The Best Defense is a Strong Offense

We are about to enter flu season, at a time when Covid cases are rising in California . In addition to taking all the necessary precautions to avoid becoming ill, incorporate some simple actions into your lifestyle to boost your immunity so it can function at its absolute best.

An article published in the National Institutes of Health, “ Immune System Shaped by Environment More Than Genes ,” shared the findings of a team led by Dr. Mark M. Davis at Stanford University School of Medicine. “The immune system has to think on its feet,” Davis says. “A healthy human immune system continually adapts to its encounters with hostile pathogens, friendly gut microbes, nutritional components and more, overshadowing the influences of most heritable factors.”

From the moment you wake up in the morning until you lay your head on your pillow and drift into sleep at night, here are some ways to bolster your health.

Good morning sunshine . Let the sun in first thing in the morning, or step out into it, but get some rays. Sunlight exposure increases cortisol levels which help limit inflammation and boost immunity.

Nourish with a breakfast of champions , such as plain Greek yogurt with naturally sweetened granola and fresh berries. Greek yogurt’s live and active cultures work with the granola’s nutrients and berries’ antioxidants to support your immune system.

Get moving . A medical literature review published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, “ Physical exercise as a tool to help the immune system against COVID-19: an integrative review of the current literature ,” noted that regular exercise at moderate levels is beneficial to the immune system and your health in many ways, including fighting COVID-19. Researchers also found that exercise increases the production of serotonin and dopamine in the brain, affecting mood and more (learn more about that in my article, Managing Your Brain Age ).

Calm your mind . We have often been warned that stress is not healthy. A 2004 press release from the American Psychological Association refers to a report in its Psychological Bulletin which confirms that fact. “Major findings are three-fold,” the report states. “First, the overlapping findings of 293 independent studies reported in peer-reviewed scientific journals between 1960 and 2001—with some 18,941 individuals taking part in all—powerfully confirm the core fact that stress alters immunity. Second, the authors of the meta-analysis observed a distinctive pattern: Short-term stress actually ‘revs up’ the immune system, an adaptive response preparing for injury or infection, but long-term or chronic stress causes too much wear and tear, and the system breaks down. Third, the immune systems of people who are older or already sick are more prone to stress-related change.” If mindfulness practices do not interest you, a calming activity or hobby such as journaling or gardening may help relieve stress.

Use a humidifier in the fall and winter months . A Mayo Clinic funded study found that preschool students in rooms without a humidifier were 2.3 times more likely to contract the flu than those in humidified rooms. A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study showed that humidity levels needed to exceed 40% to reduce influenza risk from coughs into a room. (More than 60% humidity may increase the risk of formation of mold and bacteria.) Viruses linger in dry air, so steam from the humidifier creates heavy droplets which drop more quickly. To aid in breathing for those with the flu, the CDC advises using steam humidifiers and not cool-air humidifiers that disseminate aerosols. It is vital to keep your humidifier clean. And do not depend exclusively on it to prevent respiratory illness.

Get quality sleep for immune health. It’s as if our phones have become an appendage to our bodies, but we would benefit from putting them down well before we fall asleep. In Screens and Your Sleep: The Impact of Nighttime Use , Sutter Health neurologist and sleep medicine specialist Joanna A. Cooper, M.D. cites many reasons for avoiding screens at least an hour prior to sleep. Phone usage won’t keep you from falling asleep, but the quality of your sleep may suffer.

May these tips stimulate your immune system and may you breathe well through the changing of seasons.

Contributing writer Denise Lum is a Health and Fitness Coach raising her family in Alameda. Contact her via CoachDenise@alamedapost.com or FitnessByDsign.com . Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Denise-Lum .

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