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Dr Harry's 6 Tips to Keep your Immune System Strong
Let's keep our bodies functioning at their best
- Written by Dr. Harrison Weisinger
It’s a strange time in the world with confusion and uncertainty about so many aspects of our lives – our health, work, businesses, education, travel and recreation. While I’m not an infectious diseases expert, I’m hoping to contribute a bit of clarity, even if just a little!
I’ve have been asked over and over “as a GP can you tell me what to do to bolster my immune system?”. I’ve done my best to answer this simply, but without any discussion of the behavioural changes that you already know about (e.g. social distancing, hand washing) to avoid contracting COVID-19.
My 6 tips to apply:
#1 Try to get enough sleep
No magic here – sleep is incredibly important for maintaining immunity, and sleep deficiency has been associated with decreased immunity. The simplest way to get enough sleep is to make sure that you have enough time in bed with your eyes closed (sounds simple, but many people don’t do the maths!).
There are other things you can, which we discussed last week in our blog, like avoiding eating and exercising late in the day, keeping your bedroom cool overnight, trying not to use screens late close to bedtime, and avoiding caffeine in the afternoon. You may wish to try supplements such as melatonin, magnesium and phosphatidylserine as these work for many people.
#2 If you get the sniffles, don’t push past it!
As a pretty serious cyclist, myself, I know how hard this one is to execute. It’s certainly a trade-off between the psychological downside of not training and the physiological upside of recovery. Working with my coach, I’ve found something like the middle ground in training at around 70% intensity when I’m just not feeling right. Having said this, there is no time when it’s ok to train with an upper respiratory tract infection.
#3 If not, continue to exercise*.
When I say “exercise”, I’m generally referring to training for the purposes of improved performance and / or preparation for competition. Exercise of moderate to hard intensity profoundly affects both the number and function of immune cells (such as lymphocytes, neutrophils and NK (natural killer) cells in such a way that immunity actually increases both during and immediately post-exercise.
*Unfortunately, however, it is a well-established fact that immune function is decreased for several hours after hard, endurance exercise. This “open window” provides pathogens with an opportunity to infect athletes and may, in some way, explain the susceptibility of well-trained athletes to upper respiratory tract infections. In any case, there’s never been a better time to give your body extra time to recover after training!
#3 If not, continue to exercise*.
When I say “exercise”, I’m generally referring to training for the purposes of improved performance and/or preparation for competition. Exercise of moderate to hard intensity profoundly affects both the number and function of immune cells (such as lymphocytes, neutrophils and NK (natural killer) cells in such a way that immunity actually increases both during and immediately post-exercise.
*Unfortunately, however, it is a well-established fact that immune function is decreased for several hours after hard, endurance exercise. This “open window” provides pathogens with an opportunity to infect athletes and may, in some way, explain the susceptibility of well-trained athletes to upper respiratory tract infections. In any case, there’s never been a better time to give your body extra time to recover after training!
#4 Eat nutritious food
The human body has evolved to be able to deal with most infections through a combination of innate and acquired immunity. Needless to say, the immune system is complex and there’s virtually no part of the body that doesn’t chip in – for instance, the skin, tear film, lining of the nose, cells in the blood, lymph nodes and organs like the spleen all play a major role. For these things to work and work properly, they require energy and various nutrients. Of course, eating a ‘good diet’ is easier said than done – but let’s stick to the basics.
Fresh vegetables and fruit, a handful of nuts, eggs, meat, chicken, fish and a little bit of dairy, as well as so-called ‘healthy fats’ such as avocado and olive oil, omega-3 fatty acids and MCT oil. Various micronutrients are essential for immunocompetence, particularly vitamins A, C, D, E, B2, B6, and B12, folic acid, iron, selenium, and zinc. While it’s unclear whether there is any advantage in having high levels of these micronutrients, dietary deficiency is likely to cause problems. So, if there’s any risk of deficiency, you should consider taking a specific supplement or a multivitamin.
#5 Try fasting
If this seems to you to be the opposite of point 4, read on! Recent research has suggested that fasting, be it for a prolonged period (say 1 – 7 days) or in the form of time-restricted eating (e.g. 16 hours fasting and 8 hours during which to eat each day) leads to reduced inflammation, and improved immune function. Combining eating good food with periodic or intermittent fasting is an excellent way to promote both immunity and longevity.
#6 Seek mental help
If you have underlying mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression, seek help now. There is some evidence, albeit poorly understood, that mental health issues such as depression are linked with immune function through a serotonergic mechanism. Anecdotally, at least, it appears to me as a GP that those suffering with depression or anxiety are predisposed to a variety of health issues.
#5 Try fasting
If this seems to you to be the opposite of point 4, read on! Recent research has suggested that fasting, be it for a prolonged period (say 1 – 7 days) or in the form of time-restricted eating (e.g. 16 hours fasting and 8 hours during which to eat each day) leads to reduced inflammation, and improved immune function. Combining eating good food with periodic or intermittent fasting is an excellent way to promote both immunity and longevity.
#6 Seek mental help
If you have underlying mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression, seek help now. There is some evidence, albeit poorly understood, that mental health issues such as depression are linked with immune function through a serotonergic mechanism. Anecdotally, at least, it appears to me as a GP that those suffering with depression or anxiety are predisposed to a variety of health issues.
The Truth team are here for you during these hard and confusing times. If you have any questions you would like answered in these blogs, please email: talk@truthorigins.co.uk
Be safe!
Dr. Harrison Weisinger (MBBS, Ph.D.)
Dr. Harry is the Medical Director for Truth Origins, and a practicing medical doctor in Australia. Throughout his working career as medical doctor, university professor, and scientist, Dr. Harry has committed his life to improving human health. Each month he reads the various journals and studies being conducted across the world’s leading universities and research hospitals to bring you the latest research surrounding the truth about plant-based medicine.
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References
[1] Besedovsky L, Lange T, Haack M. The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease.Physiol Rev. 2019 Jul 1;99(3):1325-1380.
[2] Kruk J, Kotarska K, Aboul-Enein BH. Physical exercise and catecholamines response: benefits and health risk: possible mechanisms. Free Radic Res. 2020 Feb 18;:1-21.
[3] Wu H, Denna TH, Storkersen JN, Gerriets VA. Beyond a neurotransmitter: The role of serotonin in inflammation and immunity. Pharmacol Res. 2019 Feb;140:100-114.
[4] Brandhorst S, Choi IY, Wei M, Cheng CW, Sedrakyan S, Navarrete G, Dubeau L, Yap LP, Park R, Vinciguerra M, Di Biase S, Mirzaei H, Mirisola MG, Childress P, Ji L, Groshen S, Penna F, Odetti P, Perin L, Conti PS, Ikeno Y, Kennedy BK, Cohen P, Morgan TE, Dorff TB, Longo VD. A Periodic Diet that Mimics Fasting Promotes Multi-System Regeneration, Enhanced Cognitive Performance, and Healthspan. Cell Metab. 2015 Jul 7;22(1):86-99.
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