Immune Health

Here’s How I Improved My Immune System in 7 Steps and Lowered Health Risks.

Since starting these protocols over three decades ago, I haven’t experienced cold or flu episodes and recovered from COVID-19 in 6 days.

Here’s why I wrote this article and how you can benefit from it.

We cannot eliminate internal and external threats. Some unexpected events, such as the Covid virus, will catch us off guard. However, we can improve our immune system to deal with such situations as they arise.

Healthy lifestyle choices can play a critical role in strengthening our immune system and lowering the effects of internal and external threats.

This is a practical piece to share my experience, reviews, and observations. It is not prescriptive but reflects the holistic health principles that others can customize.

Understanding the functions of the immune system has been my passion. I studied it intensely and even applied the structure of the human immune system to computers and patented my innovative ideas, contributing to the body of knowledge in the technology domain.

While studying the defense system in anatomy books and scientific papers, I noticed that the human immune system was highly complex. Thus, it was impossible to cover all details, even for specialists in the field.

Every system in the body relates to the immune system directly or indirectly. Therefore, to some extent, learning functions and relationships of various systems, such as endocrine, nervous, digestive, lymphatic, cardiovascular, genome, etc., allowed me to change my behavior and reorganize my lifestyle.

Nonetheless, I noticed that not everyone needs to know those details to keep the immune system healthy. Learning the principles of holistic health and applying them using healthy lifestyle choices can make a significant difference.

Since there are thousands of books, papers, videos, and podcasts on the immune system, I don’t want to repeat that publicly available information. It is unnecessary and will not serve a purpose for my readers.

Instead, I’d like to share a few fundamental principles of holistic health and practical tips by giving examples from my decades of experience, reviews, and observations.

The purpose of this story is to highlight healthy lifestyle choices to strengthen the immune system and reduce the effects of internal and external threats under seven headings.

Improving our immune system is critical for survival and well-being. We face countless threats throughout our lives. Some are internal, and others external. The most common threats are toxins, pathogens, oxidative stress, inflammation, imbalanced hormones, and damaged cells.

As entirely eliminating those harmful materials is impossible, the viable solution is to improve the immune system to protect us from them or help us quickly recover when we get exposed.

For example, despite my extreme precautions, I couldn’t prevent getting infected with Covid virus. However, due to my robust immune system, I recovered from it in six days. I used the healing systems of the body and mind in combination.

One additional point about the immune system is its paradoxical nature. Even though our immune system is designed to protect us, an overactive immune system can likewise cause problems.

This condition is known as autoimmunity, meaning the body attacks its own resources. I touch on this under different headings as I experience autoimmune conditions such as arthritis. There are around 80 autoimmune conditions, as documented in this source.

In the following sections, I only focus on principles as the implementation of these items varies from person to person. Principles can apply to many of us and be customized based on individual needs and goals with support from professionals.

Here are the seven steps that helped me improve my immune system, lower health risks, prevent them, and recover quickly from disorders as they happened.

1 — Got necessary nutrients but eliminated anti-nutrients and excessive calories.

The critical knowledge construct for me was the necessity of specific nutrients to support the immune system. It is a no-brainer that we need food to survive.

However, food can also be an enemy of the immune system. For example, anti-nutrients, specifically from plant sources, can challenge the immune system and cause autoimmune conditions.

My arthritic situation was an example of this. Only after removing certain anti-nutrients, such as lectins and oxalates, which were allergic to my body, did I manage to recover from the symptoms of arthritis.

Another risk factor from food comes from highly processed nutrition with unnatural additives. Unfortunately, this became a norm. For example, inflammatory foods are sold and even touted as healthy in many countries.

However, I challenged the status quo and stopped eating processed food and enjoyed whole foods, particularly animal products. Nevertheless, some people thrive with whole food from plant sources or both.

The fundamental principle was to get all essential micronutrients from whole foods to make my digestive system happy. In addition, balancing the ratios of macronutrients also helped me improve my immune system.

Excessive calories turn into visceral fat, which holds toxins and pathogens in the body. Therefore, I ensured to get adequate calories or burn excessive ones through exercise or fasting to prevent visceral fat accumulation.

For me replacing carbs with healthy fats solved my energy balance issue. Healthy fats assist the absorption of immune-boosting vitamins such as Vitamin A and D. I also get adequate and bioavailable proteins which are building blocks of the cells providing the necessary ingredients for the immune system.

2 — Moved the body joyfully and regularly.

I used movement to get rid of toxins and pathogens. Exercise has many benefits for improving the immune system. It maintains blood flow, oxygenates the cells, strengthens the muscles, burns excess calories, mobilizes fat, and eliminates toxins from the body.

How to exercise and how much to move the body depends on our needs, fitness levels, and lifestyle goals. The crucial point is to make movement a habit and do it joyfully and regularly. Studies indicate that 150 minutes of weekly exercise can lower the risks of major diseases, including cancers.

We need to move the body every day to some extent. This does not mean we have to go to the gym or run every day. Even a little walk and chores can help. Both cardio and resistance training can improve the immune system using various mechanisms.

However, too much exercise increases oxidative stress and might suppress the immune system. Therefore, moderation based on our fitness levels is a vital point. For example, excessive cardio, such as long-distance running for a prolonged time, might damage joints and increase inflammation.

3 — Lowered oxidative and emotional stress.

Studies indicate that oxidative and psychological stress can suppress the immune system. The antidote to lower physical and psychological pressure is restorative sleep.

This paper informs that “over the last 15 years, research following a systems approach of neuroimmunology has accumulated strong evidence that sleep enhances immune defense, in agreement with the popular wisdom that sleep helps to heal.”

The studies I reviewed highlighted the importance of restorative sleep and intentional rest in developing immunological memories. Sleep is also essential for optimizing hormones and neurotransmitters to improve immunity.

Sleep deprivation can weaken the immune system and expose the body to internal and external threats. Therefore, improving sleep quality is vital to strengthen the immune system.

In addition to sleep, I also benefited from mindfulness practices such as meditation, talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, laughter yoga, visualization, expressive writing, and working in a flow state to lower my physical and emotional stress.

4 — Managed inflammation and activated self-healing systems.

Inflammation is an immune response. The body needs it to attack threats and heal quickly. However, excessive inflammation can weaken the immune system and even might lead to autoimmune conditions.

Since I suffered from chronic inflammation for many years, I learned how to manage inflammation. One of the key contributors was to refrain from inflammatory food such as refined carbs, processed oils, and food additives.

The most critical tool to lower inflammation was fasting which created alternative energy through ketosis. There is significant evidence of ketone bodies such as β-Hydroxybutyrate serving as a signaling molecule to decrease inflammatory responses.

Studies indicate that intermittent fasting can boost immune mechanisms while modulating inflammatory responses. I documented my perspectives on chronic inflammation in a previous article.

I published an article about how fasting can be an alternative therapy to combat infectious diseases such as those caused by viruses and bacterial attacks. I introduced a few scientific papers in the story.

Besides lowering inflammation, the most paramount contribution of intermittent and long-term fasting is to initiate the autophagy and mitophagy processes allowing the body to self-heal.

These self-healing processes built into our bodies and activated when refrained from food can eliminate our damaged cells, pathogens, and harmful proteins. Intermittent fasting is even used for cancer prevention and treatment, as I documented in an article.

5 — Refrained from toxins and pathogens by keeping the body and environment clean.

Regular hygiene is essential to prevent from getting toxins and pathogens in the body. We can also lower the effects of harmful content by keeping the body and our environment clean.

Our skin serves as a physical barrier to external threats. The skin is a protective organ. Nevertheless, it can be exposed to many external microorganisms and toxins.

The skin can absorb them if they are not removed promptly and effectively. Improving my skin health strengthened my immune system.

When harmful microorganisms and toxins enter the body, the immune system is activated to defend the body from detrimental effects. Thus, keeping the body and environment clean is necessary to lower immune activation.

Paradoxically some cleaning products include toxic agents. Unfortunately, the skin can absorb them. They can enter the bloodstream as foreign materials and cause inflammatory and allergic reactions.

Clean water and air are vital to keeping the immune system intact. Water and air serve as cleansing agents for the cells. For example, drinking pure water and breathing exercises can remove harmful materials in the bloodstream.

6 — Used cold and heat therapy to detoxify the body.

This step might not suit the needs and likes of everyone. However, they have been used for centuries. Recently, scientific studies have unfolded the reasons behind the benefits of cold and heat therapy. Legends like Wim Hof popularized cold therapy.

While hygiene can lower the effects of external threats, cold and heat therapies known as thermogenesis might naturally lessen internal threats by detoxifying the body with different self-healing mechanisms.

Cold and heat therapy can activate the lymphatic system and enable the toxins to be removed from cells and the bloodstream. Cold and heat can create different biochemical reactions in the body.

For example, heat can cause perspiration and remove toxins from the body through the skin and activate SIRT2 genes. Thus, dry saunas can contribute to improving the immune system.

Gradually exposing the body to cold can also improve the immune system. Since I began cold showers, I haven’t had a single cold or flu experience.

In addition, alternating cold and hot showers for 30 seconds each can engage the lymphatic systems and blood vessels to get rid of toxins from the body naturally.

7 — Balanced hormones and neurotransmitters.

Hormonal balance is vital for the immune system as hormones and neurotransmitters serve as messengers while keeping the body’s homeostasis.

So one of the critical points for me was to diligently manage my thoughts and emotions. I learned to watch my thoughts and express my emotions.

People keep asking me how thoughts and emotions affect the immune system as they are less spoken aspects of our overall health and well-being. Fortunately, psychosomatic health principles cover this point.

Like our biology, our psychology can also impact our immune system. For example, psychological stress can affect our genes through the DNA Methylation process. So stress is psychosomatic, affecting both the body and mind.

Our thoughts and emotions can increase stress and anxiety, causing hormonal and neurotransmitter imbalances. For example, elevated cortisol caused by excessive stress can suppress the immune system.

The effects of traumatic memories can suppress the immune system through various mechanisms in the brain.

Studies indicate that accumulated and unaddressed emotional stress is one of the root causes of autoimmune disorders such as ALS or multiple sclerosis, which affected some of my loved ones.

Thus, it is crucial to manage our thoughts and regulate our emotions to balance our hormones and neurotransmitters. The previous points, such as nutrition, sleep, exercise, rest, and fun, can also contribute to balancing hormones and neurotransmitters.

Conclusions and Takeaways

It is impossible to eliminate internal and external threats. Nevertheless, it is possible to strengthen the immune system and protect our cells from the effects of threats.

Unless we have underlying health conditions or genetic defects, adhering to a healthy lifestyle covering the body’s fundamental needs might be sufficient to enhance the immune system's power and protect our bodies from internal and external threats.

Supporting the body and mind with healthy lifestyle choices and therapies when needed is critical to improving the immune system.

Therefore, what we eat, how often we eat, how much we move, the quality of sleep, and relationships play critical roles in keeping the immune system healthy.

Improving cellular, mitochondrial, endocrine, metabolic, neurological, and mental health can strengthen the immune system. Therefore, a holistic approach to our health is essential to keep our immune system well-functioning.

For example, metabolic syndrome, obesity, insulin resistance, fatty liver disease, and type II diabetes might weaken the immune system.

Excessive visceral fat accumulates toxins and might adversely affect immunity. Thus, lowering visceral fat by retaining lean muscles might be a beneficial lifestyle choice for some of us.

Improving our master antioxidant glutathione can significantly enhance the immune system. To this end, I use NAC (N-acetyl cysteine) to boost glutathione naturally. Other micronutrients, such as Vitamin D and magnesium, are also critical to boosting the immune system.

We cannot entirely eliminate internal and external threats. But we can improve our immune system with healthy lifestyle choices, including immunization. As documented in a previous story, I had a COVID-19 virus earlier this year but recovered thanks to my strong immune system quickly.

Healthy lifestyle choices can significantly improve the immune system and lower the risks. However, there will always be threats beyond our control. For example, cancers are unexpected and can happen to some of us. Thus, we must get checked regularly and leverage powerful therapies such as immunotherapy.

Learning from the experiences of others might be invaluable. Therefore, I document stories of healthy and wise people in my circles and compile them in a collection titled Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories. I believe you might find some inspiring stories from this collection.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

As a new reader, please check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting my reviews, observations, and decades of experiments optimizing my hormones and neurotransmitters. I write about health as it matters. I believe health is all about homeostasis.

Petechiae, ALS, Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, Thyroid Disorders, Anemia, Dysautonomia, cardiac output, and urinary track disorders.

I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:

Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Phosphatidylserine, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients.

Disclaimer: My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.

As part of my creative non-fiction writing goals, I’d like to share a few stories that might warm our hearts with a bit of humor into weighty topics.

Sample Humorous Stories

Based on my writing experience and observations, I documented findings and strategies that might help you amplify your voice, engage your audience, and achieve your desired outcomes in your writing journey.

I publish my lifestyle, health, and well-being stories on EUPHORIA. My focus is on cellular, mitochondrial, metabolic, and mental health. Here is my collection of Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories.

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