If there was a way that you could boost your immunity to reduce viral infections, would you do it? Every day, you are exposed to contaminants as you go about your life. Some of these toxins will result in sickness, while others won’t affect you. It all depends on your immune system.
When it’s working as it should, you won’t even notice all the dangers that lurk in the air around you. Nevertheless, when it’s not operating properly, then you can develop serious health problems. Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and talking about how to boost your immune system.
While it can be done, it’s not going to happen overnight. To strengthen your body’s immune response takes hard work and lifestyle changes. The best way to accomplish this is by using antimicrobial and antiviral herbs, changing your lifestyle, and eating the right things. These changes have immune-boosting effects that help your body to combat germs.
Common Immune Conditions
Many conditions can be the result of your immune system being out of whack. Here are some of the most common disorders that stem from an overactive or underactive immune system. Having these might heighten your risk of catching a “bug:”
•Allergies
Many people have allergies, but few realize that they are immune-related. When you’re around harmless environmental things, like grass or cats, your body overacts to the allergens. The headaches, dripping nose, and watery eyes are all an immune response.
•Asthma
Asthma and allergies run together. With asthma, allergies that trigger the body cause the airways to close, inhibiting breathing. It can also cause you to have a chronic cough when exposed to irritants too.
•Autoimmune Diseases
When you have an autoimmune disease, your body attacks healthy cells and tissues. It’s an immune response that is not fully understood. You see this in conditions like lupus, multiple sclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease.
•Immune Deficiency Disorders
An immune deficiency disorder occurs when the immune system is deficient in one more of its working parts. The lack of functional interest causes it to react too slowly to a threat.
The most practical health problems from this defect are HIV/AIDs. Sadly, some of the impairments to your immune system can allow pathogens to enter the body, which causes infections. Many of these infections can be deadly.
Twenty Ways to Reduce Viral Infections
Your immunity is vital to your overall health and wellbeing. Here are some essential oils, foods, and practices you can observe to improve things.
1. Vitamin C Foods
Why do you think people drink orange juice when they’re sick? Oranges are a citrus fruit full of vitamin C. Oranges aren’t the only fruit that can improve your immunity; try eating pineapple, mangos, honeydew, guava, and black currants too. When you get a common cold or a more serious condition like bronchitis, try reaching for some fruits rather than cough syrup.
2. Oregano
Sure, oregano oil has antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties, but it can fight infections with ease. Oregano has carvacrol and thymol in it, which has substantial antimicrobic assets. Bacteria doesn’t stand a chance with this potent essential oil.
3. Garlic
Garlic has long been used as a natural antibiotic. No wonder it keeps vampires away with its potent smell. It’s considered a superfood because it’s packed with nutrients. Medical News Today posted an article that said that garlic could improve those with cancer and keep it at bay for others.
4. Myrrh
To reduce viral infections, why not try myrrh? Did you know that it’s the most widely used of all the essential oils in the world? It can stop a fever as well as clean wounds. It also has antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic properties.
5. Take Protective Measures
If you don’t want to get sick, then you must be proactive. You can reduce viral infections by wearing a mask, washing your hands, and staying a reasonable distance away from people during cold and flu season.
6. Green Tea
If you want to reduce viral infections, you might want to incorporate green tea into your day. There have been many studies that have proven that this fragrant tea has both antioxidant and antifungal properties. It can help to strengthen your immunity as well as fight germs when you’re sick.
7. Exercise May Reduce Viral Infections
If you want to strengthen your immune system and reduce the risk of viral infections, you need to exercise. All you need is 20 minutes a day, three times a week. Not only will it help your immunity, but it will also boost your feel-good brain chemicals.
8. Probiotics
Leaky gut is a relatively new condition that’s getting a lot of attention. It can cause your immune system to weaken, food sensitivities, and autoimmune disorders within the body. However, probiotic foods help to detoxify your colon, and it helps your immunity.
Probiotics supply your gut with good bacteria that can help you with a disease caused by weakened immunity. If you want to reduce viral infections, then start with your gut health first.
9. Ginseng
From the root to the fruit, this plant can help to fight infections and boost immunity. Additionally, this plant also has antimicrobial compounds that can help you to keep both viral and bacterial infections at bay.
The American Journal of Chinese Medicine posted a study that showed that taking ginseng effectively stimulates antigen-precise antibody reactions taken orally. These antibodies smother the poisons and infections in your body, preventing them from invading your healthy cells.
10. Echinacea
Did you know that this herb has potent immune system stimulants in it? No wonder it provides such significant therapeutic value. Naturopaths use this herb to treat reoccurring infections.
11. Bone Broth
Don’t confuse stock and broth as they’re two different things. Bone broth is excellent for your immunity as well as gut health. It’s known to help with the leaky gut syndrome as well as boost your immune system. It tastes great to be used in soups, sauces, or many other recipes.
12. Beta-Carotene Foods
When you think of beta-carotene, you think of carrots and eye health. However, lots of fruits and veggies have this nutrient in them, and it does more than improve your eyes. Add some pumpkin, sweet potatoes, apricots, kale, spinach, and red bell peppers into your diet to improve your immune system.
Look for color when it comes to shopping. Anything with bright orange or red colors has an abundance of beta-carotene in it.
13. Elderberry May Reduce Viral Infections
Many people express surprise when they learn that both the berries and flowers of the elderberry plant can be used medicinally. Shockingly, herbalists relied on this plant for thousands of years. At one time, it was considered the “go-to” for helping the immune system.
14. Reduce Stress
Stress weakens your immune system and makes you more susceptible to getting sick. You can have a heart attack, stroke, or get extremely ill from stress. If you can’t reduce the stress, then use exercise and healthy eating to help combat it.
15. Vitamin D
The Massachusetts General Hospital did a study regarding the importance of vitamin D and respiratory health. If the participants hey found that those with insufficient levels were more apt to suffer from infections.
Vitamin D can be absorbed naturally out in the sun; you can eat foods enriched with it or take a supplement. It’s a vitamin level that you don’t want to drop too low.
16. Astragalus Root
Astragalus is one of the plants that has been used for centuries as part of traditional Chinese medicine. This plant can fight disease as well as boost your immunity. It’s favored over immunosuppressants and chemotherapeutics as it has fewer side effects and is just as potent.
17. Improve Sleep
Your body needs adequate sleep so that it can restore all the damage done during the day. Your cells are repaired during the night as well as your immune system works hard to clean out any bacteria or viruses you’ve been exposed to. When you don’t get enough rest, then your immune system becomes damaged, and you become run down.
18. Ginger
Ginger is one pungent herb, but healers noted its use throughout history. Practitioners believe that ginger helps to remove toxins that get into the organs. If you’ve ever tasted ginger, then you know it has a real warming effect.
It also acts as a scrub brush to your lymphatic system to remove waste, poisons, and other harmful materials.
19. Zinc
Zinc is a mineral that’s getting a lot of attention when it comes to fighting infections. It also helps with the common cold and reduces the buildup of bacteria in the body.
20. Limit Alcohol Consumption
Some alcohol, like red wine, is right for you in small doses. However, there is no nutritional value in alcohol, and it can destroy your liver. If you want to promote immune system health, drink no more than two drinks a week.
Final Thoughts on Taking These Steps to Reduce Viral Infections
To reduce viral infections, you must boost your immunity. Your immune system is composed of cells, organs, and proteins that defend the body from foreign invaders. When it’s functioning as it should, you won’t notice when you encounter viruses and bacteria.
However, if your system becomes compromised, then you will get sick. Thankfully, you have a strong defense when you use herbs, minerals, food, and plants to boost your immunity and fight infections.
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