Well the mercury has dropped and the colds and flu’s are getting around work, school and home. You body is constantly bombarded with viruses on a daily basis and your last line of defense against them is your immune system. So to give yourself the best chance of avoiding illness this winter here are 5 ways to boost your immune system.

1. Eat Well
Proper nutrition is an essential part of keeping your immune system running well. Consuming foods rich in vitamins and minerals is most important. Vitamin C helps to reduce severity and duration of colds and vitamin E has been shown to boost T-cell function which has important immune response implications. Other foods/nutrients that have been linked to improved immune function are garlic, zinc, ginger and echinachia. A varied diet with a high fruit, salad and vegetable component should cover your bases for these nutrients. Ask your EP for advice on the nutrient content of your diet.
2. Visit the Doc
There is still a chance that a flu vaccination will result in your body catching a minor strain of the influenza virus. However most studies indicate the vaccination is 70-90% effective in healthy people under the age of 65
3. Chill Out
Stress can make you physically sick. When under stress your body releases a variety of hormones that have a negative effect on your immune system. You can become more susceptible to viruses and take longer to recover from common colds. The best thing to do when sick is to rest and reduce the stress on your body as much as possible. This means lightening exercise loads and getting plenty of sleep. Regular massages and acupuncture can help a great deal. Ask reception or your EP for more info on the therapists upstairs at Essents.
4. Avoid Sick people like the plague
Remember this for when you are sick or have the flu - No one likes being near sick people, not even your boss. This is a battle you need to fight yourself so stay at home and don’t risk infecting the whole office. And for all you workaholics out there, if things are urgent and can’t possibly wait another second then try to work from home, your colleagues will thank you for it.
5. Get Regular Exercise
Countless studies have shown regular exercise helps boost your immune system. I mentioned in point 3 that when sick you have to lighten your exercise loads and that is due to the fact that higher intensity exercise lasting 90minutes or more can actually dull your immune response. Consider this when you are at the gym or pounding the pavement that after 90 minutes you could be doing yourself more harm than good. The key to healthy immunity through exercise is small, regular sessions of varying intensities.

Best of luck with staying healthy this winter. Practice these points and you will be giving yourself a fighting chance.

- by Alister Murray

This entry was posted on Friday, August 3rd, 2007 at 12:39 am and is filed under Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.