“Your Thoughts are None of Your Business.” Dr. Walter E Jacobson
September 28, 2016
Guide to Building Emotional Strength and Resiliency
October 1, 2016
Despite using hand sanitizer, or consuming vast quantities of effervescent immunity boosting potions, many people will still fall ill during cold and flu season.
You simply cannot escape exposure to germs. Fortunately, there are natural and healthy ways to enhance your body’s germ killing powers, before the germs make you sick.
As everyone knows, getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, staying hydrated, and getting enough exercise are the foundational activities for the best health. There are other things you can do that will support these foundational activities and super power your immune system.
6 Ways to Naturally Boost Your Immune System:
- Clean Your Space
Avoid the mistake of providing a welcome home to germs by keeping your living and work spaces as clutter free and clean as possible. Clean with natural ingredients for the best results, and avoid harsh chemicals that can cause irritation to yourself and others.
- Eat More Probiotics
Yogurt, specifically unsweetened, live-cultured yogurt, that includes ingredients such as lactobacillus or acidophilus is a good choice. Goat’s milk yogurt that includes thermophillus, bifudus, bulgaricus and acidophilus, is the best choice. Opt for two 6 ounce servings per day. You can add fruit to sweeten it and nuts, grains or other healthy ingredients to make a meal or filling snack.
Other probiotic rich foods:
- Dark Chocolate (Is considered to have up to four times the amount of probiotics than many forms of dairy)
- Kefir
- Sauerkraut
- Microalgae such as spirulina, chorella, and blue-green algae.
- Miso Soup
- Pickles
- Tempeh
- Kimchi
- Kombucha Tea (Matcha and Tulsi are two other great choices for a healthy immune system)
- Spice Things Up
Herbs and spices contain antiviral and anti-oxidant properties, as well as offering essential, immunity balancing, nutrients. Here are a few of the best choices:
- Honeysuckle
- Chrysanthemum
- Licorice
- Turmeric
- Black Pepper
- Oregano (1 teaspoon of oregano has the same anti-oxidant properties that you would find in a medium apple)
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Elderflower
- Linden
- Peppermint
- Ginger
- Reach Out to Others
Speaking of spicing things up, sex has excellent immune boosting properties! Opt for at least three times a week if you are in a monogamous relationship, as sex with multiple partners will do more harm than good.
Check your stress levels, especially social stress, which has been reported by the Harvard University “How to Boost Your Immune System” report, to be more damaging than physical stress. Social stress can be caused by spending too much time with toxic people or being bullied.
At the same time, make sure you are socializing enough. The same report from Harvard University, has also found that isolating can suppress your immune system. Make it a point to socialize with people who are positive, and add value to your life, to avoid social stress.
- Meditate
Twenty minutes to a half hour per day of meditation CAN keep the doctor away!
In order to keep this article short, I highly recommend reading the following articles for you to learn more about how meditation increases immune system health:
“How Meditation Helps Your Immune System Do its Job” by Deepak Chopra, M.D.
http://www.chopra.com/ccl/how-meditation-helps-your-immune-system-do-its-job#sthash.pKAn8Wr9.dpuf
Finally, and one of my favorite ways to naturally boost the immune system:
- Get Your Asana On
You do not have to be a lifestyle yogi in order to take advantage of the immunity boosting benefits of yoga. In fact, anyone can do yoga, no matter what type of shape they are in. For the best results, practice Yoga for at least twenty minutes per day, six days per week.
Immune Boosting Yoga Flow Sequence:
Be Well!
