7 simple ways to strengthen your immune system.

Many patients I see want to know how to boost their immune system and stay healthy in these modern times. Today I will teach you seven simple ways to strengthen your immune system it doesn't need to cost you lots of money but it's what I do myself and what I advise to most of my patients. You may have heard some of this before, but I feel that these seven tips are really important in my experience.

some doctors and their patients don't spend enough time on the basics and often it's due to time constraints. the consultation is about a troubleshooting session for problems rather than an opportunity to boost health for a doctor and a busy clinic. I know it can be easier to give out a prescription to keep to time and it may feel like you are being rushed out of the door as always 

1.  Good nutrition

A good diet and good nutrition are extremely important for having a healthy immune system. people experiencing malnutrition and poverty are especially vulnerable to chronic health conditions and infectious diseases food provides us with minerals that play key roles in our immune function like zinc, selenium, iron, copper, and vitamins  b6 c and e.

 I like to get my nutrients through my diet rather than by taking supplements which means having a varied diet with lots of fruit and vegetables. I would encourage you to grow some of your food. if you can even if you have a tiny apartment get yourself, some little seedling trays or indoor pots and grow some herbs or lettuce whatever takes your fancy.

 2.   Sleeping

Number two is to get enough sleep. I think we are all guilty at one time or another of not getting enough sleep, but having a good night's sleep has been shown in studies to improve the functioning of our immune cells or t cells, which means if you don't get quality sleep or enough sleep you are more likely to get conditions like the common cold or it takes you longer to recover from these episodes. so how much sleep do you need I think the sweet spot is around about seven hours for adults for teenagers and school kids. it's more like nine to ten hours. if you are having trouble sleeping I'd talk to your doctor or a trusted health professional about this in the first instance.

3. Smoking

number three stop smoking vaping and reduce alcohol nicotine. which is the main ingredient of traditional cigarettes has been well studied and is known to suppress the immune system. it's also why if you have injured yourself such as broken a bone has an open wound or burnt your skin the first thing. a doctor will tell you is to stop smoking which helps speed up healing studies have more recently revealed that e-cigarettes or vaping also have immune suppression effects. if you want to boost your immune system you must give up vaping and cigarettes. smoking also reduces your ability to clear secretions and debris from your lungs and respiratory system. what about alcohol? there are a staggering number of studies on how alcohol affects the immune system. bottom line is that alcohol abuse suppresses multiple arms of the immune response leading to an increased risk of infections.  if you think you are overdoing it though I'd recommend knocking your consumption of alcohol back to a couple of drinks a day with some alcohol-free days in between.

4. Healthy weight

 Number four maintain a healthy weight. now I don't want to be a nag but you must lose weight if you are obese. obesity is now known to be an inflammatory state where the body has higher amounts of pro-inflammatory protein circulating. what does this mean?  It’s mean that the insurance immune system doesn't work as well and is more prone to infection. we don't fully understand why this happens as the processes and pathways affected are complex but it appears that obesity is an independent risk factor for both bacterial and viral infections.

5. Exercise

Number five exercise. it's not surprising that exercise sneaks in here a 2019 scientific review found that exercise can improve your immune response, lower illness risk, and reduce inflammation. another 2011 study found that those who did aerobic exercise five or more days of the week lowered the number of upper respiratory tract conditions like the common cold over three months by more than 40 percent  I try and slip exercise into my everyday routine whether it's simply taking the stairs instead of the lift or parking my car further away from the shop. so that I have to walk some of the patients prefer accountability with exercise meaning they get a trainer or a friend to exercise with them. so how much exercise do you need? a study found that 30 to 60 minutes of near-daily brisk walking at least 3.5 miles per hour or 5.6 k's per hour can improve your body's immune response.

6. Reduce Stress

Number six reduce stress. I can hear you saying it's no secret that the mind and body are linked and stress in the short term is useful for immediate situations, like getting away from a saber-toothed tiger, but over time stress hormones can weaken your immune system and reduce your body's response to infections. a good example to illustrate this point is in people who get shingles or herpes zoster infection in 2018 a team of Japanese researchers found that men with up high levels of mental stress were twice as likely to be at risk for shingles, while women who experienced negative life events particularly changes in their work living environment and relationships had a two to three-fold higher risk of a complication of shingles called post-herpetic neuralgia conversely. the risk of shingles was 60 lower among men and women who reported a high sense of purpose in life. so what is the answer to this problem how do you reduce chronic stress? I think it's about getting back to basics getting outside into nature every day maintaining good social connections with family and friends having a holiday once in a week, while and maybe getting a pet and looking at your work hours and quality of life.

7.   Vitamin D

number seven vitamin d and zinc.  I don't like to take supplements which is true but there are two exceptions one for me is vitamin d which has been shown in many studies to play an essential role in the immune system. I recommend vitamin d to patients and those who are susceptible to vitamin d deficiency. it's a relatively cheap vitamin. it's widely available and I think can make a real difference to a person's overall health. the other is zinc especially when patients are chronically unwell with recurrent infections.  you may have such as iron or selenium folic acid or you like to take a daily multivitamin please understand that I'm not against people taking regular supplements. they have their place it's just not something.

Here's....

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