Are you feeling nervous about this flu season? Does your family tend to get sick often? There are so many simple things that can be done to strengthen your immune system!
The key to strengthening your immune system starts with nutrition. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables with several servings of dark, leafy greens is essential. Decrease or cut out sugar all together, as sugar has been shown to decrease white blood cells. Eat organic foods whenever possible; organic foods have been shown to have the highest nutrient and antioxidant properties. Supplements and herbs are also very important this time of year, especially vitamins C, A, D, essential fatty acids and probiotics. Unfortunately, there are no significant dietary sources of vitamin D; most of our intake comes from exposure to sunlight. To optimize your vitamin D levels, you’ll need to take a vitamin D3 supplement daily; this is the most important step you can take to prevent the flu! Probiotics are essential for overall health and immunity, as they improve the intestine’s immunologic barrier, increase lymphocytes, phagocytes and natural killer cells. Herbs such as Echinacea, Andrographis and Astragalus are all immune-enhancing. The Homeopathic immune boosting shots that we offer at our clinic have been clinically proven to enhance phagocytic activity (the fighting capacity of white blood cells) up to 41%. Intravenous vitamins are a powerful treatment since they achieve serum concentrations of vitamins not available with oral dosing. An IV with high dose vitamin C will boost immunity and fight viral and bacterial infections. Get as much sleep as you can. Even a few days of disrupted sleep can be detrimental to your immune system.