With flu season approaching, you might be interested in having a few tips and tricks to boost your immune system naturally. The extra 10-15% boost may be the differentiator between feeling a bit off vs. being completely wiped out. Here we will share a few tips you can do at home to boost your immune system.
Change Your Diet According To The Season
Eat cooked/warm meals only. As we trail out of summer, we may be hanging on to certain eating habits during the warmer climate that don’t necessarily translate to better health in the fall. You might be having smoothies with ice, raw fruit, or eating lots of raw salads and feeling great during the summer. As we move into fall however, you might notice indigestion, fatigue, or a runny nose with excess raw food intake. Food in this cold state tends to take more energy from our digestive system in order to process into nutrients than if we had a warm cooked meal. If you’re looking for a way to boost your immunity, this is one tip you cannot skip.
If you’re already fighting a cold:
Add Some Spice:
Just like how Starbucks offers the pumpkin spice latte during fall, your body will benefit by consuming more ginger, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, garlic, cloves, fennel, black pepper, and onions. Indian cuisine tends to incorporate many of these spices, and can be an easy alternative to trying to make dishes yourself. You can try ginger tea, or apple cider with a cinnamon stick. This will warm the body, improve your circulation with heat - which helps to balance out cold weather!
Sauna
Try saunas! The othership is just down the street from our clinic, and the warmth helps to open the poors, and get rid of those chills just as they begin. If you’re actually having a fever, it might not be recommended to do the saunas, as this is a later stage of illness, and others might not appreciate you spreading infection. Pre-emptively though, this is a great strategy for improving your immune system.
Moxibustion
Last but not least, moxibustion is the underappreciated side kick to acupuncture; that Robin is to Batman. This technique involving the burning of a specific herb, is particularly effective for boosting the immune system. When you’re in the early stages of feeling a chill, we apply the herb to targeted acupoints without needles and gently heat it with an incense stick. The burning herb is swiftly removed just before it reaches the skin. This process not only enhances circulation but also stimulates the body’s immune response. Our practitioners have utilized this herb in many treatments, and frequently use it themselves to combat chills or fever.
If you’re looking for that extra kick to help boost your immune system, feel free to inquire about moxibustion at our Toronto acupuncture clinic located at 54 Stewart Street, 2nd Floor (King West). We’ll assess your health concerns and provide a treatment tailored to your individual needs.