How to Strengthen the Immune System Naturally

With winter coming up it’s time to strengthen the immune system naturally so that we are in a good position to fight off any bugs that might come our way and keep unwanted illnesses at bay.

You see, inadequate immune defences can increase the chance of viruses and bacteria leading to an infection.

Let’s look at tools that enhance your immune system allowing you to conquer any bugs that may come your way.

We’ll start by looking at the immune system:
Your immune system has evolved to identify and destroy pathogens, viruses and bacteria, by drawing on two lines of immune defence.

1. The innate immune response is activated when a pathogen you are exposed to invades your body, and immediately set into motion the production and release of immune cells that hunt down and destroy the attacker.
2. The adaptive immune response plays a slow and measured strategy, using other types of specialised immune cells (known as B cells and T cells) to learn about the threat and adjust their defences accordingly. This means you have a targeted approach. When these two lines of defence are in peak form, your immune system does a solid job of protecting you against pathogenic threats.
   
   However, an inadequate immune response increases the likelihood of pathogens overcoming your immune defences, leading to infection. In these instances, enhancing your immune system’s function using natural medicines can help build resistance against viral and bacterial pathogens and prevent the onset of infection.

How to Enhance your body’s Immune Response

Skilled at identifying the weaknesses in your immune defence, naturopaths at Your Wellness Centre can advise you of the best plan for your needs. Our naturopaths will recommend supplements that enhance your body’s immune response to fend off viral and bacterial threats.

Besides this, if you do happen to catch a cold, cough or flu, your naturopath can prescribe additional immune-boosting strategies to help you recover faster.
The best options for you will depend on the type of infection. This is why it is important to get expert help.
However, the strategies found here are a good place to start.

5 Things That Put You At Risk and How to Fix Them

To further help your army of immune cells protect you from infection, you need to create the right conditions for them to effectively defend you.

In other words, we need to look at those conditions which make it more difficult for your immune system to defend your body. These include:

• Poor gut health;
• Low nutrient levels;
• Poor sleep quality;
• Chronic stress; and
• Not enough exercise.

Read on to learn more about how these five areas can make or break your ability to triumph over illness this winter.

1. Engage your Gut Bacteria 
   It might surprise you to learn that the gut is the key to your immune health. Within your gut, your resident bacteria (and other microscopic organisms), known as your microbiome, directly interact with your immune army, (a large proportion of which is housed in the gut). This affects your overall immune response against infection.
   
   Put simply, a healthy microbiome full of beneficial bacteria helps to build immune function, whilst a compromised microbiome can hinder your immune army’s response against infection. Unfortunately, many things can reduce your levels of good bacteria (for more information, click https://yourwellnesscentre.com.au/what-is-the-microbiome)A common example is antibiotics, which are often what you are prescribed when infection keeps getting the better of you.
   Repeat courses of antibiotics may cause a loss of beneficial bacteria every time you get sick, making you more susceptible to future infections.Put simply, a healthy microbiome full of beneficial bacteria helps to build immune function, whilst a compromised microbiome can hinder your immune army’s response against infection.If this pattern sounds familiar to you, consider talking to naturopaths at Your Wellness Centre who can assess and address the health of your gut bacteria. Your Practitioner can also prescribe specific probiotic strains (types) that have been shown to boost immunity and reduce the risk of catching a cold.
   
2. Stock up on Nutritional Ammunition
   Your immune system’s ability to protect you also depends upon on your nutritional health. Several nutrients, including zinc and vitamin C, are involved in keeping your immune cells in good shape, as they help your body to create them on a daily basis. As such, without enough of these nutrients to create your immune army, your chance of getting sick is higher.If you seem to often get colds and flu, there’s a fair chance that supplementing zinc and vitamin C can increase your resistance to infection and support faster recovery.To discover which specific nutrients you may be lacking, and what supplements you need to help boost your levels, speak to your Naturopath.

   If you’re usually on the losing end of colds and flu and haven’t considered topping up your nutritional stores, there’s a fair chance that supplementing zinc and vitamin C can increase your resistance to infection and support faster recovery, buying back your time and health over winter.

3. Maximise Your Sleep Quality
   You’ve probably experienced the difference between a restful and sleepless night, and you know which you would prefer, right? Your immune system feels the same, especially when it’s faced with the threat of illness. Put simply, sleep is the body’s time to rest and regenerate itself, so it can create enough immune cells to defend you from illness. Click here to learn more about the benefits of sleep, and for more advice and guidance around sleep-promoting natural remedies, speak with a naturopath at Your Wellness Centre.
4. Keep an Eye on Your Stress
   High and prolonged levels of stress take a toll on the immune system, weakening your defences and making you more susceptible to sickness.
   Managing stress helps more than just immune function; it also improves the overall health of your body. This is why having a few stress-busting strategies built into your daily routine can fortify your health and keep the infection from taking hold. Click here to read about our top strategies to get your stress levels under control.
5. Stay Fighting Fit with Exercise
   Exercise helps you to build strong muscles and allows you to extend the limits of what you’re physically capable of. Similarly, exercise also strengthens your immune system, making it more powerful and effective in its response to nasty infections. Even just 30 minutes of walking has been shown to boost the number of immune cells in the body, which is why regular exercise is a key weapon in beating back illness.

Winter is Coming

To prepare your immune army for cold and flu season, see a naturopath to equip yourself with the best strategy to shut down infection before it becomes a battle. By taking professional advice on board and focusing on these five areas (for at least four weeks before winter hits), you will be setting yourself up to triumph against illness, so you can spend more time appreciating the magic of winter.

Six Natural Remedies for your Cold and Flu First Aid Kid

Although prevention is better than cure, it’s important to stock up on remedies that can reduce your symptoms and help you get better quickly if you do fall sick. Create your very own cold and flu ‘first aid’ kit, using our top six natural remedies, so you can knock infections on the head and stay well this winter.

1. Start with Herbal Support
   When it comes to reducing fever, cough, sore throat and thick phlegm, Andrographis in a review of 33 clinical trials, was shown to speed up recovery and shorten the duration of cold symptoms.
   Andrographis stimulates your immune defences, which can help lessen the severity of the common cold.
2. Add Nutritional Back up
   The combination of zinc and vitamin C has been shown to reduce the duration and severity of common cold symptoms due to its immune-supporting actions. Thus, helping reload your body with the ingredients it needs to defend you.
3. Medicinal Mushrooms for additional support
   Medicinal mushrooms such as reishi, cordyceps, Coriolus and shiitake have been used in traditional Chinese medicine over many centuries to help:
   • Manage mild upper respiratory tract infections (reishi3 and coriolus4);
   • Relieve mucus congestion (reishi5 and cordyceps6);
   • Support the immune system (shiitake7); and,
   • Enhance energy and stamina and reduce fatigue (cordyceps8).

          Super Mushroom Complex blends these four mushrooms together, helping to support your immune response.

      4. Load Your Freezer with Soup
Soups make for excellent emergency meals if you start to feel sick.
Set aside a day where you can prepare bases, using either chicken frames or vegetable peels with plenty of garlic, thyme and oregano, as these herbs are rich with antibacterial compounds9 which can help your immune system.
Strain and freeze your soup bases. Then, when you need them, defrost and add fresh vegetables. Your future self will thank you!

      5. Stock Up on Herbal Tea to Help Replace Your Fluids
If you do get sick, one way to improve your recovery time is by topping up any fluids you’ve lost to fever or sweats with herbal tea.
Herbs such as thyme, peppermint, liquorice, and ginger steeped with a teaspoon of honey can help to decongest your nose and soothe your throat; giving you relief when symptoms arise.

      6. Invest in Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus essential oil is fantastic for keeping airways clear and open, particularly when you’re feeling congested in your sinuses or chest. Using eucalyptus oil-containing chest rubs, or adding a few drops to an oil diffuser before bed, can help with symptom relief, making it easier to breathe when you’re feeling stuffy.

Prepare yourself for Winter

To help you come out on top this cold and flu season, speak to our naturopath about sourcing the best quality supplements to help you beat cold and flu symptoms.

Gather everything you need for your ‘First Aid’ kit to keep you and your household protected with access to emergency relief before winter arrives, so you can thrive throughout these cooler months.