yoga

The immune system: It’s one of your body’s critical lines of defense. So it’s logical that if it’s down-and-out due to stress, toxic exposure or diet, your body isn’t armed to fight infections. Have you ever asked yourself why that one person in your office, classroom or friend group gets sick all the time while others don’t? All signs point to immune compromise. 

Inflammation and the immune system are at the core of so many conditions we see today. Click To Tweet

How does it all work? Inflammation and the immune system are at the core of so many conditions we see today. We know that sugar, processed oils, stress, technology, parasites, roundworms, heavy metals, lack of exercise, pesticides, viruses and mold toxicity all can cause our body to react with inflammation. When I see clients in my private practice I have to address all these potential red flags because it is the only way to reach the underlying issues. I can tell someone to adhere to my Golden Goddess Plate, an amazing foundation of course, but if they have a compromised immune system they’ll still have symptoms of inflammation.

So how do we reset and reach that desired state of homeostasis, or balance, by reducing silent and chronic inflammation? The body is always working to heal itself and wants to be in balance—and we can help it along with some simple supplements:

GLUTATHIONE: Our body’s major antioxidant, it detoxifies and supports immune health. I have taken glutathione in all its various forms—pills, IVs, suppositories—and the benefits are quite remarkable. Since stress, heavy metals, parasites and infections, and mold and allergens can all deplete glutathione, there’s a good chance your levels may be depleted. 

VITAMIN C: Clutch for the immune system, vitamin C is also important for your adrenal glands, which pump out cortisol and adrenaline and affect your hormones (and yes, including your PMS, ladies). It comes in many forms including IV, liposomal form and pills; I take Vimergy Ester C right now and enjoy the benefits. 

PROBIOTICS: There is much controversy out there about the effectiveness of probiotics, but the reality is that every person reacts very differently to them. So it takes a little trial and error to find the right strain for your system. Manufacturers of probiotics often select specific bacterial strains because they know how to grow them in large numbers, not necessarily because they are adapted to the human gut or known to improve health. However, I think people with digestive disorders can greatly benefit from them. There are many ways to get them into your gut; my favorite is through fermented foods or a high-strain probiotic such as Truebifido. Maybe one day the benefits of personalized medicine will extend to probiotics and we’ll easily find just the right one made for our own system. 

Do you have an immune-boosting strategy? I’d love to hear from you.

nourishing lab

melissa