How to improve immunity?

[MJ DeMarco]

I saw in MJ's GoalSumo.com list, one of his daily tasks is to drink a Health Elixer.

My daily drink...

Tumeric
Black pepper
Soluble fiber (acacia usually)
Resveratrol
Spirulina (the biggest ingredient)
Ashwaganda
Vitamin D drops
Fisetin

I continue to add to it as long as I can stomach it.

All of this is mixed up in a base of prebiotic dragon-fruit, pomegranate juice and electrolytes with water-- one hellish taste! Actually I don't mind it, although it makes my wife want to vomit.

 

[MitchC]

Nose breathing is a very essential part of most airway issues that we "modern people" have. Try breathing through your nose 90% of the day and breathe less (obviously enough but don't hyperventilate). Breathing more doesn't equate to having more oxygen available in your blood stream. Breathing through the nose warms the air and, with the right tongue posture, makes your face look better and triangular. (I don't want to dive too much into looks and stuff but these are, among others, the benefits of nose-breathing.

Came here to post this!

TAPE YOUR MOUTH CLOSED WHEN YOU SLEEP

That's all.

Haven't been sick in the 2 years since I started doing this.

I was doing ice baths, wim hoff etc all that stuff prior, but this was the one that made an insanely noticeable difference

I can not sleep without it now.

Just use 3M surgical tape.

 

[Bounce Back]

For me personally I've tried a few things and I can say the typical exercise, clean diet, etc. seems to prevent longer term health issues but doesn't have a crazy impact on shorter term sickness like a cold or whatever. (Anecdotal I know).

I seem to just get sick after periods of a few weeks/months of very high effort/stress from something followed by a sudden rest (like a trip or time off). Not sure why but have seen the pattern.

 

[socaldude]

I haven’t gotten sick in the last 2 years with the exception of December I got a little bit of a cough but nothing bad.

Some supplements I take that help:
-50 billion CFU probiotic
-3 grams of N-acetyl cysteine
-2 grams of garlic

If you have fatigue with clean diet and
exercise you have some other issue like a dormant virus. Taking lots of garlic can help kill the virus. Or you have adrenal fatigue cortisol resistance from stress. Take ashwaganda or rhodiola rosea.

 

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[heavy_industry]

This is not health advice, and please be responsible:

I would check out the Wim Hof method and/or start going to the sauna.

And as @Jon822 said, most supplements are complete garbage - unless you're actually deficient in a specific vitamin or mineral.

 

[seb077]

I've lost count of how many times I was sick last year. Over the last few months, it felt like every couple of weeks or months I came down with flu like symptoms such as a sore throat and runny nose, along with the usual fatigue.

I workout several times a week, have a visible 6-pack, eat clean, don't smoke or drink. Yet I find myself falling sick more often than people who don't even do 1/10 of the stuff I do for health and fitness.

I saw in MJ's GoalSumo.com list, one of his daily tasks is to drink a Health Elixer. Could you guys share any tips or habits that have helped you improve your overall immunity?

Right now I've started drinking lemon water first thing in the morning and taking a Centrum multivitamin with zinc tablet daily before bed.

Nose breathing is a very essential part of most airway issues that we "modern people" have. Try breathing through your nose 90% of the day and breathe less (obviously enough but don't hyperventilate). Breathing more doesn't equate to having more oxygen available in your blood stream. Breathing through the nose warms the air and, with the right tongue posture, makes your face look better and triangular. (I don't want to dive too much into looks and stuff but these are, among others, the benefits of nose-breathing.

 

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[okmail]

I've lost count of how many times I was sick last year. Over the last few months, it felt like every couple of weeks or months I came down with flu like symptoms such as a sore throat and runny nose, along with the usual fatigue.

I workout several times a week, have a visible 6-pack, eat clean, don't smoke or drink. Yet I find myself falling sick more often than people who don't even do 1/10 of the stuff I do for health and fitness.

I saw in MJ's GoalSumo.com list, one of his daily tasks is to drink a Health Elixer. Could you guys share any tips or habits that have helped you improve your overall immunity?

Right now I've started drinking lemon water first thing in the morning and taking a Centrum multivitamin with zinc tablet daily before bed.

After I got cancer years ago I went down a health rabbithole.
Since then I've only been sick a few times in the last 10 years. There are many factors in health, so try not to beat yourself up over it or compare yourself to others too much.

Here's what comes to mind that helped me:

1. Immune System Booster Visualization
Take time everyday, even 2 minutes, to do an immune system booster visualization. Try Paul McKenna's Radiant Health guided meditation / hypnosis. Or by yourself do the following:

• Lay on your bed or sit back on a confortable chair
• Put your phone on silent & clear interruptions
• Put on calming nature sounds &/or instrumental music
• Breathe slower & deeper
• Imagine things that help you relax: walking on a beach, driving in the desert bumpin tunes, gandalf laughing in the shire, lol anything
• Now just tense your toes & release
• Tense your legs & release
• Tense your abs & release... work all the way to up
• Drop your shoulders, relax your jaw, around your eyes & forehead
• Now visualize a golden light filling your body healing all your cells [alternatively: imagine cockpit control panel, push the gears up to boost your immune system /or/ a sheild charging around you & your health bar going up]
• Lastly, thank the deep intelligence in your body for always healing it self and sincerely say "I will do my best to stop getting in the way and creating stress"

See attached audio file as a track to get you relaxed & started (How to Heal Yourself - Thich Nhat Hanh Wisdom).
And of course meditation and conscious breathing in general.
Here's another to watch a few times (then close your eyes and the music alone will help):

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t0_Dgm_tRw


2. Whole Food Plant Based Diet
I know diet can be a contentious issue but even when I eat poorly, I really feel that eating exclusively plant-based sets an amazing foundation for me to sustain my health.

My simple morning shake:
- 1/2 to 1 cup - frozen wild blueberries
- 1/4 tsp - turmeric
- pinch - black pepper
- 1 cup - raw spinach (& or kale)
- 2 tbsp - walnuts (& or flax seeds)

A few other notes:

If your mind is ever racing and your can't seem to stop. Direct it toward every single person you know in life and thank them, be grateful about specific things about them that make you happy, person by person.

Check out the bluezones lifestyle: Power 9® - Blue Zones

Remember your body is designed to constantly heal itself.

Good luck and good health.

 

[Borderless CLTV]

Sleep (proper sleep - no noise, coldish environment, no blue light before bed, limited EMF near the bed, no food within a few hours), weight training, meditation, clean diet. This all helped me a lot. Then we can get into the Wim Hof stuff but that's a bit extreme for many, given how the basics are usually missed.

 

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[Visida]

Moderate physical activity can help improve overall health and strengthen the immune system. Try adding more intense exercise or sports, such as running, swimming or yoga, to your daily routine. Regular and quality sleep plays a key role in maintaining immunity. Try to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night, create a cozy bedroom environment, and avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed.

 

[The Racing Driver]

I've lost count of how many times I was sick last year. Over the last few months, it felt like every couple of weeks or months I came down with flu like symptoms such as a sore throat and runny nose, along with the usual fatigue.

I workout several times a week, have a visible 6-pack, eat clean, don't smoke or drink. Yet I find myself falling sick more often than people who don't even do 1/10 of the stuff I do for health and fitness.

I saw in MJ's GoalSumo.com list, one of his daily tasks is to drink a Health Elixer. Could you guys share any tips or habits that have helped you improve your overall immunity?

Right now I've started drinking lemon water first thing in the morning and taking a Centrum multivitamin with zinc tablet daily before bed.

 

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[The Racing Driver]

Stress. That's it.

I do the same as you to prevent any sickness, I don't even drink coffee anymore.
Still, I managed to have some brain problems this week which caused me serious head pains, also I still get the flu from time to time. However, any sore throat or fever passes in a few days, rather than weeks as I saw from others. Also, I take some supplements and lots of natural plant tea. +immunity supplements

Again, my take on this is stress is the biggest enemy. Also, your actions to preserve your body in good health are just to reduce the time of inflammation or have a minimal effect on you (flu, other viruses, etc)

You perfectly explained what I'm feeling.

I seem to get sick during periods of high stress more often, which I've been facing recently due to studies and pilot exams.

Nowadays, I also almost always recover from illnesses way faster (in days not weeks) compared to when I was younger and unfit. I'm going to continue taking the immunity supplement and see how that goes. Also stress management techniques are something I need to learn and get better at.

 

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[Jon822]

Despite what supplement companies want you to think, your immune system works perfectly fine by default. There aren't things that you need to do to improve it -- it's about avoiding things that weaken it. Poor quality or duration of sleep, being cold or blowing cold air into your face while you sleep, and eating poorly will weaken your immune system.

 

[smackenzie]

I used to be sick all the time. Here's the things I've changed since 2020 that have made me feel far better.
Sleep is super important, not getting enough good sleep will mess you up.
Walking outside in fresh air. I do this every morning (about 5000 - 8000 steps) and again every night as a minimum.
A good, varied, healthy diet should do most of what supplements do unless you have a medical deficiency.
These two may sound a little woo woo, but:
Gratitude. I've found the more I am thankful for the things and people I have in my life, the better I feel.
Meditation. Taking some time each day to breathe and release the stress.

All the best,
Scott

 

[Kevin88660]

Stress, Sleep, hydration and personal hygiene…. No one is killing everything perfectly.

 

[AceVentures]

Could you guys share any tips or habits that have helped you improve your overall immunity?

So many dietary suggestions have been made so far and nobody has mentioned the sun.

Member when they taught you how plants use water and sunlight to produce energy at the cellular level?

Here's what they didn't teach you:

I can talk about this for days.

But I don't have the time for it. So I'll just send you the plug to learn as much as you want on the topic of water+sunlight=energy.

My biggest tip is to get sunlight every day.

* Watch the sunrise and sunset every day.
* Walk at least 30 minutes every day.

Build a solar callus with dusk/dawn light as it's lower in UV rays.

Progressively build your tolerance.

By the time summer roles around, you'll be able to withstand >1h midday exposure.

If you're too busy to watch the sunrise, watch the sunset, and walk peacefully for 30 minutes a day, you're dead already and no vitamin will save you.

 

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[AceVentures]

Is there anything else that’s practically applicable that we should be doing other than getting sun and drinking water?

Reminds me of wim hoff and James Nestor’s books, interesting, heaps of science and research, but at the end of the day the only thing you can do after reading them is tape your mouth do the breath work and cold exposure.

I’ll listen to any practical advice you’ve gotten from that research but I really don’t feel like reading it all if I don’t have to. Maybe I will, I did enjoy reading about Wim and James research and experiments.

That's a fair point. My interest in it goes beyond biohacking, which is why I've been in the weeds with a lot of the research.

The practical advice is to stop wearing sunscreen and to embrace the sun as if you were a plant.

But the rabbit hole implicates the entire concept of metabolism, the role of ATP and how cells ultimately remain alive.

Standard biochemistry, atop which the entire health/medicine is built upon, doesn't recognize that water is structured inside cells.

So the practical advice, as you see, is a little more complicated.

If this basic-most element of life, water, is not properly modeled for in "modern" biochemistry, how much of the science of health is quackery?

That's the question that keeps me reading WW2-era colloidal science textbooks or Gilbert Ling's association induction hypothesis.

Through the 1900s there were many debates and discoveries which shaped the orthodox model of cell physiology.

There was another branch of cell physiology which was poo-poo'd by establishment gatekeepers.

It was the protoplasmic, or colloidal, or liquid-crystallin model of life.

I'm looking for answers - so I continue to educate myself.

 

[AceVentures]

What would be the best book for someone not up to speed to catch up with what you are presenting? Would it be that Fourth Phase of Water book?

I understand it is only semi-related but I've done light reading on terrain theory before and while I found it fascinating ( as others are saying when you are already rather alert about what you are putting in your body and operating within the confines/constraints of your life on things like physical exercise, time outdoors, etc.) it can feel like it doesn't have much effect to learn more. I suppose unless you stumble upon something really suppressed/hidden/intentionally ignored/not disseminated or whatever you want to call it.

I'm not familiar with terrain theory.

The Fourth Phase is one of my favorites to start with because the language is so accessible and the book is well-illustrated which helps in developing an intuition for water dynamics.

You can also read his papers and understand without much difficulty because of the simple nature of the experimental designs.

Imo studying water is the best way to explore biophysics because water dynamics is inseparable from cell physiology.

 

[socaldude]

https://www.lifeextension.com/vitamins-supplements/immune-support

Life Extension supplements are very good. Bryan Johnson uses them as well. Supplements are not usually touted as effective as drugs because there isn’t money to be made in supplements because you can’t patent natural substances. But there are supplements that are proprietary.

 

[srodrigo]

It might sound oversimplistic, but what I've found/seen mess up with immunity for people without a particular disease/auto-immune disorder is:

1. Unbalanced diet lacking vitamins, minerals, etc and featuring fat. - Nothing like a Mediterranean (or similar) diet, despite mainstream influencers trying to make bank from making people unhealthy giving BS diet advice. Just observe and see who lives 85+ with good overall health, people who it this way, or Keto bros eating greasy ribs.
2. Lack of exercise - It's proven that exercise boosts the immune system.
3. Stress - I see people getting sick all the time when they are over-stressed. Stress hormones mess up with the immune system badly.

Avoid all 3 and you should have an edge. #NotMedicalAdvice

 

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[socaldude]

Turmeric, Black Pepper and Vitamin D have been a staple part of my diet. I've recently started taking Ashwaganda on @socaldude's recommendation and am feeling some improvements. I'll admit I've never even heard of some of the other ingredients, but they sound interesting and I'm going to check them out.

I take the proprietary version of Ashwaganda, which is KSM-66. It's not even expensive, I paid like $10 for a bottle on sale for a 2 month supply. I take 600mg a day.

According to Ayurvedic medicine, the root(rhizome) is the beneficial part of the plant.

SHR-5 is the proprietary version of Rhodiola. Although I've never seen it for sale anywhere.

Clinical trial of Rhodiola rosea L. extract SHR-5 in the treatment of mild to moderate depression - PubMed

#3 is the hardest though. Stress is this ethereal thing that we can't quite measure like the other two. I suffer from it as well.

I would notice that if I felt stress, I would crave sugar, alcohol or a cigarette. Now my patience, self-control, focus and tranquility is astronomical.

Depression and ADHD is probably just neuro-inflammation/neuro-degeneration damage from the high cortisol and self-destruction.

 

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[Tyrhanosis]

I've lost count of how many times I was sick last year. Over the last few months, it felt like every couple of weeks or months I came down with flu like symptoms such as a sore throat and runny nose, along with the usual fatigue.

I workout several times a week, have a visible 6-pack, eat clean, don't smoke or drink. Yet I find myself falling sick more often than people who don't even do 1/10 of the stuff I do for health and fitness.

I saw in MJ's GoalSumo.com list, one of his daily tasks is to drink a Health Elixer. Could you guys share any tips or habits that have helped you improve your overall immunity?

Right now I've started drinking lemon water first thing in the morning and taking a Centrum multivitamin with zinc tablet daily before bed.

I was in your situation last year.

I currently follow the works by someone whom many deride as a quack - Medical Medium. Whether he is a quack or not is up to you to decide. From my experience he is legitimate.

He says that many pathogens like hidden, unidentified variants of Epstein-Barr virus are responsible for making us ill. Doctors are unable to cure patients for many conditions because they have no idea what is actually going on in your body (even alternative ones in many events are clueless).

I suggest you check him out. (Just google "Medical Medium")

Since the Internet is full of these types of people these days, I'll say this preemptively: I'm not a shill for him. You'll notice no affiliate link. I am speaking from experience as I had a very serious episode of illness that lasted 5 months in 2023, and it was his advice that helped restore me to health. I've been on the alternative health treadmill for over ~4 years, gone through countless books about "what to do," and he is, by far, a cut above the rest.

As for immunity boosts, a combination of Vitamin C (with rose hips - don't take the pure ascorbic acid version) with honey and squeezed lemon, zinc, quercetin, cat's claw, curcumin, elderberry, and some other ones I can't remember off the top of my head.

If you have the time, I would suggest reading at least one of his books. There, you will learn why certain foods will make you more ill - eggs, gluten, soy, dairy, etc. just to name a few. (Ever wonder why there's been an explosion in "food sensitivity" in the past 50 years?)

You will learn the true reason why so many people tend to "feel better" once they eliminate problem foods - it's not because they have an inherent/inborn allergic reaction. It's a much more insidious reason.

Yes these supplements are all very expensive...but so is losing your health. Choose wisely.

 

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[Subsonic]

Reading this I see lots of people reccomending lots of different things based on anecdotal evidence.
That's fine and a legitimate way to present evidence for someone who can't conduct actual studies.

However the only common threads I've noticed are
1. Cold exposure
2. Vitamin D
3. Exercise

To me that's a green flag for those. If several different people from all over the world have anecdotal evidence for something and nothing to gain by recommending it, it's likely there's something to it.

 

[Vntonio]

Stress. That's it.

I do the same as you to prevent any sickness, I don't even drink coffee anymore.
Still, I managed to have some brain problems this week which caused me serious head pains, also I still get the flu from time to time. However, any sore throat or fever passes in a few days, rather than weeks as I saw from others. Also, I take some supplements and lots of natural plant tea. +immunity supplements

Again, my take on this is stress is the biggest enemy. Also, your actions to preserve your body in good health are just to reduce the time of inflammation or have a minimal effect on you (flu, other viruses, etc)

 

[StefanCole11]

I had the same problem as you, and I changed things in my life, so I am not sure which made a difference or which didn't.
So here is a sum:
-Make sure that the place where you spend most of your time always has fresh air(open your window at least 2 times per day, 5-10 minutes no matter what)
-Keep your diet well and sleep schedule.
-Cold showers(Learn how and when to do them from Wim Hof).
-Take some citrus fruit in the morning.
-Training daily(or at least take an walk).
-Clean your rooms more often than you do now. (If you don't see the dust it does not mean it's not there)

 

[StrikingViper69]

Having a very low body fat %%% can lead to you becoming sicker than normal people.

Maybe you need a large pizza once a week.

 

[The Racing Driver]

Thank you everyone for all the suggestions!

I never ever would have thought of the following suggestions, but it seems like breathing techniques and exercises have helped a few people here.

Came here to post this!

TAPE YOUR MOUTH CLOSED WHEN YOU SLEEP

That's all.

@MitchC Reading more into this. I'm going to give it a try.

I would check out the Wim Hof method and/or start going to the sauna.

If you have fatigue with clean diet and
exercise you have some other issue like a dormant virus. Taking lots of garlic can help kill the virus. Or you have adrenal fatigue cortisol resistance from stress. Take ashwaganda or rhodiola rosea.

@socaldude I love adding garlic to almost everything. I think my adrenal fatigue has been catching up with me. When I look at past photos vs current selfies, I can see the difference stress has been causing to my appearance. I'll look into Ashwaganda or Rhodiola rosea.

 

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[AceVentures]

Are you arguing that haemoglobin needs sunlight because it has a similar shape to chlorophyll? I totally agree that sunlight (with restraint) is great for the immune system (and health in general), but I don’t understand purpose of the diagram

No not that.

Was trying to be cute about the connection between water and sunlight as it relates to biology.

Just read the book.

 

[StrikingViper69]

No not that.

Was trying to be cute about the connection between water and sunlight as it relates to biology.

Just read the book.

Looks like pseudo science, going to pass. can’t find a concise explanation of what his book is about, only marketing, which screams nonsense.

 

[AceVentures]

Looks like pseudo science, going to pass. can’t find a concise explanation of what his book is about, only marketing, which screams nonsense.

Gerald Pollack | UW Bioengineering

UW Bioengineering - Core Faculty - Gerald Pollack, Professor

bioe.uw.edu

Pollack Laboratory | EZ Water | University of Washington

EZ Water, sometimes called Fourth Phase Water was identified by Dr. Gerald Pollack and his laboratory.

www.pollacklab.org

In addition to your inability to read, you can't even do a basic search on the author.

"pseudoscience" is what you do when you read a wikipedia article to shape your opinions instead of studying facts.

When I said I can talk about this for days it's because I've read dozens of his papers, followed up with the reference papers, watched documentaries on it, and devoured at least a dozen books on the topic.



The worst part about this interaction is that you missed the point I made to begin with: go outside and use the sunlight to improve your immune response.

But you decide to argue with me about shit you don't know anything about.

 

[Bounce Back]

That's a fair point. My interest in it goes beyond biohacking, which is why I've been in the weeds with a lot of the research.

The practical advice is to stop wearing sunscreen and to embrace the sun as if you were a plant.

But the rabbit hole implicates the entire concept of metabolism, the role of ATP and how cells ultimately remain alive.

Standard biochemistry, atop which the entire health/medicine is built upon, doesn't recognize that water is structured inside cells.

So the practical advice, as you see, is a little more complicated.

If this basic-most element of life, water, is not properly modeled for in "modern" biochemistry, how much of the science of health is quackery?

That's the question that keeps me reading WW2-era colloidal science textbooks or Gilbert Ling's association induction hypothesis.

Through the 1900s there were many debates and discoveries which shaped the orthodox model of cell physiology.

There was another branch of cell physiology which was poo-poo'd by establishment gatekeepers.

It was the protoplasmic, or colloidal, or liquid-crystallin model of life.

I'm looking for answers - so I continue to educate myself.

What would be the best book for someone not up to speed to catch up with what you are presenting? Would it be that Fourth Phase of Water book?

I understand it is only semi-related but I've done light reading on terrain theory before and while I found it fascinating ( as others are saying when you are already rather alert about what you are putting in your body and operating within the confines/constraints of your life on things like physical exercise, time outdoors, etc.) it can feel like it doesn't have much effect to learn more. I suppose unless you stumble upon something really suppressed/hidden/intentionally ignored/not disseminated or whatever you want to call it.

 

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