Natural Remedies to Boost Your Immune System
The immune system’s prime function is to protect the body from harmful substances, fight infections, and reduce risk of developing disease and cancer. A healthy functioning immune system is crucial in resisting disease and reducing susceptibility to colds, the flu, activating viral infections, eliminating Candida, yeast and fungal infections, fighting cancer, and living a happy, healthy life.
The health of the immune system is influenced significantly by a person’s lifestyle choices, emotional state, level of stress, dietary habits, gut health and nutritional status. Chronic stress, underlying infections, a nutritionally-void processed food diet, insufficient sleep, leaky gut and nutrient deficiencies are the most common and frequent causes of a depressed or overactive immune system. An overwhelming number of clinical and experimental studies indicate that any single nutrient deficiency can cause immune dysfunction.
Support for a healthy functioning immune system requires limiting immune suppressors, identifying the root cause of the immune disruptors and consistently making choices that support a healthy lifestyle.
Limit immune suppressors
- Consuming the Standard American Diet (SAD, indeed). Too much sugar (glucose, fructose, sucrose), fruit juice, soda, processed soy, wheat, gluten, corn, grains, GMOs, trans fats, HFCS, rancid vegetable oils, glyphosate, pesticides and preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and processed and packaged nutritionally-void fake frankenfoods
- Many prescription and OTC drugs including antibiotics, antacids and NSAIDs
- Test for and rule out underlying infections: oral, viruses, bacterial, fungal, yeast, parasite and Candida infections
- Failing to prioritize 7-9 hours of restful, uninterrupted sleep every night
- Low-calorie diets
- Chronic unmanaged stress, excessive amount of exercise, negative thoughts, emotional and psychological stressors
- Consuming foods your body is sensitive or intolerant to
- Adrenal insufficiency and adrenal dysfunction
Tips to Build a Strong, Healthy Immune System
The average individual consumes one half pound of sugar every day! One sugar related study showed that immune cells in the no-sugar group destroyed 14 times more bacteria than the high sugar group.
Avoiding sugar, wheat, grains, soda, fruit juices, and processed and packaged foods is crucial to optimize immune function. Pasta, white bread, white rice, wheat, grains and white potatoes increase inflammation and quickly convert to sugar in the body suppressing the immune system. Your immune system is suppressed for 8-12 hours after consuming sugar!
Avoid foods your body’s sensitive to, which increase inflammation, weaken the immune system and trigger a variety of symptoms including fatigue, anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, skin problems such as hives, sinus problems, bloating and digestive issues plus many other symptoms that deplete the immune system.
The main immune-suppressing food items to avoid include all processed foods, GMOs, and any items containing unfermented soy, pasteurized dairy, gluten, wheat, corn, grains, artificial sweeteners, factory-farmed animal protein, sugar, and anything found at a drive-up fast food window. Aside from these top offenders, you may be eating the healthiest of foods and these can be the very foods you're sensitive to. That’s why it’s important to identify your unique and hidden food sensitivities. .
A Healthy Gut = A Healthy Person. Approximately 80 percent of the immune system resides in your digestive tract. A healthy functioning gut, optimizing digestion and a healthy microbiome are imperative for a healthy functioning immune system and overall health. It’s important to heal a leaky gut and test for any underlying infections including Candida, parasites, SIBO, fungal, bacterial and viral infections, all of which compromise the immune system.
Sleep is one of the greatest immune enhancers to boost your body’s ability to fight disease. Sleep is nature’s greatest repair mechanism, a natural antioxidant, and a potent anti-aging antidote. Immune power builds the most during restful sleep, so lights out by 10pm. Growth hormone is released at this time, which boosts the immune system and aids in growth and repair. I heard one researcher say “the greatest antioxidant we possess is a good night’s sleep.” Check out these solutions to cure insomnia and ensure a restful night’s sleep.
Movement. Often neglected is the importance of moving your body every day and the importance of a healthy functioning lymphatic system, which carries immune fighting WBC’s and removes toxins. Boost your lymphatic system by practicing deep belly breathing, lymphatic massage, bouncing on a mini-trampoline, dry brushing your skin before showering, and a smart exercise program.
Interval-style workouts and strength training increase levels of endorphins in your body, thereby stimulating your immune system, reducing stress and putting you in a better mood.
Avoid excessive exercise, particularly overdoing aerobic-type exercise and poorly designed crossfit-style workouts. The body perceives excessive exercise without sufficient recovery as an additional stressor thereby depleting the adrenals, nervous system and endocrine system, and compromising and suppressing the immune system.
Thoughts and emotions. Our mood, thoughts and attitude have a tremendous impact on the function of our immune system. The cells in your body respond to everything your mind says. Negativity lowers immune function whereas positive thoughts and feelings of gratitude, appreciation and optimism produce health-enhancing bio-chemicals that strengthen the immune system, increase longevity, reduce stress hormones, and lower stress levels.
Manage stress. Stress is an inevitable part of life and comes in many forms. Awareness is the first key, changing how you react and implementing stress-reducing techniques such as guided imagery, biofeedback, meditation, leisure walking, getting out in nature, listening to soft relaxing music, restorative or yin yoga, walking your dog, reading, journaling, prayer, talking with a friend, and deep belly breathing. Check out some of my favorite Stress Busters
Food is medicine! Organic foods are so much more nutrient-dense and powerful than pharmaceuticals, and without the side effects.
Protein. Include plenty of organic, grass-fed, free-range, pastured sources of protein. Proteins are the building blocks of the body. This includes your immune and detoxification systems. Remember, the first 40g of protein you eat every day goes toward rebuilding your immune system.
Whey protein. Grass-fed, bioactive whey protein supports the immune system for those who are not sensitive to whey. Look for non-pasteurized whey that contains no pesticides, hormones, artificial sweeteners or antibiotics.
Increase intake of leafy greens and non-starchy vegetables to fifteen servings/day from a variety of in-season, locally-grown, organic sources. Eat more leafy greens such as kale, chard, dandelion and spinach, which have been shown to influence intestinal health by delivering a protective factor to certain cells of the immune system.
Green smoothies are nutrient-rich and a delicious way to increase intake of vegetables, fiber and antioxidants for cellular repair, greater energy, boost immunity, alkalinity and restore health. Shades of Green Smoothie recipes
Healthy saturated fats and cholesterol actually help fight infections, particularly viral infections like the flu. The media and medical advice to avoid saturated fats, lower your cholesterol and use margarine instead of butter actually weaken your immune system making cells more vulnerable to attack by viruses.
Coconut oil contains lauric acid, which has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-vital properties. Coconut oil boosts immunity by improving white blood cell count.
Bone broth. Home-made broth and home-made soups are nutrient and mineral-rich, and not only strengthens the immune system, they’re a healing potion for digestion, allergies, brain health, joint and bone integrity, and reduce inflammation. Recipe for the healthiest and easy-to-make chicken soup.
Teas. Green and white tea contain polyphenols, catechins and antioxidants that clean up free radicals. Green tea has been shown to inhibit bacteria and viruses, and stimulate the immune system. (Imanishi N et al 2002). Dandelion tea, Pau ‘d arco and astragalus tea are also beneficial for the immune system.
Boost your immune system with garlic, turmeric, ginger, oregano, coconut oil, kefir, shiitake, reishi and maitake mushrooms, raw organic honey, cilantro, aloe vera, vitamin D, goldenseal, lemons and Echinacea.
Relationships and connections. Every study shows that people who are connected to other people through healthy, loving marriages, friendships and communities live longer, are healthier and have better performing immune systems.
Increase water consumption and add a pinch of unprocessed Celtic sea salt. Drink a cup of water with the juice from a fresh lemon or lime and a pinch of Celtic sea salt upon rising every morning.
Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands often and thoroughly throughout the day with soap and water, especially after bathroom use or shaking hands.
Avoid hand sanitizers that are loaded with triclosan, a dangerous antibacterial chemical that has been linked hormone disruption, estrogen dominance and antibiotic-resistance.
Refrain from sneezing or coughing openly into your hands, and instead sneeze or cough into your elbow. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth since that’s often how viruses enter the body.
Wash your workout clothes after every workout. Wash your towels daily. Wash your sheets every week. Keep the lid on the toilet closed (it’s good feng shui too!) Get a new toothbrush every month.
Boost glutathione levels. Glutathione is the master antioxidant and a potent intracellular antioxidant in the body. You will naturally increase glutathione with the tips above and through supplemental support with N-acetyl-cysteine, grass-fed whey protein, lipoic acid (R-ALA) and methylation nutrients, vitamins B6, B12 and folate.
Rule out underlying infections: bacterial, viral, fungi, yeast, SIBO, Candida and parasites with the appropriate testing, which may include a full blood panel, a comprehensive digestive stool analysis with parasitology, and a toxic metal urine test. Order your own lab tests here!
Elevated neutrophils (>60) and decreased lymphocytes (<20) on a blood test are indicators to rule out an underlying bacterial, fungal, yeast or Candida infection, whereas decreased neutrophils (<40) and increased lymphocytes (>39) are typical signs indicating a need to rule out an underlying viral infection.
Supplemental nutritional support can build up immunity, but it is important to know that it takes most people 6-12 weeks of use before the immune system becomes stronger.
It’s very challenging to obtain sufficient nutrition from food alone. Much of today’s food is over-processed, void of many essential nutrients and grown in soils that are depleted and saturated with synthetic fertilizers, GMOs, glyphosate, toxic chemicals and pesticides.
An overwhelming number of clinical and experimental studies indicate that any single nutrient deficiency can cause immune dysfunction. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies trigger more diseases, accelerate the aging process, and weaken the immune system.
- Vitamin D: Bio-D-Mulsion Forte is an emulsified vitamin D for better absorption. In the largest and most nationally representative study of the association between vitamin D and respiratory infections, people with the lowest blood vitamin D levels reported having significantly more colds or cases of the flu.
- Immune-enhancing multivitamin-mineral such as Bio-Immunozyme Forte. Research has shown that every day use of BioImmunozyme can reduce overall illness including infection.
- Zinc helps develop white blood cells that fight off bacteria and viruses. Common signs of a zinc deficiency are poor immune function, loss of sense of taste or smell, wounds that heal slowly, acne, reduced sex drive, prostate hypertrophy, female and male hormone problems, depression, agitation, and anxiety, chronic yeast infections, macular degeneration, hair loss, dandruff, premature graying of the hair, anorexia and bulimia, and white spots on the fingernails.
- Vitamins A, C and E
- Probiotics to support a healthy microbiota and replenish important bacteria in the intestinal tract
- L-Glutamine powder
- Thymus – Cytozyme-THY
ADP, an emulsified oil of oregano - Echinacea and Goldenseal
- Pure Cell, a powerful antioxidant blend
- Digestive Enzymes with hydrochloric acid – Digestzymes
- Selenium and iodine are both important for the immune system. Selenium, an important mineral is an immune stimulant and helps the body recycle and produce more glutathione
- Omega-3 fatty acids, EFA Sirt Supreme
- Healthy, daily doses of vitamins L (love), vitamin P (pleasure), vitamin H (hugs), and vitamin G (gratitude)
As a holistic nutritionist and functional health practitioner, my philosophy is to identify the root cause of any underlying immune problems, autoimmune disorders and health issues, slowly "peel away the layers of the onion," and design a healing protocol and comprehensive LIFESTYLE plan specific to your unique biochemistry so you can heal, experience vibrant health, balanced hormones, and look, think and feel better than ever for a lifetime. I consult with men and women around the world and with clients locally in the Phoenix area. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation!
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