Immunity Boost 2020

Immunity Boost 2020

Covid 19 is making viral infections global news and concern so far this year. As a naturopathic doctor this also means a lot of focus on immunity boosting... always a concern in winter months but certainly so this winter. 

Customizing immune protocols to the specific need of the patient is part of my practice as things like age, medication regime and lifestyle can and do impact treatment regimes so definitely consider speaking to someone licensed who can address you as an individual. 

That said, I wanted to blog a bit on an immune booster that is relevant across the board and that is sleep! Sleep is not just waisted or unproductive hours in a day. Sleep is actually the time when the body rests and repairs. We know this scientifically because good rest shows correlations with our infection fighting white blood cells. 

So for starters if you are wanting to keep your body as healthy and ready to fight infections as it can be, make sure you are sleeping well and if not work to fix it! This may require consultation with a health care practitioner - there are pharmaceutical and nutraceutical options available - but certainly if not already adopting the following healthy sleep hygiene tips start with these:

Turn off devices 60 min before sleep as they stimulate not sedate our brains and nervous system.

Adopt a similar sleep and wake pattern (time and routine) as this helps our body more easily move in and out of rest. 

Limit / reduce sugar, alcohol and caffeine as these all can be negatively impactful on sleep. 

Identify sources of stress and work to reduce them or find someone to help. Stress often creates mental emotional and nervous system activation that negatively contributes to sleep. 

For more help with stress reduction, sleep supporter or immune boosting talk to your doctor or health care practitioner.  

Dr. Kristin Heins ND, RP

Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine

Registered Psychotherapist 

Co-Author "Who Am I?" book series