Vitamin D, probiotics: the secrets for a top immune system

Don’t want to taste the umpteenth covid wave nor to catch all the infections brought back from school by the children? It is now that it is played! Time to fix our microbiota, increase the production of antibodies and white blood cells… “The time needed to strengthen our natural defenses is more or less long, from several weeks to several months, and depends on our lifestyle, the presence of inflammatory conditions (chronic pain, diabetes, etc.), the recent intake of antibiotics, long Covid, etc.”, explains Laure Martinat, anesthetist-resuscitator, phytotherapist and naturopath. The right investments to be ready.

Capitalize on the benefits of summer to boost your immunity

• Full of vitamin D for boost your immune system

The antivirus powers of this precious vitamin have been demonstrated: we now know that those who lack it are, for example, 14 times more likely than others to have a severe form of Covid.¹. From April to October, our body easily makes vitamin D from sunlight. But, with the return of the gray weather at the beginning of autumn, our reserves plummet. We limit the breakage by continuing to have a coffee or lunch on the terrace, neckline and forearms uncovered, at least 3 times a week (without skipping the sunscreen). From October, we supplement with a daily dose of 1500 to 2000 IU, in spray or drops, of vitamin D3 of animal origin (vegetable vitamin D2 only if you are vegan).

• We pamper his energy

From the start of the school year, there is no question of giving up on the restful nights : certain immune cells are renewed during our sleep, in particular T lymphocytes, and sleeping less than 6 hours per night quadruples the risk ofcatch a cold. If the alarm clock rings at dawn, no choice, we go to bed earlier, even if it means skipping the evening series. Moreover, to boost our mood, it is in our best interest to watch less TV and spend more time outdoors as long as there is still good light. Also be careful not to overload our agenda. If it is difficult to resume the rhythm, we opt for a cure of magnesium and vitamin B6 for two to three months.

• Drives away stress to better resist hazards

“Stress is immunosuppressive, it makes our defense systems less effective and can even reactivate the viral load in the body of certain viruses, such as herpes, hence the famous cold sore which reappears as soon as the we are under pressure”, observes Laure Martinat. We focus on yoga, meditation, sophrology or cardiac coherence to calm the nervous system and gain serenity. We also surround ourselves with positive vibes (and people) because, according to some studies, happy people are less likely to catch a virus. Simple things like laughing, singing, or listening to music raise our antibody levels.

Focus on physical activity to boost resistance

The more we move, the more our immune system manufactures white blood cells, in particular NK cells, capable of eliminating ‘invaders’ altogether. A study conducted in Seattle² has, for example, shown that women who do five sessions of forty-five minutes of stretching per week have four times fewer colds in the year than those who do only one. It is not a question of performance but above all of regularity, because an exhausting activity makes you just as vulnerable to illness as a day spent without moving at all. The right tempo: thirty minutes of walking a day already lowers the risk of respiratory infection by 40%.