Your immune system is constantly working to keep you free from infections. However, if it doesn’t receive the support it needs, you can become susceptible to acute and chronic infections.
Functional medicine doctors, such as Kimberley Shine, MD, of Shine Health and Wellness, focus on improving your health from the inside-out. One way to do this is to strengthen your immune system so it can fend off infections. In this blog, Dr. Shine discusses five ways you can boost your immune system.
1. Eat a healthy diet
Your diet is directly linked to the state of your health. Eating a nutritious diet can help you fight off and prevent getting many infections and diseases. Much of this has to do with the effect of your diet on your gut microbiome, the colony of microorganisms in your digestive tract that influences your body’s various systems. Your diet can either boost your microbiome or harm it.
Your diet should include whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats from nuts, seeds, fish, and some oils. If you need help discovering what type of diet is right for you, Dr. Shine can give you gut health counseling.
2. Supplement smartly
Even when you eat a healthy diet, you may not get all the nutrition you need. It can be difficult to eat all of the foods you need to keep your immune system humming smoothly. This is where supplements can help.
Taking a high-quality multivitamin may be able to give you the vitamins and minerals you don’t get from your diet. And, if you’re aware of what you lack, you can supplement with individual vitamins and nutrients.
Furthermore, you can supplement with intravenous (IV) vitamin therapy. Vitamin IV therapy delivers a liquid vitamin solution directly into your bloodstream, so absorption is maximized. Each treatment contains about a liter of fluid, so it’ll help with hydration, too. If you’re not sure where to start, Dr. Shine can give you guidance.
3. Reduce stress
Chronically high stress levels can harm your immune system, and over time, it can lead to recurring illnesses. Your state of mind can throw your body out of whack, largely because stress causes certain hormones to fluctuate, particularly the stress hormone cortisol.
Managing your stress levels through meditation, massage, acupuncture, or other methods can help give you calm, which in turn can increase your body’s ability to fight off germs.
4. Get enough sleep
Sleep is essential to good health, good moods, and great productivity, yet most people don’t get enough. Sleep deprivation may suppress your immune system and increase your susceptibility to infections.
There are a number of things you can do to try and get a better sleep. They include:
- Engaging in relaxing activities before bed
- Avoiding phone and computer use before bed
- Avoiding foods that can cause indigestion
- Establishing a consistent sleep schedule
5. Exercise regularly
Exercise is a cornerstone to a healthy lifestyle. Following a regular exercise regimen can strengthen your heart, lungs, muscles, bones, and joints. It can also release mood-boosting hormones and improve your mental and overall health. All of this can combine to help keep you in tip-top shape so you can ward off infections.
To learn more about boosting your immune system, book an appointment online or over the phone with Shine Health and Wellness today.
