Maintain A Healthy Diet
As with most things in your body, a healthy diet is key to a strong immune system. This means making sure you eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats.
In addition to providing your immune system the energy it needs, a healthy diet can help ensure you’re getting sufficient amounts of the micronutrients that play a role in maintaining your immune system, including:
- Vitamin B6, found in chicken, salmon, tuna, bananas, green vegetables and potatoes
- Vitamin C, found in citrus fruit, including oranges and strawberries, as well as tomatoes, broccoli and spinach
- Vitamin E, found in almonds, sunflower and safflower oil, sunflower seeds, peanut butter and spinach
Since experts believe that your body absorbs vitamins more efficiently from dietary sources, rather than supplements, the best way to support your immune system is to eat a well-balanced diet.
Exercise: Good Or Bad For Immunity
Regular exercise is one of the pillars of healthy living. It improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, helps control body weight, and protects against a variety of diseases. But does it help to boost your immune system naturally and keep it healthy? Just like a healthy diet, exercise can contribute to general good health and therefore to a healthy immune system.
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Here Are Some Myths And Facts About Immune
Myth: Vitamin C prevents illness.
Turning to large doses of vitamin C in the winter to avoid getting sick doesn’t work. However, vitamin C may shorten the duration of a cold once you’re already under the weather. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant, and those anti-inflammatory properties may reduce swollen sinuses.
Myth: Zinc boosts your immune system.
Much like vitamin C, there’s not enough evidence to support taking extra zinc to keep sickness at bay. Meeting daily zinc requirements is important for a healthy immune system, but exceeding these requirements can be toxic. In 2009, the Food and Drug Administration warned consumers to stay away from zinc nasal sprays after studies found they could damage the sense of smell.
Fact: Chicken soup is a cure-all.
The healing benefits of chicken soup are numerous, according to the National Institutes of Health. Not only is grandma’s home remedy heartwarming, but it also has properties that fight inflammation, promote hydration and get mucus flowing.
Myth: Dairy increases mucus production.
Some swear that milk and other dairy products make a phlegmy illness worse, but there’s no science behind it. Most studies have found no relationship between eating dairy and increased mucus production.
Choose immune-boosting nutrients
These nutrients play a role in boosting the immune system:
Keep the immune system strong all year long
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Vitamin D Helps Reduce Risk Of Respiratory Infection
Reading through recent Pub-Med abstracts on Vitamin D reminded me of just how powerful this vitamin is for immune support. Vitamin D reduces the risk of respiratory infection and is a great immune system modulator, meaning that it enhances immune response. There are various methods on how it acts to decrease viral replication and protects the lining of the lungs. Vitamin D is simply a home run for your immune health.
One of the best things you can do is get your Vitamin D levels measured. You can do that through a 25-OH Vitamin D blood test that will show you how deficient you are. I say this because almost everyone I check is deficient in vitamin D. Its actually odd to me when I find someone who is not deficient!
However, I understand that you may not be able to easily get your Vitamin D levels checked during this time. For my patients, I generally recommend taking between 4000-5000 IUs of Vitamin D per day for prevention. If you feel like you’ve been exposed to a virus or you’re getting sick, a naturopathic or integrated functional medicine doctor may recommend up to 25,000 IUs for 4-6 days just to help boost the immune system.
Immunomodulatory Role Of Vitamin D
The influence of VD3 metabolites in the immune system, particularly of 1,252 VD3, has been known for more than 20 years20,21. In vitro, 1,252VD3 exerts a marked inhibitory effect on adaptive immune cells . It inhibits T-cell proliferation20,21, the expression of interleukin-2 2123 and interferon- mrNA and protein in T cells24,25, and CD8 T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity26. The decrease in the production of IL-2 and IFN by 1,252VD3 is partially mediated by binding of the VDRRXR complex to the VDRE in the promoters of genes encoding IL-2 and IFN . The anti-proliferative effect could be explained, at least in part, by the decrease in IL-2 production, as proliferation is partially rescued by adding exogenous IL-2 . These inhibitory effects of 1,252VD3 are most pronounced in the memory T-cell compartment30, which is concomitant with the higher expression of VDR in effector and memory T cells compared with naive T cells31. Moreover, 1,252VD3 enhances nonspecific T-cell suppressor activity, as measured by the ability of 1,252VD3-treated T cells to suppress primary mixed-lymphocyte reactions and cytotoxic T-cell responses26.
Mechanisms of vitamin D immunomodulation
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Howto Grocery Shop To Boost Your Immunity
A simple rule can help youwhen choosing fruits and vegetables at the grocery store or farmersmarket: The more colorful the fruits and vegetables are, the better.
Try to eat a wide variety of foods, and aim to eat fruit and vegetables from every color of the rainbow, Zumpano says. Your plate will be more enticing to look at, and you will ensure that youre getting as many health-boosting vitamins and nutrients as possible.
Its also important to knowthat you build a strong immune system by maintaining healthy eating habitsover time. You cant eat four oranges at breakfast and expect to be protectedthat day against catching a cold.
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What Is The Immune System
The immune system is made up of a number of different organs, cells and proteins within the body, which all work together to protect the body from invasion from bacteria and viruses.
There are two different parts that make up the immune system. The innate immune system is the one which you are born with, and the adaptive immune system is the one which you develop as you are exposed to microbes.
These two parts work together to protect you from infections and viruses.
Your Money Might Be Better Spent On Something Else
During the winter months, you’ve likely seen ads for products that claim to give your immune system a boost to help you ward off colds and the flu. But can something in a bottle, whether a vitamin formulation or probiotic, really rev up your immune system to help you stay healthy?
“Unfortunately, the reality is that those kinds of products aren’t really offering you any benefit,” says Michael Starnbach, a professor of microbiology at Harvard Medical School. “There’s no evidence that they help in fighting disease.”
To understand why, you need to know a little about how the immune system works. The very idea of boosting the immune system is flawed.
“The immune system is very finely tuned,” says Starnbach. There is a balance between an immune system that is effective at limiting the ability of bacteria, viruses, and parasites to cause infection, and a hyperactive immune system that can cause such problems as allergies, diabetes, and other types of autoinflammatory and autoimmune disorders.
“If there were a wholesale boost to the immune system, it could trigger autoimmunity and other problems,” he says.
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Food Fix: Immune System Boost
Most people turn straight to vitamin C after theyve caught a cold. Thats because it helps build up your immune system.
Vitamin C is thought to increase the production of white blood cells, which are key to fighting infections.
Almost all citrus fruits are high in vitamin C. With such a variety to choose from, its easy to add a squeeze of this vitamin to any meal.
Popular citrus fruits include:
Garlic is found in almost every cuisine in the world. It adds a little zing to food and its a must-have for your health.
Early civilizations recognized its value in fighting infections. Garlic may also slow down hardening of the arteries, and theres that it helps lower blood pressure.
Garlics immune-boosting properties seem to come from a heavy concentration of sulfur-containing compounds, such as allicin.
Ginger is another ingredient many turn to after getting sick. Ginger may help decrease inflammation, which can help reduce a sore throat and inflammatory illnesses. Ginger may help with nausea as well.
While its used in many sweet desserts, ginger packs some heat in the form of gingerol, a relative of capsaicin.
Ginger may also
Spinach made our list not just because its rich in vitamin C its also packed with numerous antioxidants and beta carotene, which may both increase the infection-fighting ability of our immune systems.
Papayas have decent amounts of potassium, magnesium, and folate, all of which are beneficial to your overall health.
Other Benefits Of Vitamin K
Here are some other common benefits of Vitamin K in our body:
1. Proper Menstrual Flow and Relief From Menstrual Pain
One can experience heavy menstrual flow due to many reasons. One of the reasons is the lack of vitamin K in the body. Consuming vitamin K rich foods or taking Vitamin K Tablets can help reduce the heavy flow of menstrual blood by decreasing excessive blood coming out of the body.
Vitamin K helps in preventing issues like jaundice, bleeding in the stomach, ineffective absorption of proteins and nutrients, as well as the impacts of aspirin or antibiotics. Vitamin K deficiency can also lead to gastrointestinal problems, including obstructions, colitis, sprue, Chrohnâs disease, etc. Moreover, since this vitamin ensures that all the hormones in our body function properly, it also helps decrease menstrual pain.
2. Reduced Internal Bleeding
When suffering from unbearable menstrual pain, one can have foods that are enriched with vitamin K. Some of the vitamin K sources are canola oil, soybean oil, and leafy vegetables such as kale, cabbage, spruce, lettuce, broccoli, and spinach.
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Ways To Boost Your Immune System
There are plenty of supplements and products claiming to help boost immunity. But supporting a healthy immune system is more complicated than taking the mix of vitamins, herbs and minerals manufacturers package into pills.
Your immune system operates in a delicate balance. From a cold to the flu to COVID-19, it has to be strong and sophisticated enough to fight off a variety of illnesses and infections, but not so strong that it overreacts unnecessarily causing autoimmune disorders to develop.
To achieve this, it’s very tightly controlled by many inputs and in response to what’s actually happening inside of your body.
Like we said, complex.
There are things you can do to help give your immune system what it needs to function optimally when needed, though. Although none involve taking a supplement.
Here are five science-backed ways to build and maintain a strong, healthy immune system:
Nutrients For Stress Relief
Now lets talk about nutrients and other supplements for stress.As I always say, stress is a leading cause for like 99.9999% of illnesses and so it’s really important we manage our stress levels. There are many ways we can do this through various stress relief techniques. But what I really want to focus on is how to balance cortisol, the main hormone we produce when were stressed. Cortisol, when chronically over-produced during extended periods of stress, is a known factor for depleting the immune system.
So, I first want to talk about Adaptisol. Its formula has all these wonderful adaptogenic herbs and other compounds like cordyceps, astragalus and eleuthero. These help stress levels balance out and cortisol production regain homeostasis. When you’re going along and then boom you have a big stress event and lots of cortisol is produced, you need that ability to come back down to homeostasis, or that even keel, and adaptogens will help you do that.
This adaptogenic formula also helps to balance your T-cells and reduce inflammation so your immune system is not triggered unnecessarily. There are lots of other really nice immune-modulating herbs in there to help you handle your stress.
How have you been sleeping lately? I love sleep and I believe it is so crucial for stress recovery. Try grabbing an extra hour if you can or really try to get that minimum of 8 hours.
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Cut Back On Hand Sanitizer
Yes, hand sanitizer is known for killing germs that cause illness. But studies have shown that only hand sanitizers with 60 to 95 percent alcohol are effective at killing germs. Those with lower alcohol concentrations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control states, may cause germs to become resistant to the sanitizing agent. Plus, hand sanitizers are less effective at bacterial removal compared to regular soap and water.
Tip to remember: Wash your hands with soap and water frequently. In circumstances when you cant wash your hands, opt for hand sanitizer. Just dont swap the antibacterial for soap.
How To Understand The Need For Vitamin K
Vitamin K deficiency is very rare in adults but it might occur if someone is on medications that obstruct producing vitamin K in the body like antibiotics. Those who suffer from conditions like malabsorption of nutrients might also experience vitamin K deficiency. A newborn child can also suffer from a deficiency because vitamin K fails to cross the placenta & breast milk does not contain vitamin K in large amounts.
Unless infants are given vitamin K supplements, they are at risk of suffering from bleeding. This is because they get limited blood clotting proteins at the time of their birth. Here are some of the signs of vitamin K deficiency:
- Bleeding under the skin, from the nose, in the stomach, and sometimes with vomiting
- Osteoporosis or osteopenia
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Increase Immunity The Healthy Way
Many products on store shelves claim to boost or support immunity. But the concept of boosting immunity actually makes little sense scientifically. In fact, boosting the number of cells in your body immune cells or others is not necessarily a good thing. For example, athletes who engage in “blood doping” pumping blood into their systems to boost their number of blood cells and enhance their performance run the risk of strokes.
Attempting to boost the cells of your immune system is especially complicated because there are so many different kinds of cells in the immune system that respond to so many different microbes in so many ways. Which cells should you boost, and to what number? So far, scientists do not know the answer. What is known is that the body is continually generating immune cells. Certainly, it produces many more lymphocytes than it can possibly use. The extra cells remove themselves through a natural process of cell death called apoptosis some before they see any action, some after the battle is won. No one knows how many cells or what the best mix of cells the immune system needs to function at its optimum level.
How Can I Best Strengthen My Immune System
You can support your immune system by ensuring that you are getting the right nutrients, through both your diet and by taking supplements.
You can take a vitamin-specific supplement if there is one you feel that you are deficient in, or else, an all-round immune support supplement.
Starpowa Triple Immune Support Vitamin Summer Fruits Flavoured Gummies contains a special formula featuring vitamin C, vitamin D3 and zinc which all help to support the normal functioning of the immune system.
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Fortify Your Immune System
Regular exercise can support a healthy immune system by reducing inflammation, increasing blood flow and strengthening antibodies. But if you want to give your body a helping hand, taking an immunity tablet, like PhD Boost, can help to build your defences against fatigue, cold and flu. If youre looking for immunity support, try our convenient PhD Boost capsules today.
If youre looking to really take care of your health, we offer a wide range of multivitamins here at PhD. From vitamins for bones and joints to gut health supplements, were here to help you feel your very best.
Can Probiotics Help The Immune System
Many have touted probiotics, or âgood bacteria,â as another natural way to boost immunity. We know that they play a key role in helping maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut, and new research supports the idea that they have beneficial effects on immunity.
For example, one study from 2020 â carried out, it must be noted, by a company that produces probiotics â found that probiotic use may reduce the incidence and duration of upper respiratory infections.
The authors call for more research to establish a relationship between probiotics and the immune system.
Many people are taking one or a combination of supplements to prevent or treat COVID-19. But there is not enough data to support the use of any vitamin, herb, or other supplement to treat or prevent this illness.
Only vaccines, together with strict hygiene measures, are proven to help prevent COVID-19. For severe cases of COVID-19, doctors may use specific medications.
Research does suggest that supplementation with vitamins and minerals can be a low-cost way to support optimal immune function.
Even supplementation with vitamins C and D above the current RDAs may be beneficial to the immune system, as long as dosages stay below the recommended safety limits.
Many supplements can interact with medications and other supplements. And combining different supplements can also lead to very high amounts of certain nutrients in the body, which can have potentially severe side effects.
Probiotics are safe for
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