Here we are smack dab in the middle of winter. Every year lately we’re hearing about or experiencing one pandemic virus or another. It’s obvious from the proliferation of hand sanitizer around every corner that we are living in fear, but perhaps we’re not making the best decisions about how to minimize our risk. Avoiding close quarters with obviously sick folks and not rubbing viruses in our face can certainly help cut down infections, but there really is no way to completely avoid exposure. Even hermits must get colds or the flu sometimes. My advice is to live the healthiest way you can stand so your immune system is ready to fight when needed, and knows not to get up in arms when it’s not (as in allergies or auto-immune conditions where the body attacks itself). Our daily choices make the biggest impact on our short and long-term health.

To begin with, managing stress levels, both physical and psycho-social, is vital. Some ways to calm the nerves are daily meditation, counseling, and positive social connections. Exercise is another great way of releasing anxiety, as long as it is done moderately in accord with your current fitness level. Especially good exercise for the immune system are ones that are meditative and improve lymphatic flow like yoga and tai chi, those that allow you to be surrounded by nature, or those that provide social outlets in addition to the physical benefit like team sports, group rides or runs, or social dance. Just don’t let your competitive nature win out over the opportunity for good times!

Cutting down on toxic habits like drinking and smoking are also obvious choices. Many of us know smokers who get bronchitis regularly due to the on-going damage to their lungs. And besides the commonly known toxic effects of excess alcohol on the body, even at small amounts it acts like a simple sugar, which is a quick and long-lasting immune depressant. Drinking alcohol, although it decreases the time to fall asleep, actually interferes with the quality of sleep, and getting enough quality sleep is another major component for staying healthy. Perhaps you’ve heard friends say, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” That may come sooner than expected if they ditch sleep too often. Besides the greater likelihood of causing a life-threatening accident, our bodies and minds need deep rest to heal from the daily stresses of living.

From a dietary perspective, a few guidelines go a long way. Choosing whole rather than processed foods gains you the benefits of fiber and micronutrients. Drinking plenty of water gives your body a chance to work optimally, and keeps mucus thin and mobile. Finally, eating plenty of ‘super foods’ like brightly colored fruits and vegetables, garlic, onions, ginger, and funny-sounding mushrooms (maitake, reishi, shitake), as they pack the most nutritional punch.

The side effects of following the advice here are: improved energy, digestion, mental alertness and skin clarity, losing excess weight, slowing signs of aging, and delaying, slowing, or avoiding chronic diseases. It suddenly makes ‘side effects’ sound pretty good to me.

Karla Koch, ND, DOM, RN

“Boost Your Immune System Naturally” by Karla Koch is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.