University of Colorado in Boulder. While studying in Boulder he began an early career as an Environmental Chemist and eventually went back to school, completing Medical School with Medical Resident training in orthopedic surgery.
Dr. Natkin began with regenerative medicine treatments in 2014. His passion for regenerative medicine has transitioned to a focus on anti-aging and health and wellness, a true preventive approach to one’s health. He is the founder as well as one of the Physicians/Providers at R2 Medical Clinic. The moto: “A Healthier Today for a Better Tomorrow” is the fundamental backbone of R2’s health and wellness perspective.
Editor’s Note: This article is for information purposes only. Please check with your medical provider before beginning any treatment.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ESTHER LEE LEACH
Immunity. No, I am not referring to a deal one makes with the district attorney or other law enforcement entities. Rather, I would like to discuss how to optimize your bodies intrinsic ability to prevent or limit infection from virus, bacteria, and fungus. In addition, the immune system plays a key role in the fight against cancer. With the current pandemic craze and entering the “flu season” optimizing the immune system is likely on many people’s minds but the focus on optimizing your immune system should be a year-round goal. The goal of the immune system is to distinguish between self and not-self and eliminate not-self. When this system goes awry and the body recognizes self as not-self this is the development of an autoimmune disease, another discussion.
So, how do we optimize our immune system? People will tell you to take these supplements or that root or that pill or do this or do that and they mean well but sometimes the advice is not based on scientific evidence and may or may not provide any significant optimization of your immune system. Like all Health and Wellness optimization, the immune system is just part of your overall health and wellness and following “anti-aging” approach or paradigm can get you where you want and should be. No there is no fountain of youth, my apologies, but optimizing your health and wellness may lead to turning back and/or slowing down the hands of time. The anti-aging paradigm consists of four arms: Exercise, Diet, Pharmacology, and Regeneration. This month, I will tackle the first two; Exercise and Diet.
EXERCISE
We all pretty much understand that exercise is important and many of us, although good-intentioned, fail at this miserably. If you are walking or hiking, keep doing it. If you are in the gym, keep doing it. But, it is extremely important to increase your heart rate above 100 for at least 15 minutes per day. How far above 100 is dependent on your age, other medical conditions, and overall fitness. This achieves several things including increase blood flow and oxygenation to every cell, tissue, and structure, of your body, stresses your body to allow for improved DNA repair and increases the potential for cellular regeneration, improves cardiovascular performance, improves memory, burns the un-needed fat leading to weight loss and decreases the risk of developing insulin resistance, and decreases inflammation leading to an improved immune system. Not to mention the increase in endorphins with an end result of an improved overall feeling of well-being and energy.
DIET
Most people when they hear diet they think about weight-loss. With an ever-increasing overweight and obese population in the United States, this is of concern but I am not going to address weight loss at this time. Just understand that many of the diets people seem to gravitate to for weight loss such as the South Beach Diet, Atkins, Keto, and others are truly not healthy diets and most people just regain the weight once they stop these unhealthy diets. I just finished a book, “The Plant Paradox” by Dr. Gundry that is absolutely fascinating and largely science-based. This is more of a lifestyle, long-term diet focusing on truly optimizing your body through diet and supplementation. Not sure everyone can follow this particular diet, including myself, but it is a very good read and may lead to you changing some of your eating habits. A healthy diet leads to decreased inflammation and providing key proteins and supplements to optimize your immune system.
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