Dr. Wendy Warner, a board certified holistic physician, is a nationally known lecturer and teacher of integrative holistic medicine.

Dr. Kellyann Petrucci, who is a go-to expert in the nutritional field, helps patients build the strongest, healthiest bodies through her family-based workshops and consulting practice [...] Twitter [...]

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Conventions Used in This Book 2

What You're Not to Read 3

Foolish Assumptions 3

How This Book is Organized 4

Part 1: Getting to Know Your Immune System 4

Part 2: What Happens When Your Immune System Gets Off Track 4

Part 3: Laying the Groundwork for Super Immunity: Nutrition, Lifestyle, and Detox 5

Part 4: Cooking Up Recipes for Immunity and Wellness 5

Part 5: The Part of Tens 5

Icons Used in This Book 5

Where to Go from Here 6

Part 1: Getting to Know Your Immune System 7

Chapter 1: Immunity: Your Ticket to a Stronger, Longer, and Healthier Life 9

Super Immunity 101 10

Starting with your immune system 10

Boosting your immunity with nutritional excellence 10

Considering super immunity and modern medicine 11

Living Longer, Stronger, and Healthier 12

Focusing on healthy cells 13

Turning on your "super immunity" genes 14

Choosing health 15

Boosting Your Immunity to Look and Feel Amazing 15

Looking younger 16

Increasing vitality 17

Getting a good night's sleep 17

Clearing up skin and digestive issues 18

Chapter 2: Understanding the Parts and Functions of Your Immune System 21

Introducing the Key Players: Your Immune Organs 22

Bone marrow 22

Thymus 22

Spleen 24

Lymph nodes 24

How they work together 24

Meeting More Players: All the Different Cell Types 25

Phagocytes 25

Lymphocytes 25

How they work together 28

Tracking How the Immune System Really Works 28

Establishing surface barriers and mucosal immunity 29

Accepting normal flora 29

Complement system 30

Relying on innate immune response 30

Acquired immune response 31

Considering Vaccinations and How They Work 34

Teaching your immune system to remember and fight 34

Weighing pros and cons of vaccination 35

Making an informed decision about flu shots 36

Part 2: What Happens When Your Immune System Gets Off Track 39

Chapter 3: Strengthening Your Allergy Defense System 41

Battling Sneezes, Sniffles, and Itchy Eyes 42

Getting to the root of the allergic reaction 42

Pinpointing causes of allergic rhinitis 43

Diagnosing allergic rhinitis 44

Using conventional medicine treatment for allergies 45

Choosing natural medicine treatment for allergies 47

Catching Your Breath Again: Asthma 48

Diagnosing asthma 49

Using conventional medical treatment for asthma 49

Choosing natural medicine treatments for asthma 49

Soothing Scaly, Itchy Skin: Eczema 50

Diagnosing eczema 50

Using conventional medical treatment for eczema 50

Choosing natural medical treatment for eczema 51

Distinguishing between Food Allergies and Food Sensitivities 52

Immediate/Acute food allergies 52

Delayed food-allergy reactions and food sensitivities 54

Chapter 4: Autoimmune Disorders: Dealing with an Overactive Immune System 57

Getting to the Root of a Confused Immune System 58

Uncovering a genetic predisposition 58

Weighing the impact of gender 59

Factoring in the environment 59

Blaming immune dysregulation: Imbalance of Th1 and Th2 60

Contributing Factors Essential to the Autoimmune System 60

NF-kB 61

Inflammatory cytokines 61

Free radicals 61

Cortisol and the stress response 62

5-MTHF 62

Pinpointing Dietary Influences on Autoimmune Conditions 62

Lower arachidonic acid 63

Higher omega-3 intake 63

Vitamin D 64

Gluten 64

What Do You Mean My Gut is Involved? 65

Developing increased gut permeability and antibody formation 65

Fixing your gut to fix your immune system 66

Estrogen: A Hormone, a Helper, and a Potential Time Bomb 68

Influencing estrogen breakdown products 68

Processing chemicals and estrogens in the liver 69

Modifying liver activity and the amount of estrogen to process 69

Mercury and How It Wreaks Havoc on the Immune System 70

Scaling back on mercury-heavy fish 71

Dealing with mercury in dental work 71

Testing for mercury toxicity 72

Nutrigenomics: Using Food Nutrients to Modify Autoimmunity Specifically 72

Caffeine 73

Hops-derived compounds 73

Omega-3 fatty acids 73

Curcumin and rosemary 73

Selenium and zinc 73

Vitamin D 74

Considering Specific Autoimmune Conditions 74

Rheumatoid arthritis 74

Autoimmune thyroiditis 76

Chapter 5: Cancer: When the Immune System Takes a Vacation 81

Understanding the Changes in Cells that Lead to Cancer 82

Tracking dangerous cell mutations 82

Skipping apoptosis: Planned cell death and how it relates to cancer 83

Weeding out cancer cells 83

Realizing that even a good immune system can't always keep up 84

Reducing Your Chances of Recurrence after Chemotherapy or Radiation 84

Making dietary interventions specific to cancer 85

Managing stress: Cortisol and cancer prevention 87

Cleaning up your environment 88

Taking Supplements Post-Treatment: Possible Drug Interactions 89

Omega-3 fatty acids 90

Probiotics 90

Vitamin D3 90

Vitamin C 90

Calcium and magnesium 91

Zinc and selenium 91

Aloe vera 91

Astragalus 91

Cat's-claw 92

Echinacea 92

Ginseng 92

Nettle 92

St John's wort 92

Viewing Cancer Treatments from around the World 93

Traditional Chinese medicine 93

Ayurveda 95

Chapter 6: Immunodeficiency Disorders: When the Immune System Slows Down 97

Uncovering Inherited Immunodeficiency Disorders 98

B cell immunodeficiency syndromes 98

T cell immunodeficiency syndromes 99

Combined B and T cell deficiency 100

Problems with phagocytosis 101

Problems with complement proteins 101

Testing for inherited deficiencies 102

Exposing Acquired Immunodeficiency Disorders 102

Identifying the main culprits leading to deficiency 102

Diagnosing acquired deficiencies 104

Treating Inherited and Acquired Immunodeficiency Conditions 105

Nutrition and stress management 106

Antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals 106

Interferon 107

Immunoglobulin infusions 107

Bone marrow transplant 107

Chapter 7: Uncovering the Influence of Immunity in Other Conditions 109

Chronic Inflammation: From Achy Joints to Alzheimer's 109

The inflammatory process 110

Achy joints 110

Heart disease 111

Diabetes 111

Alzheimer's disease 112

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), or Leaky Gut Syndrome 113

Diagnosing IBS 115

Treating IBS 116

Acne and Chronic Skin Conditions 117

Acne 117

Psoriasis 119

Eczema 120

Contact dermatitis 120

Part 3: Laying the Groundwork for Super Immunity: Nutrition, Lifestyle, and Detox 123

Chapter 8: Improving Your Immunity with Nutrition 125

Calling in Nutrition's Big Guns 126

Powerful protein: Making you healthy (and thin!) 127

Healthy fats: Protecting your body 130

Carbs your body will love: Getting your charge back 133

Building Your Plate for Everyday Wellness and Robust Immunity 137

Finding the right portion sizes 137

Satisfying your thirst 140

Staying Away from Foods on the Proceed-with-Caution List 141

Unhealthy grains 141

Beans and legumes 142

Dairy and stuff 143

Avoiding Certain Foods at All Cost 145

"Frankenfoods" 145

Sneaky food additives 147

Sugar: The monkey on your back 149

Having to Say Goodbye to Foods You Love, or Do You? 151

Salt: Friend or foe? 151

Are desserts on the menu? 152

How about happy hour? 153

Restarting Your Health and Nutrition with the "Boosting 30" 154

Chapter 9: Tapping the Immune Properties of Superfoods 155

Getting the Scoop on Superfoods 156

Separating superfoods from the rest of the pack 156

Tacking on a superfood bonus: Weight loss 159

Robust, Everyday Superfoods with the "It" Factor 160

Dark chocolate 161

Fruits 161

Nuts and seeds 164

Spices and herbs 166

Teas 168

Vegetables 169

Chapter 10: Getting an Extra Kick from Supplements and Herbs 173

Adding Supplements for Better Health 174

Fish oil 175

Magnesium 176

Probiotics 176

Vitamin C 177

Vitamin D3 178

Zinc 178

Mixing in Medicinal Herbs 179

Aloe vera 180

Astragalus 180

Cat's-claw 181

Echinacea 182

Elderberry 182

Ginseng 183

Hyssop 184

Licorice root 184

Nettle 185

St John's wort 185

Seeking Out a Few Exotic Superfoods 186

Acai berries 186

Goji berries 187

Sea vegetables 188

Chapter 11: Living an Immunity-Friendly Lifestyle 191

Getting More from Your Daily Routine 192

Sleep 192

Sunshine 194

Water 198

Exercise 201

Exploring Ways to Reduce Stress 203

Massage 203

Yoga and meditation 204

The HeartMath solution 205

Chiropractic 206

Naturopathy 208

Energy work 209

Chapter 12: Exploring Detoxification to Refresh Your Immunity 211

Deciding to Detox 212

What is a detox, and is it right...