Recharge Your Immune System

What does it really take to boost your resistance to colds, flu, and other types of illness? We sat down with holistic health expert Michele Burklund, NMD, to get the scoop on maintaining a healthy immune system

- Michele Burklund, NMD

In today’s digital age, it has actually become more difficult to decipher what can be of real benefit to our health versus misleading articles using inaccurate data. To help you get the real, evidence-based facts behind your most common questions, we asked Dr. Michele Burklund, a leading authority in naturopathic medicine, the chief science officer at Puriya, and contributing writer here at Better Nutrition, to set the facts straight.

BN: How will boosting my immune system improve my overall health?

MB: Supporting overall immune health can benefit the whole body by decreasing your risk of catching a cold, allowing faster recovery time from illness, and giving your body more protection against potential invaders. There’s ample data that suggests a diet rich in nutrients, as well as healthy lifestyle practices and stress management, plays a role in immune health and disease prevention. Eat whole foods, find ways to manage stress, and get adequate sleep to encourage a balanced and harmonious immune function.

BN: What’s the connection between my gut/microbiome and my immune system?

MB: Your gut microbiome, also named “the last undiscovered human organ,” is a remarkable ecosystem consisting of a community of species including bacteria, fungi, archaea, and protozoans. The gut microbiome has been extensively studied in recent years, with over 15,000 articles published since 2011 that describe its role in many conditions, including celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and allergies. We have also learned that diversity matters, and certain species of bacteria have been linked to supporting immune health, fighting colds, supporting mood, and even reducing weight gain.