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I’ve been truly humbled by your support and encouragement on this journey to date. Thank you, dear reader, from the bottom of my heart.
Over to the main event….
Most of us are well aware of the usual suspects in our home-remedy bag of tricks: sleep, nutritious food, regular exercise, sunshine.
For THAT list and a few quick reminders, check out my article on immunity here.
But what about the lesser known immunity all-stars? These ‘weird’ gems are not so common, yet can be powerful tools in staying healthy.
For an unusual twist on immune boosters, look no further.
Weird - But It Works!
1. Have a Laugh Attack. They say laughter is the best medicine, and it turns out they’re right. Merriment releases feel-good chemicals to your bloodstream that relieve the stress response and improve overall immunity. Consider a comedy on Netflix tonight, laugh with friends, laugh at yourself - just keep those belly laughs coming.
2. Eat Spicy Food. Spicy food hails from hot countries for a reason. Spicy food has natural anti-bacterial effects. Bonus round: it also combats inflammation, speeds up metabolism, and can extend longevity.
3. Get Upside Down. The act of turning your body upside down is well known in the world of yoga for boosting immunity. How? It literally shuffles your blood around, sending the antibodies in your bloodstream to areas that may be missing out (exercise achieves this too). If a handstand or aerial yoga is not happening, try laying on your back with your legs up the wall.
4. Hug a Tree. Research shows that walking in nature for as little as twenty minutes daily calms the nervous system, boosts mood - and boosts immunity too. This is as important in winter as in balmy weather. Put on those long johns and hug a tree today.
5. Cold Showers & Cold Plunge. I admit this one’s a hard sell, but Wim Hof is living proof that it works. As you immerse yourself in cold water, your body struggles to stay warm by increasing its metabolic rate. This results in the production of more white blood cells because your systems think they’re under attack. Basically, you’re tricking your body into shoring up its defenses.
6. Sing Your Heart Out. Singing is well-documented as a natural anti-depressant, and surprise, surprise, it turns out that belting out your favourites also kick starts the immune system. Who doesn’t love a good car sing-a-long?
7. Drink a Mushroom Latte. We’re just beginning to tap into the incredible health benefits of mushrooms. Three varieties in particular are powerhouses: shiitake, chaga, and reishi. The benefits of these fungi in keeping your system finely tuned are endless. If a latte isn’t up your alley, try a supplement, or in the case of shiitake, eat them on a regular basis.
8. Make Love Not War. Sex has been shown to lower blood pressure, induce better sleep, and yes, reduce the number of days you get sick. Plus, let’s face it: this one might be more fun than a mushroom latte or a cold shower!
9. Eat Black Licorice. Licorice’s main active ingredient, glycyrrhizin, has effects that are useful for supporting the immune system. One is that it blocks the receptor in the airways that some viruses use to enter the cells. Avoid if you have high blood pressure, are pregnant or are breastfeeding, though.
10. Have Fun (also see: laugh, sing, have sex…). Happiness is amazing for its own sake, of course. Lucky for us, having fun releases endorphins and feel-good chemicals to your bloodstream that shore up our body’s ability to keep in fighting trim. Make time for fun, for nonsense, for less productivity, for more play.
It’s a prescription that goes down easy.