Boost your immune system

12 Surprising Immune System
Boosts to Try At Home

Boosting your immune system
doesn't require expensive
treatments. Inexpensive at-home
treatments can provide remarkable
benefits.
Our immune systems protect us from
the elements and microscopic disease-
causing organisms, and with all of that
power it’s important to take a look at
what can help boost your immune
system to the best of your ability.
Simple, small changes at home can be
made to bolster your body and give it a
fighting chance against the elements.
According to Harvard Medical School ,
although researchers are increasingly
studying the effects lifestyle has on the
immune system, results are
preliminary. It may take time to
understand the intricacies and
interconnectedness of the immune
system. However, they do know a
combination of factors, healthy
balances and choices through diet,
exercise, age, psychological stress, and
other behavioral approaches can boost
or bust the immune system.
Expensive medical treatments and
supplements aren’t necessarily the key
to conquering illnesses, so instead look
at these at-home immune system
secrets to help your body perform at its
peak.
1. Fasting
Periodic breaks from eating for a
couple days a year have been shown to
protect the immune system of healthy
middle-aged people, the elderly, and
even patients undergoing
chemotherapy. Researchers from the
University of Southern California found
starving immune cells from nutrients
drops the body’s healthy white blood
cell count. However, when eating
resumes, it bounces back to greater
numbers than before.
2. Music
Not only has music been shown to
boost the immune system, but it also
has the power to reduce pain and was
better at reducing stress than
prescription medications before
surgery. Music listeners had a high
number of natural killer cells, which
are responsible for attacking bacteria,
infected cells, and even cancerous cells.
3. Sex
Applying sexual prowess into a bi-
weekly routine will boost your body’s
production of immunoglobulin A, a
virus and bacterial fighting antibody, by
30 percent. Linger in bed afterward or
bring your partner to the couch for a
cuddling and a movie-session for
laughter and lounging, and it’ll increase
your body’s disease-fighting T-cell
antibody storages.
4. Astragalus
This herb has been used in traditional
Chinese medicine for centuries and has
shown to support the immune system.
It’s available as a dietary supplement
and has antibacterial and anti-
inflammatory properties used to
combat viruses, according to the
University of Maryland Medical
System.
5. Walk in the Woods
A Japanese study found after people
gazed at forest scenery for 20 minutes,
their cortisol stress levels dropped 13.4
percent below people who viewed
urban settings. “Forest bathing” or
“forest therapy” has the ability to boost
the immune system because it isn’t
being bathed in cortisol, which is
known to lower immune systems.
6. Coconut Oil Coffee
The powers of coconut oil continue as it
is now prepared with coffee for an
immune system boost. Coconut oil is
mostly made of medium chain fatty
acids (MCFA) that reduce need for
sugars and don’t allow fat to be stored,
which increases metabolism and boosts
the immune system.
7. Sauna
Australian researchers found people
who had a sauna steam twice a week
caught half as many colds compared to
those who didn’t, in a six-month study.
Unfortunately, once the cold starts, a sit
in a sauna will do nothing to improve
symptoms or speed up recovery time.
8. Green Tea
Antioxidants in general are excellent
cleansers for the body, but they also
significantly improve the immune
system because they fight free radicals
that can weaken you. It has also shown
to help blood pressure and maintain
heart health.
9. Kissing
Pucker up to a better immune system.
An NYU study found when kissers
exchange microorganisms it builds the
immune system, especially for women
during pregnancy and childbirth.
10. Wine and Blueberries
The compound resveratrol found in
wine, blueberries, and even red grapes
combined with fungal-fighting
pterostilbene, also found in grapes and
blueberries have even greater benefits .
Mix that in with vitamin D and you
have a strong line of defense within the
immune system, which may also help
keep antibiotics from losing their
effectiveness overtime, according to
Oregon State University researchers.
11. Be Social
Surrounding yourself with people has
shown to help the body heal quicker,
according to research published by the
American Psychological Association.
Physicians have found a link between
chronic disease and loneliness,
suggesting social isolation may increase
stress and slow the immune system’s
response. People were 50 percent more
likely to survive health problems if they
had strong relationship ties, than those
who did not.
12. Sour Milk
Probiotics found in Kefir from sour
milk give the immune system up to five
times the amount of disease-fighters
than yogurt does. Probiotics also
contain iodine, which also help the
thyroid gland regulate the immune
system. An American Health Association
study found yogurt reduces bad
cholesterol and cuts UTI risk by 47
percent.