Super Charge Your Immune System

There are several things to start doing today that will have a big impact on your immune system. Over the next few weeks, we will be investigating different factors that can improve your body’s natural ability to fight off illness, such as nutrition, stress, sleep, exercise, and laughter. One of the prevailing factors of a compromised immune system is the level of inflammation in the body, so takings steps to minimize inflammation while boosting the immune system helps us to minimize our risks for chronic illnesses and diseases as well.

Our immune system is a defense system that is designed to fight off invaders, such as viruses and bacteria, toxins, free radicals, parasites, etc. When it is working properly, white blood cells that are manufactured in your bone marrow roam through your body. Upon encountering an enemy, cytokines (chemical messengers of the immune system) tell the white blood cells to attack and an immune response is triggered. Fevers, pain, swelling and other symptoms are actually signs that the body is fighting off an invader. When our immune system is imbalanced, our body becomes unable to fight off the assailants or becomes over aggressive (inflammation) and attacks itself.

The best way to help our body to take steps to support the health and balance of our immune system. Stress, lack of exercise, and poor diet can all contribute to an imbalanced immune system. You can start by observing your body and your behaviors: Am I feeling irritable and stressed out? Am I feeling lethargic? Am I achy? Am I taking steps to reduce stress? How much am I moving? How many fruits and vegetables am I eating? How often am I laughing throughout the day? How many hours of sleep am I actually getting? Start asking yourself these questions and taking note of your answer throughout the week.

Check out the Recipe Section for a Immune Boosting Smoothie Recipe!