Support your immune system with kinesiology
Discover 10 simple ways to prevent colds, flu and other bugs from getting a grip this autumn and winter
As soon as the crisp mornings kick in and the kids go back to school, the sniffles and sneezes begin. Yet coming down with a cold, flu or other bug doesn’t have to be inevitable. There are many simple measures you can take to support your immune system, prevent colds and flu, and protect yourself against infections. Like everything else in our bodies, our immune systems require the right fuel and maintenance to function well. Kinesiology can provide this, as it takes an ‘MCPE’ approach to health, which means it encompasses the Mental, Chemical, Physical and Energetic realms. Regular kinesiology appointments to bring each of these areas into balance will support your immune system. However there are steps you can take yourself to strengthen your immunity and ensure your inner terrain is in top condition, so bugs can’t take a hold:
Eat plenty of fresh fruit and veg
We’ve all heard the term ‘eat the rainbow’, which means consuming a mix of colorful fruit and vegetables. Aim for more than ‘5 a day’ and include as many plant varieties as you can in to your meals, from roots and fruits to legumes and leafy greens. This could be a handful of blackberries on your porridge, snacking on carrots and humous (instead of crisps or cake), a hearty vegetable soup at lunchtime, or stirring some wilted spinach into a curry.
Dose up on vitamin C and zinc
Ideally, we would get all the nutrients we need from our food, but even if we eat ‘well’, this can be difficult. The soil that most veg and fruit is grow in has been depleted by intensive farming. As far back as four decades ago, studies showed that carrots in 1936 contained 92% more calcium, 4 times more magnesium and 88% more iron than carrots grown in 1987 (according to Cytoplan who reference research by government scientists). The soil situation has only got worse since then. Zinc is another mineral that is diminished in soil and subsequently food. So unless you are growing your own or are able to splash out on an organic Riverford box each week, you may need some supplementation. Zinc picolinate will support your immune system. In addition, our bodies do not store vitamin C, so a regular intake is important through the winter. A summer spent smothered in SPF could mean you need extra vitamin D too. (Use the discount code: CYT154836-35-10 for 10% discount on nutritional supplements at Cytoplan.
Schedule some early nights and manage stress levels
Stress depletes us and lowers our immunity (so much so that a synthetic form of cortisol - the ‘stress hormone’ is given to transplant patients to prevent their immune systems from rejecting the donor organ). So managing stress is key in supporting our immune system.
Listen to your body and avoid pushing through, especially if you feel exhausted. Our ancestors rose with sun and retired early during the darker months. This doesn’t sound like fun, but if you can get a few early nights a week, your body will thank you - and your immune system will reward you, by fighting off infections swiftly and easily, so either you’re not taken out by them at all, or you recover speedily. An Epsom salt bath before bed will relax your muscles, so you can slip into slumber easily. Putting phones and screens away (or in flight mode) a couple of hours before bedtime will help too. A good vitamin B-complex supplement can also support the nervous system, when we are under stress.
Get outside and into the daylight
Many of us are light-deprived. In fact, 90% of the UK population spend more than 90% of their time indoors. (This is more than the minimum legal requirement for prisoners). When it’s chilly outside, it’s tempting to stay inside, but we need light to set our circadian rhythms, so a walk in the morning and at lunchtime is beneficial for our bodies.
When morning light hits the retina, it sends signals to the pineal gland to switch off melatonin to wake us up. Conversely, darkness signals the pineal gland to release melatonin, so that we sleep. It helps to reduce screen usage in the evenings too, as the blue light emitted tells the pineal gland it’s daytime.
In addition, sun rise contains infra-red and near-red light waves, which is converted into energy by the mitochondria in our cells and has many other benefits for health. (It’s why the celebs and biohackers are going mad for red light therapy, aka photo-biomodulation). An easier and less expensive option, particularly as autumn arrives and dawn gets later, is to go for a sunrise walk, if you can. (I’m not an early bird but I did this several times last winter when the sun rise was around 8ish and felt better for it).
Drink 2L filtered water each day
The cells, fascia and other parts of our bodies require hydration to function well. Aim to drink two litres of filtered water each day. I find this hard, particularly during the colder months, so adding a little hot water from the kettle can help. A pinch of Celtic or Himalayan salt and a squeeze of lemon in a glass of water is good in the morning (ideally before tea or coffee), as it will provide some electrolytes (minerals which increase the body’s ‘charge’).
Look after your gut microbiome
Following the above suggestions will naturally support your gut microbes. So will eating a diverse range of plants, nuts and seeds - 30 per week is the number many nutritionists recommend. Adding a spoonful of chia, milled flax, or other seeds to overnight oats is an easy way to increase the variety. Leaving the skins on carrots, potatoes, apples and other fruit and veg will increase beneficial microbes and provide fibre too. Fermented foods, such as live yogurt, kefir, kimchi and sauerkraut are popular and good for the gut. It may be necessary to take a probiotic but avoid any drinks with added sugar or flavour.
Curb processed sugars and refined carbs
Crumbles and stodgy puddings were always a big part of autumn and winter for me, not to mention warming mugs of hot chocolate or mulled wine, but sugar is no friend for our immune systems. It also destroys the gut flora (microbes). I still enjoy a ‘sweet treat’, just not quite as often as I did. So if you can reduce or swap out refined carbs and processed sugars, you will feel better. Easy swaps are Buckwheat flour and oats instead of white flour in crumbles, energy balls instead of biscuits, brown rice instead of white rice, quinoa or buckwheat instead of couscous, sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes, golden latte (with turmeric and other spices) instead of hot chocolate etc.
Make movement a priority
Our lymphatic system does not have a pump, so it needs hydration and movement for it to flow. Lymph fluid feeds and cleans our cells, and is part of the immune system. Moving can take any form that suits you, whether yoga, pilates, running, walking, swimming, cycling, chi-gong or the gym etc. Rebounding is also brilliant for moving lymph, as are cross crawl exercises, which we do in kinesiology.
Thymus tapping
The thymus gland produces lymphocytes, these are T-cells which fight infection. Gently tapping the thymus (slightly to the left of the sternum, in front of the heart) can help increase blood flow around it and keep it active. This point can sometimes be quite tender, so you can usually tell if you’re in the right place. Aim to do this for a minute or two each day in the morning and evening, especially if people around you are unwell.
Book a kinesiology appointment
If you are prone to infections and frequently come down with colds and flu, there are other kinesiology techniques and tools that will support your immune system. Book an appointment or a free 15-minute discovery call if you would like to find out more about how kinesiology can help you stay healthy.