Immune System
Dr. Bradley Shepherd is a chiropractor practicing in Las Cruces, NM. Dr. Shepherd specializes in preventing, diagnosing, and treating conditions associated with the neuromusculoskeletal system while improving each patient's functionality and quality of life. Conditions treated include sciatica, neck pain, and arthritis... more
Your immune system is complicated, it involves your genetics, blood, internal organs, trace minerals, major minerals, vitamins, chemistry, and more. Can you boost your immune system? Unfortunately, there is not a magic pill that can boost your immune system. There is not a supplement that you can take that will guarantee you will not get sick. There are many companies out there that would have you believe otherwise, and they have great marketing teams that make promises that are too good to be true.
Having said that, there are some things that you can do to stay healthy, which will help your immune system work at its best.
- Get plenty of sleep. Each individual requires a certain amount of sleep. The average amount of sleep for an adult is about 8 hours. Some adults need more, some need less. It should be a deep sleep with minimal interruptions. You should wake in the morning feeling well-rested.
- Exercise regularly. This improves your heart and your blood vessels and is the superhighway for your immune cells. Good blood circulation helps the immune soldiers mobilize to get to the fight.
- Eat healthy foods, which include fruits and vegetables. This supplies your body with vitamins and minerals that your body and your immune system need to do its job. Trace minerals are especially important.
- Occasional Supplements. Use a whole food supplement, a multivitamin is just okay. It will give you the basic vitamins, and maybe some minerals. A whole food supplement is more like foods that you can swallow as a tablet or capsule. (I'll write a blog post on this later).
- Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese puts a lot of stress on your body, including your immune system. Not to mention, it increases your risk for other problems like diabetes, heart attack, and stroke.
- Don't smoke. Smoking limits the amount of oxygen your body gets and damages your lungs. Nicotine is a stimulant that over-stresses your body. Vaping is NOT a healthy alternative to smoking and comes with its own health risks.
- Take steps to avoid infection. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, it does not have to be antibacterial. Cook meats thoroughly. Avoid sick people.
- Try to minimize stress. Regularly engage in activities that you enjoy. Meditate. Try not to worry about things you cannot control. (I can help you assess your stress levels to see how you manage your stress).
These ideas are simple, but it is not necessarily easy. You will often need a support system. Contact me or another health care professional that provides evidence-based treatment. Together, we can come up with strategies that will help you get healthy and strengthen the power of your immune system.
For a more thorough overview of your immune system, visit the Harvard medical website.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-boost-your-immune-system
