Ten Tips For A Natural Immune System Boost
Cold and flu season is upon us. The first line of defense is towash your hands often, and keep your work area clean by wipingit down with an alcohol solution.In addition, now is a great time to start boosting your immunesystem. A weakened i...
...mmune system leaves your body susceptible toevery cold and flu virus, especially during the holiday seasonwhen you are in close contact with others, often moving betweentime zones and changing climates.So, how exactly do you go about boosting your immune system?There are a number of great methods. Below are tenrecommendations that will boost your body's immune systemnaturally. Vitamin C: You are probably already aware of this reliablesupplement. Your body cannot store vitamin C so it is dependenton your dietary intake. To make sure you are getting enough itis recommended to take 1,000 mg a day to fight off infection.Goldenseal : You will find this remedy very effective in notonly preventing infection but also reducing inflammation afteryou have a cough or flu symptoms. Turmeric: This herb is a member of the Ginger family and alsoknown as Curcuma. We have a good article on the UHR site onTurmeric along with a chicken recipe that uses this exoticspice. Animal research has shown this herb to be beneficial asan immune stimulant. Recommended dosage is 200 mg per day tosupport immune health. Maitake: These mushrooms enhance immunity, and are especiallyeffective in helping the body to inhibit cancer growth. Maitakeappears to activate the immune response by stimulating the T-cells that are the body's defense against viruses and cancercells. Recommended dosage is 3-7 g per day. Aloe Vera: Supplementation with Aloe Vera has been shown to beextremely effective in bolstering and balancing the immunesystem. Recommended dosage is a quarter glass of juice eachmorning. Take twice a day when you feel a cold or flu coming on. L-Arginine: Is a non-essential amino acid that promotes woundhealing and improves the immune response against bacteria,viruses and tumor cells. Levels of L-Arginine drop duringperiods of increased stress. Recommended dosage is 3-6 g per day. Astragalus: Used for nearly 4000 years in traditional Chinesemedicine. Early Chinese writings refer to it as "the superiortonic". Astragalus is a favorite immune system builder among thenatural health community. It is good for colds, immune-deficiency- related disorders, including AIDS, cancer, andtumors. Black Tea: You may be able to boost your fight against the fluwith black tea. In a recent study, people who gargled with ablack tea extract solution twice per day showed a higherimmunity to flu virus compared to the people who did not garglewith black tea. Black tea represents probably the single biggestsource of flavonoids--a natural class of antioxidants that arefound in many natural plant- derived foods. Olive leaf: Olive leaf extract is a powerful tool in the fightto kill viruses such as the cold, herpes, and Epstein-Barr. Itspower also extends to helping wipe out sinusitis and bronchitis,as well as reducing hypertension and cholesterol levels. Themost important element in olive leaf extract is a compoundcalled oleuropein. When purchasing this supplement, look forcapsules standardized to 6 percent oleurpein. The recommendeddose is 500 mg daily to fight an existing bacterial or viralinfection. Liquorice: Scientific studies have shown that liquoricestimulates immunity. Its ability to fight flu viruses andbacteria allows using it not only for treatment, but also forflu prevention during epidemics. Liquorice root should not beused in cases of high blood pressure, water retention, pregnancyor if on medication. It is best to start thinking about immune health before youbecome ill with the cold or flu virus. Now is a great time tostart improving your diet, learning to cope with stress andtaking an inventory of the gaps in your diet to help decidewhich supplements will be of most benefit to you. Here's to your health!
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