As the dog days of summer fade into autumn, it’s time to think about staying healthy through the inevitable assault of cold and flu season. My solutions have little to do with stocking up on drugstore’s finest, and instead harnessing knowledge that each of us already possesses. Easy as 1-2-3!
1. Managing stress.
Chronic stress is prolonged, severe stress that can affect the immune system by decreasing the body’s lymphocytes, the white blood cells that help fight infection. Managing stress (not to be confused with unrealistically eliminating it) is an important part of staying well because it affects our immune response on a cellular level. Stress damages and even triggers responses from the immune system, including elevating inflammation, which can make us more susceptible to viruses and infections. Stress also raises cortisol levels (cortisol is an essential hormone that affects almost every organ and tissue in the body), which can weaken the immune system. High levels of cortisol make it hard for inflammation to subside and can lead to chronic infections.
Stress is inevitable but how you perceive it can change, whether it impacts you negatively or not. In a 2015 article from Stanford News, psychologist Kelly McGonigal talks about research indicating that stress can make us stronger, smarter, and happier, but only if we learn how to open our minds to it. Specifically, she states that the three most protective beliefs about stress are: 1) viewing your body’s stress response as helpful, not debilitating – for example, viewing stress as energy you can use; 2) viewing yourself as able to handle, and even learn and grow from the stress in your life; and 3) viewing stress as something that everyone deals with, and not something that proves how uniquely screwed up your life is. These various approaches to managing stress are known as the “stress mindset,” a practice we can all cultivate and benefit from.
2. Get plenty of exercise.
We all know that exercise is good for us, but why is it helpful for mitigating colds and flu? Well, exercise increases the circulation of white blood cells, decreases inflammation, and reduces cortisol. For the greatest benefit, regular moderate-intensity exercise is the best to keep the immune system alert and in “good shape.” It is timely and important to mention that a recent article from the Journal of Sports Medicine states that exercise is a solid strategy for COVID-19 and the effects it can have on multiple organ system.
Generally, able adults should get approximately 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, plus two days of muscle-strengthening. Physical activity can include walking, jogging, and swimming, to name a few options, but choice and intensity depends on one’s current level of interest and fitness.
3. Leverage commitment to nutritional health.
This one cannot be overstated. In a previous blog post, I shared my grandmother Lois’s philosophy on food. For her it was all about color, moderation (over deprivation), and variation. While I applaud my grandmother's unique philosophy (for a woman born in 1897, she was no doubt ahead of her time!), I prefer to endorse author Michael Pollin’s now famous, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” But that’s me.
You do your thing, but while doing your thing please consider the following, touted by Dr. Mark Hyman, a leading functional medicine practitioner, author, speaker, and expert on aging:
Vitamin E: Helps our T-cells work optimally so that they can kill infected host cells, activate other immune cells, and regulate the immune response. We get vitamin E from foods like almonds, spinach, broccoli, and kiwi.
Zinc: A mineral that works as an antioxidant and reduces inflammation, and it’s essential for all immune cells to function properly. Zinc is plentiful in grass-fed beef, pumpkin seeds, lentils, and grass-fed yogurt. Carotenoids: A class of compounds found in certain plant foods that have significant antioxidant effects and increases the number and activity of immune cells. We receive carotenoids through orange, red, and yellow bell peppers, spinach, kale, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, and tomatoes among others.
Please join me in tackling the upcoming cold and flu season in a manner that does not render you, darling human, defenseless. Adopt the above and treasure the seasonal changes more than ever.
Mary Daniel is a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach dedicated to the pursuit of good health for everyone. Through her business, Your One Precious Life, she partners with clients and communities and in the spirit of collaboration, paves the way for health transformations.
Interested in a free health consultation? Visit: www.youronepreciouslife.com or email mary@youronepreciouslife.com.
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