My Best Immune Boosting Tips

This time of year it seems like everyone I talk to is either sick or has been around someone who is sick. As a person with chronic illnesses I tend to be hit harder and take longer to recover than the average healthy person if/when I catch something. Because of this I’ve worked out some ways to help my body to be at it’s best this time of year. These things don’t prevent all illnesses of course but they give me a fighting chance.

The first thing for me is always hydration. It’s important to stay well hydrated this time of year. I tend to think about hydration more in the summer when I’m sweating and it’s hot outside but the winter can be rough too. The low humidity inside buildings as a result of heaters being on all day can really suck the moisture out of you. It’s also important to make sure you are getting enough electrolytes. A lot of this can be accomplished through diet (see below) but sometimes you need a little extra boost. For this you can use whatever your favorite sports drink is or you can add something like these trace mineral drops (https://amzn.to/2TuKwEO) to things you are already drinking. They do tend to have a slightly salty flavor so if that bothers you in plain water I find that tea does well to cover that.

Next is sleep. I know that most people don’t have the luxury of sleeping as much as they want but it can really help you when you feel like you are coming down with something. What’s worse: taking a day off work to sleep or missing several days or more to a nasty illness? I have very often found that if I can sleep a lot for a day or two I don’t end up getting sick. If you can’t take time off work be sure to get to bed early. If you are a person who has trouble falling asleep early try spending an hour before you go to bed without using any screens or devices. It can really help your body wind down.

Diet can also play a big role in how your body handles being exposed to illnesses. The basic gist of my advice here is eat as much unprocessed food (specifically fruits and vegetables) as you can. It’s pretty good diet advice in general. Another thing worth thinking about is how much energy your body will need to use in order to digest your food. Compare that to how much nutrients you will get from that food. Homemade stock or broth is a good example here. Liquids don’t take nearly as much energy to digest as solid food does. Broth however has a ton of nutrients from the bones and vegetables used to make it. This means that broth gets you a ton of nutrients for very little energy spent. This might be one of the reasons soup is so great when you’re feeling under the weather. It’s pretty easy to find lists of foods that boost your immune system with a quick google search so I won’t list them off here.

I also have started making tinctures. Tinctures just means I soak something in alcohol (cheap vodka in my case) and then use it in teas and such as needed. I have an elderberry and echinacea tincture that I put in my tea whenever I feel something coming or know that I’ve been exposed to something. Elderberry is well known as an immune system booster. Another good tincture is oregano. I put this in soup or anything savory that has some liquid in it. Oregano is a strong antimicrobial.

Lastly I want to highlight some things to avoid. You can’t and shouldn’t avoid all human contact just because its flu season, but knowing what the worst offenders are can help you prioritize or at least help you know when to pull out the hand sanitizer. One place that’s easy to pick up a lot of germs is grocery carts. Even sick people need food so it’s fairly unavoidable for sick and healthy people to interact in a grocery store. I try to go at slower times so there’s less people there and I make sure to use hand sanitizer as soon as I get in the car after grocery shopping. Then of course wash your hands when you get home. Another place that you shouldn’t avoid but that could have a lot of germs is the gym. Again, use hand sanitizer and wash your hands when you are done. It’s also a good idea to clean your phone regularly with an alcohol wipe. Our phones are probably the germiest things that we touch regularly but we rarely think of them that way. And last, as a general rule try to get in the habit of not touching your face with your hands. Most viral illnesses enter your body through your eyes, nose or mouth. Your hands are the part of your body that is interacting with the outside world the most so it’s best to keep them away from your eyes, nose and mouth as much as possible.

I hope some of these tips help. What things do you do this time of year to avoid getting sick?