10 easy things you can do to strengthen your Immune System
Winter is just around the corner and it’s time to start thinking about your best strategy to get through the flu season without having to take to your sick-bed. There’s a lot you can do to give your immune system a fighting chance against not only the common cold and flu but also the hayfever season that follows.
10 Easy Things You Can Do To Strengthen Your Immune System
- Pay attention to how you feel and don’t ignore symptoms. There are a number of indications that your immune system might not be functioning at optimal. If you feel more tired than usual and feel the need to take naps, drink coffee or boost your energy, have joint and muscle pain, blocked sinuses, catch cold easily, have low energy, asthma, allergies, food sensitivities, digestive problems, foggy mind, chronic skin problems, and your recovery takes longer than expected, these are all signs that your body is working very hard to keep you going and you might need to consider some immune support strategies. If you suffer from hayfever, the best time to start boosting your defences is at the beginning of August, to prepare your immune system before the hayfever season starts, and continue with your support until the end of the season. Horseradish and garlic is a good start for hayfever symptoms.
- Use herbs to strengthen your immune system. The regular use of culinary herbs will help to maintain your immune system and contribute to your balanced nutrition as well as the flavour of your food. Herbs like garlic, horseradish, ginger, onions, oregano and thyme will help keep your immune system strong, but when you already have a compromised immune system, you need to seek the help of a natural therapist who can prescribe more concentrated herbal extracts that will provide long-term results. When dealing with viral infections, taking prescribed remedies such as a combination of garlic, echinacea, rosehips, astragalus and liquorice works at the cellular level, removing the dangerous toxic matter from the flu virus and fortifying your immune system.
- Get plenty of sleep. Your immune system is likely to be compromised if you’re not getting enough sleep. You’re more likely to get sick if exposed to the common cold or a flu virus, and recovery when you’re sick can take you longer. Sleep deprivation decreases the production of protective proteins in your immune system, yet some of these proteins need to increase when you have an infection or inflammatory condition. Studies show that most adults need 7-8 hours of restful sleep every night to stay healthy, while teenagers require 10 hours and younger children need 10 hours or more.
- Eat a balanced diet. Have you ever asked yourself why you feel so bad, then realised that the day is half over and all you’ve had is coffee? Your body is trying to tell you that coffee isn’t a meal and you need to eat some real food, maybe even some vegetables and protein. High amounts of caffeine produce increased levels of cortisol, which is a stress hormone that contributes to weight gain as well as other illnesses. It also decreases your immune system’s ability to keep you free of infection. A balanced diet is a lot easier to achieve when you know that nature, and the whole foods it produces, has done the work for you. Whole foods, whether vegetable, grain or animal products, contain all the nutrition necessary for their complete digestion, which is the key to releasing their healing potential. Balancing you diet is quite tricky when you start separating things, like the cream from the milk, the whites from the yolks, and the bran and the germ from whole grain products, leaving only the starch.
- Reduce stress. Identify your emotional triggers. “If what you do is what you are, then when you don’t, you’re not.” A lot of people are driven by that belief without being aware of it. One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to evaluate the importance of each of your daily activities and try to find a more life affirming way of achieving your desired results. Some things that we think are urgent might not be that important after all, particularly if it’s someone else’s idea of what you should be doing. If you get angry easily, it’s important for you to identify what triggers you to react. As little as one minute of anger can lower your immune system function for up to 5 hours, while a minute of laughter can boost your immunity for 24 hours. Stress absolutely can make you sick, whether the source is physical, mental or emotional.
- Exercise regularly. Just because science hasn’t figured out exactly how exercise strengthens your immune system against certain illnesses, it doesn’t change the fact that you feel healthier, happier and more energetic for doing it. Science offers theories, such as “physical activity may flush out bacteria from lungs and airways, thus reducing your chances of getting sick;” and “the rise in body temperature during and after exercise may be similar to the effects of a fever.” There is a natural law that says the right kind and right amount of exercise is good for you, but too much or the wrong kind is likely to have the opposite effect. This says to me “walk, don’t run” and “enjoy the gym for the fun and social benefits but there’s no benefit if you hurt yourself in the process.” Stick to a routine of 20-30 minutes of moderate exercise daily, walking, swimming or bike riding. Consistency is the key to success.
- Don’t smoke. Whether you’re smoking traditional or e-cigarettes, the outcome is the same. The nicotine you’re exposing yourself to can affect your immune system in a harmful way by increasing your cortisol levels and reducing important B cell and T cell activity. The damage to your lungs can leave you at risk of infection and other diseases.
- Practice good hygiene. One important way to protect yourself from the pathogens that cause so much suffering during winter is to practice good hygiene. Not letting the germs inside in the first place is your first line of defence. Some people believe that because their immune system is strong, they don’t need to wash their hands because they’re building immunity to the germs. This belief is false, but it is based on a true principle that relates to how vaccines expose us to specific germs, which then allows our immune system to recognise them and give protection against being infected. However, it’s simply not true that your level of immunity is increasing by allowing whatever is on your hands to enter your body via your skin, eyes, nose and mouth. Germs are tricky and keep evolving, so you’re not really building immunity at all. Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs, and therefore the best protection from getting sick from them.
- Keep warm. Don’t be a hero, take a jacket every time you leave the house. Wear enough warm clothing during the winter months to protect you from sudden chills. When your body temperature drops suddenly it allows any opportunistic virus that may be sitting in your airways to bring you down. Most of your body heat is lost from your head, and according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, your immune system is much more efficient at protecting from infection if keep your throat and feet warm.
- Natural recipe for a cold.
This home remedy has the potential to send that cold on its way at speed.
Ingredients:
- 2 small garlic cloves
- A lemon
- Half teaspoon ground ginger powder
- A pinch of cayenne
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup hot water
Method: Peel and crush garlic and place them in a large mug. Add the juice of the lemon and some of the rind including the pith, shredded. Add the ginger powder, cayenne. Mix together and add the hot water. Drink the whole lot while it’s hot, including the solids. Go straight to bed, cover up and stay there. You will sweat because of all those heat-producing ingredients supporting your immune system in removing large amounts of toxic matter through your skin, lungs and nasal passages while you sleep.
If you’re suffering from immune system problems, I am passionate about helping you achieve genuine, lasting change as quickly as possible.
Contact Margaret at Blueprint Natural Health on 0414463 417 to make an appointment or to discuss how I may be able to help restore your optimal sleep patterns
It’s easier than you think!
I am confident in offering you a money back guarantee if you are genuinely dissatisfied with your results after your work has been completed and all advice has been followed.
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