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Natural Immune Support for a Healthy Fall Season

by | Sep 16, 2024 | Clean Living, Holistic & Functional Nutrition, News & Tips | 0 comments

Natural Immune Support for a Healthy Fall Season

Natural Immune Support for a Healthy Fall Season

Between fall allergies, back-to-school sicknesses, and the upcoming holiday season, there’s no better time to implement healthy habits that support your immune system, reduce your chances of getting sick, and help you bounce back from illnesses more quickly. These healthy habits are especially beneficial if you’re a parent, teacher, or work with young children, as kids are more frequently exposed to illness-causing pathogens thanks to their developing immune systems and close contact with others. 

Examples of healthy habits that support immunity include seemingly basic things like getting enough sleep and drinking plenty of water, along with other lesser-known strategies like managing stress and boosting gut health. Anywhere from 70 to 80 percent of our immune cells live in the gut, which means our intestinal microbiota — the community of microorganisms residing in the GI tract — can (and do) affect our immune response. 

Fortunately, the healthy habits we’re about to discuss can support both gut health and immunity. Let’s get into what you can do to support and enhance your immune system this fall. 

Healthy habits for fall wellness

To enhance immunity and avoid the back-to-school plague — a term parents and teachers use to describe back-to-school respiratory illnesses like the common cold, flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — healthy lifestyle habits are crucial. Healthy habits don’t just reduce our risk of chronic diseases, promote a healthy weight, and help us live longer, happier lives: they also strengthen the immune response and reduce the likelihood and severity of viral infections.  

At its most basic level, implementing healthy habits means practicing good hand hygiene, covering your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze, and regularly wiping down frequently touched surfaces throughout your home. You can learn how to find non-toxic hand soaps, household cleaners, and personal care products in this blog. 

Physical activity: a natural immune booster for adults & kids

Along with preventative actions like practicing good hand hygiene, regularly engaging in physical activity is a habit that enhances immunity and improves overall health and well-being. Engaging in just 45 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five days a week has been associated with a reduced risk of colds, while other research suggests that regular moderate-intensity exercise decreases the incidence and severity of influenza and pneumonia. 

Physical activity also helps reduce psychological stress, which is another risk factor for immune dysfunction, inflammation, oxidative stress, infectious disease, and poor health overall. Check out this blog post if you need help fitting exercise into your busy schedule. 

Don’t overdo it on physical activity, either

Though exercise is important for immune health, it’s also important to avoid over-exercising. Overly intense or prolonged exercise seems to have the opposite effect on immunity, increasing the risk of immune dysfunction and illness. During cold and flu season, it’s best to aim for less than 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity exercise at a time.

Other daily habits that support immunity

Other things that support immunity and reduce the risk of illness include daily habits like getting enough sleep and staying hydrated. Examples of these immunity-enhancing habits include:

  • Drinking plenty of water. Stay hydrated throughout the day by drinking plenty of water, herbal tea, and hydrating plant foods like watermelon, strawberries, and cucumber. Only drink alcoholic beverages in moderation, as excess alcohol weakens the immune system. 
  • Prioritizing sleep. Getting seven to nine hours of quality sleep nightly supports immunity and decreases the susceptibility to illness even after exposure to a virus. 
  • Getting enough sunlight. Getting anywhere from five to 30 minutes of sunshine daily is necessary to support immunity and prevent a vitamin D deficiency, as Vitamin D plays an important role in immune function. Just be sure to apply a clean sunscreen to any exposed areas of your skin if you’ll be spending more than 30 minutes outdoors.   
  • Eating a well-balanced diet. Eating a balanced diet rich in lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and whole grains is one of the best things you can do for your immune system and gut microbiota. The more color and variety loaded on your plate, the better! Specific examples of immune-boosting foods include garlic, carrots, kiwi, broccoli, berries, oranges, and leafy greens.
  • Consuming a variety of gut-friendly foods. Eat lots of probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, kimchi, and tempeh — along with a variety of prebiotic-rich foods such as Jerusalem artichokes and asparagus. Prebiotics feed your “good” gut microbes and help to keep them alive.

Natural remedies for cough, flu, and cold prevention

Paired with a well-balanced diet, taking certain wellness supplements — especially in the fall and winter — may support your immune system and reduce your chances of getting sick. And if you do come down with something, these natural immune boosters may even reduce the severity of your symptoms and help you recover more quickly. 

For example, some research suggests that supplementing with zinc during cold and flu season prevents colds and reduces the duration of illness. Zinc can also be found in food sources like seafood, beef, beans, and nuts. 

Other vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients that support immunity and offer protection against viral infections include:

  • Vitamins A, C, D, and E.
  • Vitamin B6, B9, and B12.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids. 
  • Magnesium, iron, selenium, and copper. 

Depending on your nutritional status and the function of your immune system, we may recommend supplementing with one or more of these nutrients. In some cases, however, nutrient testing may be necessary before starting a supplement. 

Probiotic therapy for immune support

Taking Lactobacillus-containing probiotic supplements has also been shown to help prevent upper respiratory tract infections (URIs) and reduce the need for antibiotics. Plus, the benefits of probiotic supplementation may be twofold since probiotics improve gut health and promote microbial balance. 

Natural remedies for cough, cold, and flu relief

If you do get sick this fall despite doing your best to prevent illness, there are a few natural remedies you can turn to. These herbal interventions may reduce the severity of your symptoms, alleviate pain and discomfort, or reduce the duration of illness. 

We recommend stocking your natural medicine cabinet with these herbal remedies:

  • Honey to relieve coughing in adults and children over 12 months of age. 
  • Oral zinc lozenges to reduce the duration and severity of the common cold. 
  • Supplemental vitamin C to relieve symptoms of the common cold. 
  • Salt to loosen mucus (when gurgled with water). 
  • A neti pot or nasal spray to ease respiratory symptoms.
  • Essential oils (such as peppermint or eucalyptus essential oil) to manage cold, flu, and cough symptoms. 

Of course, your holistic medicine cabinet can extend to your kitchen as well. Stock up on chicken noodle soup to reduce inflammation and possibly even promote faster healing from illness. We also love ginger tea for easing nausea, vomiting, and muscle pain. 

We offer immune support for kids and adults

At Optimal Health & Wellness, our treatment approach is comprehensive, holistic, and personalized. We offer a variety of services to help you look and feel your best, from vitamin injection therapies and practitioner-grade wellness supplements to bioidentical hormone therapy and dermal fillers. 

Our intravenous (IV) and intramuscular (IM) vitamin therapies are especially beneficial during the back-to-school season and throughout fall and winter, helping to support immunity and boost immune function. You can schedule your next IV or IM vitamin therapy online here. 

To learn how our holistic approach to wellness can support your immune system, boost your gut health, and improve your overall health and well-being, book a 15-minute consult today. 

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