Your immune system plays a central role in warding off disease and preventing infections. However, a lot of people are unaware that their immune system isn’t the best it could be. Some habits you may have could be detrimental to your organism and make you more vulnerable to illness. There are many things that you can do to boost your immune system’s performance.
Here are some simple ways anybody can improve their immune function and overall health.
Through Supplementation
One of the ways that you can boost your immune function is through supplementation. There are many essential vitamins and nutrients that can help maintain your immune system and make it more efficient.
One of the more effective supplements is probiotics. Probiotic Vitamins are a good form of bacteria that promote better gut flora health. This is especially important since your gut walls are where 70% of your immune cells are stored. Probiotics supplements are excellent for gut health. So, a healthy gut will not only promote better digestion and bowel function, but could reduce the chances of you catching diseases as well.
Another very powerful, but still very unknown supplement that could help improve your immune system is beta glucan. Beta glucan in its natural form is a soluble dietary fiber with many health benefits. Many studies have shown that beta glucan could help your body fight infections and disease better. It has been also been shown to improve heart health and reduce blood sugar levels.
Beta glucan has not only been shown to improve immune function, but it can also help combat muscle soreness and inflammation. Companies like Immunocorp have many products that contain beta glucan, and they take advantage of its many properties. One of their most popular items is Immuderm relief, which is a topical cream that can be used to relieve minor pain in joints and muscle and contains their own patented Norwegian beta glucan. It can also help relieve minor backaches and arthritis and can also be used as a weight loss tummy cream to stimulate your metabolism.
Get Some Sunlight
A lot of people still don’t understand how important getting enough sunlight is for our health in general. Getting enough sunlight exposure is especially important for your immune system. Vitamin D, which is actually a hormone, is produced when your body is exposed to sunlight, and there are almost no other reliable sources in nature for vitamin D.
To get enough vitamin D, 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure should be enough in the summer. But if you live in the northern part of the country, you won’t be able to get enough light during the winter months. This is why it’s essential that you consider supplementation for good health.
This is also very important for children. In one particular study, children who were administered 1200ui of the vitamin were able to reduce their risk of contracting influenza A significantly.
Use Immune Boosting Ingredients
Another way that you could improve immunity is by adding ingredients to your diet that have been shown to boost immune function. One of these ingredients is garlic. Not only does garlic have immune boosting properties, but it is an antimicrobial agent as well. However, it’s very important that you do not cook it if you want to get all the benefits since heat will end up destroying the active agent that gives garlic these properties.
Shiitake mushrooms have also been shown to be beneficial for immune health. As a matter of fact, one study demonstrated that a shiitake extract was able to improve immune function in a group of female participants diagnosed with breast cancer.
If you happen to be suffering from frequent infections, there are also many herbs that can help you combat them. American ginseng, eleuthero and astragalus have all been shown to help fight infections.
Make Lifestyle Changes
Sometimes, our daily habits can be the biggest factor that can affect our immune health. But by making adjustments, you can turn things around and make it more resistant. One of the most important things you have to do is make sure that you get enough sleep. Stress can also affect your immune health and lead to a whole variety of other health issues, so it is important to address any stressors in your life.
Smoking will also deplete your immune system as well as having a sedentary lifestyle. Another habit you should watch for is heavy drinking. While a little alcohol won’t hurt you, drinking beyond the recommended daily limit could be detrimental to your overall health.
As you can see, everyone can improve their immune function by making better lifestyle choices and making sure that they get the proper nutrients in their diet. Make sure that you consider using some of the tips in this article if you want to enjoy a better performing immune system and limit the chance of contracting diseases.