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3 Ways To Fortify Your Immune System

Do you shudder when you hear someone cough nearby because you just know you’re going to get sick? 

Evading colds, coughs and the flu can often feel like an uphill battle, whether sickness is going through the office, bugs are going around daycare/school or you’re feeling run-down and more susceptible than usual. If you have inadequate immune defences, it can increase the chance of infection and take longer for your body to recover.

Fortunately, arming yourself with these three ways to fortify your immune response can help you to conquer illnesses that may come your way. Click here to skip to 3 ways to fortify your immunity, or read on to learn why natural medicine is an effective way to enhance immune health.

Why Natural Medicine is a Winter Essential for Everyone

If winter usually means constant sickness and time off work, it’s time for a change. Natural medicines can help you break that cycle, offering scientifically-supported benefits to help you recover faster and stay well.

The beauty of natural medicine is that it works on two levels: it eases symptoms when you’re sick, and strengthens your immune system to reduce your chances of falling ill again.

Whether you or a family member is currently battling a virus, or you just seem to catch everything going around, natural remedies like immune-boosting nutrients and herbal extracts can offer real support.

And if you're feeling stressed, run down, or not eating well, your immune defences are likely taking a hit. That’s why preparing for winter with a few key natural strategies, like better nutrition, targeted supplements, and stress support, can make all the difference. So to support you this winter, here are three ways to feel resilient and ready for whatever’s going around.

1. Take Minerals And Vitamins To Boost Immunity

When immune cells are enlisted for battle, their potential for success comes from having enough nutritional support to rally a robust army. Specifically, a combination of zinc, vitamin C and vitamin D along with regular protein intake can make the difference between an immune army that barely made it through bootcamp versus a squad that gets the job done.

Highlighting their importance, a 2022 review of 85 human studies, concluded that zinc and vitamins C and D enable many anti-viral mechanisms, and their deficiency tends to worsen patient outcomes.¹

It can be hard to obtain optimal nutrient status through diet alone, so supplementing with Meta Zinc With Vitamin C which also includes vitamin D can help to strengthen your immune defences. This combination can help with:

  • Supporting a healthy immune response in children and adults
  • Preventing infection
  • Reducing common cold duration and severity,² and
  • Lowering the risk of zinc deficiency 

In  action, these nutrients have been shown to enhance recovery from the common cold, with 50% of people having no symptoms by day five, versus 27%. Supported by science, this combination can help fortify your entire household against infection.

Family adventure on a winter's day

2. Use Herbal Medicine To Build Resistance

In the early stages of infection, the herb Andrographis can be especially effective, helping to relieve symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat, and thick phlegm. Immune Active NK is a potent herbal formula containing Andrographis that stimulates your immune defences, which can help lessen the severity of the common cold. 

In a review of 33 clinical trials,³ it was shown to speed up recovery and shorten the duration of cold symptoms by 1-3 days.

On the other hand, if your body is struggling to recover after an infection, medicinal mushrooms can help support low energy and immune resilience. Medicinal mushrooms such as reishi, cordyceps, coriolus and shiitake found within Super Mushroom Complex have been used in traditional Chinese medicine over many centuries to help:

  • Manage mild upper respiratory tract infections (reishi⁴ and coriolus⁵);
  • Relieve mucus congestion (reishi⁶ and cordyceps⁴);
  • Support the immune system (shiitake⁷); and,
  • Enhance energy and stamina and reduce fatigue (cordyceps⁸).

When taken consistently for 1 to 3 months, mushrooms like reishi and shiitake have been shown to increase immune cell levels by 15% to 60%.⁹,¹⁰ These cells play a key role in maintaining a strong immune defence, helping the body fight off viruses and bacteria more effectively. To learn more about the benefits of medicinal mushrooms, check out this article.

3. Engage Your Gut Bacteria

It might surprise you to learn that the gut is the key to your immune health with around 70% of your immune system living within your gut. Your resident bacteria and other microscopic organisms, known as your microbiome, directly interact with your immune army¹¹  discussed further in this article.

This affects your overall immune response against infection. Put simply, a healthy gut microbiome full of diverse beneficial bacteria helps to build immune function, whilst a compromised microbiome can hinder your immune army’s response against infection.¹²

Ultra Flora Immune Enhance contains an exclusive combination of three immune-stimulating probiotic strains that have been shown to support a healthy microbiome, enhance healthy immune system function and reduce the severity of common cold symptoms.

Over 12 weeks, adults who took probiotic strains L.plantarum (HEAL9) and L.paracasei (8700:2) reduced their chance of catching a cold by 30%.¹³

To explore our range of evidence-based supplements for symptom relief and immune resilience, click here, so you can feel stronger, recover faster, and stay well.

Feel Fully Fortified and Ready For When An Infection Hits

Equip yourself with immune-enhancing lifestyle changes, dietary decisions and high quality supplements by consulting a Natural Healthcare Practitioner. Qualified to identify the weaknesses in your defence, your Practitioner can advise you of the best plan for your needs. They can also recommend ingredients to boost immunity paired with practical self-care strategies, providing you with an added edge when fending off sickness.

References

  1. Pedrosa LFC, Barros ANAB, Leite-Lais L. Nutritional risk of vitamin D, vitamin C, zinc, and selenium deficiency on risk and clinical outcomes of COVID-19: A narrative review. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2022;47:9-27. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2021.11.003.
  2. Maggini S, Beveridge S, Suter M. A combination of high-dose vitamin C plus zinc for the common cold. J Int Med Res. 2012;40(1):28-42. doi: 10.1177/147323001204000104
  3. Hu XY, Wu RH, Logue M, Blondel C, Lai LYW, Stuart B, et al. Andrographis paniculata (Chuān Xīn Lián) for symptomatic relief of acute respiratory tract infections in adults and children: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2017;12(8). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181780.
  4. Hempen CH, Fischer T. A materia medica for Chinese medicine: plants, minerals and animal products. Edinburgh (UK): Elsevier/Churchill Livingstone; 2009. p. 436-37.
  5. Chu KK, Ho SS, Chow AH. Coriolus versicolor: a medicinal mushroom with promising immunotherapeutic values. J Clin Pharmacol. 2002;42(9):976-84. Review. PMID: 12211223.
  6. Bensky D, Clavey S, Stoger E, Gamble A. Chinese herbal medicine materia medica 3rd ed. Seattle (WA): Eastland Press; 2004 p. 935-37.
  7. Braun L, Cohen M. Herbs and natural supplements: an evidence-based guide. 3rd ed. Sydney (AU): Elsevier/Churchill Livingstone; 2015. p. 61-63.
  8. Cordyceps. In: Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database [database on the Internet]. Stockton (CA): Therapeutic Research Faculty; 1995-2008 [cited 21 July 2024] Available from: http://www.naturaldatabase.com. subscription required to view.
  9. Dai X, Stanilka JM, Rowe CA, et al. Consuming Lentinula edodes (shiitake) mushrooms daily improves human immunity: a randomized dietary intervention in healthy young adults. J Am Coll Nutr. 2015;34(6):478-487. doi:10.1080/07315724.2014.950391
  10. Chen SN, Nan FH, Liu MW, Yang MF, Chang YC, Chen S. Evaluation of Immune Modulation by β-1,3; 1,6 D-Glucan Derived from Ganoderma lucidum in Healthy Adult Volunteers, A Randomized Controlled Trial. Foods. 2023 Feb 3;12(3):659. doi: 10.3390/foods12030659. 
  11. Gill HS. Probiotics to enhance anti-infective defences in the gastrointestinal tract. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2003;17(5):755-773. doi: 10.1016/s1521-6918(03)00074-x.
  12. Levy M, et al. Dysbiosis and the immune system. Nat Rev Immunol. 2017;17(4):219-32. doi: 10.1038/nri.2017.7.
  13. Ahrén IL, Hillman M, Nordström EA, Larsson N, Niskanen TM. Fewer community-acquired colds with daily consumption of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HEAL9 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei 8700:2. A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Nutr. 2021 Jan 4;151(1):214-222. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxaa353.
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