How to Keep Yourself Healthy
When we say “immune health” what we really mean is how well does our body respond to every-day pathogens – bacteria, viruses, and microbes that our body’s defend against.
Dr. Lucy Belli, ND outlines easy evidence based strategies that you can implement on your own to support your immune system.
1. Eat enough fruits and vegetables
Plants are packed with micronutrients that are paramount in supporting basic immune function. Eating not just enough but optimal amounts is important in strengthening your resilience to infection.
2. Exercise
Moderate intensity exercise has a profound effect on stimulating our immune response. Exercise is also an effective strategy to improve stress response, and reduce anxiety and low mood – all of which are tied into our immune response.
3. Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy is a traditional method of healing and involves adding in elements of hot and cold water. Dr. Belli often recommends Contrast Showers as a way of improving general immune health. These consist of:
2 min warm/hot water at a comfortable temperature
30 sec of cold water, as cold as you can tolerate
Repeat 2-3x always ending on cold
Similar to exercise, this increases blood flow and stimulates sympathetic activation of our immune response.
4. Vitamin D
Getting enough of a regular, reliable source of vitamin D is crucial to general health and supporting our immune system. With limited daylight hours and sunshine in our climate, we are more at risk for vitamin D deficiency. Supplementing enough to meet your INDIVIDUAL needs is recommended. Testing your blood levels can give valuable information about how much is recommended for you.
Other risk factors for impaired immune health include: poor dietary habits, chronic stress, insomnia, and underlying health conditions.
If you are curious to know what else can be done to improve your health and what the most recommended strategies are for YOU, call to book an appointment with our naturopath to set up an initial consultation.