Ways to Strengthen Your Immune System
Updated: Jun 30, 2021
Tips to stay healthy
In less than a week it will be the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. That means more sun, longer days and warmer temperatures. Usually I would be preparing to detox from the winter months when we move less, sleep more and eat heavier foods. This year, however, we are all more concerned with the Corona virus and how to keep healthy so I thought I would focus on that.
Small steps create big changes
'Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food'- Hippocrates
The immune system is an interactive network of organs, cells and proteins that protect the body from viruses and bacteria or any foreign substances. The immune system works to neutralize and remove these if they enter the body.
“How can I strengthen my immune system naturally?” We want to be able to defend ourselves from the things that can hurt us—such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites—while remaining nonreactive to things like pollen and foods.
The bottom line is that a healthy body is dependent on a strong immune system; the good news is that there are many ways to keep your immune system strong.
The most important thing one can do to strengthen our immunity is to start where the immune system mainly lives: the gut. This is where about 80% of your immune cells are. By strengthening our gut health, we are much less likely to get sick, have allergies, and develop autoimmune disease. These are some of the key ways I recommend to support your immune function:
Take a probiotic to encourage healthy bacteria to rule in your gut
Avoid antibiotics and drugs that can kill your healthy bacteria
Supplement with Vitamin C, D and Zinc
Spend time out in the sun to get natural Vitamin D
Sweat toxins out in the sauna, bath and from exercise
Eat garlic, ginger, honey, fruit and vegetables high in Vitamin C, and limit sugar, which feeds bad bacteria
Get a good nights sleep, which depends on your age. Children need 10 hours or more and some adults are fine with 6 hours a night. It helps to come off screens 1 hour before bed so your brain has time to get sleepy.
Manage your stress as it can suppress the immune system-try meditation, exercise, grounding in nature or get a massage
Drink lots of water and herbal teas to stay hydrated
Tell yourself how strong and healthy you are everyday and your body will respond!
Choose for your body, not against it
Once Spring is here it is likely that the spread of the Corona virus will lessen, but its still important to keep a healthy mind and body to feel good all year round. Remember that if you do get ill your body can fight it off with a healthy immune system. You may feel bad for a few days and you will need more rest/sleep, more vitamins and more water to get better quickly. Thats why the elderly and people with pre-exisiting health conditions are more at risk as their immune systems are weaker so they find it harder to fight off viruses etc. As the weather gets warmer viruses find it harder to survive and can die off.
In the meantime follow the guidelines in your country from governments and health professionals. For us in the UK we have the NHS and can call 111 for health advice if we are worried. Keep yourself healthy and practise deep breathing if you feel stressed. Have a break from social media and the news and go for a walk or listen to music instead. When everyone is worrying we can pick up on that and get into a panic. Please see my video offering a meditation to clear the fear of viruses here to help keep you calm and relaxed.
