How To Boost Immunity Naturally
Learning to boost immunity using natural techniques is very important in this day and age.Your immune system is your castle. It has many different features that work together to protect its occupant. You need to perform constant maintenance to assure that it stays strong and the castle walls aren’t breached. Here are some tips to boost immunity; follow them religiously in order to keep your immune system in great shape as we venture into cold and flu season.
What to do: Nutrition: This is the fuel that keeps your system running. When you are dealing with high levels of stress you will need to increase your nutritional intake. Choose colorful vegetables and fruits to boost immunity; keep meat to a minimum; make sure you get plenty of fiber; flavor your meals with plenty of fresh garlic and onions; make use of seasonings like oregano, turmeric, paprika and red pepper in your meals to further boost immunity.Rest: Your body needs an average of 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. If you don’t already have a sleep schedule, get one. When you retire and wake at the same time each day, your inner clock will set itself and make your sleep more balanced. (No more restless nights.) Sleep deprivation boosts inflammatory chemicals in your body which in turn increase your allergic symptoms, puffy eyes, achy joints, etc…Lower stress levels: If you are in a constant state of stress, even moderate stress, your body will begin to flood with hormones and proteins that will begin to attack your body. These hormones and proteins are actually meant to protect you from attack; however when they are called into duty but can’t find intruders to attack, they will eventually turn on you and begin to attack healthy tissue. Exercise: This is your chance to “take out the trash.” In previous articles, I’ve written about the importance of your lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is seriously overlooked and often misunderstood. Your LS doesn’t run on a regular pump system like your heart. It gets its locomotion from the movement of your muscles. Any kind of exercise (walking, tai chi, kick boxing or rebounding, to name a few) will jump start your LS and begin expelling toxins from your body. Massage also helps to get the LS moving at a healthy pace and helps to boost immunity. Eat probiotics regularly: Foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, miso soup, sourdough bread, soft cheese, etc. are considered probiotics and will boost your immune system and fight any inflammatory issues you may have. In order to get the best results from your probiotics, make sure you also consume plenty of prebiotics (feeds the probiotics) which can be found in bananas, oatmeal, and honey, to name just a few. Vitamin D: Our modern society is suffering from a lack of vitamin D in our daily routines. The sun is our best bet at receiving vitamin D that we can use; however, there are other ways to get your vitamin D. In the winter time, Cod Liver Oil capsules provide vitamins A & D along with helpful Omega 3 fatty acids that will help reduce inflammation and provide your nerve endings with material needed to maintain the myelin sheaths that protect them from attack.
What NOT to do: Use antimicrobial soaps and gels: Your immune system needs to be put through its paces on a regular basis. If it never has any major bacteria or viruses to fend off, then it will begin to attack your healthy tissue. Often this leads to autoimmune diseases. Also, the chemicals used in antimicrobial agents are quite dangerous when they build up in your system. Use ordinary soap and water but wash your hands regularly. Take antibiotics for every little illness: This is similar to setting the village on fire in order to get rid of a few pests. Antibiotics make your immune system weak and many bacteria learn to recognize the antibiotics and adapt; thereby rendering the antibiotics useless. Also, antibiotics only work against bacterial infections. Viruses work in a totally different way and are unaffected by the drugs. If you do need to take a series of antibiotics, make sure that you follow up with a balanced supply of prebiotics and probiotics once you are done so that your body can begin to rebuild its immune system.Eat lots of sugar or foods high in carbs or with no nutritional value: These foods will only bog down your body’s engine and essentially stop your immune system in its tracks.....a sure fire way NOT to boost immunity!
How to handle a cold or the flu: Let lesser colds and flu bugs run their course. Weaker cells are usually targeted by viruses and bacteria so it's actually nature's way of purging the old worn out cells so that new ones can take their place. Use chicken noodle soup with plenty of fresh garlic and onions, Echinacea tea with honey, and evening facial steams and foot soaks to ease the symptoms and help boost immunity. Watch your nutrition and get plenty of rest. Enough said!
With age your immune system becomes weaker but it can still function quite well if cared for properly. Think of your body as an automobile. If you take proper care of it, doing the suggested maintenance and not running it as if you were Steve McQueen in Bullitt, it will serve you well through the years. If you run the wrong fuel through it, it won't run properly (knocks and sputtering). If you use the latest treatments in your car without first investigating them, you could be in for a world of hurt. Use the tried and true methods of caring for your immune system and it will serve you well for many years. As an example: My daughter came down with RSV when she was 4 months old – shortly after she received her scheduled vaccinations.
For an eye opening article on vaccinations from the perspective of someone who helped design vaccines, take a look at Dr. Ben Kim’s excellent article.
My daughter came very close to losing her battle with the respiratory syncytial virus and was given heavy doses of powerful antibiotics before she was finally diagnosed with RSV. For nearly 2 years she fought off frequent bouts of pneumonia and was constantly on antibiotics. Therefore, her own immune system was very immature. I spent several years working to rebuild her immune system and she began to turn the corner around the age of 7. She is now a very healthy teenager and I no longer fear for her safety when she comes down with a cold. To this day, she has only had the flu a couple of times. I continue to teach her new ways to boost immunity. Never give up on your immune system. It is like the legendary phoenix and is able to rise from the ashes time and again if you are willing to invest the time and effort.
Visit my Folk Medicine page for more tips like these to boost immunity.
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