Top 5 Ways to Boost Your Immune System
TOP 5 WAYS TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that up to 23.5 million Americans suffer from autoimmune disease and that the prevalence is rising. But what does it mean to have a compromised immune system and what can you do to prevent flares and new onset of disease? The Immune System is the “surveillance system” of the body. It uses many different response mechanisms to identify and eradicate “invaders” which many cause illness and disease onset. When we refer to an autoimmune disease, we are taking about some level of over-reactivity and therefore increased inflammation. There are many different ways the immune system can be compromised.
So how does our defense system get compromised?
1. Antibiotic Use:
Although they can be helpful at times, antibiotics wipe out all of our “good guys” or probiotics, which represent 70% of our immune system! This over prescribed medication also led to antibiotic resistance leading to the evolution of “Super Bugs” which are even harder to eradicate.
2. Stress.
The Hypothalmic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis when stressed can lead to hormonal imbalance, weight gain, cravings, and immune dysfunction. The immune system responds to physical and psychological stress in similar ways! Managing stress is one of the most necessary yet underutilized ways to protect and improve your immune system.
3. Eating a Processed Diet:
When consuming grains like corn, soy, and what on a regular basis, the gut lining can becone damaged and highly irritated, even leading to Leaky Gut.” Beyond common food irritants, toxins in the water and other chemical fillers in a highly processed diet all effect our gut health and therefore immune system.
4. Micronutrient Deficiencies:
Vitamins A, D, and Zinc all have important roles in modulating inflammatory response. When we are deficient in micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) our defense system is not able to do its job!
TOP 5 WAYS TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM!
1. Probiotics.
Probiotics play a role in your digestive function, aiding in bowel regularity and excretion, as well as providing metabolic end products from foods that lower the pH of the body and create compounds such as butyrate that are anti-tumorigenic and increase the production of Natural Killer (NK) cells in your body which directly battle foreign invaders bacteria, virus, and disease progression.
2. Support your Adrenal Glands and get Sleep!
(click HERE for a sample report)
Sympathetic nervous system overactivity leads to autoimmune and system disfunction. Assess adrenal output, neurotransmitter imbalance/deficiency with Neurohormone Complete Panel. Address dysfunction with Nervines, Adaptogens, and/or Nutriceuticals along with food-as-medicine. Lifestyles support to address the source: sleep, movement, meditation, prayer, prioritizing, and de-cluttering
3. Eat Gelatin for Gut health
Processed food-like-substances and chemically treated water irritate the gut lining and cause gaps in the endothelial surface leading to “leaky gut.” Gluten, soy, and corn specifically are very harsh and further compromise the gut integrity. Gelatin aids in rebuilding the gut where most of the immune system is regulated. Check out our Blueberry Ginger Jiggler recipe!
4. Load up on Zinc and vitamin C
These nutrients play a key role in fighting off disease! Get your daily dose of essential minerals by eating pumpkin (zinc) and citrus fruits (vitamin C) seed staking a liver pill daily!
5. Take a high-quality plant based multivitamin!
If you are not able to eat 5+ cups of the best produce, it is important to take a high-quality multi-vitamin as an insurance policy to keep you healthy! This vitamin has a wide range of phytochemicals, each having different mechanisms in the body!
