Are you also one of the people who suffer from infections during the cold season? Have you already thought about how to protect yourself from colds in the coming cold season?

Modern medicine has a very simple advice: the flu vaccination.

However, many people experience that they do not get a real viral flu after a flu vaccination, but that they are still sick all winter long. Naturopaths are convinced that there are much better ways to strengthen the immune system than a flu shot.

Here are a few simple tips to help you strengthen your immune system at no extra cost.

The immune system is located in the digestive tract

We know from immunology that more than 80% of our immune system is located in the digestive tract. Strengthening the digestive power is equivalent to strengthening the immune system. With all the measures we can use to make our digestive system more efficient, we strengthen our body's defences. This not only makes it easier for us to fight off infections, but also helps allergic reactions in the body to decrease significantly. A balanced, well-functioning immune system is not only able to neutralise harmful germs such as viruses, bacteria or fungi. It can also process potential allergens in the body before allergic reactions arise and impair well-being. Ayurvedic medicine sees the task of the digestive system as breaking down everything that is brought into the body into its smallest individual parts and making it usable for the body or excreting it. This applies to everything we take in via the digestive tract, respiratory tract and skin. In this task, Ayurvedic medicine equates the digestive system with the immune system.

Strong digestive tract means strong immune system

If we want to strengthen the immune system, we cannot avoid supporting our digestive system in its efficiency.

The Ayurvedic texts explain that when all substances are fully digested, the end result is "ojas" in the body. Ojas is, so to speak, the "vaccine" produced by the body itself, which makes us vital, immune and happy. There are some very simple rules for daily routine and diet that boost the production of this body's own miracle drug:

 

1. Breaks between meals

   Our digestive system is only able to generate ojas from food if it has enough time for the digestive process. The time to be able to generate ojas varies somewhat from individual to individual, but is at least 4 - 5 hours of "fasting time" between meals, overnight even 13 - 14 hours. Whenever we feed the body before the production of ojas is complete, this process is interrupted. The production of this substance, which is so important for the immune system, is stopped until there is again a break between meals, which leads to a clear feeling of hunger.
   This is because the body gives us a clear signal that shows us when the production of ojas has reached its peak: the feeling of hunger. Whenever we have a snack before a strong feeling of hunger has developed after a meal, we prevent the production of ojas and thus weaken our immune system. Snacking is understood in Ayurveda to be a direct pathway to susceptibility to infections and allergies.
    

2. Do not overeat

   Our digestive system can only work efficiently when it is not overloaded. Fast, frequent, heavy and sumptuous food demands so much digestive energy from the body that there is no strength left for the formation of ojas. There is a simple rule of thumb that helps us finish our meal on time. To follow it, however, requires a little mindfulness. Therefore: pace yourself when eating and feel when the first satiety occurs in your stomach. When you feel this first satiation and then also perceive the sense of well-being associated with this satiation, it is easy to finish a meal. And when you get up from the table feeling satisfied and light, it is also not difficult to take a sufficiently long break until the next meal.

3. Spices strengthen digestion

   Good chewing intensifies the taste experience! Suitable spices increase this sensation even more. All tasty natural spices contain so-called secondary plant substances that stimulate the activity of the digestive organs liver, pancreas, gall bladder and the salivary glands of the digestive system in a well-dosed manner. A digestive system supported by spices finds it even easier to extract the important vital substances from the food. What tastes good even when chewed for a long time is also good for you!
   
   Artificial flavour enhancers such as glutamate and the various chemical sweeteners lead to the worst blockages of the immune system.
   
   Maharishi Ayurveda recommends tasty curry mixtures that are appropriate for the type. These spice mixtures are called churnas. Vata Churna, for example, has an anti-flatulent effect, Pitta Churna is cooling and deacidifying, and Kapha Churna is stimulating for slow and sluggish digestion. These churnas can be cooked with food or sprinkled on prepared dishes.
   
   For long-term strengthening of the digestive and immune systems, our turmeric-pepper capsules are also very suitable.
   
   

4. Hot water

   During meals, it is beneficial to limit the amount of liquid to 1 glass per meal. Even within the first hour after eating, you should only drink small amounts, if at all. In the remaining time between 2 meals, you can drink hot water repeatedly over a few days or weeks (for more information, see the tips in the Ayurvedic Encyclopaedia - Hot Water Cure).
   
   Hot water transmits the information "heat energy" to the body, which it needs for the digestion process.
   
   Plenty of liquid is also necessary to dispose of unusable digestive waste and waste products easily and without harmful residues via the kidneys and intestines.
   
   And this is how it is done: Boil water for a few minutes, let it stand for a few minutes until sediments have settled and then pour it into a thermos flask. Drink hot water from this jug in sips at about half-hour intervals throughout the day - as warm and as much as is pleasant.
   
   In times of flu, the hot water can be enriched with a little ginger, turmeric or sage. Take ginger to warm, turmeric to purify the blood and sage to cool if you feel hot inside. You can find recipes here. For variety, you can also use the following Maharishi Ayurveda tea blends: the calming Vata tea, the cooling Pitta tea or the stimulating Kapha tea.
   
   

5. Exercise

   To stimulate the inner fire and distribute vital substances throughout the body, exercise is essential. Research has shown that especially brisk walking or other types of exercise that do not exhaust you have an enormous long-term effect on extending a healthy lifespan. Medical science is increasingly recognising that prolonged sitting - like smoking - poses a high risk, especially for cardiovascular diseases and disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
   You should walk briskly for at least 30 - 60 minutes a day to make the most of this excellently researched and free natural remedy "exercise".br />

6. Relaxation and sleep

   The biggest enemy of the immune system is not viruses, bacteria or allergens, but stress. Today, no one can escape the increased speed of life. However, we have the opportunity to create an effective counterbalance to the hectic pace of everyday life by taking targeted rest breaks.
   Our mind-body system works according to the underlying natural law of rest and activity. Regular periods of rest can neutralise the effects of any stressful activity.
   
   Sleep before midnight, transcendental meditation and short breaks during the day, are our strongest weapons for a well-functioning immune system.