Boost Your Immune System The Natural Way

Did you know there is no hard evidence as to how we ‘catch’ a cold. Time and again in studies immunologists admit their understanding of how viruses are transmitted is extremely limited.

In fact, some of the evidence comes from studying guinea pigs and even then it is not very conclusive. A quote from a workshop held by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in November 2010 states, “Despite numerous studies dating back to 1918, the predominant mode or modes of transmission of influenza between humans remain to be clearly documented.”

Of course there are theories about sneezing and coughing etc but no actual evidence to support them.

How to boost your immune system the natural way

So what is going on here? Well I suspect that the situation is not so black and white because your body has a whole host of defences to stop us ‘catching a cold’. Our skin is remarkably effective as a barrier to viruses, our nose has mucus and hairs to capture anything we may inhale and our mouth has saliva that is both antibacterial and antiviral. If all of these factors are firing effectively then we are protected and that is before we take into account our internal immune system that is working all the time to keep bacteria, viruses and injuries at bay. Further evidence for this complex situation is that at any one time we have around 400 viruses in our body yet we are not ill.

We have such an array of defences it is actually very hard for us to catch anything that will make us ill. I saw the NHS advert for staying well in the winter recently and it tells us to get a flu jab and visit a pharmacy. Really? That is how we stay well? The last time I looked Pharmacists are experts in pharmaceuticals, they are not necessarily health experts.

In fact, you do not need to be an expert to be healthy and avoid illness in the winter. All you need to do is make sure you protect yourself with simple good health behaviour such as this:

Get your rest

Sleep well with a consistent and calming sleep routine. If you feel tired or under the weather then rest. Do not underestimate the power of rest. You do not need to take suppressing medications to carry on, this leads to trouble further down the line, just rest and keep hydrated.

Limit alcohol intake

Have you ever overindulged for a day or two then come down with a cold? That happens because you have assaulted your body’s defences and your body has to go into cleansing mode which is sneezing, coughing and eyes streaming. We call it a cold but it is actually a ‘cleansing’.

Go outside

Get fresh air every day and avoid being in constant central heating which dries out all your mucus membranes which are part of your first line of defence.

Look after your digestive system

This is vital for healthy immune system function. Simple ways to help this are to avoid processed foods, eat real whole foods and limit sugar. Eating fermented foods such as kefir, kimchi or sauerkraut is also excellent and in the absence of these take a high quality probiotic.

Most modern food is lacking in many important minerals and vitamins due to the soil being so depleted from intensive farming so a good multivitamin is worth taking regularly.

Try CBD oil

I’d also suggest taking some cannabinoids every now and then from a high quality CBD oil. This is a minefield due to the vast array of dodgy products out there but there are good brands about. Cannabinoids help your body to maintain a healthy balance regardless of our environment.

In conclusion, the best way to not be ill is to be healthy and you have more control over that than the medical system would have you believe.