The short answer is – NO. Because there’s a better way to support your immune system <3.
“How to boost your immune system” is probably the most popular blog post, article, webinar, and podcast right now…but, you won’t hear it from me because it’s wrong.
Yup. You (generally) don’t want to boost your immune system. (but please, don’t worry, I’ve got a solution for you :).
Your immune system is like Goldilocks, it works best when it feels “just right”. Not too high, not too low, just right.
Truthfully, some (but not all) immune advice out there will help you create a nice and balanced immune system. So, maybe I’m just being too picky with words.
But, due to the high rates of auto-immune conditions today, I think it’s important to talk about the perils of an over-boosted immune system.
If your immune system is too hot (overwhelmed/overstimulated/over-boosted) then it can trigger inflammation, allergies, asthma, and sometimes even auto-immune conditions. Yikes.
If it’s too cold (low/underwhelmed) then it struggles to keep up and fight against infections. It might feel like a stubborn cold that won’t go away, or stubborn virus (like shingles) that keeps coming back.
Finding that perfect balance spot – where it’s calm but poised to attack, is what our body wants. This is called modulating your immune system.
Symptoms of a cold/flu is a sign your body is fighting it!
Have you ever felt a cold or flu come on and within hours you’re curled up in bed feeling awful? This may feel like your immune system is weak, but that’s not true. There’s a very good chance your immune system is in full attack mode.
Fever, cough, running nose, sneezing, chills – these are all symptoms of your immune system fighting the virus or bacteria. This is a time to rest so your body can keep up the fight!
THIS is the time to boost your immune system so it can stay on guard and fighting. But, you only want to boost it for a few days, because after the infection has been fought, your body needs to clean up that immune response.
It’s the cleanup process that most of our bodies struggle with and this can lead to chronic inflammation, allergies, possibly auto-immune conditions. There’s early research that has found that some auto-immune conditions might be first triggered by a virus.
What happens if you boost your immune system every day?
Most of us have an immune system that’s too “hot” instead of “cold”. It’s overwhelmed and overstimulated and it’s struggling to calm down.
An overwhelmed immune system can take longer to find a virus or bacteria because its to do list is so long. This can mean it can take longer to feel symptoms and they’re pretty strong once the infection is found.
If your immune system is sitting low or “cold”, then it also can be hard to fight off an infection.
So…what to do if you feel like your immune system is both too hot and too cold? Ah, that’s where the genius of immune modulation comes in.
When we look to modulate our immune system, our body is able to boost it when it’s low and calm it down when it’s too high. It will find its own balance <3.
So, instead of talking about boosting your immune system, let’s build an EFFECTIVE one instead.
An effective immune system can ramp up to fight off a cold AND can calm down and clean up after the infection has been dealt with. An effective immune system knows exactly what to do to keep your body safe and healthy.
How to Build an Effective Immune System
1. Manage stress –
Right now stress is at an all-time high, so please take this section with a grain of salt (and ignore it if it causes you more stress).
Research shows that our immune system reacts to stress in the same way that it reacts to an infection – it goes into attack mode. But, stress is much more chronic than infections, so our immune system might be struggling to find a moment to relax.
Each relaxing moment in your day is a big win for your body. This might be a quiet moment with a cup of tea, laughter with your kids, or a loving call with family or friends. These moments really add up, so enjoy every single relaxing moment.
Some ideas – a walk outside (around trees is a bonus), a gentle yoga class (lots are available online!), or reading a favourite book <3
2. Add some immune modulators –
Medicinal mushrooms, like reishi, lion’s mane, and agarikon, are potent immune modulators.
They do an amazing job at bringing your immune system into that goldilocks zone, and there’s a lot of research that shows that they can even help with very-hard-to-treat autoimmune conditions.
3. Clean up your diet –
Your immune system loves a nutrient-dense diet, filled with fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, protein, and whole grains. Whatever kind of diet feels best for you will make your immune system happy, just make sure it’s full of whole food.
Your immune system doesn’t really like refined flour and sugar…even though you might be craving it. Refined sugar and flour are lacking in important nutrients and put a strain on your body. They can also spike your blood sugar, adding more inflammation to the mix.
Replace your favourite sweet treats with whole food unrefined versions. Need some ideas? There’s a bunch of my favourites at the end of this blog post.
If you’d like some additional help, I’ve created the “Build an Effective Immune System” masterclass for my members inside my nutrition hub “Your Beautiful Life”.
This masterclass takes you through a day-to-day plan to keep your immune system in tip-top shape and your game plan if you start feeling any symptoms.
Membership is just $35/month (CAD, this is about $25USD) and you can come and go anytime <3. Plus, you’ll get access to all 13 masterclasses (including sleep, hormones, and blood sugar balancing) and hundreds of recipes.
If you’d like more info, click here <3
If you’d like to join, click here and get immediate access to everything <3