Dr. Curtis McElroy

Tag: immune system

  • Preventative Health

    It’s important, especially these days, to prioritize your health and immunity, not only because of the pandemic but also to enhance your longevity. Recent years have provided knowledge that the immune system is critically important in a quality, healthy life in all individuals.

    Because public health is focused primarily on saving lives and treating current illnesses, it’s up to the individual to prioritize their health and well-being through proactive and preventative interventions that can boost the immune system.

    In what follows, we’ll discuss methods that can strengthen the immune system, including some medications and supplements, foods, liquids, and physical activity. We’ll also discuss the elimination of bad habits that decrease immunity.

    The Immune System

    The immune system is a complex network comprising cells, organs, tissues, and substances that defend the human body against disease and infection.

    With two primary parts of the immune system, the innate and adaptive systems, the immune system works by both natural immunity, which is something that we have always had, and acquired immunity, which is created when the body fights off disease or infection.

    Tips for Strengthening the Immune System

    As the body’s first line of defense, the immune system is incredibly powerful on its own. However, with a few lifestyle interventions, the immune system can be strengthened dramatically.

    The following are several tips and lifestyle interventions that can help strengthen the immune system:

    Exercise Frequently

    It’s already understood that regular exercise is the backbone of living a healthy lifestyle. Not only does it increase lean muscle mass and bone density, but it improves cardiovascular health and mood and improves body homeostasis, which has correlated with a strong immune system.

    After considering age, health status, and fitness experience, a general recommendation for the average individual involves a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity per week.

    It doesn’t matter what you do for physical activity. Whether it’s participating in sport, going for a walk, or going to the weight room, exercise continues to be shown through research to be paramount for solid immune system function.

     Prioritize Restful Sleep

    An often-overlooked aspect of health, sleep is arguably one of the most important things to prioritize for physical performance, mood, and cognition, as well as the strength of the immune system.

    The general recommendation for a restful sleep is to achieve 7-9 hours of sleep each night while prioritizing REM sleep, the stage at which the most restful sleep is accomplished.

    To avoid insufficient sleep quality, consider avoiding screen time before bed, reducing or eliminating caffeine and alcohol consumption, setting the bedroom temperature to a comfortable level, and seeking to have the same bedtime and wake-up time each day.

    Consume Sufficient Amounts of Water

    Water is an excellent source of hydration, and it also plays a major role in helping the body flush out toxins. This cleansing effect is directly related to strengthening the immune system.

    The majority of individuals today, however, are under-hydrated, failing to drink a sufficient amount of water daily.

    While the minimum daily recommendation for the average individual is 8 cups of water daily, a more suitable daily recommendation, especially for those physically active, is about 3.7 liters for men and 2.7 liters for women.

     Follow a Healthy, Immune-Friendly Diet

    In combination with hydration, the immune system requires the proper nourishment in order to remain strong and healthy. Contrastingly, malnourishment is the ultimate enemy of the immune system.

    While there isn’t any ONE diet that is the most optimal, and although the gut microbiome is quite complex as it pertains to diet and nutrition, following a generally healthy diet comprising real whole foods is the most effective method.

    Some of the most important nutrients to help strengthen the immune system include:

     

    • Vitamin C
    • Vitamin D
    • Vitamin B12
    • Zinc
    • Magnesium
    • Iron
    • Omega-3 Fatty Acids
    • Protein, Fats, and Carbohydrates (Macronutrients)

    While most of these nutrients can be consumed sufficiently through whole foods, supplementation may be required where deficiencies are prevalent or nutrients are lacking from the diet.

    Not only do these nutrients play a role in optimal human function, but many are correlated with fighting toxins, decreasing inflammation, maintaining cell integrity, and these processes help the immune system to function optimally.

    Some of the most common and effective food choices for strengthening the immune system include citrus fruits, dark green vegetables like broccoli and spinach, nuts and seeds, ginger and garlic, turmeric, probiotic yogurt, and lean meats and fish.

     Stay Up-to-Date with Necessary Vaccinations

    Although there are arguments for both sides of vaccination, we don’t live in a perfect world, and natural immunity is not quite adequate for certain diseases or infections. The research continues to show the effectiveness of vaccinations for specific diseases, whether for Influenza, COVID-19, MMR, or others.

    The best help for the immune system defense against illness is the many natural lifestyle interventions discussed. Where your immune system lacks, vaccinations can make up for the deficiencies, especially in more dangerous, vulnerable circumstances.

    Final Thoughts

    Although the immune system is robust on its own, it’s best to be proactive in helping to strengthen the immune system to prevent disease. Lifestyle interventions such as a nutritious diet, exercise, and the elimination of unhealthy habits are keys in this process.

     

    By increasing nutrient uptake, decreasing sugar intake, reducing stress levels, and improving overall fitness, immunity can strengthen, and individuals can become healthier and more resilient.

    Prevention of Diabetes

    The number of individuals with type 2 diabetes is growing dramatically due to the rapid rise of obesity in the world. Many individuals have the risk of developing this illness.

    Prevention of Diabetes

    __________________________________________________________

     Approximately 537 million adults have diabetes worldwide. The number of individuals with type 2 diabetes is growing dramatically due to the rapid rise of obesity in the world, in addition to some other factors. In addition, the fact that diabetes is the most common cause of kidney disease makes it an even greater health problem.

    A disappointing concern with type 2 diabetes is that many individuals have the risk of developing this illness, but they don’t realize this risk. Some people live with chronically high blood sugars for prolonged periods of time before they even realize they have an issue. This may be due to a lack of symptoms or not realizing the significance of certain symptoms.

    Diabetes is also directly or indirectly responsible for a huge expenditure of health resources around the world. Therefore, a reduction in these numbers would have tremendous economic benefits.

    In what follows, we’ll be detailing the characteristics of diabetes with a focus on type 2 diabetes, the main causes and risk factors, and the methods to implement to prevent the condition or reverse it if possible.

    Characteristics of Diabetes

    Diabetes is classified into two types: type 1 and type 2.

    Type 1 is the condition in which the pancreas does not produce insulin because of autoimmune destruction of certain cells in the pancreas.

    Type 2, or adult-onset diabetes, is the condition in which the pancreas produces less insulin, and the insulin that is produced is resisted at the cellular level leading to inadequate glucose metabolism.

    Type 2 diabetes is the most common and is the condition in which preventative measures can be the most effective.

    In the condition of diabetes, individuals can have some specific signs and symptoms, including:

     

    • Polyuria – increased urination
    • Polydipsia – increased thirst
    • Nocturia – the need to get up at night to urinate
    • Blurred vision
    • Fatigue
    • Headaches

     Causes and Risks of Diabetes

    The factors that lead to diabetes are related to insulin resistance and impaired insulin production.Insulin Resistance

     Insulin resistance is defined as a condition in which the response to insulin by the tissues of the body is inadequate. This can be seen most frequently in cases of obesity. Pregnancy can also lead to impaired insulin response due to the production of hormones by the placenta, which counteracts insulin effects. In some individuals with type 2 diabetes, there are insulin receptor abnormalities that can lead to problems with insulin resistance.

    Impaired Insulin Production

    One of the issues that hyperglycemia can cause is a worsening response of the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. The increased glucose levels have a toxic effect on these pancreatic cells, and they produce less insulin.

    Another thing that can happen with the pancreas is that it does not respond adequately to insulin resistance that occurs peripherally in the cells. The pancreatic beta cells don’t realize that the insulin levels in the blood are not controlling the hyperglycemia, and they don’t produce additional insulin to help the situation.

    Prevention of Diabetes

    It takes proactive motivation to prevent diabetes, and those that are aware of their risk of the condition will do well to adopt this behavior. If you know that you have a family history of diabetes, you should understand that you need to do what you can to prevent it from occurring in your life. Being aware of the biggest risks for diabetes, such as obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and poor diet, will be helpful knowledge for your life.

    If you know that you have a family history of diabetes, it is also very important to see a primary care provider and be evaluated. They will do testing to assess your glucose homeostasis, which will include a hemoglobin a1c test. They will also perform glucose tolerance testing and compare the results to standard levels. Knowing this information will help you to make a plan to manage your risk effectively.

    In addition, it will be important for any individual who is pregnant to be very careful about the risk of gestational diabetes. Also, for those who have had a history of gestational diabetes, it is imperative to be under the close management of an obstetrician for preventative management and appropriate proactive management in cases of recurrence of gestational diabetes.

    A critical aspect of diabetes prevention will be to avoid smoking at all costs. Many studies have demonstrated the increased risk of developing diabetes in those who smoke. If you smoke, you must quit, and if you don’t smoke, then never start. Never even run the risk of getting addicted to nicotine. Smoking will only cause you bad health, and you must avoid it by any means.

    Some of the best methodology for the prevention of diabetes is a lifestyle that includes exercise and healthy eating. This will decrease overall body fat, which is the culprit that instigates many problems with insulin resistance and production.

    The dietary management of those at risk who wish to prevent diabetes can be made easier by following diet examples such as the DASH diet or the Mediterranean diet. In some clinical trials, these diets have correlated with a decreased incidence of diabetes.

    Final Thoughts

    Prevention of diabetes is an excellent goal, and anyone at risk should make every effort to achieve it. If more healthy-minded individuals had this attitude, diabetes could be thought of less as a disease and more as a complication. If the focus is placed on prevention of diabetes, the number of individuals who can benefit is overwhelming.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Premium Medical Content Piece #3 Keywords

    Main Keywords

    Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

    Supporting keywords   

    Treatment of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

    H1 Title: An Illness That Potentially Can Be Prevented – Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)

    SEO Title

    (50-60 characters): An Illness That Potentially Can Be Prevented – Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)

    Meta Description (160 characters): While SIBO can develop in anyone, it’s most commonly reported in individuals with pre-existing gastrointestinal conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease.

    The marked highlights are for backlinking to specific content pieces in this same package.

    Highlight 1:  Content Piece #2

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Premium Medical Content Piece #3

    Title: An Illness That Potentially Can Be Prevented – Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)

    __________________________________________________________

     

     

    Although the prevalence among the generally healthy population is not clear, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) is predominant in those with pre-existing gastrointestinal conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and Crohn’s disease. To illustrate its prevalence, it’s suspected that nearly 36 million individuals in the U.S annually are impacted by the condition, which is about 84% of those living with IBS or Crohn’s.

     

    SIBO is a serious concern, posing the risk of causing further health complications if left untreated. Because of its prevalence in certain vulnerable populations, SIBO can be a difficult problem to prevent. However, over recent years, new information from ongoing research has been helpful in identifying some preventative measures.

     

    In what follows, we’ll discuss this condition, detailing its most common characteristics inclusive of its etiology and symptomatology, and then we’ll discuss insight into potential solutions for prevention.

     

    Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

     

    SIBO, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, is a condition whereby the gut experiences an imbalance in its bacterial population, particularly in the small intestine. SIBO is also sometimes referred to as blind loop syndrome.

     

    Its root cause is typically related to a consequence of surgery or other disease processes. These conditions impair the normal passage of material through the digestive tract, ultimately resulting in bacterial overgrowth, particularly bacteria that isn’t commonplace in the small intestine. It is understood that certain bacteria such as E. Coli and Klebsiella become overgrown and more prominent when the small intestine becomes stagnant and has less motility.

     

    Other potential causes include low stomach acid levels, decreased production of digestive enzymes, structural irregularities of the small intestine, and overuse of some medications such as narcotics.

     

    Untreated, SIBO can result in a variety of unpleasant signs and symptoms such as bloating, cramping, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and malnutrition. In addition, in some cases, individuals have had the development of kidney stones.

     

     

    In the most severe cases, SIBO can result in the exacerbation of underlying health conditions such as celiac disease and irritable bowel disease.

     

    While SIBO can develop in anyone, it’s most commonly reported in individuals with pre-existing gastrointestinal conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease. Other patients who have had previous abdominal surgery and have developed adhesions, which are adhesive bands that can develop between membrane surfaces, are at risk of having SIBO. It can also be seen in individuals who have unrelated health issues like obesity and diabetes.

     

    Potential Solutions for Treatment and Prevention

     

    Because the most common cause of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is previous surgery of the abdomen, it’s difficult for an individual who has this history to be able to change their risk by themselves. Additional surgical intervention with adhesiolysis, which is repairing or removing adhesions, would be a possible treatment.

     

    In many cases of SIBO, medical treatment with antibiotics is appropriate. Rifaximin is FDA approved for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and has been very useful for patients that have SIBO. One advantage of rifaximin is that it has decreased activity in the colon. This quality is protective to the individual by lowering the risk of overgrowth of the bacteria Clostridium difficile in the colon.

     

    Preventing SIBO from occurring requires an introspective look into the underlying causes of SIBO. For example, avoiding weight gain and the possible development of diabetes is imperative. In addition, if digestive issues are identified due to pancreatic insufficiency, pancreatic enzyme supplementation can help prevent SIBO development.

     

    Since SIBO is often a consequence of another existing health condition, the existing condition should be managed or prevented to avoid SIBO. In addition, it’s best to avoid foods that can increase the risk of developing SIBO, such as sugar, dairy, some fruits and vegetables, and grains. Further, lifestyle interventions to improve diet, exercise, and stress reduction are also helpful in the prevention of SIBO. It may also be beneficial to supplement with vitamins and minerals that are most commonly deficient in many individuals.

     

    In some cases of SIBO, the use of antibiotics for prophylaxis is appropriate for prevention of the condition. The specific regimen of antibiotics will often need to be adjusted in order to prevent antibiotic resistance.

     

    Finally, other possible suggested treatments include probiotics and the use of statins, but current studies have not conclusively shown their benefit.

     

    Final Thoughts

     

    Though some medical conditions that place a patient at risk of developing SIBO are uncontrollable, some cases of SIBO do allow for the individual to be proactive in prevention.

     

    Once the underlying cause of SIBO is identified, potential options for management and prevention can be considered. If SIBO does develop, proper treatment with antibiotics can often be the solution.

     

    The good news is that much more has been learned about this difficult illness that affects a large number of people, and there is hope for treatment and prevention of the many debilitating issues that SIBO can cause.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Premium Medical Content Piece #4 Keywords

    Main Keywords

    Prevention of Kidney Disease

    Supporting keywords   

    Characteristics of Kidney Disease

    Main Causes of Kidney Disease

    H1 Title: Prevention of Kidney Disease

    SEO Title

    (50-60 characters): Prevention of Kidney Disease

    Meta Description (160 characters): Nearly 80 million individuals in the United States alone are at high risk of kidney disease due to the coexistence of other medical conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

    The marked highlights are for backlinking to specific content pieces in this same package.

    Highlight 1:  Content Piece #2

     

     

  • Aging And Your Immune System

    As You Age, Your Immune System Suffers More

     

    As time goes on and you continue to age, your immune system becomes worse and worse. When you’re still a baby, you have a pretty poor immune system, but that gets fixed within a few years and after you get adequately vaccinated.

     

    However, once you start transitioning from being an adult to being a senior, that immune system continues to slow down more and more. One of the reasons your immune system doesn’t work as well with age is that your production of white blood cells is slowed down.

     

    Your body continuously produces these cells because they naturally die off and get recycled regularly, but as your production of them slows down, there won’t be as many overall to replace the ones that die.

     

    This leaves you with fewer cells to fight off incoming diseases than you would’ve had when you were younger, making it harder to stave off illness. Some research has found that you may have to get revaccinated after a certain age in order for them to retain their effectiveness.

     

    Vaccines work by essentially giving your white blood cells something to practice on, a very small dose of the disease that they fight and then remember, so that next time they see it they identify it as a threat and take it out swiftly.

     

    As you age, this “knowledge” doesn’t quite get passed down as well through cells, and eventually they might “forget” that a disease they’ve encountered is an enemy. Another issue that your body may encounter with age is an increase in autoimmune diseases, meaning that your body begins to attack itself.

     

    This occurs for a variety of reasons, but it means that your immune system begins to go after healthy body cells that are just doing their job, which can have both light impacts and serious ones.

     

    When it comes to the parts of the immune system that are working properly, they tend to work less well with age. The white blood cells that do go to fight off infections and viruses will do so with less ferocity than they used to, meaning it takes a lot longer to get rid of an illness than it would have when you were younger.

     

    Without the proper speed of an attack, the disease might get a foothold much easier and might have an easier time spreading and overtaking certain parts of the body. It’s important for your longevity and quality of life to do everything you can to bolster your immune system as you age.

     

  • How To Boost Your Immune System Naturally

    7 Strategies for Boosting Your Immune System Naturally

     

    It used to be that people only got preventative care once a year. But all that has changed, and there’s a focus on staving off health problems – from colds and flus to cancer and diabetes.

     

    One way you can ensure you stay healthy and avoid having to head to the doctor for something minor or serious is to give your body a fighting chance at fighting back against invasive health woes.

     

    You have the ability to implement immune boosting habits and make changes that not only work to help you get better when you’re sick, but also to prevent illness from taking hold in the beginning.

     

    Your immune system is like any other part of your body. It can be strong, or it can be weak. What you do with your lifestyle will determine just how strong or how weak it is.

    There are seven ways that you can boost your immune system naturally, without exposing it to toxic chemicals and formulas.

     

    #1 – Make Sleep a Priority

     

    While it might seem like this is a small step, it’s actually one of the biggest and best changes you can make on your immune system’s behalf. When you get the right amount of sleep, it protects your immune system and gives it the power it needs to surround pathogens and swiftly deal with them.

     

    While you’re sleeping, your body’s immune system is busy producing cytokines. These proteins are necessary in order to fight back against illness. When you don’t get the sleep that you need, your body has fewer of these cytokines.

     

    That means your immune system is trying to keep you healthy without the amount of tools that it needs to use to fight with. Research has long shown that there’s a link between how much sleep you get and how well your immune system performs.

     

    This is one reason that you’ll sometimes feel sleepy when you get sick. This is your body trying to help you get better. People who don’t get enough sleep or who sleep fitfully are at greater risk of catching an illness.

     

    How much sleep you need to get is determined by your age. The younger a person is, the more sleep he or she needs. If you’re an adult, you should aim for around 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

     

    People who regularly run on less than 6 hours of sleep are more likely to become sick. Then when they get sick, their body has more trouble fighting it off. You’ve probably heard how important getting enough sleep is, but you struggle to get it.

     

    If you’re having trouble sleeping, you need to establish a routine that conditions your body’s internal clock to sleep when it’s time to sleep. You might use natural melatonin to help you get a full night’s rest.

     

    You can also start a healthy pre-bedtime routine where you limit the amount of caffeine you ingest, turn off electronic gadgets, and take a warm bath to help your body when it’s time to go to bed.

     

    #2 – Create Healthy Meal Plans

     

    Eating well is one of the best ways to keep your body’s immune system healthy. Most people try to eat right because they want to maintain the right weight. But even if you’re not overweight, you still need to eat foods that are nutritious for your body.

     

    The food that you consume does so much more for you than just help control the pounds you put on or keep off. You need the nutrients that these foods contain because they work with your immune system to keep you well.

     

    Eating healthy is simple. The more natural a food is, the better it is for your body. These are things that contain no additives and no preservatives. Foods like fruits and vegetables top the list of what to choose when eating healthy.

     

    These foods pack an immune boosting punch because they’re known to fight back against inflammation caused by illnesses, such as viruses. Not only do these foods fight against short term inflammation from things like the common cold, but they also help against long term inflammation caused by health problems.

     

    When you choose natural foods, it boosts your body’s digestive system and helps it work better for you. Many people think that you can just get sick by being around germs someone passed along through coughing or sneezing.

     

    But you can get sick by eating foods that someone who’s sick has touched, too. When you eat right, your digestive tract will prevent the germs from flourishing and making you sick.

     

    Eat natural foods like fruits that have vitamin C, because these foods are loaded with antioxidants, which protect the immune system. Colorful foods like red grapes, oranges, yellow bananas and leafy greens are usually the healthier ones to choose.

     

    Remember when you were sick, and your mom made chicken soup for you? That’s because chicken soup is also loaded with antioxidants as well as amino acids that can prevent illness.

     

    Boosting your immune system by eating healthy is also about what you need to limit or remove from your eating plan. Be careful with how much added sugar you allow in your diet.

     

    Not only are these empty calories that don’t give you the vitamins and minerals your body needs, but foods loaded with sugar-laden carbs make you gain weight and weight gain makes your odds of becoming ill much higher.

     

    When you weigh more, your immune system will not work as well to prevent you from getting sick. But limiting how much sugar you get, it lowers the toll on your immune system.

     

    When you eat something that contains sugar, it dampens your immune system until that sugary food or drink is digested fully. If you’re addicted to sugar in your diet, take steps to wean yourself off and switch to healthier foods.

     

    #3 – Change Your Fats

     

    If you’re like most people, you don’t really pay that much attention to what kinds of fats are in the foods that you eat. The wrong fats not only make you gain weight, but they can also suppress your immune system.

     

    The right kinds of fats, the healthy ones, do just the opposite. That’s because they empower your immune system to react as it should whenever there’s a threat. The kinds of fats that you need to have are ones contained in products such as olive oil.

     

    Olive oil is anti-inflammatory as well as antioxidant and antibacterial. It also contains vitamin K and vitamin E. Vitamin K boosts immune system response and vitamin E does the same thing.

     

    You want to make sure that you use extra virgin olive oil as opposed to simple refined olive oil. For foods that contain good fats, choose things like fatty fish, nuts and seeds as well as avocados.

     

    Cook with oils such as sunflower oil, which contains fatty acids that are good for the immune system. Canola oil also contains Omega-3, which is one of the fatty acids that boots immune health.

     

    #4 – Use Probiotics

     

    Studies have shown that using probiotics can help boost your immune system health. One of the ways they do this is by helping your gut develop a healthy bacteria balance by limiting the kind that make you more susceptible to illness.

     

    In addition to that, probiotics work to aid the immune system with the cycle of creating antibodies against whatever is threatening you. This happens by raising the production of certain cells.

     

    Your body has what’s known as natural killer cells. The job of these cells is to go after the foreign substance introduced into your body. The minute that you’re exposed to an antigen, these cells communicate with the immune system to get busy producing antibodies to whatever is going on.

     

    They’re your gatekeeper against viruses. You want to boost your immune system by making sure your body has plenty of these cells. The way to do that goes back to eating healthy.

     

    Your meals should consist of natural foods that boost immunity, such as blueberries. You should also make sure that the meats you consume are lean rather than fatty. You can find helpful probiotics in yogurts, too.

     

    But you’ll need to look for the ones that are specifically labeled to contain lactobacillus acidophilus. Not only will this help gut bacteria balance for a healthy immune system, but it will also help protect against respiratory illness.

     

    When you consume probiotics on a regular basis, you lower your chances of catching a cold. If you do end up catching a cold, using probiotics can help you get better faster, because they boost your immune system response.

     

    You don’t just have to eat yogurt to get a healthy dose of probiotics. You can find this naturally in items like sauerkraut. You can also find it in pickles. Any food that’s fermented is a good source of probiotics.

     

    If you want to, you can take a probiotic supplement, but it’s better to get your probiotic from a food source because they’re less likely to break down and lose potency. You can even find probiotics in wine.

     

    Research has shown that wine contains a higher level of probiotics than the amount found in yogurt. Studies show that people who consume foods containing probiotics have a quicker immune system reaction to illness and fight these illnesses off better than those who don’t have regular consumption of probiotics as part of their diet.

     

    #5 – Get Regular Exercise

     

    If you’re someone who works out regularly, you already have a great habit that helps boost your immune system. Research has shown that getting regular exercise helps with the production of the cells your body needs to keep sickness at bay.

     

    When you exercise, it clears your airways and lowers your odds of getting a respiratory illness. The reason for this is because when you exercise, your body creates more white blood cells.

     

    These are the cells that your body needs in order to fight against viruses and other things that are harmful to your health. Those with a lower white blood cell count tend to catch a cold or the flu more often than not.

     

    Regular exercise can improve your white blood cell count, specifically your T-cells, regardless of your age or current physical condition. Studies have shown that older adults who exercise often will see the same number of cell production as young people have.

     

    To boost your immune system, it’s important that you stick to the same schedule weekly. If you exercise four days a week, then make that your habit and don’t skip workouts whenever you feel like it, because consistency is key to getting the benefit for your immune health.

     

    You also want to make sure that your exercise is at least moderate in effort. That means if you take a walk, make it a brisk one. Jogging, swimming, and bicycling are forms of moderate exercise as well. Strength training has also shown to raise the white blood cell count.

     

    #6 – Drink Water

     

    While this seems like such a simple step to boosting the immune system, it’s an important one. When you don’t drink enough water, your body will struggle to flush waste.

     

    At the same time, your body’s immune system will also be impacted. When you don’t have enough water in your body, it harms the lymphatic system. It’s this system that’s integral to your overall immune system.

     

    This is the part of your body that works to produce white blood cells. When your lymphatic system isn’t where it needs to be, it can’t be on the alert for pathogens that might harm you.

     

    You end up getting bacterial and viral infections when this system isn’t working properly. If you’ve ever felt thirsty, that’s a sign that you already entered the state of dehydration. Your body gives you the signal that you’re thirsty after this state, not before.

     

    This is a sign that your immune system is currently impaired until the dehydration is addressed. Dehydration can make you sick. When you don’t get the amount of water that your body’s immune system needs, this will cause your cells not to be able to function the way that they should.

     

    This leaves you open to illness. In order to protect your health, make sure that you drink plenty of water every day – even when you don’t feel thirsty. You can see that you’re drinking enough water by gauging the color of your urine.

     

    It should be pale yellow like a very weak lemonade or clear. Darker urine is a sign that you’re not getting enough water. You’ll also want to adjust your amount of water intake based on your physical level. The more active you are, or the hotter the temperature you’re in, the more water you should drink.

     

    #7 – Use Supplements

     

    The right kind of supplement can be beneficial to your immune system. But there are some on the market that claim they can boost your immune health, when they don’t contain any vitamin or mineral ingredients supporting that claim.

     

    Be aware of which supplements you should take to boost your immune system and which ones you shouldn’t waste money on. Certain supplements can strengthen your system.

     

    One of these is vitamin C. When people get sick, they often crave orange juice. That’s the body’s natural response trying to get the help it needs when the immune system is having to fight against an invader.

     

    This vitamin is essential to help the body produce white blood cells, which are imperative in the fight against illnesses. It also aids in how the white blood cells are able to function.

     

    Zinc is a supplement that can also boost your immune system. This mineral helps the immune system activate the cells needed to not only help you get well when you’re ill, but it also strengthens the immune system so that you’re less likely to catch every illness that comes along.

     

    You can find zinc in foods like fortified cereals, beans, nuts, and oysters, but most people, especially the elderly, don’t get this mineral in the amount that is needed for optimal immune health.

     

    Taking a vitamin D supplement is another natural way to help the immune system. This vitamin helps offer your body protection against common viruses such as q cold as well as against more serious ones like the flu.

     

    Without enough vitamin D, your white blood cells can’t do their job correctly. Your immune system also needs supplement vitamins E and A in order to prevent infections as well as sickness.

     

    Selenium is a mineral that’s necessary for your immune system and it’s one of the supplements that can help the body protect itself against viral illnesses. When taking supplements, remember that if you’re taking a daily vitamin separately, first check the recommended daily amount so that you’re within the normal range. It can also help to get your blood work done to see where your body stands in terms of vitamin deficiencies.

     

    Pursuing a preventative mindset when it comes to your overall health is vital to longevity and enjoying a life where you thrive with energy and well-being. Don’t wait until you’ve already begun suffering from an illness to take these precautionary measures.

Copyright @ 2017 DrCurtisMcElroy