Natural Solutions To Improve Your Immune System

Due to the current global pandemic, a lot of people are thinking about immune system health these days.

Do I have a strong immune system?

Am I in any of the groups which are at higher risk of complications from COVID-19?

Are there steps I can take to make my immune system stronger?

While there is currently no known cure or treatment for COVID-19 – not from a naturopathic doctor in Toronto nor from anyone else in the world – there are steps you can take to improve your immune system in general.

Keep reading to learn more.

What Is Your Immune System?

The purpose of your immune system is to protect your body against bugs, viruses, germs, and any other pathogens which could do your body harm.

This complex system is made up of a number of cells, tissues, and organs including:

• Tonsils
• Digestive system
• Bone marrow
• Skin
• Lymph nodes
• Spleen

How Does Your Immune System Work?

The immune system works hard to protect you against pathogens such as bacteria and viruses.

When these unwanted invaders enter your body, for instance through an open wound, or when you inhale contaminated droplets, the immune system recognizes them as the enemy and targets them as something to attack.

Additionally, when you get sick and then recover from an illness your immune system grows and builds immunity, in the form of creating antibodies which can fight off that specific illness.

This is why most people only get chickenpox once – they get it and then build immunity to it.

This is also how vaccines work – by prompting the body to create antibodies.

What Is An Autoimmune Disorder?

An autoimmune condition is when the immune system starts to attack your body, mistaking your own tissue for a pathogen.

The reason autoimmune diseases develop are not completely understood and left untreated they can cause significant damage and be deadly.

Some common autoimmune disorders which you might have heard of include:

• Lupus
• Crohn’s disease
• Eczema
• Fibromyalgia
• Diabetes
• Multiple sclerosis
• Rheumatoid arthritis

Natural Ways To Support Your Immune System

There are a number of things you can do to support your immune system, naturally.

Let’s take a look at some of the things you can do to help keep yourself healthy.

1. Reduce Your Stress

When we are stressed out, the ability of the immune system to fight pathogens is lowered.

This is because the hormones which our bodies produce when we’re stressed inhibit the effectiveness of the immune system and lower our white blood cell count.

Additionally, there is an indirect effect of stress on the immune system as many people start to reach for less than healthy ways of coping, such as alcohol or smoking.

Now, that said, there’s more to reducing stress than just saying to reduce stress.

After all, if you’re the type who struggles with anxiety as well, you might end up feeling anxious about your stress, which may work to make your stress worse, thus making your stress worse, and the cycle continues.

If you’re feeling a lot of stress, read the article I published a couple of weeks ago, which has some botanical solutions for reducing stress.

2. Quit Smoking

If you’re a smoker you’ve likely heard of all the reasons to quit.

Here’s another one.

A 2017 study in the journal Oncotarget looked at the impact of cigarette smoking on immune response.

They found that both innate immunity (non-specific immune response) and adaptive immunity (antigen-specific response) are susceptible to being weakened when exposed to cigarette smoke.

As if that weren’t enough – we’re still working on understanding the situation, but research seems to be suggesting that smokers are at greater risk of developing COVID-19 symptoms.

Smoking affects your body’s ability to fight infections, so if you’re looking to improve your immune system, consider giving up the pack.

3. Practice Deep Breathing

There might be some smokers reading the above notes and getting stressed about quitting.

After all, if smoking calms you when you’re stressed, and you’re supposed to reduce your stress, shouldn’t you keep smoking? It might not be ideal, but at least it’s managing your stress, right?

Interestingly, though, from a physiological perspective, there’s nothing in a cigarette that would help you relax.

In fact, the nicotine in cigarettes can lead to increases in heart rate and blood pressure – which is the opposite of relaxing.

What’s actually happening is the act of deep breathing is helping you relax, not your smoking habit.

A 2014 study found breathing techniques taught to volunteers positively impacted the immune system, including resulting in an increase in anti-inflammatory mediators.

So, as simple as it may sound, taking a few deep breaths may help you manage your stress – and your immune health – better than a cigarette will.

4. Take Vitamin C

You’ve likely heard about the immune-boosting benefits of vitamin C.

It’s not just a folk remedy – science supports it as well.

A 2017 study in the journal Nutrients looked at the effect of vitamin C on immune function.

Vitamin C was shown to aid the immune system by supporting cellular function.

In addition, supplementation with vitamin C was shown to be an effective treatment for some types of infection.

It is also an antioxidant which can help guard against oxidative stress.

5. Get More Exercise

Keeping active can help keep your immune system strong.

Regular exercise contributes to:

• Overall health
• Lowering blood pressure
• Improving cardiovascular health
• Controlling body weight
• Preventing muscular atrophy
• And much more

Generally speaking, being healthier overall will be better for your immune system, and more specifically keeping active can help promote circulation which helps immune system cells travel to where they need to go in the body.

Book An Appointment With Dr. Sheila Dyer, ND

Are you looking for natural ways to support your immune system?

Do you worry you could be at a high risk of getting sick?

Contact me, Dr. Sheila, today for more information on how to naturally boost your immune system.

I am a Toronto naturopath and I want to help you find the solutions you need to take action to improve your health today.