5 Natural Ways to Fight Off Illness and Stay Well
If you’re experiencing allergies, getting summer colds or just generally trying to stay healthy, supporting your immune system is one of the best ways to prevent illness.
Your immune system is designed to defend your body against all kinds of disease and illness. On any given day it helps you fight off countless bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens you encounter as you go about your life.
The immune system is a complex system designed to fight off infection. It includes white blood cells, antibodies, bone marrow, the lymphatic system, mucous membranes, the spleen, the thymus, liver, and skin. It is a complex system within the complex system that is the human body, and it functions best when we take steps to keep our overall health in balance.
The immune system consists of two parts — innate and adaptive. Innate immunity is the first line of defense against illness and includes skin, immune system cells that fight off invading pathogens, and other components such as mucus and stomach acid that trap and destroy pathogens. The adaptive immune system allows your body to identify the foreign substances it is exposed to over time and activate antibodies and immune cells to fight them off.
Research has shown certain holistic practices can help boost the immune system. These are simple, natural, non-invasive economical things we can all do. Think of them as an investment in your good health, and give them a try.
- Identify and release your emotional baggage — The effect of emotions on our health is often overlooked, but evidence is growing that emotions exert a profound influence on our overall health — including our ability to fight off illness. Negative emotions may alter immune response functions and are associated with an increase…, a recent Pennsylvania State University study finds. Energy healing methods such as the Emotion Code® with the Body Code™ are designed to help people and remove Trapped Emotions, unresolved and unconfronted negative emotions from traumatic and difficult experiences. This can facilitate physical and emotional balance and recovery and boost overall health and happiness, which naturally supports a healthy immune system.
- Get enough sleep — Sleep and the circadian system exert a strong regulatory influence on immune functions, while lack of quality sleep can lead to chronic low-grade inflammation and produce immunodeficiency, both of which have detrimental effects on health. The importance of sleep in every aspect of your health can’t be overstated, Make sure you’re getting around seven to nine hours of sleep most nights. Rest is a chance for the body to regenerate and can be a natural way to heal yourself every night. Tips: Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time daily. Make your room darker and quieter. Limit screen time a few hours before bed.
- Take steps to reduce stress in your life — Research shows that chronic stress suppresses the immune system and impairs the body’s ability to fight off illness. Taking time to relax and rejuvenate is a simple and effective way to boost your immune system, Tips: Try spending time with friends and family or in nature, reading a book, meditating, or anything that helps you feel calm.
- Eat a healthy diet — Eating healthy, whole foods is a great way to boost your immune system naturally. Foods that aren’t processed are rich in nutrients and antioxidants that can help boost your immune system. Having a healthy gut microbiome has also been shown to benefit your immune system. Foods high in fiber and probiotic-rich are good for supporting microbiome health.
- Get enough vitamins — Research has shown that supplementing with certain vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other substances can improve immune response and potentially protect against illness. Vitamins that help boost the immune system include vitamin C, an antioxidant found in citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits, as well as strawberries, kale, spinach, and broccoli; vitamin B6 found in spinach and other dark green vegetables, chickpeas, and fish; vitamin E, found in nuts such as almonds and seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower seeds; vitamin D; and zinc.
Keeping our immune system strong is a key to staying healthy and beating all kinds of illness. Given how hard the immune system work to keep us well, it makes sense to do all we can to bolster it by choosing healthy lifestyles that support our physical, emotional and mental well-being.
~Dr. Bradley Nelson
