Are You Doing These 6 Things to Support Your Immunity?
JAMES COLQUHOUN
When I think back on the last couple of decades, I can’t remember a year where we talked about immunity more than we have now. The immune system is debatably one of the most important in the body, and if we look after it, it can support us through times of illness and disease. Aside from a daily supplement, I want to know, are you doing these 6 things to support your immunity? If not, let’s get started!
1. Eat Foods Rich In Immune-Boosting Micronutrients
First and foremost, I am all about using the power of nutrition to create a healthy body. One thing we can be certain of is how the body uses properties found in certain foods to support our immune system. Whether they’re rich in vitamins C & D, or have high levels of zinc, you can eat a diet full of these health-promoting foods. But what exactly should you be eating? Stay tuned, because I’ll be sharing some of my favorites in the upcoming Total Wellness Summit.
2. Stop Seeing Inflammation As The Problem
By understanding the role of inflammation in the body, especially acute inflammation as the immune system’s response to healing from trauma, we can support this process and use it as needed for a robust system (but no more than that)! It sounds like a crazy concept, right? But it starts to make sense when you think about it. Dr. Eric Zielinski, a doctor of Chiropractic Medicine and aromatherapy expert, explains it like this… “What are the root causes of inflammation? Well, they are infinite. But ultimately the reason why we have an inflammatory response is because it’s the body’s natural innate immune response to a threat.” So what do we do? Dr. Z recommends that we acknowledge the role inflammation plays in the body, but don’t allow it to take over other areas of our life. This way, we’re not continuously straining the immune system and distracting it from the true work to be done.
3. Stop Putting The Body Under ‘Perceived Threat’
When is the right time for inflammation, and when do we need to address it? When we cut our bodies while preparing food, or burn our palms on a hot stove, we need inflammation. These are traumas to the body, and we need energy and heat directed to the site to prevent infection and support cell regeneration. Perceived traumas are something else altogether. Constant stress is a big one; our fight or flight system exists to run from a lion chasing us down in the jungle. It’s not meant to be for everyday life. This includes the foods when put in the body too; when we are eating certain foods, such as refined sugar, gluten for some, dairy for others, our body launches an inflammatory immune response, which when left unaddressed becomes chronic and fatigues our systems.
4. Remove Physical Threats Within The Air
In a post-2020 world, most of us now understand the dangers of airborne toxins or disease, so it’s time to focus on removing these physical threats from the air; such as harsh chemicals, undisclosed pollutants, or even lingering bacteria and viruses. It seems easier said than done, especially with something as uncontrollable as air, so Dr. Z recommends using aromatherapy to change the makeup of the air around you and reduce the chance of threats. “That’s where I specialize in aromatherapy to give the body what it needs to start healing itself,” he said. “It’s an inside-out approach, not outside-in, where we believe if we give the body what the body needs, the body will regenerate.”
5. Bring Nature Inside
Dr. Z credits forest bathing for supporting his overall wellbeing, which you will have the opportunity to learn all about in the upcoming Total Wellness Summit, but there are a few ways you can implement a little of that philosophy into daily life. He suggests using essential oils, keeping your windows open as much as possible, purchasing an air purifier (if you can afford it), and removing toxin fragrances from the air and from your skin.
And the science doesn’t lie. According to orthomolecular expert Andrew Saul, our immune systems have always been robust because of their unfiltered exposure to the outside world. Embracing all of the natural offerings is a wonderful way to prompt our immune antibodies, which are needed to fight disease.
6. Address Those Underlying Illnesses (That Are Often Found Together)
Something else to consider that has arisen from 2020 is how comorbidities (those underlying illnesses that are often found together; think heart disease and obesity, celiac disease and thyroid conditions, the list goes on...) are impacting our immune system’s ability to fight disease. In medical terminology, a comorbidity is the presence of one or more additional conditions often co-occurring with a primary condition. Total Wellness Summit expert Dr. Eric Z says that “We know that 60% of Americans have at least one chronic illness. 40% have two… Before 2020, we were not having conversations about comorbidities. Now that’s the biggest thing in the world, right? Comorbidities put people at risk of XYZ, and now people are connecting the dots.” he said.
“Now people are finally having this discussion because the thing about chronic disease and chronic conditions is when you have one, you are exponentially more likely to have another. That’s why so many people, when they are in their 60s, are on multiple drugs to treat blood pressure, treat stress, treat libido, treat sleep. It’s like this cornucopia because once the system is fundamentally broken, everything goes haywire.” So how do we support our immune system to function properly? We begin to address those underlying chronic comorbidities.
This insight is just some of the wisdom shared from Dr. Eric Zielinski and Andrew Saul on all things immunity and holistic health more broadly. Ready to hear more thought-provoking discussions, deep dives on studies, and practical advice to implement in daily life?
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James Colquhoun is the filmmaker behind Food Matters, Hungry For Change, and Transcendence Seasons 1 & 2 and founder of Food Matters and FMTV. Along with Laurentine ten Bosch, James founded the Food Matters community following the release of the 2008 documentary, giving people the tools (films, books, articles, and guided programs) to take charge of their own health. From here, FMTV was born! It was designed as a place where you can access vital information by watching all of your favorite inspiring documentaries, expert interviews, & recipe videos in one place, and in early 2020 FMTV found it's new home on Gaia.