Support Your Immune System
One of the primary causes of dying of “old age” is illness. An ineffective immune system makes it much more likely that someone will die of pneumonia, Covid-19, or even cancer. Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, stated that all disease begin in the gut. It is not a wonder that most people who suffer from illness also have a history of unhealthy habits with their diet.
While this is more common in the elderly, even younger people can suffer from an immune system insufficiency especially with the increase of toxicity within our environment. Your immune system keeps you alive every day by fighting off disease-causing bacteria and viruses. It also kills cancer cells that form based on toxicity and genetic risk factors.
Use these strategies to support your immune system and optimize your chances for a long and healthy life:
1.Eat nutritious foods. Along with getting enough sleep, this is probably the most important tip on this list. Eating healthier is the most powerful way to be healthier. Energy In, Energy Out.
- Your body is constantly creating new cells that are part of the immune process. Providing those mechanisms with the right building blocks is one of the effective ways you can boost your immune system. You build the strength and energy by eating nutritious chemical free food such as fruits and veggies.
- If you’re not a fan of fruits and vegetables, make sure you take a multivitamin each day along with smoothies or fresh juices to get the ey nutrients necessary.
2.Exercise. A healthy body leads to a strong immune system. Scientists believe that a strong circulatory system can help to support your body’s immune response. This allows the body to rid the body of waste products via the lungs and blood stream.
- A healthy body weight, normal blood pressure, and overall cardiovascular health minimize the stress on the body which can reduce the likelihood of getting sick as your metabolism is working well.
3.Relax. Stress is hard on every part of your body, including your immune system. Chronic stress responses can provide an explosive amount of hormones in the body which can be hard not he body and is not sustainable over time. You’ve probably noticed that you’re more likely to get sick when you’re chronically stressed. Minimize the amount of stress you’re exposed to and find healthy ways of dealing with stress when it can’t be avoided by changing your mindset, journaling, or working with a healer or therapist.
4.Get plenty of Vitamin C. The biochemistry is complicated, but among other functions, vitamin C improves the structure of the skin to keep out pathogens. It also accumulates in immune cells and regenerates their oxidative ability which is one of the mechanisms used to kill pathogenic cells. This is not the only nutrient that is helpful minerals such as Zinc, Vitamin D3, and probiotics are also very helpful in supporting the immune system, especially when the body is deficient.
5.Fast. As we age, our stem cells tend to become dormant. Stem cells are the cells that produce cells. The stem cells that support the immune cells can be woken from dormancy by fasting.
- Some studies suggest that three days without food is enough to trigger this effect. Others are showing 4-5 days.
- Fasting stimulates the body to remove older, damaged cells and the stem cells to produce new cells, including those related to the immune system.
- There are also diets that successfully mimic fasting sufficiently to show the same results. Working with a Naturopath can help to review your lab to not only see if you are healthy enough to fast but also to see if you can fast in a healthy manner.
6.Avoid smoking. Smoking has several negative effects on the immune system. One of these is the effect of nicotine. Nicotine suppresses the immune system and suppresses the inflammatory response which is an important part of the immune response. Not to mention the over 400 chemicals and heavy metals involved in smoking.
7.Sleep. Not getting enough sleep is a great stressor on the body. The science is quite clear that 7-9 hours of sleep is optimal for the vast majority of adults. If you don’t have time for at least seven hours of sleep each night, it might be time to make some changes in your schedule of lifestyle. Also, if you are constantly waking up in the middle of the night or even not sleeping restfully waking up refreshed you could have a challenge with the neurohormonal system. It may be beneficial to have a Naturopath to help you assess your circadian rhythm.
You might not think about your immune system a lot, but it’s working hard for you every day. You’re exposed to roughly 60,000 types of germs each day. That’s types, not the total amount. Even in a clean setting, your body is exposed to millions of pathogens each day. It is important to understand the body gets healthier with exposures. Being afraid of germs or trying to over clean yourself or your environment can have the opposite effect on the health of the person. The body needs microbes to build strength, and while there may be viruses and bacteria that are harmful it is more important to build the health of the body rather than being afraid of exposures. That is after all the only thing you can truly control and be proactive.
Giving your immune system some consideration can do wonders for your health and longevity. If you have a compromised immune system, heal slowly, or need support please reach out to our office to schedule a consultation.