Friday 25 March, 2016.
Using natural immune system boosters to keep you feeling in tip-top shape makes perfect sense in many ways!
Take control of your health and stress relief with these simple steps. Building a strong immune system helps you to manage every day better.
Until fairly recently, the emphasis was primarily on ways of curing already-existing illness and disease, but today there is growing attention given to preventing illness by building a strong immune system.
And natural immune system boosters are the way to do just this!
How can natural immune system boosters help?
What do you do when you feel a scratchy throat or aching muscles? Reaching for the pharmaceuticals is a normal response. Drug-takers in the USA spend more than $1 billion a year on cold and flu products that neither prevent nor treat the colds that plaque us. All they do is suppress the symptoms and make you more vulnerable next time around. Holistic medicine recognizes that illness is not caused by viruses and bacteria, but rather by a weakened immune system.
Boosting your immune system with natural immune system boosters can help keep your body in a condition to repel and destroy infections – bacterial, viral or fungal, without the drawbacks of conventional medication.
Natural Ways
To Build A Strong Immune System
You can take some simple steps to keep your immune system functioning at its highest potential.
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Manage Your Stress
In this fast paced world of ours, stress and illness often occur in a repetitive cyle…
How often have you caught a cold while studying for final exams or preparing a presentation?
Blame emotional stress!
In a study conducted by Sheldon Cohen, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Carnegie-Mellon University, a battery of psychological tests were done on 400 volunteers to determine their stress levels. He then squirted live cold virus up their noses. Those with the highest stress levels were twice as likely to catch the cold compared with the lowest-stress group.
Why? Stress impairs the immune system’s ability to fight of colds and other infections.
Final exams and other deadlines and demands come and go, but even minor daily ups and downs can affect your susceptibility to colds and flu.
Have a look at my tips for choosing relaxation techniques to suit you.
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Get Regular Exercise
But do not overdo it! Keeping fit and active with regular exercise, helps your body to circulate lymph. Simply doing 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day can help build a healthy immune system. However, over-strenuous exercise depresses the immune system.
Read more about the benefits of exercise and get going on a daily plan that suits you.
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Have Sufficient Sleep
“A person with a large sleep debt is much more vulnerable to infections and other illnesses,” according to the Mayo Clinic Insomnia Research and Treatment Center.
The reason is that without adequate rest, the body finds it difficult to recover from day-today stresses and the immune system suffers. Surveys show that people with chronic insomnia report more illnesses and recover more slowly than those who get enough sleep.
making sure that you are sufficiently rested is one of the simple, yet essential natural immune system boosters.
Check here for more information on signs of sleep deprivation.
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Maintain Emotional Health
Mind/Body interactions are fundamental to natural healing and are an essential part of building a healthy immune system. Today scientists generally understand how the mind acts on the immune system…
When the body experiences emotional stress, the mind perceives a threat and initiates a flight-or-fight response which includes a surge of hormones preparing the body for action. One of these hormones is cortisol, which suppresses the immune system and impairs the lymph system ( the system which circulates and “grows” disease-fighting immune cells).
So, whilst your immune system looks like it is a microscopic germ-combating army, it’s commander-in-chief is your mind!
We are all different and all have various life situations that compromise our health and happiness. The first step to maintaining emotional health is to take stock of yourself. The next step is to take steps to correct imbalances and start new habits that will help you to be more balanced.
Not sure if you are suffering from emotional stress? Have a look at the symptoms of emotional stress for starters.
Have a look at our pick of articles on stress for a selection of good advice.
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Herbal Remedies
Herbal remedies can provide great assistance in strengthening your immune system and keeping it in top shape. There are many medicinal herbs which are well known for their immune strengthening properties and are even safe for children too. Allowing your body to combat infections without antibiotics also helps to strengthen the immune system against future attacks.
Echinacea is a herb that has become famous for its antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. It acts by stimulating the production of immune cells, and is an excellent immune system tonic that boosts the body’s immunity.
For more useful information on using herbs as natural immune system boosters, have a look at:
Healthy Diet
Perhaps this should be at the top of the list of natural immune system boosters! A simple tip is to eat less fat and more fresh fruit and vegetables. Many studies have shown that a plant-based diet supports the immune system’s fight against not only cancer but all illnesses, because plant foods are high in vitamins and minerals. So do your immune system a favor and eat less fat and enjoy more fruit and vegetables!
Have a look at our pick of good books below for more information.
Good Reads On Building A Strong Immune System
We love a good old-fashioned book! Here is our pick on natural immune system boosters… Click on the links to find one that appeals to you and add to your own reference library!
Based on the latest scientific research, Super Immunity shows us how we can become almost totally resistant to colds, influenza, and other infections. The evidence is overwhelming: we can supercharge our immune system to protect our bodies against disease—everything from the common cold to cancer. Nutritional science has made phenomenal strides and discoveries in recent years, and when this new research is applied it enables us to seize control of our health like never before. Dr. Fuhrman explains this new science, providing everything you need to know to put this knowledge into action in your kitchen and in your life.
More Natural Immune System Boosters Tips
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- Scientists have yet to determine whether vitamin C can enhance immunity or not, but there is some evidence that this antioxidant can reduce cold incidence.
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- Simply keeping your hands clean is one of the best ways to prevent infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Wash your hands for 15 to 20 seconds (using warm water and soap) before preparing food or eating, and after coughing, sneezing, using the bathroom, or touching public surfaces.
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- Alcohol in moderation is fine! But research shows that daily drinking impairs neutrophil activity, increasing risk of infection.
Reduce your sweets. Sugars (sucrose, fructose, glucose, honey) are bad for your teeth and apparently as bad for your immune system. Sweets also reduce the ability of infection-fighting white blood cells called neutrophils. As infected cells die in your body, they release chemicals that draw neutrophils into the area to digest the invaders. But neutrophils become lethargic if you have been eating sweets.
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- Check with your doctor before introducing any herbal remedies as natural immune system boosters. Herbs that stimulate the immune system may counteract drugs that suppress the immune system after organ transplants to prevent rejection. These herbs may also interfere with drugs used to control the symptoms of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and type 1 diabetes.
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- Drink more water, tea and juices. The nasal passages are lined with protective mucous that traps viruses and sends them to the stomach to be destroyed by digestive juices. When the mucous is moist, it works well. But even minor dehydration reduces the mucous layer’s moisture content and makes it easier for viruses to penetrate and infect throat cells. Air-conditioning makes air particularly dry, so keep a glass of water nearby and make sure you keep hydrated.
- If you have enjoyed this page on natural immune system boosters, you might also enjoy:
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