The Power Of Your Immune System
There’s nothing like a pandemic virus to emphasize the importance of maintaining a strong and healthy immune system.
Your immune system is your body’s natural defense mechanism to help guard against germs, viruses, and infections. Immune systems are multi-faceted, and to function at its optimum, it requires balance and harmony.
These specialized parts of the immune system provides the body with protection against pathogens and diseases. This protection is referred to as immunity, and we have three types — innate, adaptive, and passive.
✔︎ Innate Immunity: (Natural) Your body’s natural defense mechanisms that are present from birth. This type of immunity provides immediate protection against a wide range of pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses. Innate immunity is your body’s first line of defense and includes physical barriers like the skin.
✔︎ Adaptive Immunity: (Active) Your active immunity develops throughout your life through exposure to pathogens or vaccines, leading to the production of antibodies. This acquired protection helps your immune system recognize and effectively combat specific threats over time.
✔︎ Passive Immunity: (Supplemental) Passive immunity is “borrowed” from another source and it lasts for a short time. For example, antibodies in a mother’s breast milk gives a baby temporary immunity to diseases the mother has been exposed to. Immune system boosters, such as vitamins C, D, and zinc, fall under this category.
Your Best Defense Is A Strong Offense
Scientists still have a lot to learn about how our immune systems work. Now more than ever, it’s important to take the necessary preventative measures to help boost your body’s natural defenses. And your first line of defense is to choose to live a healthier lifestyle.
Below I’ll be covering the top ten ways you can strengthen your passive immunity against viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens.
Top 10 Ways To Strengthen Your Immune System
1. Make Sleep a Priority
Being well rested improves the function of white blood cells, so you’re less likely to get illnesses like respiratory infections, colds, and the flu. Sleep is your body’s time to heal and regenerate for optimal health. Most people need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep to feel adequately rested.
Practice daily sleeping rituals to optimize your sleep. Waking up and going to bed around the same times and trying to avoid caffeine after 4pm are all effective sleep enhancers.
Pro Tip: Establish a wind down evening bedtime routine. Enjoy a warm bath or shower while listening to relaxing music. The soothing sounds can help your mind get ready to drift off to sleep more easily. My personal favorite is, Dean Evenson: European Spa.
2. Stress Less
Chronic stress weakens your immunity by increasing your suppressor T-cells, which in turn, suppresses your immune system. When this branch of the immune system is impaired, you are more susceptible to the flu, colds, viruses, and Covid.
Being stressed out also increases your level of the stress hormone called, cortisol. And multiple studies have proven there’s a link between elevated levels of cortisol and an increase in belly fat!
Pro Tip: Stress-less with destressing strategies like deep breathing, meditation, exercise, yoga, and other relaxation techniques.
3. Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated can boost your immune health by thinning mucus secretions and flushing viruses and bacteria out of your body. Water also helps your body produce lymph, which carries white blood cells and other immune system cells throughout your body.
Try to limit beverages that can make you dehydrated, like coffee and soda. Eat more hydrating foods, such as cucumbers, carrots, citrus fruits, and watermelon.
Pro Tip: To help flush mucus and get over a cold more quickly, sip warm liquids like ginger tea, warm water with lemon or bone broth.
4. Move Your Body
It goes without saying, regular exercise is one of the pillars of a healthy lifestyle and contributes to a healthier immune system. It improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, helps control body weight, and protects against osteoporosis and a variety of diseases.
Walking is one of the simplest ways to exercise. If you’re not excited about walking or jogging, try yoga, swimming, or cycling. Even gardening can be a good way to get some light outdoor activity as well as being a stress reducer.
Pro Tip: Try to be moderately physically active for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.
5. Stay Positive
Several Harvard studies have shown that if you expect good things and try to stay positive, your immune system will follow. So make optimism work for you and imagine the best outcome in all situations. There’s usually an underlying blessing that you’re able to see more clearly in retrospect. You’re not able to control the events happening around you, but you can control how you react to them. Respond with a positive attitude to help keep your immune system strong.
Pro Tip: Practice a daily gratitude journal and write down at least 3 things you’re grateful for every day.
6. Immune Boosting Supplements
Vitamins A, C, D, zinc, selenium, and magnesium are all essential for healthy immune system function. The amino acids L-lysine and L-glutamine have also been shown to enhance immune support.
Vitamin E is also important for regulating and maintaining your immune system. Nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, and pistachios are all packed with vitamin E. A half-cup serving of shelled almonds provides nearly 100 percent of the recommended daily value.
Pro Tip: Taking zinc and vitamin C lozenges or tablets within 24 hours of exhibiting cold symptoms can help reduce the duration of a cold
7. Fruit & Veggie Immune Boosters
Your body isn’t able to produce antioxidants on it’s own so you need to supplement it daily for optimal health. Eating a variety of fruit and vegetables provides the best mix of protective antioxidants to boost overall health and immunity. Anti-oxidants, like vitamin C, fight the free radicals that can damage healthy cells and DNA. Citrus fruit is especially high in vitamin C.
The following 25 foods are anti-oxidant powerhouses that have been shown to improve your immune system to help it function at it’s best!
25 Of The Most Powerful Immune Boosting Foods
- ✨Elderberry
- ✨Acai berry
- ✨Goji berries
- ✨Blueberries
- ✨Raspberries
- ✨Strawberries
- ✨Grapefruit
- ✨Pomegranate seeds & juice
- ✨Oranges
- ✨Tangerines
- ✨Lemons
- ✨Limes
- ✨Cherries
- ✨Papaya
- ✨Kiwi
- ✨Spinach
- ✨Kale
- ✨Bell Peppers
- ✨Sweet Potatoes
- ✨Broccoli
- ✨Avocado
- ✨Carrots
- ✨Mushrooms
- ✨Ginger
- ✨Garlic
8. Probiotic Immune Boosters
Probiotics are beneficial strains of bacteria that are also considered to be immune boosters. Probiotics can also help improve digestive and gut health which is linked to a healtheir immune system. Probiotics can either be from a supplement or consumed in natural foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles.
Pro Tip: Look for probiotic supplements with, lactobacillus, bifidobacterium, L. acidophilus, and, L. rhamnosus. They are all known for their immune-boosting benefits.
9. Liquid Silver Hydrosol
Silver Hydrosol has been used for more than 2,000 years to help safeguard human health. Known to be an effective antimicrobial, silver was first used to purify water, heal wounds, and treat infections. It is a natural element that can be found in whole grains, mushrooms, mammalian milk, spring water, sea water, and tap water.
Although sometimes controversial, liquid silver hydrosol is gaining more widespread recognition for its powerful immune support. After much research, I’ve found this brand, Bio-Active Silver Hydrosol™ to be one of the safest and most effective forms of liquid silver for providing immune support.
I’m not affiliated or endorsed by this company. I’ve just been a believer in the power of this product for the past ten years and I can honestly say it has worked for me and everyone I know who has tried it.
Pro Tip: When I feel like I’m in need of extra immune support (like from traveling or being around someone who is sick) I’ll take three doses a day for a couple of days and it has prevented me from getting sick every single time.
10. Immuni-Tea Booster
The antioxidants, polyphenols, and flavonoids found in black, green, and white teas are credited with boosting your immunity. Green and white teas are especially high in EGCG, a powerful type of antioxidant shown to enhance immune function. The fermentation process of black tea destroys a lot of the EGCG. Whereas green and white teas are steamed and not fermented, so the EGCG is more preserved.
Green and white teas are also a good source of the amino acid L-theanine which aids in the production of germ-fighting compounds in your T-cells. Drinking these teas regularly can also positively affect blood lipids by increasing your good HDL cholesterol while decreasing your LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides.
Pro-Tip: Drink organically grown teas to limit your exposure to pesticides.
Your Best Defense Is A Strong Offense. Wishing you health, happiness, and vitality in 2024!
