Strengthening your immune system will help you fight infections and keep inflammation at bay. It can also be done naturally and without the use of “vaccines” or other lab-created substances.

Nature was intentional when our system evolved. We can use that to align ourselves with health and wellness, rather than succumbing to every cold, flu, or scare tactic promoted by the mainstream media. Having a low level of inflammation is the key to strengthening the immune system and its response when it’s needed.

These are simple steps that will help you obtain a healthy fall and winter.

SLEEP

Getting adequate sleep is vital for health and wellness. Inflammation causes sleep deprivation and vice versa, so it goes hand in hand. When you get at least eight hours of sleep, your body has the ability to repair any damage done and recharge itself, so to speak. Cutting that short will leave you deprived of energy and more prone to injury. It will also lead to inflammation, a key indicator of the body being in damage repair mode.

Inflammation is the body’s natural response to disease and injury, and while it is usually a temporary response, it serves as an effective defense mechanism.

A sleep shortfall interferes with the normal function of the brain’s housecleaning system, termed the glymphatic system (not to be confused with the lymphatic system in the rest of the body). In the deepest sleep phases, cerebrospinal fluid rushes through the brain, sweeping away beta-amyloid protein linked to brain cell damage. Without a good night’s sleep, this housecleaning process is less thorough, allowing the protein to accumulate and inflammation to develop. 

ELIMINATE PROCESSED FOODS

A diet low or ideally, with no processed foods, is ideal for creating a body with a healthy immune system that can respond when needed. The immune system relies on a steady supply of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber found abundantly in naturally occurring foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and meat. Adequately supplying the body with fats and proteins is vital as they are essential to human survival. Carbohydrates should be reduced as much as possible to force the body to rely on fat, a much better source of energy.  Carbohydrates force the body into an inflammatory state as it needs to produce large quantities of insulin to handle them.

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STRENGTH TRAIN

Moving your body, specifically strength training (exercises that improve strength and muscular structure), is highly beneficial to both decreasing inflammation and helping boost the immune system. Strength training will help lower blood pressure, help control body composition, and help protect against a variety of diseases, not just those pesky cold and flu bugs. Physical activity can help increase blood flow, which will help flush bacteria out of the body with improved circulation. Antibodies or WBCs circulate more rapidly, so they could detect illnesses earlier than they might have before.

Just a single session of strength training can transiently increase the circulation of immune cells, including natural killer cells and T cells, which are crucial for identifying and fighting pathogens. Strength training also slows down the release of the stress hormone, cortisol, which is responsible for inflammation.

These simple ways to boost your immune system could help you not only stave off a cold or the flu this year, but will also add years to your life.

What do you do to stay healthy during the fall and winter months while everyone else seems to always be getting sick?