Increasing Immunity

Ah yes, the Coronavirus, such an ominous sounding illness. Truth is, it’s really not as bad as the news media would like you to think. If you know me at all you probably know that I am very skeptical about everything that I hear on the news. Problem is the news is like every other big business, they just want your money. How does the news get your money? By scaring the $#@& out of you. Well, it’s working.

Don’t get me wrong, the Covid-19 is real and if you catch it you will feel sick, but it’s really not any worse than the flu, so instead of panicking and increasing your stress levels (increasing your stress levels will hurt your immune system more than just about anything) let’s take a deep breath, practice some mindfulness, and plan on increasing our immune system so we greatly reduce the risk of catching not only the Coronavirus, but any other illness that may come our way.

Here is my list for the most effective immune boosting supplements and techniques!

Reduce Stress

The number one cause of auto-immune diseases and a drop in your immune system is stress. Simple, reduce your stress and have a stronger immune system. I have found that the best way to do this is by having a daily mindfulness practice. Simply sit for 10 minutes or so and focus on your breathing, when your mind wanders, gently and without judgement, bring your attention back to your breathing. When you are finished try to carry that same mindful awareness to the rest of your day. If you need a little help with that, click here for a guided version or you can take a mindfulness class at the Matlacha Wellness Pine Island Studio.

Vitamin C

The king of vitamins! Everyone knows that vitamin C can help you from getting a cold or other sicknesses, but does it really and why? Vitamin C helps your body in many ways, it helps the uptake of iron, it allows collagen to be absorbed and used to help skin and joints, but what about the immune system?

Truth is, vitamin C really just helps your body work better, it is an strong antioxidant, which fights free radicals, it’s a great detoxifier, it helps heal wounds, and helps fight off infections. The best way to look at it is Vitamin C is like an energy drink for your immune system, its the all around big brother helping you out.

For immune strength I recommend 500 mg of a natural source vitamin C twice per day.

Zinc

Zinc is a nutrient that we actually need to stay healthy, and is found in cells throughout our entire body. Zinc actually helps our immune system fight off invading viruses and bacteria. Our body also needs Zinc to make proteins and DNA which, you can imagine, is greatly needed in repairing the body. Zinc is the number 1 most important nutrient to take while trying to boost your immune system.

I recommend 30-60 mg per day when you are really trying to boost your immune system or fight off an existing illness. During the rest of the year 60 mg per week is plenty. Click here for my recommendation of a natural zinc supplement.

Elderberry

Elderberries are a dark purple fruit from the European Elder tree, the raw berries are not safe to eat, but once cooked and prepared the syrup helps boost the immune system. Elderberries have a small amount of C and Zinc in them, but also some magic. This magic helps the body fight off viruses and bacteria, it also will reduce inflammation. It’s hard to find anything other than a proprietary blend when it comes to the syrup, but Garden of Life has a great organic elderberry syrup, they also offer gummies that are good for kids or adults.

The Sun

The sun has tremendous healing powers, it brings you out in nature, often you begin to relax, breathing fresh air, warmth, a feeling of well-being overwhelms you. I remember being a kid and if I was sick, both my Grandmother and my Mom would say to get some sun… It always made me feel better, and still does to this day. But not everyone lives in Florida in the winter and some people are just not into exposing their skin to the sun. If that is the case for you, Vitamin D is your answer. I recommend 5,000 – 10,000 IU’s per day mixed with 100 mcgs of K2.

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

If your body is fighting itself, it can’t fight off viruses and bacteria very well. Avoid eating inflammatory foods, and increase your anti-inflammatory foods. If you need a boost, try my Anti-Inflammatory Super Shot.

Soap and Hand Sanitizer

Wash your hands! We touch our face a lot more than we think we do, this introduces bacteria and viruses from everything we have touched to easy access areas for bacteria and viruses to enter our body. If you wash your hands often, you will eliminate that risk. Make sure you wash your hands by scrubbing with soap for at least 20 seconds and rinse with hot water.

If you don’t have access to soap or a sink, use hand sanitizer. The only problem with that, currently, hand sanitizer is out of stock everywhere, so here is a very simple homemade version that works just as well and doesn’t have toxic fragrance.

2/3 cup isopropyl alcohol 91% (rubbing alcohol)
1/3 cup aloe vera gel
Essential oil (optional for fragrance)
Medium mixing bowl
Spoon
An empty container to store it in

In a mixing bowl stir together alcohol and aloe until well mixed, put a few drops of essential oil in and continue to stir. Store in a container and use as you would normally use hand sanitizer.