It is that time of year again: cold and flu season is among us. Inconsistent weather, allergen infestation, and contagion galore. It is more important now than ever to protect yourself and fight back when illness tries to take you down. Here are some tell-tale signs that your immune system is not operating at it's peak and a few natural remedies to help strengthen your defenses.
Model Photo
Your immune system acts as your body's iron gate, keeping out unwanted visitors. Should a foreign substance make it through those barriers, there is a billion cell army waiting to attack it as soon as it enters the grounds. Typically, our bodies are quite capable of staving off unfriendly organisms, but sometimes it's necessary to help yourself out a little. Diagnose-me.com states that immune responses can be depressed by emotional stress, physical stressors such as inadequate sleep or athletic overtraining, environmental and occupational chemical exposure, UV and other types of radiation, common viral or bacterial infections, certain drug therapies, blood transfusions and surgery. A poor diet can also negatively effect your body's ability to protect itself by providing it with inadequate nutrients.
Symptoms include:
- Fungal infections and allergy flare-ups
- Recurring infections
- Constant fatigue, tiredness, lethargy, and bouts with chronic diarrhea
Find ways to de-stress. Stress has a negative effect on your body's chemical processes, throwing them into overdrive. Too much stress leaves you susceptible to all sorts of diseases, weight gain, and general poor quality of life. Great ways to de-stress include yoga, walks, baths and reading but can encompass any activity that helps you mellow out.
It is also very important to watch what you eat. You need good quality protein with every meal, healthy complex carbs, and vegetables for your body to thrive. Fuel your body's engine so it doesn't break down. Multivitamins, fish oils, and immune supplements such as olive leaf, grapefruit seed extract, oil of oregano, lactoferrin, maitake and shiitake mushrooms, vitamin C, and healing herbs may also help boost your immune system.
Additionally, the last thing to complement your newly strengthened immune system would be exercise, which gets your blood flowing and keeps all your systems active, releasing toxins and giving you energy. Last but not least, don't forget to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day!
Take these steps today to help your body fight the bad guys so you can feel better tomorrow!
