6 techniques to support your immune system naturally

The world experienced a rough past few months. Now that the colder days are in sight, it’s the perfect time to take preventative steps to breeze through the cold & flu season.

You’ve heard it, “prevention is better than cure”.

So how can you avoid getting sick this winter? Simply by giving a boost to your immune system.

Good news, you don’t need medications to do that! I’m going to show you 6 natural techniques below.

But before we jump in, let’s get a better understanding at what we are working with: how does the immune system works?

The immune system is designed to protect against foreign pathogens to prevent infections. It is composed of different organs and cells, such as the thymus, spleen, white blood cells, and lymphatic system. Once an intruder has been detected, an immune response is launched to prevent or reduce infections. Immune responses, like fever, are a sign your immune system is functioning properly. But it is also a sign that something in your environment is considered a pathogen (or intruder) for your body.

Now, it’s a matter of understanding what could be a trigger for your immune system.

Pause and reflect: in your opinion, what is the major cause of disease?

I have simplified the process I’ve shown you above into this simple visual graph:

You may have guessed it by now stress is the stimulus here. And stress is a major cause of diseases. It can wreak havoc in your body and mind.

Even if you are the most chilled out person you know, you may be exposed to stress factors. How is that? Stress is not only how you respond emotionally to a situation, it is also how your body responds to its environment.

The food you eat, the environment you are in, your lifestyle… all can create stress on your body (physical, physiological, and psychological).

Now that you have this broader picture of stress in mind, you can learn 6 ways to reduce stress and support your immune system.

Your environment. Your environment can be defined by all the places you’re spending some time in. Think of your house, office, car, public transports, and even outdoors areas, such as parks, beaches…

2 tips to reduce environmental stress:

1. To limit your exposure to pollutants, replace your cleaning products with chemical free ones. This can be as simple as using vinegar and baking soda.
2. Use ear plugs if noise is an issue, especially at night. Noise pollution is harmful

The food you eat. Ingesting nutrient dense foods is essential to support your immune system, and to function at peak energy.  When in a toxicity state, your body has to spend a lot of time and effort to gain back its balance.

2 tips to reduce food stressors:

1. Eliminate sugar and processed food! Simple and certainly not new concept. Choose whole foods and cook from scratch as much as possible.
2. Maintain a food journal for at least 2 weeks, especially if you have food sensitivities. Note down the times of the day you eat and what you eat. Note down how your energy levels 1 to 2 hours after eating

Your thoughts. Yep, you read that right. Your thoughts are affecting your immune system. The brain releases serotonin when positive thoughts are generate. However, with negative thoughts come stress. In a fight or flight response, all the energy is being redirected to take action (fight the perceived enemy or escape it). In other words, you are now vulnerable to more pathogens.

2 tips to reduce emotional stress:

1. Establish a personalized yoga therapy home practice that includes breathing exercises and mindfulness. From 15 to up to 30 minutes a day, these extremely customized techniques allow you to ground and connect.
2. Write in your gratitude journal daily. Expressing gratitude is a wonderful feeling. The fact of journaling is linking the action of writing with the feeling of well-being. Use my Free Reflection Journal to inspire you.

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