4 Surprising Ways to Upgrade Your Immune System

Our immune system defends us against disease.

It’s like our body armor—giving us a personal, protective bubble—keeping away germs, nasty bugs, and pathogens that could make us sick.

It makes sense, doesn't it, that you would want to keep your “immunity armor” in the best possible condition?

So here are 4 surprising ways you can upgrade your immune system and keep it strong...fighting off those germy foes!

GUT BACTERIA


Did you know that you have trillions of bacteria in your body? So much, in fact, that we humans contain 10 times more bacteria than cells!

This means that bacteria must play a really important role in bodily processes.

Time for a science lesson.

Simply put by Vocabulary.com, “bacteria are microscopic living organisms, usually one-celled, that can be found everywhere. They can be dangerous, such as when they cause infection, or beneficial, as in the process of fermentation (such as in wine) and that of decomposition.”

You actually need microbial elements like bacteria in your gastrointestinal (GI) system to help with digestion (decomposition)… and something else that may be a new thought: your immune system.

True, there is “bad” bacteria (the stuff we need to wash off of our hands), but there is also “good” bac which actually help to prevent the bad bac that cause disease from latching on for a ride, making us sick!

This good bac can even become teachers, in a sense, that train our immune systems to know the difference between something that causes disease and something that won’t do us harm. Amazing!

In order to have a good balance of good and bad bac in the gut, there are several steps you can follow.

Check out our article on Gut Health so you can start helping your immune system do its job to keep you healthy: https://www.newwavefitness.com/blog/4-things-your-gut-is-trying-to-tell-you/

SUNLIGHT


The sun helps us produce vitamin D… but exposing your skin to sunlight (the UV rays especially) can put a damper on your immune system being able to fight off infection, like a virus.

So our advice if you’re feeling under the weather is to stay indoors, because it takes a very small amount of UV to suppress the immune response.

On the other hand, there’s that vitamin D thing… the lymphocytes that are on the front lines of the immune army—T-cells—need plenty of vitamin D to march into battle!

If your vitamin D is too low, the T-cells aren’t going anywhere.

Also, there are studies that have found vitamin D to be highly useful when our bodies produce anti-microbial peptides in the skin, which help to conquer new infections.

Which brings us to the place where you can get help with boosting your vitamin D in other ways…by taking supplements!

Visit https://www.newwavefitness.com/nutrients/ for help getting the highest quality vitamin D that is beneficial not only for keeping your immune system on its toes, but for so many other processes that help our bodies to function at their best!

BAR SOAP

Back in the olden days, before liquid soap and hand sanitizer were invented, people used stuff called “bar soap” to wash their hands.

Except they simply called it “soap.”

And if you sassed your mom, she would wash your mouth out with it.

The best moms rubbed it on your teeth so you would learn your lesson and remember the taste of it later.

Well, this old-fashioned stuff is back en vogue. 

And come to find out, is the best at washing things like viruses and other pathogens off our hands!

(Pathogen: “a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease.” Get. off. of. me!)

And washing your hands is one of the best ways to save your immune system the trouble of having to fight off the pathogens in the first place.

A note about hand sanitizer: There’s such thing as “too much.” If you use hand sanitizer all the time, it kills the good bac along with the bad. Remember, there’s good bac on your hands too, which helps keep the bad bugs from getting into your body!

Our favorite food scientist, Mr. Alton Brown, has created a very informative video on the proper way to wash our hands, and explains why bar soap is the best sudsing agent to use!

A GREAT WAY TO WASH YOUR HANDS

Washing your hands in the correct manner is at the front line of helping stop the spread of germs that cause diseases.

The important thing is to scrub it, scrub it good, and scrub all nooks and crannies, including under your fingernails, where germs like to crawl in and hide.

We found a great handwashing method, as demonstrated by a nurse in the video below.

She uses purple paint to show you how the soap & scrubbing can get every surface on your hands clean.

Please use the advice in this article as a starting point to upgrade your immune system.

Of course, before you begin any new supplement plan, please consult with a medical professional to make sure it’s the right thing for you.