Congratulations! Your immune system seems to be in good health!

It seems like you’re ticking most of the right boxes when it comes to maintaining good health.

Continue consuming a diet rich in vitamins and minerals (try to get 5-6 colors a day in fruits and vegetables) and plan a daily walk outdoors, even when the weather isn’t great. Prioritize sufficient sleep-try to get 8 hours per night, as this will benefit your immune system in an ongoing manner.

Develop a mindfulness practice such as yoga or meditation for decompressing stress and boosting your immune system.  If you encounter situations where you are under pressure or feeling stressed, physically or emotionally, then you may find that your immune system requires more support.

Remember, to maintain a healthy immune, Eat Clean!  Use unprocessed foods rich in vitamins and minerals. Try to get the 5-6 colors per day in your fruits and vegetables and avoid those highly processed foods that are full of refined sugar, saturated fats, and artificial flavorings and colorings.

Drink plenty of clean ideally bottled or purified water daily (you need ½ ounce of water per pound of body weight-if you weigh 150 lbs you need 75 ounces of water per day and every caffeine drink subtracts 10 ounces as is a diuretic!) Consider organic herbal teas instead of processed tea and caffeine free coffee substitutes, and be sure to avoid overloading on caffeine. If you drink a lot of caffeinated drinks cut down slowly to reduce a possible caffeine withdrawal.  Be sure to drink only organic coffee if you have a cup per day as coffee is a very toxic food source if not organic due to the pesticides used in heavy amounts.

Regular exercise seems to help EVERYTHING, and if you can exercise outdoors especially with a friend or family (yes your dog counts!). The social aspect of sharing exercise and meals with a partner socially has shown to improve immune function.  The most benefit seems to be a consistency of exercise and you don’t have to overdo it-just 20 minutes per day of moderate pace walking is enough to boost immune function.  On the flip side, too much exercise wears down the immune system and elite athletes and their trainers monitor this very closely.

In my clinic, I teach every client how to do deep breathing exercises. We find that a peaceful breathing exercise or other relaxation exercises done on a regular basis reduces the inflammation and immune dampening effects of our constant fight or flight stressful lives. If you find it particularly hard to relax then consider taking a herbal remedy to help you.

Keys to optimal immune system health include:

• Taking precautions to avoid infection, such as washing your hands using soap for at least 20 seconds frequently and using hand sanitizer when not able to wash hands
• Hand dryers seem less effective than towels/paper towels as the friction from towels seems to help
• Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables
• Exercise and don’t smoke
• If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation
• Stay hydrated, at least ½ ounce of water per pound of body weight
• Get adequate sleep

Stack the odds in your favor by giving the 3 warriors of your immune system the support they need:  Natural Killer Cells, Macrophages and T-cells provide your defense against viruses and bacteria.  And remember, take caution to watch for the sneaky bacterial pneumonia that may try to sneak in after a viral infection-this is a most dangerous time while recovering from the flu or coronavirus you are much more susceptible to a dangerous bacterial infection.