5 Ways To Super Charge Your Immune System

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We have been brought up to believe that symptoms are bad and that symptoms are actually the disease. Even though this is the mainstream way of thinking, it doesn't hold up. Symptoms are expressed when the body is trying to fix or heal a problem. Even though symptoms might cause us to feel miserable, they are actually good, because they let you know there is a problem inside. So, symptoms are not actually the disease, but rather, they are a result of an underlying dysfunction and the effects of the body trying to return to a normal state of function. If you have a fever, the fever is not the disease. A fever is actually a mechanism your body has to fight off infections. Same with nasal congestion, mucus production, vomiting, and diarrhea. It has never made sense to me to take medications that only suppresses the symptoms that your body is expressing, when the symptoms are just the body's way of trying to restore health. Instead of taking body-suppressing medications, we should do things that boost our immune system so that our body can fight off infection better and faster. So during this winter season of colds and flu, here are five ways to super charge your immune system. Remember, it is always better to be proactive rather than reactive.   

Coconut Oil

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Coconut oil can be a powerful way to boost your body's immune system. About 50% of coconut oil is made up of a substance called lauric acid and it is some pretty amazing stuff. In fact, the only other place that it is found in abundance is in breast milk and it's one of the substances that helps kickstart a baby's immune system. When you consume coconut oil, the body turns lauric acid into a substance called monolaurin which can be a powerful antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiprotozoal substance.  It is always best to take the highest quality form of coconut oil to get the maximum benefit. In one tablespoon of coconut oil, there is 6-8 grams of lauric acid, and taking three to five tablespoons a day should be adequate. I have found the most convenient ways to take coconut oil is either to warm some up so it liquifies and mix in a little raw honey, or to put a scoop or two into a healthy smoothie.

Vitamin D

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When it comes to vitamins, Vitamin C definitely has the reputation for boosting the immune system, but there has recently been a lot of research showing the benefit of have high levels of Vitamin D in the body and some believe that it has the ability to boost the immune system up to three to five times! Vitamin D, known as "the sunshine vitamin", has long been known to help people who have Tuberculosis, but now its benefits are being more widely understood. Vitamin D is now believed to play a role in activating and helping to regulate the body's immune system, and there are even links between chronic low levels of Vitamin D and autoimmune disorders. When it comes to elevating your Vitamin D levels it is best to take it in the form of D3, and also make sure you get as much exposure to sunlight as you can during these long winter months. Some foods that have high levels of Vitamin D are eggs, mushrooms, cod liver oil, and fish.

Increase Gut Health

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Most people don't think of their GI tract when they think of their immune system, but about 70% of the body's immune system is found in the gut. So, it would make sense that doing things to ensure your gut is healthy will also help to boost your body's germ fighting ability. The first step in increasing your gut health is to eliminate things that actually damage your gut like alcohol, NSAIDS (aspirin and ibuprofen), and certain types of grains. These types of substances can damage the cells that line the intestines and can also create a hostile environment for the good bacteria that live in your intestines and boost immune function.  Other than eliminating harmful substances, there are certain things that you can take that will help to repair damage to your gut and encourage the growth and development of good gut bacteria. Besides taking probiotic supplements, some foods that help encourage good gut bacteria are sauerkraut, kombucha, apple cider vinegar, and kefir. Other supplements that may help to repair damage to the gut lining are glutamine, zinc, and aloe. 

Garlic

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Another immune boosting super food is garlic. Its benefits as an antibacterial and antiviral agent have long been known and used, and the research agrees. Even though it is available in a capsule, eating garlic in its raw form will produce the greatest benefit. In addition to boosting your germ fighting power, garlic helps to regulate blood sugar, can fight off heart disease, promote thyroid health, and even help prevent certain types of cancer. So whether you are looking to fight off a simple cold, ward off vampires, or just add some flavor to your meal you can't go wrong with choosing garlic.

Chiropractic Adjustments

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When people think of chiropractic, most think of back and neck pain, but did you know for over 100 years people of all ages have been using chiropractic care for its immune boosting ability? In fact, in the early and mid 1900's, people who were sick with things like the flu, colds, bronchitis, or pneumonia would visit their chiropractor to ensure a speedy recovery. Even Dr. Mayo of the Mayo Clinic utilized chiropractic for his dying wife after conventional methods had failed, and she made a full recovery. In more recent times, studies are proving what many people have long known about chiropractic's positive effect on the immune system; like increased levels of certain antibodies and immune cells, increased lymphatic flow, and reduced effects of stress on the body (which can suppress the body's ability to fight off infection), to name a few. In speaking from personal experience, I frequently have patients tell me how they are sick less often since they started chiropractic care. What it boils down to is when the body is out of harmony it will be more susceptible to infections and diseases. Chiropractic helps take stress off the body and allows for a higher level of health expression which can give a boost to the overall function of the body including your immune system.


"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." - Benjamin Franklin