Perhaps the most dreaded type of all common ailments is the flu. It is estimated that 114,000 Americans are hospitalized every year for influenza, and that 36,000 Americans die from the disease. Given how widespread the flu virus is, it makes perfect sense to take steps to naturally bolster your immune system. Here are some easy to follow tips that can increase your body's defenses against influenza.
Keep Your Thymus Healthy - The thymus, a fist-sized organ located behind the sternum part of the chest, is an invaluable part of your immune system. If you can improve the performance of your thymus, your immune system will almost certainly follow suit and function more effectively. One way to do this is to consume asparagus root, in either capsule form or brewed in tea. Ingesting about 100 to 150mg of asparagus root per day will increase your thymus's ability to fight off toxins. Acupuncture can also stimulate the thymus - simply tap your index and middle fingers gently against the center part of your sternum. Do this exercise 50 times in the morning and at night.
Try Some Helpful Herbs - Three herbs known to improve immune system performance are Lingstrum, Cherokee Rose and Honeysuckle. Recent studies have confirmed Lingstrum's immune system-boosting qualities. The herb increases white blood cell production, aids in the destruction of toxins and enables T-Cell lymphocytes to destroy greater numbers of hostile invaders. Cherokee Rose is an excellect source of vitamin C, and Honeysuckle has been used for centuries to combat bacterial, viral and fungal infections.
Get Some Sleep - Your body's immune system needs all the help it can get to ward off the flu. You can do your immune system a favor by getting at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Sleep plays an especially important role in the maintenance of your health; getting just three night of poor sleep in a row can damage your immune system's performance by 60%.
Practice Good Hygiene - Growing up, you were probably told to wash your hands on a regular basis. This bit of parenting is grounded in solid logic; a person with flu can easily spread it by sneezing on their hands, and then touching virtually any kind of surface - be it keyboards, telephones or door knobs. Consequentially, you can unwittingly pick up flu germs by touching commonly shared items. Fortunately, washing your hands with antibacterial soap and warm water can knock out a good number of these flu-causing bacteria. To further tilt the odds in your favor, avoid touching your face with your hands, as germs of all types use your eyes, nose and mouth as gateways into your body. If you do wind up catching the flu, you can do others a favor by taking care not to sneeze or cough on your hands, as this could very well spread germs to others. Instead, use a tissue, or cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow.
Drink Up - Here's another good reason to drink eight glasses of water per day; water flushes out many of the toxins from your body. To see if you are properly hydrated, just check the color of your urine. Generally, you are in good shape if your urine is clear, but are low in fluids if it appears dark yellowish.
Get Some Aerobic Exercise - In addition to building up calories, aerobic exercise increases your count of virus-killing cells. Examples of aerobic exercises include riding a stationary bike, walking, cycling and swimming.
Learn To Relax - Research has shown that relaxation stimulates your interleukins, proteins in your body that play a large role in the function of your immune system. One relaxation tip is to practice visualizing a calming image. Attempt to perform this exercise for 30 minutes total during the day - you can break it up into smaller intervals if necessary.
Influenza is a very taxing illness, and can put you out of commission for days on end. While it can be easy to get the flu, you can better protect yourself with common-sense adjustments to your daily routine. By following these steps, you can increase your odds of making it through flu season unscathed.
Michael Harris is a contributor to Natural Knowledge 24/7, a monthly newsletter focusing on health and wellness issues. This article, along with many others covering a wide range of subjects, can be found at http://naturalknowledge247.com/
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