MY TOP 10 TIPS FOR IMMUNITY
Many people are getting sick right now with very strong viruses and bacterial infections that are hard to kick once they take hold. Please take care of your immune system, and your LIVER. Those are your best defenses against getting sick.
Here are the 10 TOP TIPS I have for boosting your immunity and your liver health:
1. The NUMBER ONE way is to GET SUN ON YOUR SKIN EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES so that your body can manufacture adequate D3. Without adequate levels of vitamin D, immune cells produce fewer antibacterial proteins and are less efficient at killing viruses and bacteria.
Unfortunately most people do not have adequate access to sun on a daily basis. In places that have winters it’s just not possible for about 5 to 6 months of the year because you are too far from the equator to get meaningful sun. If you do get sun, be absolutely sure you don’t use sunscreen. Not only because it is linked to increased risk of skin cancer, but also because it effectively blocks your skin from manufacturing D3 — the most powerful immune protector that has been studied. If you don’t get sun all year, be sure to supplement with a high quality D3 every single day. Don’t skip. This goes for kids too.
2. Your liver must be clean and detoxed in order to provide a healthy environment for immune cells that live there. Cruciferous vegetables such as kale, broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, collard greens and cauliflower support your liver and immune function by boosting the liver’s ability to flush out toxins. These vegetables are packed with isothiocyanates, compounds that activate white blood cells, which fend off viruses and increase the germ-fighting ability of natural killer cells.
So eat as many of these veggies as you can on a daily basis. Don’t just have them once or twice a week and call it good. Put them in smoothies, steam them gently, eat them in salads and be sure to rotate them.
3. Heard of GALT? GALT stands for “gut associated lymphatic tissue” and it is the first contact that ingested bacteria has with your immune system. The human intestine represents the largest mass of lymphoid tissue in the body, containing over 10^6 lymphocytes/g tissue. In addition, about 60% of the total immunoglobulin (Ig; several grams) produced daily is secreted into the gastrointestinal tract.
What does this mean? It means a healthy gut contributes to strong immunity. It is one of the #1 reasons people are so susceptible to getting sick.
Add oregano oil to your supplement routine if you notice people around you getting sick. I do NOT recommend taking this all the time. Use it only when needed. I used 3 drops in a capsule 3x a day for my husband recently when he was around a large group of people who had the flu. That and the other protocol we regularly employ worked wonders for prevention. Oregano oil can help you improve your gut health and thus, boost your immune system. It eliminates some of the bad bacteria that may be dominating your digestive system, preventing a properly functioning immune system. We only use Young Living for this purpose, due to the quality.
4. Make friends with Reishi mushroom, a mushroom that has been revered since ancient times. Many scientific studies have confirmed that Reishi can be used to build physical resistance to disease and to help with a wide range of ailments, including liver problems, mood disorders, and autoimmune issues. The primary constituents responsible for Reishi’s medicinal actions are polysaccharides and triterpenes. More than a hundred different beneficial triterpene molecules have been identified in Reishi. Reishi is known to:
- Boost and regulate immune system
- Detoxify and regenerate the liver
- Calm and balance mood
- Inhibit histamine release to help with allergies
Make reishi lattes, add reishi to raw cacao bars, or drink it as a tea with a healing sweetener of your choice. Don’t add it to smoothies, it will lose a lot of its efficacy when digested with all the other foods.
**Most Reishi on the market is solvent-extracted and often the wrong species. Poor quality Reishi will not produce the powerful healing benefits seen in the research. Wild, mountain-grown Reishi is best. I personally use Shaman Shack Herbs.
5. Support adrenal function by including healthy fats into your diet to help balance hormone production. Avocados are a great choice because they contain essential amino acids, antioxidants and healthy fats.
6. Keep your lymphatic system cleansed. How? Juice fast regularly. Even short 2-3 day cleanses done monthly can really assist your body in keeping toxins out to the extent possible. My kids drink lots of juice on a daily basis in addition to lots of other fruits and vegetables. My oldest child who is 13 will do a 3-4 day juice feast periodically, for an extra immune boost. It works incredibly well.
For adults, remember that “fasting is the single greatest natural healing therapy. It is nature’s ancient, universal ‘remedy’ for many problems. Animals instinctively fast when ill.”~ Elson Haas, M.D. in Staying Healthy with Nutrition
Be sure to include as much ginger in your juices as possible because ginger helps to cleanse the lymphatic system. Keeping the lymph clear can help prevent an accumulation of the toxins that may increase your risk of infection.
7. Practice stress release, and be sure you include the kids too! As adults we often think we are the only ones with stress, but kids pick up on stress very easily at home and at school. Pressures to perform, take tests, and meet demands of athletic or extra curricular activities can really take a toll on kids. Kids from age newborn to seven are in what is called a “hypnagogic state” where they virtually absorb everything going on at home, including stress.
Chronic stress creates biochemical changes in the body that cause the immune system to function less efficiently. Be sure to take part in fun social interactions with friends and your kids, which allows your body to release hormones like oxytocin that reduce levels of the stress chemicals cortisol and adrenaline.
8. Enjoy more sex! Recent research has shown that people who have sex at least twice a week have a 30 percent higher concentration of the disease-fighting immunoglobin A in their bodies. During sex, our bodies release a surge of endorphins which causes this increase in immunoglobin A. This antibody is your first line of defense against colds, and it forms a barrier to pathogens including viruses. It also binds to any pathogens that happen to make it through the gate, and signals the immune system to destroy them. Remember, twice is only the minimum so if you really want to kick up the antibodies, up the dose!
9. Eat lots of garlic. One of the best foods for immunity is garlic and other foods in the allium family. I highly recommend you make my recipe for garlic soup, a recipe that contains 50 garlic cloves and is truly one of the most delicious and creamy soups out there. And it works! You can make huge batches and freeze some so it’s ready if anyone in your family even has the beginnings of cold or flu. For prevention, add it to your meal plans once or twice a week.
10. Be sure you are taking high quality vitamin supplements that include vitamin C (I personally take about 2000 mg daily), zinc, B12 (methylcobalamin only) and a great chelated multimineral supplement. Even with the healthiest of diets, our food is grown in soil that uses NPK farming. NPK farming involves the use of only three minerals in the soil – nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, rather than the over 50 minerals that were used in soil many years ago. So even with the healthiest diet, our food sources lack full spectrum nutrition.
STAY HEALTHY and protect yourself with these practices BEFORE you get sick.
*Always check with your medical care provider before taking any supplements!
