Winter Ways to Boost Your Immunity - 9

With the cold wind blowing and the snow falling, there’s bound to be a sniffle in the air. Some people seem to always be battling some kind of illness from December until March. But others rarely seem to be under the weather. What are those people doing differently to keep the colds away?

The secret is out (and it’s not found on a drug store shelf)! There are lots of ways to boost your immunity naturally – many that you can do without too much extra effort (just healthy decision making).

Here are 10 secrets to boosting your immunity this winter.

10.      Compensate for the Lack of Sunshine

We all love a little bit of sunshine – especially in the winter months. But it’s not just good for the soul, it’s important for our health. 10-15 minutes of summer sunshine a day helps our bodies produce the vitamin D we need to carry out a laundry list of functions (calcium regulation, bone growth, inflammation reduction, immune system function to name a few). But winter sunshine (when we can find it) just doesn’t have the same power as its summer counterpart and so we’re often a little on the low side when it comes to our winter vitamin D supply.

For over 30 years, doctors have known that vitamin D plays some role in improving immune system function by looking at the effects that vitamin D deficiency has on individuals. That list includes asthma, cardiovascular disease, digestive troubles, depression and obesity. Vitamin D deficiency is also linked to an increase in autoimmune activity and a higher susceptibility to infection.

New research is showing us why. Scientists have discovered that vitamin D doesn’t just support our immune system – it activates it! T-cells (the seek-and-destroy cells of the immune system) first search for vitamin D to activate their disease-crushing powers, then search for the foregin invaders. If there is not enough vitamin D, the T-cells can’t fight and the immune response is weak or non-existent.

This research explains why those that have high levels of vitamin D tend to be sick less often and bounce back from illness faster than those with lower levels.

Now how do you boost your vitamin D when sunshine isn’t an option? Try a high quality vitamin D supplement paired with vitamin K. Vitamin K aids vitamin D in many of its processes, so pairing the two together adds an extra punch.

That's all for my tips on how to keep your immune system boosted up in the winter months! I'll see you next month. Have a healthy and safe new year!
Dr. Dan Turo is the owner and chiropractor of Turo Family Chiropractic located in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA. Follow him on facebook and twitter.