May 18th, 2022

By Ty and Charlene Bollinger

Guest Writers for Wake Up World

If you are using the principles of natural health to create a vibrant, thriving life for you and for your family, then you know that both gut health and a strong immune system are key. Once you understand the relationship between the two, then achieving perfect health and preventing disease can be easy!

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The Top 20: Immune Boosters That Really Work

#1. Probiotics

A diversity of gut bacteria is the key to a sound GI system and a robust immune system. A key part of that is to make sure you are getting enough beneficial bacteria in the form of probiotics. Stress, toxins in the air, water & soil, and poor dietary choices can create an environment where pathogenic microorganisms proliferate.

Inoculating your system with some form of probiotic in the form of fermented foods, whole foods, or supplements every day can turn this situation around.

There are dozens of probiotic types and each are helpful in their own unique way. Three kinds that are especially important are Saccharomyces boulardii, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Lactobacillus plantarum. L. Plantarum is potent because it has a special casing around it which protects it from being neutralized in stomach acid. It is also more antibiotic resistant than other probiotics.2 Lactobacillus acidophilus is abundant in our bodies; it resides in the gut, in the mouth, and in a woman’s vagina.

It can crowd out pathogenic bacteria such as certain forms of E. Coli. According to a 2005 University of Western Sydney study, L. acidophilus also boosted immune function directly in a mouse model by increasing the number of certain pathogen-seeking cytokines.3

Finally, according to a meta-analysis conducted by Washington State University, Saccharomyces boulardii has an anti-inflammatory effect and can boost certain immune system mechanisms which help to fight pathogens.4

#2. Prebiotics

While your body absolutely needs probiotics for a healthy gut and immune system, the “good guys” in your digestive system need prebiotics to survive. Prebiotics are sources of soluble fiber that beneficial bacteria use as “food.” The two kinds of prebiotics, inulin and oligofructose, can be found in foods such as organic sweet potatoes, jicama, asparagus, garlic, leeks, onions, and whole grain wheat.5

#3. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is absolutely vital for our health in almost every way. Unlike many other vitamins, however, our body cannot make it. We must ingest whole foods or supplements that contain it. Vitamin C is essential for heart health and for the immune system.

It is a powerful antioxidant and is often referred to as the perfect “quick-change artist” of the immune system.

This is because when it discovers a pathogenic cell, it will turn itself into a benign substance called DHA, or dehydroascorbic acid. Once inside a pathogen, it turns itself back into ascorbic acid, causing the malignant cells to self-destruct in a process.

Vitamin C is also the key ingredient in the production of collagen, which – in large part – is what our muscles, joints, and stomach lining are made of. Researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute have been studying the benefits of vitamin C since the Nobel Prize-winning scientist began this research close to 75 years ago.

According to an Institute report,

[e]ven in small amounts, vitamin C can protect indispensable molecules in the body, such as proteins, lipids (fats), carbohydrates, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), from damage by free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are generated during normal metabolism, by active immune cells, and through exposure to toxins and pollutants (e.g., certain chemotherapy drugs and cigarette smoke).”6

#4. Stay Hydrated

To demonstrate how important staying hydrated is for your body, consider this: A person can survive without water for only about 3 or 4 days.7 This is because your body is at least 60% fluid. The fluids that run through your system such as your blood and lymph are responsible for major functions like the absorption of nutrients, the circulation of blood, digestion, and detoxification. When you do not drink enough water throughout the day, these systems suffer and this puts great stress on the immune system.8 Be sure to use only fresh, filtered water for drinking.

Here is a secret: if you make just this one lifestyle change, it can have a huge impact on your energy level in general.

#5. Lower Stress

A little stress is normal and healthy. That being said, countless studies have proven that chronic stress can lead to lower immune function indirectly through creating imbalances in the endocrine and nervous system.9 Stress also raises cortisol levels, which over time can lead to inflammation and changes at the genetic level. A 2003 report in the journal Trends in Immunology stated that “[t]here is now good evidence (in animal and human studies) that the magnitude of stress-associated immune dysregulation is large enough to have health implications.”10

#6. Hyperthermia

There are many ways to lower stress, such as meditation, prayer, exercise, being in nature, and reducing caffeine consumption. Another way is through modalities that utilize the soothing power of heat. Hyperthermia raises body temperature temporarily and this can also boost the immune system too. The mechanism for how this work is seen through substances in the body called Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs). Healthy HSPs play a role in protecting cells from damage caused by stress.

A certain amount of stress on the body caused by exposing oneself to high heat temporarily increases the amount of healthy HSPs within cells. This can be a good thing immunity, according to a 2016 Italian study, among others.11 Forms of hyperthermia include dry sauna, infrared sauna, wet sauna, mineral springs, exercise, and utilizing certain technologies such as the Biomat.

#7. Exercise

Time and again over recent years, studies have confirmed that moving your body can have a profound effect on immune health in many ways. One way is through upping the amount of healthy HSPs within cells, as mentioned above. Exercise can also help with detoxification through circulating lymph fluid. What is even more amazing is that high-intensity cardiovascular activity can also help the gut.

According to a 2016 study conducted by the University of British Columbia in Canada, aerobic exercise can increase gut bacteria diversity by 20%.12 The biggest change that researchers conducting this study saw was a significant increase in butyrate levels shortly after aerobic exercise. Butyrate is a fatty acid that is linked to healthy bacteria such as Clostridiales and Roseburia.13 Exercise can also decrease “energy harvesting” bacteria associated with