5 Ways to Boost Your Immune System

Dr. Jonah Yakel

5 Ways to Boost Your Immune System

Despite all the wonderful things autumn has to offer, it's also time to start preparing for cold and flu season. For many, this brings with it a sense of anxiety and concern, especially given the media attention devote to recent flu stains. Rest assured, there are several things you can do to build your immunity naturally and help you and your family make it through the flu season happy and healthy.

The key to staying healthy and avoiding nasty bugs is to strengthen your defenses, primarily your immune system, so your body can fight any virus as it enters the body. Here are some powerful ways to boost your immune system and prepare for the new flu season:

1. Add Some Sunshine

Researchers are quickly catching on that Vitamin D may be the secret to avoiding colds and flu. Vitamin D plays an important role in strengthening your defense system to better fight any invading viruses and bacteria. Unfortunately, it's also the No. 1 vitamin deficiency in Americans.

Compounding the problem is the fact that Vitamin D is produced when the body gets adequate levels of sunshine, so naturally, even less is produced in the winter months. It has recently been hypothesized that this could be one major reason for the increase in cold and flu cases during the winter. It's important that we have alternative ways of getting this powerful immune-boosting vitamin.

One great source s cod liver Oil. In addition to the Vitamin D it offers, it's also a great source of Vitamin A, an immune system superstar, and Omega 3 fatty acids, which hold significant health benefits for the heart, brain, skin, and much more.

2. Fighting Fire With Fire

Your immune system is your body's best defense for fighting off colds and flu. Further, it's estimated that 80 percent of your immune system resides in your digestive tract, so it's vital to keep your digestive system healthy when trying to avoid getting sick.

Thankfully, our gut is filled with lots of "good" bacteria, or flora, that help fight all the "bad" bacteria and yeasts trying to find their way into our system. Because of diets high in refined sugars, frequent antibiotic use, and everyday stress, most people don't have a healthy balance of good-vs.-bad bacteria, leaving them more vulnerable.

As we head into cold and flu season, now is a good time to restore the proper balance in your gut by taking a probiotic before each meal (continue this through the winter months). Probiotics can be found in any health food store in the refrigerated supplement area. An excellent whole food source of probiotics is kefir. Kefir has significantly more "good" bacteria than yogurt and is much easier for your body to digest.

3. Get Moving

Most of us are aware of all the amazing benefits exercise has for our overall health and well-being. Few of us, however, know that exercise is one of the most powerful ways to boost the immune system. Not only does exercise improve the circulation of white blood cells throughout the body, but it's also been shown to increase the production of natural killer T cells, essential for maintaining an optimum immune response.

The amount of exercise required to obtain an immune boost is relatively low. Twenty minutes of brisk walking 4-5 times per week has been shown to significantly improve the body's immune response. This is also a good opportunity to get a little bit of sunshine to stimulate Vitamin D production.

4. 'An Apple a Day...'

When it comes to fighting colds and flu, it's essential to decrease your sugar intake. Sugar has devastating effects on the immune system, and the fact that Americans consume an average of 2-3 pounds of sugar per person annually spells bad news this time of year. Not only does sugar increase the production of hormones that suppress the immune system, but refined sugar also needs micronutrients to be metabolized. This requires your body to use stored vitamins and minerals, further harming your defenses.

On the other hand, eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables will make sure that your body is getting all the vitamins and minerals essential to fighting off colds and flu. Fruits and vegetables are packed with thousands of phytochemicals.

No supplement could ever match the power of eating a whole food. Regardless of what vitamin and mineral you take, it should always be as a supplement to a diet high in fruits and vegetables.

5. Keeping Balanced

By now, we all know stress is bad for us. However, relatively few of us are aware of how stress actually impacts the health of the body. When we experience stress, the natural balance of the body is affected in ways we could never imagine. In fact, stress takes an enormous toll on the immune system. For this reason, it's important to find ways to bring the body back into balance.

Meditation, prayer, exercise, and yoga are all great ways of taking care of yourself and keeping stress levels low. Chiropractic adjustments also have a significant effect on the nervous system, creating balance and helping restore the body's natural healing potential.

As fall and winter approach, get proactive. By implementing these five simple techniques, you can dramatically increase your ability to make it through the season without ever having to miss a day from work or school. Instead of making a trip to the doctor's office this year, stop at a local health food store and see how good you can feel even during the winter.

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