Having a strong immune system is crucial to fighting off any germs or illnesses that may strike. And there are some natural immunostimulants that can be used to give the immune system the extra protection it needs.
To learn more about what immunostimulants are and how they can be beneficial, the team at spermidineLIFE® is diving deeper into ways to naturally protect the system that protects your body from invaders.
How To Boost The Immune System Naturally?
As strong as your immune system may be, sometimes invaders make their way through. It’s important to know that the immune system is not a single entity. Rather it is a system that requires balance and harmony in order to function properly (1).
The first line of defense in natural immune support and strengthening the immune system is by leading a healthy lifestyle. In fact, the whole body functions better when you follow certain healthy living strategies such as:
- Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables
- Exercising regularly
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Getting enough sleep every night
- Don’t smoke or quit if you do
- Only drink in moderation
- Try to minimize stress
- Take proactive steps to avoid getting sick by washing hands frequently
Starting with these basic steps toward healthy living can go a long way to boosting the immune system. It’s important to continue practicing healthy habits especially as we age, because our immune response capability becomes reduced leading to more illnesses
What Supplements To Take To Avoid Being Sick
There are a lot of products that claim to boost or support the immune system and some talk about boosting certain kinds of cells. But the question is, which cells to boost? It’s important to know that the body is continually generating immune cells so supporting overall cellular health is important.
There are vitamins and supplements known to boost the immune system. Some of the popular ones are zinc, selenium and vitamin D. Studies show that taking zinc within 24 hours of experiencing cold-like symptoms may actually reduce the duration of the common cold.
What Supplements Should I Take For My Immune System
As we just noted, zinc supplements can help reduce how long you may have a cold, if you take zinc within 24 hours of first experiencing cold symptoms. This is because zinc may work by preventing rhinovirus from multiplying and most colds are caused by rhinovirus.
Zinc may also stop rhinovirus from lodging in the mucous membranes of the throat and nose, areas where people complain of not feeling well. Most people take zinc as a lozenge or in syrup form, which allows it to stay in the throat to come in contact with the rhinovirus.
It’s important to know that zinc does have some side effects from nausea to a bad taste in the mouth. And some people who take zinc as a nasal spray suffered from a permanent loss of smell. So it’s important you know the risk with certain forms available.
Do Elderberry Supplements Work?
People really want to know what the best supplements are for fighting colds and elderberry is fast becoming a hot commodity in cold and flu remedies hitting the market. So is there any truth to the magic of elderberries? And do they actually boost the immune system? Actually, elderberries have been used in folk medicine for centuries to treat cold and flu viruses.
Some small recent studies reported that people who took elderberry syrup shortened the duration of their illness by up to four days. Elderberries contain a substance known as flavonoids that seem to help reduce swelling, fight inflammation and provide an overall boost to the immune system.
Limited studies show that elderberry reduced the following symptoms with the greatest benefits happening when taken within 24 to 48 hours after symptoms start:
- Fever
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Fatigue
- Cough
- Body aches
Some studies even suggest that elderberries may help with bacterial sinus infections and bronchitis so more research is being done on that.
Can Multivitamins Improve The Immune System?
Of all the supplements available to boost the immune system there is one vitamin that almost half of adults take and that is the multivitamin. Multivitamins contain a variety of vitamins, minerals and other nutritional elements.
They are formulated for people in various life stages such as children, women, men, pregnancy and for seniors. Multivitamins do not necessarily prevent chronic disease or death, but they do help to fill in the gaps of dietary needs since many people do not get all of the vitamins and minerals they need from food alone.
What Is The Most Important Supplement To Take?
An immune booster supplement often overlooked due to the more popular vitamin C that people associate with immunity is vitamin D. Being deficient in vitamin D can make you more susceptible to many diseases. People with low levels of vitamin D may experience more infections and worsening autoimmune diseases.
Getting enough sunlight everyday can help people boost their vitamin D levels. But that’s often not possible. Some people avoid sun exposure to protect their skin, while others live in areas where it may not be possible to get enough sun every day. That’s why it’s recommended that people supplement their vitamin D needs.
Supplements That Can Help
We briefly talked earlier about cells and how the body is continually generating immune cells. In fact, the body has a process known as autophagy that recycles old, damaged cells that can lead to diseases. By recycling the damaged cells, new and healthier cells can be formed.
Our bodies are made up of cells and they need to function perfectly for us to be healthy and to live a long life. As time passes, the cells get damaged. The autophagy process allows our bodies to regenerate healthy cells.
Spermidine is a supplement that supports overall cellular health. It’s important to note that supplements don’t cure illnesses. However, spermidine helps to activate the body’s own cellular renewal process.
Spermidine can be found in a variety of different foods, but we often don’t get enough daily to meet our body’s needs. Plus as we age, we need more so rarely does diet alone capture what our body needs. That’s where taking a spermidine supplement can help.
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