Six immune boosting tips
Your immune system is essential to staying well, and if you have a preschooler in the house like me, you need all the support you can get!! Especially over the winter, but honestly it seems like it is all year round at the moment.
Before we get into my top tips, here is your anatomy and physiology lesson for the day. The immune system can be broken down into two different parts, the innate and acquired or adaptive immune systems.
The innate immune system is what you are born with. It includes things like your skin (a physical barrier to microorganisms), stomach acid (to try and destroy pathogens that have been swallowed), and cells which recognise and attack foreign substances in a generalised manner. This is our first line of defence. As we get older this gets less effective - the skin integrity breaks down and we don’t produce as much stomach acid. However, thankfully as we get older, our acquired immune system gets stronger.
The acquired immune system is what we build up in response to our interactions with the world. Initially this comes from the way we are birthed, then if we are breastfed, receiving some of this information from out mother. When we get sick our body reacts against it and keeps a memory of the germs, in order to be able to fight against it faster in the future. This is why when you travel you’re more likely to get something that upsets your body than when you stay home, and why locals don’t get sick with the same thing as foreigners, their body has what it needs to fight off the nasties quickly, but when it is something new for us our body has to learn about it so it can fight back faster the next time.
Vaccinations are designed to help your acquired immune system recognise the pathogen so that it can fight against it faster than it would if it was the first time your body had seen that particular illness. The vaccination is either an inactive form of the germ, or something containing the markers that allow the body to recognise that germ, in order to introduce it to the body in a hopefully less harmful way than coming into contact with the fully fledged virus or bacteria. I’m not going to get into whether vaccinations are helpful or harmful, I think that is a decision everyone should make based on the information that resonates with them in the best interest of them and their family.
There is a theory (the hygiene hypothesis) that as we are exposed to more and more antibacterial soaps, hand sanitisers, and less of the natural world (think getting into the dirt), that our immune system is responding in a not so helpful way. It wants to protect us. It wants us to be well, but when we do not give it appropriate exposure to low risk items, like playing in the dirt as kids, having pets and other animals around us, and living in over sanitised houses, it doesn’t get the information it needs to react appropriately. Exposure in this way helps train the body to appropriately respond to a threat. When it is not receiving a threat, it can start to see harmless things as potentially harmful. In the absence of early microbial exposure, the immune system may overreact to harmless substances, such as allergens, leading to allergic diseases like asthma, eczema, and hay fever. So do your kids a favour and let them play in the dirt. It is helpful for not just the immune system, but for so many things within the body and mind!
OK, so, we’ve learned a bit about how the immune system works, let’s look at how we can improve it!
1. Try to reduce your stress. Rest. If you need rest and you don't take it, your body will find a way to make you rest. Rest and recovery is an important part of staying well. Stress has been shown to negatively affect your immune system. The more you’re feeling stressed and experiencing stressful circumstances the more you’re likely to get sick. If there is nothing about your circumstances that you can change to make it less stressful, try to do what you can to destress in your down time. Catch up with friends, get some movement that makes you feel good, meditate, get out in nature, practice some breathing techniques, listen to music, whatever helps you to feel like you’re filling your cup rather than just being depleted.
2. Get enough sleep. Sleep helps out body repair and supports the immune system. It is also great for our mental wellbeing! If you're struggling with sleep feel free to reach out. It's something i've struggled with on and off throughout my life (and talk about a little more here). The recommendation for adults is 7-9 hours per night. If you’re getting less and feeling good, it may be just that you’ve adjusted to functioning on less sleep, but it doesn’t mean that your body and immune system isn’t feeling the effects of it.
3. Nourish your body. Your immune system takes energy and nutrients to work properly. Protein is important for the immune system (think meat and meat products, nuts, seeds and legumes). Try to have some form of protein in every meal and snack, for multiple reasons including helping support the immune system. Other nutrients that are important are zinc (found in oysters, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, beef, dairy products and eggs), vitamin C (ideally from whole food sources such as kiwifruit, capsicum, oranges and cauliflower), and vitamin D (best from the sunshine - show some skin at times you're unlikely to get burnt). Some supplements and herbs could be beneficial although it is definitely best if you can get what you need from real food. Working on your gut bacteria can also be an important step. Remove foods that you react negatively to (allergies and intolerances, as well as alcohol and smoking) as these inflame your body and keeps the immune system busy trying to deal with that so it has less capacity to deal with an infection. Maybe add some probiotics. You can get these in supplement form but you can’t beat fermented foods and the good bacteria they can add to your body. Think sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, miso, kombucha, kefir, sourdough, yoghurt and pickles. Not only are they beneficial to your gut health, they taste great! Hydration can also be an important component of the whole equation. Read more on the benefits of hydration here.
4. Move your body in ways that support it. Some movement types stress the body more than others, and if you're already feeling stressed, then restorative movement might be what you need. Think Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, walking, stretching and gentle movement. If you're doing high intensity movement do it earlier in the day rather than right before bed which can disrupt your sleep.
5. Breathe right. Breathing is something I've been geeking out on lately. The benefits of breathing through your nose over breathing through your mouth are clear, even while exercising (did you know job of the hairs in your nose are to filter the air! First line of defence right there!) . Doing some active forms of breathwork as part of your wellness practice, such as the Wim Hoff method have been linked to an improved immune system as well as a bunch of other things. Cold exposure could also come into this and I'll definitely talk more about this in the future!
6. Think positively. Bringing joy into your life, having an attitude of gratitude, allowing space for the negative emotions to be felt without dwelling on them are all great ways to support your nervous system and therefore your immune system. What brings you joy? For me its family and friends, good food (by that I mean tasty that leaves me feeling content afterwards, not putting a moral judgement on the food), board games, sunshine, snuggling up with a good book or movie, chocolate, getting outside in nature, travel, being in the water, music, singing, having an awesome conversation with someone, learning new things, yoga, Pilates, getting in the garden, pretty photos, house plants, sunrise and sunset… Identify what brings you joy and work out how to include more of it in your life.
I know some of these are the basics, and the basics can be boring, but they’re the basics for a reason. Get these sorted and you can greatly increase your chances of being well not just against seasonal colds and flus, but everything. No guarantees but you’re definitely a step or ten in the right direction!! Sending you love and wishes of wellness for you and your family!
