9 Ways to Boost Your Immune System and Avoid Being a Victim of the Flu Season

What measures can you take to ensure you are not sidelined with nagging colds or a debilitating flu episode? In order to avoid the flu, you need to know ways to boost your immune system.

Here are 9 methods to bolster your immunity.

1. Vitamin D

Most of us know by now that vitamin D3 is necessary to fight off pathogens and protect against inflammation and even cancer. This has become the health movement’s immunity staple, and should also become yours for ways to boost your immune system.

The natural source of D3 is the interaction of the UVB rays of the sun and your skin. The northern hemisphere of the earth tilts away from the sun in late fall and winter. Add the shorter days’ decreased sunshine energy to remaining indoors and dressing to stay warm, and you’ve cut yourself off from the sun. Immune systems are weakened during the winter periods because of vitamin D3 deficiencies.

If you live in a year round warm, sunny area, make sure you get plenty of exposure to direct sunlight – no glass between you and the sun. Glass filters out beneficial UVB rays for vitamin D3 and allows for potentially harmful UVA rays to come through. 

If your regional climate inhibits sun exposure, take Vitamin D3 supplements. You can check your vitamin D3 blood levels, but many experts recommend five to ten thousand international units (iu) daily in lieu of adequate sunshine exposure.

2. Elderberry

Elderberry extracts or syrups have been clinically proven to help get over colds and flu. It’s cheaper and without the side serious effects that have been reported for Tamiflu. Buy some elderberry and make a tincture for later and save money. It takes a month for tinctures to “season.”

3. Protective Supplements Like Echinacea

Elderberry is curative. Echinacea herbs are protective. It’s usually sold in tinctures or extracts. Vitamin C is protective and, in large quantities, curative. Zinc is a helpful mineral for protecting against colds. Increase them with the right foods or supplements. This is one of the many broad ways to boost your immune system.

4. Minimize Sugar

Ease up on sodas, pastries with bleached white flour and such. You’ve probably had enough ice cream during the summer. A few grams of sugar can destroy your white blood cells ability to resist infections for several hours. If you need to sweeten tea or coffee, use raw honey or Stevia.

5. Eat more Garlic and Onion

Besides being rich in antioxidants and selenium, garlic is antibacterial and antiviral. Both garlic and onions are part of the Allium family, which is rich in sulfur-containing compounds responsible for many of their health-promoting effects.

6. Exercise

Physical activity should not be forgotten when thinking of ways to boost your immune system. In fact, even walking a mile or two two or three times a week could be enough to make a difference. Exercise helps your lymph system cleanse impurities and promote healthful mood hormones to boost your immune system.

7. Stress Less

This should be an all year practice. Many consider stress or anxiety as the leading cause for decreased immunity. Lighten up. Try meditation or yoga. Laugh more. Be less critical. Worry less and accept what comes your way, even if it’s not so good. It’s easier to overcome obstacles when you have equanimity.

Here are 8 ways to de-stress.

8. Improve Sleep

Not necessarily more, but better. Make sure where you sleep is totally dark so your melatonin production will be sufficient. There are melatonin supplements if you feel the need. The five different phases of sleep contain two cycles that are deep enough to refurbish your immune system. You need to sleep through those.

9. Probiotics

Your body contains ten times more bacteria then cells. Most of them, optimally 85%, should be friendly flora. Friendly bacteria not only attack pathogenic bacteria and fungi, they also trigger appropriate white cell reactions to invaders, and they influence your mental/emotional state. It’s estimated that eighty percent of your 100 trillion bacteria are located in the gut’s flora.

Friendly bacteria are often depleted, especially by antibiotics. We all need probiotic foods and supplements. Commercial yogurt is insufficient. Raw milk and raw cheese, fermented foods, and water kefir or milk kefir should be staples.

There are probiotic supplements as well. More bacteria strains with high quantities are the markers you should seek. If you’re forced into taking antibiotics, double up on probiotics.

These are only some of many ways to boost your immune system.