How to Boost Your Immune System

There’s a lot of stuff going on in the world these days. One in particular is the spread of Corona Virus or Covid-19 as the World Health Organization officially calls it. How do you protect yourself from it?

A situation like this goes to show that there are things we can control and there are things that we cannot. 

To make matters worse, the spread of fake news and misinformation has caused a lot of people to panic. When we panic, we are immediately put on “survival mode”. When we are in this mode, all logical reasoning seems to have been forgotten. What becomes the most important for someone in survival mode is of course surviving and protecting our loved ones. 

But could this action be putting our energy into the wrong direction? Yes, we can stock up on supplies, but the most important area we should be focusing our energy on are the things that we have total control over, like having a healthy body and mind. A healthy body means practicing proper hygiene, eating healthy, boosting the immune system, and resting. We may not be able to personally control the virus, but we can control our self and the state of our mental health. 

How do you boost your immune system?

Your immune system is your body’s first line of defense. It defends you against disease-causing microorganisms. There are a lot of ways you can create a better, stronger immune system. Here are some of my suggestions.

High doses of Vitamin C

Load up on Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an essential vitamin that your body do not produce naturally. It can be found in many fruits and vegetables such as oranges, bell peppers, broccoli , strawberries, etc.  Vitamin C helps in the production of white blood cells which help protect the body against infections. It is also an antioxidant. Personally I take it in powder form, about 1000-1500mg a day.

A good vitamin C supplement helps boost your immune system on top of eating vitamin rich food.

Add Vitamin D to your daily supplements

Vitamin D helps our immune system stay balanced during the cold and flu season. Vitamin D plays a complex role in keeping the immune system healthy because it feeds the gut flora and creates a healthy microbiome.  I like to take vitamin D in liquid form, it comes in a dropper. Study shows that taking vitamin D lessens the risk of having respiratory infections.

Elderberry Syrup 

Elderberry syrup has been around for many years used as a folk remedy. But it has now become popular as the flu remedy. Studies showed that elderberry products do help ease the flu symptoms.

A good quality elderberry extract product is effective in shortening the severity and duration of flu symptoms if taken within the first 24 hours of the symptom manifestation.  It has antiviral components and anti-inflammatory components that shorten the duration of flu and cold symptoms.

Zinc it up

Zinc is a trace essential element, which means our body does not make it naturally, even though it is something we need to survive. It plays an important role in the immune system. Lack of zinc in diet has been associated with defects in the immune system, particularly in the development of B cells.

A number of studies have shown that Zinc helps decrease the duration of a person’s cold. If you take Zinc at the first sign of a cold, you should not be sick as long as you would be if you didn’t take it. It helps boost your immune response which helps fight off colds.

You all know that I recommend zinc for skin health as well because of its anti-inflammatory properties. 

Get lots of zzz‘s

Without getting the right amount of sleep, your body is not able to make cytokines, a type of protein that targets infection and inflammation. These are produced and released only during sleep. Skimping on sleep could adversely affect your immune system making you more susceptible to bad cold or flu.

Remember that you and only you are responsible for your health and body. We can fight and defeat infections and other diseases with a healthy immune system.