Daily Health Tips: Trusted Medical Information, Health Tips and Advices

Orange juice isn't the only beverage you can grab when you want to help your immune system fight off illness and infection. New research suggests that grape juice may be an immune system booster, too. In a study, people who sipped Concord grape juice daily for 9 weeks had higher blood levels of a special type of infection-fighting cell. Bolster Your Defenses The study involved middle-aged folks who were basically healthy. But something interesting happened when they added about 1½ cups of grape juice to their daily diet . After 9 weeks, they had significantly more T cells compared with the control group. T cells are a type of white blood cell that fights off infections. And in the study, drinking grape juice increased participants' levels of specialized T cells called "surveillance" cells, found mostly in the lungs, intestines, and gastrointestinal tract. Researchers think that these cells act as the first line of defense against invading pathogens.

Next time you feel your blood start to boil, chant this mantra: "blue skies." Why? A calm mantra just might turn you into a fast healer. Here's what we mean by that. Studies show that being quick tempered can make a person's body slower to recover from wounds. Immunity takes a hit if you're a hot head, it seems. One way that psychologists offer to channel anger? Repeat a calming phrase. Stressed and Angry In the study, participants who had received very small blister wounds to their skin were also evaluated in terms of their anger management skills. And those who had trouble managing their tempers were more likely to have slower healing blisters -- over four times more likely. The hot-tempered folks also had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva, leading the researchers to believe that stress is the underlying factor in the impact anger has on healing. The immune system -- command central for healing and recovery -- suffers wh

Your immune system is responsible for helping fight off everything from the common cold to cancer. A tall order! Send in some reinforcements so it doesn't get battle fatigue. Here are four foods your immune system loves. Sweet, Creamy, Steamy, Crunchy . . . Oranges, yogurt, tea, and pumpkin seeds are the order of the day when it comes to giving your immune system a treat, Oranges are chock-full of vitamin C, an antioxidant vitamin that helps your immune system fend off disease-causing invaders. Other good C options: bell peppers, strawberries, cantaloupe, and broccoli. Or take 400 milligrams of vitamin C three times daily. Yogurt (unpasteurized) contains Lactobacillus acidophilus -- a healthy bacterium that helps thwart fungus-related infections. Or take a 20-milligram acidophilus supplement twice daily.   Tea is full of flavonoids, powerful vitamin-like substances that reduce immune-system aging. You'll also find them in oats, onions, broccoli, tomatoes,