Keep Your Immune System Strong With These Natural Boosters

It is well known that the current coronavirus likes to attack and takeover weak immune systems. Don’t let this virus or any other pathogen get the best of you by following some easy ways to keep your immune system strong with these natural boosters. 

It is not that hard to implement these simple ways to protect yourself, it just takes some good information and diligence on your part. Start today and in no time you can strengthen your immune system to high levels of defensive response which you may have been lacking for some time.

Sleep it Off

Your T-cells are paramount in fighting disease but when you don’t get enough sleep, T-cells can be compromised. 

According to Stoyan Dimitrov, PhD, a researcher at the University of Tübingen, 

“T cells are [] immune cells that fight against intracellular pathogens, for example virus-infected cells such as flu, HIV, herpes, and cancer cells,…Stress hormones dip while the body is asleep. High levels of these substances might decrease the efficiency of T cell immune response to kill pathogens,” 

Dr. Dimitrov was the lead author of an immune system sleep study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM) which concluded,

“Our results demonstrate that a couple of hours of sleep loss suffice to reduce the adhesion capacity of antigen-specific T cells. This finding shows that sleep has the potential to enhance the efficiency of effector T cell responses.”

It is essential that you do anything you can to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night so your immune system remains running on all pathogen killing cylinders.

Stop Eating Junk

The more processed, sugar-laden, stepped on food you consume, the more you are basically compromising your immune system. Sure, it may seem like you’re doing just fine regardless of the subpar diet you are following but it is just a matter of time that something like COVID-19 will infiltrate your system and take advantage of your bad choices over time. 

Starting now, put down the stuff you already know is bad for you and start adding good, healthy, whole (not canned or packaged) foods to your diet which should consist of:

• Citrus fruits
• Dark green leafy vegetables
• Whole grains
• Legumes (black red, white beans)
• Garlic
• Miso soup
• Nuts and seeds

Your plate should have less animal products and more of this list covering it for an optimal immune boosting diet. 

Get Pro-biotic

Your gut is ground zero for your immune system. Gut meaning your intestinal tract which is where a unique colony of good and bad bacteria assimilate. When you compromise your health with an irresponsible diet or vices such as drugs, alcohol, or tobacco the bad bacteria flourishes and takes over. This can cause all sorts of health issues you may be living with as if it is normal or age-related until your immune system is so weak it succumbs to disease. “Normal” or “age-related” are excuses for a system that can work much more efficiently and defensively when given the right attention. Probiotics are capsules or powders you can take daily to add good bacteria to your gut. 

The study ‘Probiotics and Immune Health’ published in the journal Current Opinion in Gastroenterology concluded that,

“Protection from viral infection has also been shown as a benefit of probiotic action. Intranasal inoculation of wild-type mice with live or heat-inactivated L. plantarum or L. reuteri completely protected against the virulent rodent pathogen, pneumonia virus lethal infection and resulted in diminished granulocyte recruitment and expression of multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines and reduced virus recovery.”

Look for good probiotics to add to your diet for optimal immune boosting activity. 

Light Exercise

If you are a gym rat that is fine but if you are not getting enough adequate exercise there is no need to start running like a hamster on a wheel to boost your immune system. All it takes is some light exercise to stoke your system into a good, strong defensive mode that can be your ticket to less illness and more quality of life. 

A study published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science by researchers at the Human Performance Laboratory, Appalachian State University, North Carolina Research Campus concluded that,

“Acute exercise (moderate-to-vigorous intensity, less than 60 min) is now viewed as an important immune system adjuvant to stimulate the ongoing exchange of distinct and highly active immune cell subtypes between the circulation and tissues. In particular, each exercise bout improves the anti-pathogen [anti-disease] activity of tissue macrophages in parallel with an enhanced recirculation of immunoglobulins, anti-inflammatory cytokines, neutrophils, NK cells, cytotoxic T cells, and immature B cells. With near daily exercise, these acute changes operate through a summation effect to enhance immune defense activity and metabolic health.”

These are some immune boosting exercise ideas you may be interested in trying:

• Briskly walk at least thirty minutes per day
• Swim laps for 15-30 mins three times per week
• Bike ride 5-10 miles per day
• Combine physical activities 3-5 days per week: dance class, bowling, tennis, softball league, play the drums, yoga, pilates, stroller jogging, jump rope, climb stairs, kickboxing, personal trampoline, etc.

Anything that gets you moving will help your immune system stay active and avoid becoming sluggish and ineffective.

Add Vitamins and Herbs

Some of the best immune boosting vitamins and herbs are: black elderberry, oregano oil, astragalus, echinacea, olive leaf extract, vitamin C, B12, B6 and E.

Don’t be a sitting duck, keep your immune system strong with these natural boosters. It is the best way to defend against anything from the common cold to a global pandemic.