Winter Wellness: Maintaining a Healthy Immune System
Winter is a time we especially want to do all we can to maintain a healthy immune system.
Fortunately, there are many easy things you can do to support your immune system so it functions at its best.
But before considering these, let's look at why maintaining your immune system is so important.
Why Maintaining a Healthy
Immune System is Essential
Your immune system is made up of a network of cells, tissues, and organs. Its job is to provide protection for your body.
This protective mechanism works on several different levels.
The first line of defense is your body's physical barriers... which includes such things as skin, fingernails, mucous membranes, tears and earwax.
Next, is the chemical barrier your body provides through fatty acids, proteins, stomach acids and secretions.
Finally, there is your body's adaptive immune response, which kicks into gear when your body is threatened by some kind of pathogen.
If your immune system is weak at any of these levels, your body becomes vulnerable... so it makes sense to do what you can to keep your immune system as a whole strong.
Basic Ways to Maintain a Healthy Immune System
There are a number of simple winter wellness habits that can help support your immune system.
These include:
Eat a Healthy Diet...
A diet low in sugar and high in fruits and vegetable can help provide the nutrients your immune systems needs to function well. Garlic and ginger are particularly supportive.
Get Adequate Sleep...
Sleep deprivation tends to suppress the immune system. So avoid late hours to help maximize your body's resistance.
Drink Plenty of Water...
Water is essential for the healthy functioning of your cells. It also plays an important role in ridding your body of toxins that reduce proper immune functions.
Get Regular Exercise...
Regular exercise promotes deep breathing that supports healthy immune functions. Exercise also helps your immune system cells circulate throughout the body.
Manage Your Stress...
The chemical reactions triggered by stressful situations have an adverse effect on the immune system. So find ways to manage stress that work for you.
By following these simple wellness habits, you can help assure your immune system is working in top form.
That's because these practices tend to support your body in its natural abilities to detoxify and restore itself.
Additional Support for a Healthy Immune System
Essential oils are ideal for those seeking additional ways to maintain a healthy immune system.
Because essential oils are fat soluble, they are able to penetrate cell membranes, allowing them to reinforce the immune system at the cellular level.
Some favorite essential oils that support the immune system include:
- Frankincense
- Thyme
- Oregano
- Cinnamon
- Rosemary
- Chamomile
- Myrrh
- Vetiver
- Lemongrass
- and Black Pepper
In addition to these single oils, there are also specially mixed blends that help maintain the immune system.
When used with specific certain supplements (such as Vitamin C), probiotics (to support gut health), and whole foods (such as greens and wolfberries), essential oils are a perfect way to cover all the bases when it comes to maintaining a healthy immune system.
For those eager to support their body's immune system, there are many things that can be done to keep it functioning as well as possible.
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