Build an Effective Immune System - Part 1
The Goldilocks Zone
“How to boost your immune system” is probably the most popular blog post, article, webinar, and podcast every winter…but, you won’t hear it from me because, frankly, it’s wrong.
(many people will say I’m just being picky with wording…but I think words matter!)
You (generally) don’t want to boost your immune system. Your immune system is like Goldilocks, it works best when it feels “just right”. Not too high, not too low, juuuust right.
If it’s too hot (overwhelmed/overstimulated) then it can trigger inflammation, allergies, asthma, and sometimes even auto-immune conditions.
If it’s too cold (low/understimulated) then it struggles to keep up and fight against infections. For some, their white blood cell count might be low, or for others, they might have a low-grade cold or flu that sticks around for weeks or months.
Finding that perfect balance spot – where it’s calm but poised to attack, is what our body wants. This is also called modulating your immune system.
Symptoms of a cold/flu is a sign your body is fighting it!
Have you ever felt a cold or flu come on and within hours you’re curled up in bed feeling awful? This may feel like your immune system is weak, but that’s not true. There’s a very good chance your immune system is in full attack mode.
Fever, cough, running nose, sneezing, chills – these are all symptoms of your immune system fighting the virus or bacteria. Ironically, the stronger the symptoms, the better your immune system is working :). This is a time to rest so your body can keep up the fight!
This is also the rare time to boost your immune system so it can stay on guard and fight.
“Too hot” is more common than “too cold”
Most of us have an immune system that’s too “hot” instead of “cold”. It’s overwhelmed and overstimulated and is struggling to calm down.
Symptoms of an overstimulated/overwhelmed immune system are:
Chronic inflammation
Recurrent injuries or injuries that won’t heal
Allergies - seasonal, food intolerances, or any sort of allergic immune response
Asthma
Auto-immune conditions (we currently believe that all autoimmune conditions stem from an overstimulated immune system)
All conditions that are caused by chronic inflammation, like heart disease, depression, Type II Diabetes, etc
An overwhelmed immune system can take longer to find a virus or bacteria because its to do list is so long. This can mean it can take longer to feel symptoms and they’re pretty strong once it’s found.
Symptoms of low immune function (“cold):
Low-grade infections that won’t resolve
Frequent illnesses that take a long time to recover from (esp if you don’t feel overly sick)
Wounds that are slow to heal
Low white cell count
If your immune system is sitting low or “cold”, then boosting your immune system is a-okay. But, you don’t need to. If you follow the recommendations in the “Balance Your Immune System” section, you’ll find that your immune system finds that sweet spot.
When we look to modulate our immune system, our body can boost it when it’s low and calm it down when it’s too high. It will find its own balance <3.
Coming up next – how to keep your immune system happy every day <3. Head over to Part 2!
Got any questions or comments? Jump to our private Facebook Group or the Ask Lisa page :)