How to create a bulletproof immune system (and what to do when it takes a hit)
Having a strong immune system is becoming more and more imperative to protect us from an increase in the number of viruses and pathogens that abound.
Have you noticed a huge increase in the number of people who are sick in recent years?
There are many reasons for this but it is important to understand that our immune system is driven by our lifestyle choices.
We are all born with a very immature (almost non existent) immune system. It’s our day to day lifestyle choices and environment influences that we are exposed to that either build or undermine our immune system.
Our gut health drives our immune system (as 80% of our immune cells are located in our gut) but our lifestyle choices influence our gut health.
It is essential adopt healthy lifestyle choices so that we are largely immune to illness and disease… so that we can focus our time and energy on living our best life and fulfilling our dreams.
There are 2 aspects to building strong immunity:
Day to day foundational work (building a strong house)
The first is engaging in the day to day foundational work that ensures that your immune system is strong and essentially bullet proof so that you don’t get sick in the first place (or don’t get sick very often, or for too long, or very intensely).
I think of this work like building a strong house. Building anything that is robust and stands the test of time, doesn’t just happen. You need to put in the reps, time and care on a regular basis – day in day out- to build a house (or immune system) that is strong and weather proof.
Whatever comes your way (rain, hail, shine, viruses, pathogens – you name it) gets deflected from your bullet proof home, or if penetrates it, the impact is so minor or so short that you don’t even notice it or barely notice it.
The way we create a robust immune system is by attending to what I call the “8 foundations of health”. These are the 8 lifestyle choice or pillars of self-care that have the most impact on our physical and mental health and wellbeing including our immune system.
They are:
1. NUTRITION – focus on eating a nutrient dense omnivorous wholefoods diet consisting of:
Ample natural fats (e.g. butter, ghee, olive oil, beef tallow, coconut oil)
Ample protein including bone broth, grass fed meat, wild seafood, organ meats such as liver, pastured eggs, and (if tolerated) raw dairy.
Animals foods are very fortifying and building.
Fermented foods (such as sauerkraut, yogurt, cheese) are vitally important to populate the gut with billions of beneficial bacterial which activate the immune cells to protect against pathogens and viruses when they come our way.
Of course, the quality of our food matters so opt for ethically sourced, unprocessed, grass fed, pastured or wild animals.
Fresh, unsprayed, vegetables and small amounts of fruit, activated nuts and herbs and spices round out the diet.
Avoid: GMO food, white refined flour, white refined sugar, industrial seed oils and foods with artificial ingredients. These lower your immunity by demineralising the body, creating inflammation and lowering your vibrational frequency so that you are more susceptible to illness and disease.
2. HYDRATION
Young Living Ningxia Red antioxidant superfoods drink (made from dark pigmented berries) is a powerful, convenience and delicious way to detoxify as well as flood the body with vitamins and minerals.
Avoid: energy drink, soft drinks, cordials, juices as high sugar content and artificial ingredients lowers immunity.
3. MOVEMENT – engage in conscious movement daily that you enjoy that makes you stretch, sweat and/or strengthen.
Avoid: being sedentary. Conversely, at the other extreme, avoid overtraining or high intensity interval training if your cortisol is already high, as this may do more harm than good as an extra stressor on an already stressed body which will put you into flight or fight and lower your immune system.
4. SLEEP and REST – both are imperative to recuperate, heal and retore the body.
Avoid: getting less than 7 hours a night, sleeping with wifi on, or with iphone in room or not on aeroplane mode. Sleep deprivation lowers immunity along with other negative health effects. Try to avoid blue lights and screens at night as they interfere with melatonin production and dysregulate your circadian rhythm.
5. BREATH – breathe in clean air through your nose deep into your belly.
Diffusing antimicrobial therapeutic-grade essential oils can kill airborne viruses and pathogens and create a healthier environment.
Avoid: mouth breathing, breathing in artificial fragrances, shallow breathing.
6. MINDSET and ability to MANAGE STRESS –learn coping strategies to manage day to day stress.
Watching your thoughts (adopt a positive mindset) and take the time to pause or meditate to calm and sharpen the mind.
Stress in and of itself lowers immunity and puts you into flight or fight.
Certain therapeutic grade essential oils have been shown to lower salivary cortisol levels and pulse rates thereby lowering our stress levels e.g. orange and lavender oils.
7. FUN, PLAY AND CONNECTION –the surge in feel good hormones that comes from playing, having fun and feeling deeply connected to others take us out of fight or flight mode and boosts our immune system.
8. ENVIRONMENT – the health of the environment where we spend most of out time impacts our health and in particular our immune system. We evolved to work, live and play outside in nature. Nature is one of the greatest healers. Spending time barefoot in nature in the sun grounding into Mother Earth has been shown to boost our immune system.
Most of us, however, spend the vast majority of our time indoors in built environments especially in our home. Create a toxic free home environment by swapping out conventional personal care products and cleaning products that contain a sleuth of toxic ingredients with low tox versions such as Young Living’s one stop low tox online shop.
Emergency repair work
The second aspect of immunity focuses on what can you actually do if you do get sick.
Getting sick occasionally is how the immune system invigorates itself and detoxes from pathogens and toxins in the system. Illness only becomes an issue when it becomes chronic (i.e. you’re sick very often or are in a state of dis-ease most of the time).
Sadly, more and more people are ‘putting up with’ symptoms (e.g. congestion, mucous, persistent cough) all the time to the point where it becomes their ‘new normal’ as they’ve forgotten what it feels like to be vibrantly healthy.
I think of this second aspect of immunity as fixing a part of the house that has taken a small to medium sized hit (e.g. there’s a broken window, or a few loose roof tiles, or a leak) after a storm has passed through. The foundations of the house remain strong and stable, but you need to stop to focus on fixing /repairing the damage.
The strategy here is to double down on all of the 8 foundations of health above (to really saturate the body with nourishment in the form of food, hydration, sunshine, sleep and rest) plus give your body some extra support.
Here are some of the all-natural supportive tools that I reach for in my pharma-free wellness cabinet when my immune systems takes a hit (note that I avail myself of many of the products below day to day and not just in times of illness but I dial up the dosage during illness):
1. Star Anise Organic Wholefoods bone broth infused with immunity cubes
2. Star Anise Organic Wholefoods broth based soups. Our restorative Asian soup or chicken and veg soup are mighty popular.
3. Fresh lemon juice, minced raw garlic, minced ginger, turmeric infused in warm water (with a little raw honey) or in hot bone broth
4. Organ meat (e.g. livers) or quality offal capsules (reputable brands include Chief and Thankfully Nourished)- livers and other organ meats contain a wide spectrum of bioavailable vitamins and minerals including iron and vitamin A for strong immunity. If you can’t stomach or access organic or pastured livers, this is where quality capsules are handy.
5. Young Living Thieves essential oil blend – this antimicrobial blend can be diffused and applied topically (neat on feet and diluted with carrier oil on chest).
6. Young Living Thieves spray (spray on neck) and Thieves mouthwash (gargle with this) if you have a sore throat
7. Young Living Inner Defence (capsules) for immune system support (natural antibiotics that don’t wipe out beneficial bacteria).
8. Young Living Mineral Essence (45 trace minerals which the body needs to run on plus Royal Jelly)
9. Young Living Ningxia Red (for vitamin C and to detox as the world’s highest antioxidant superfoods drink)
10. Quality zinc (e.g. Biotrace) and cod liver oil (e.g. Green Pastures fermented cod liver oil) for vitamin A, D, E and K2 which boost immunity.
Note: To purchase Young Living products, you need an existing holder like myself to create a wholesale account for you. Click here and complete the contact form and I will be in touch.
I hope these tips help you creating a bulletproof immune system this winter!