As we move into the colder winter months our body starts to goes through an adaptation process to help us cope with the changing seasons, but many people suffer with poor adaptation for various reasons which leaves them vulnerable to picking up all the bugs and viruses in the environment. Many find this is a persistent problem during winter, whilst others struggle throughout the year, finding that they’re always getting ill with coughs, colds, chest infections or sore throats regardless of the weather. It’s easy to put this down to bad luck, a busy lifestyle or simply the time of year. However, if you’re regularly experiencing infections or feeling under the weather, it may be worth looking at the bigger picture of your health. As a naturopath, I believe it’s important to look beyond the immediate symptoms and consider what might be contributing to someone’s overall health and resilience. Why do some people seem to get ill all the time, and how can nutrition and herbal medicine help support the body’s natural defences? In my opinion, the key is building up the terrain by supporting the whole body and not simply focussing on the immune system because the immune system isn’t working in isolation, it’s receiving messages from all the other body systems too.
Why Do I Keep Getting Ill?
There isn’t necessarily one simple answer. Some people may have greater exposure to viruses and bacteria, particularly if they work with children, have busy households or spend a lot of time in shared indoor environments. Others may have underlying health conditions, allergies, respiratory problems or nutritional deficiencies that need further investigation. But if you’ve been to the doctor and there is no underlying reason why you keep getting sick, then maybe it’s time to start looking at your diet and lifestyle to see if there are things you’re doing, eating or not eating that could be contributing to the depletion of your terrain such as: poor sleep, high stress levels, nutritional deficiencies or digestive problems.
Could Your Diet Be Affecting Your Immune System?
Nutrition is one of the foundations of good health, and the nutrients we obtain from food play an important role in supporting normal immune function. Your immune system requires a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other nutrients to function effectively. When your diet is lacking in variety or certain nutrients, it’s worth looking at whether this could be contributing to your overall health. There are many vitamins and minerals needed for optimal immune function but some particularly important ones are:
Vitamin D
Vitamin D contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system. We obtain vitamin D through sunlight exposure and certain foods, including oily fish, egg yolks and fortified products. In the UK, vitamin D is particularly relevant during autumn and winter when sunlight exposure is limited. It’s a good idea to test your vitamin D levels through a blood test because this can be a useful guide on how much you should be supplementing and whether it’s contributing to your lowered immunity.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C contributes to normal immune function and helps protect cells from oxidative stress, it’s a water soluble vitamin, so needs regular intake from food such as: citrus, kiwis, strawberries, red peppers and green leafy vegetables.
Zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral involved in many processes within the body, including normal immune function. Inadequate intake can affect immune function, so ensuring you’re getting enough through your diet is important, foods that are high in zinc are: pumpkin seeds, seafood, meat, eggs, nuts and legumes.
Protein
Protein is often overlooked when people think about immune health and it’s one of the macronutrients that I find is often low in peoples diets. Protein provides amino acids needed to build and maintain tissues, including the cells and proteins involved in immune responses, if you’re deficient then the body doesn’t have the raw materials it needs to make the white blood cells involved in the immune response. Good protein sources include eggs, fish, chicken, meat, lentils, beans, tofu, nuts and seeds. Always include a source of protein with all your meals.
Could Your Gut Health Be Linked to Your Immune Health?
You may have heard that a large proportion of the body’s immune activity is associated with the gut. Our digestive system is home to trillions of microorganisms, collectively known as the gut microbiome. These microorganisms interact with the immune system and contribute to maintaining the gut barrier and supporting normal immune regulation. When things go out of balance then this can impact the immune system in the gut which further impacts the whole body, starting a cascade of symptoms that seem unrelated to gut health. You can have gut issues without symptoms originating from the gut, and you can have known symptoms such as bloating, reflux, loose stools, constipation, pain and nausea. If your digestion is not optimal then you can have poor breakdown and absorption of nutrients which can impact your health including your immune system.
What I also commonly see in clinic is clients presenting with poor fat absorption, this will impact the guts ability to absorb fat soluble nutrients such as vitamin D. So, if you’re supplementing and your blood tests are still low, then your gut health can be a strong possible contributing factor for why you’re not absorbing your vitamins. When clients have gut issues I often use supplements that by-pass the digestion for better absorption until the digestion is functioning better, as an Oligotherapist I like to use Oligoelements which are trace minerals needed by the cells in our body for proper function. Their sublingual form means they’re absorbed in the mouth rather than the digestive tract, I’ve found them very effective as an adjunct to diet and herbal medicine for supporting the immune system.
Probiotics can be helpful with supporting gut health, but my preferred approach is food first. Prebiotics are food for your gut bacteria that encourages their growth, which in turn improves your health. I believe it’s better to encourage the growth of your own resident bacteria rather than add in bacteria that are not naturally part of your guts own natural ecosystem.
Foods that support a healthy gut microbiome are:
Plenty of different coloured vegetables and fruit.
Fibre-rich foods such as oats, beans and lentils.
Nuts and seeds.
Wholegrains.
Fermented foods such as live yoghurt, kefir and sauerkraut, if tolerated.
Can Stress and Poor Sleep Make You More Susceptible to Getting Ill?
Have you noticed that you seem to get ill just when life becomes particularly busy, working long hours, looking after everyone else, juggling family responsibilities or going through a stressful period. When we experience prolonged stress, the body’s stress-response systems can negatively influence immune regulation. Stress can also affect sleep, eating habits and our ability to maintain healthy routines. Sleep is equally important. During sleep, the body carries out many processes involved in healing and repair. Sometimes supporting your health isn’t about adding another supplement to your routine. It might start with getting more sleep, eating regular nourishing meals and finding ways to manage everyday stress. Sometimes we can’t remove the stress from our lives, but what we can do is support the body whilst we go through stressful times.
Finding ways to relax should be something we all build into the end of our day, this will vary from person to person, so find what suits you personally, such as: walking in nature, talking to friends, reading a book before sleep, taking a warm bath before bed, meditation, breathing exercises, or consider herbal teas in the evening. I find herbs very helpful for relaxing the nervous system and supporting sleep, if a tea isn’t working for you then consider having one made by a herbalist or using a herbal tincture that’s been blended specifically for your needs. Herbalist have access to herbs that you can’t purchase in a supermarket and can check whether they’re suitable for you, your health conditions and any medications you’re taking. Chamomile can be a nice simple tea to start with if you’d like to try something yourself.
How Can Herbal Medicine Support Immune Health?
As a herbalist, I find herbal medicine very effective for supporting the immune system, both acutely with coughs and colds and with more chronic health conditions for those that feel like they’re always getting sick. But this is where I would recommend seeing a qualified herbalist because there are so many different herbs for different conditions and some are not recommended when you are feeling immune compromised and others are very supportive with building up the immune system. Additionally you’re never just focussing on the immune system when someone is continuously feeling unwell because there are other body systems also under stress and involved in the immune systems ability to function. Herbs can be combined to also support the nervous system if stress is an ongoing issue, the digestive system to support nutrient breakdown and absorption and other dysfunctions that will arise during the 60-90 minute in-depth consultation. I’ve seen many clients struggle with low immunity overcome this with correcting the diet and the use of herbal tinctures to further support the body.
Here are a few of my favourite herbs for acute coughs and colds. Starting them as soon as you feel the slightest symptom is most effective because if you wait till the symptoms are stronger then the viral load will be higher and it takes longer for the body to remove. So you need to nip it in the bud!
Echinacea – Echinacea is one of the best-known herbs traditionally used in preparations for colds and immune support. Research into echinacea has produced mixed results, and different species and preparations may have different effects. Herbalists have much stronger preparations, so if you don’t find it effective then try Echinacea from a herbalist. We often mix it with other immune supporting herbs to create a synergy for better results too. It may be worth discussing whether it is appropriate for you with a suitably qualified practitioner, particularly if you have allergies, an autoimmune condition or take medication.
Elderberry – often found as a syrup using the berries (which can’t be eaten raw), herbalists also use the flowers and can combine it with Echinacea in a tincture for respiratory infections.
Thyme – Thyme is traditionally used in herbal preparations for coughs and respiratory complaints, it contains aromatic compounds that are naturally antimicrobial helping to eliminate unwanted pathogens. This can be used in a diffuser as an essential oil where the vapours enter the body through inhalation.
Ginger – One of my favourite warming herbs, it contains naturally occurring compounds called gingerols and has traditionally been used to support digestive comfort, nausea and may help with supporting the body when you feel a sore throat or cold coming on. It’s easy to use as a tea and is one I often add into my herbal tinctures in small amounts.
When Should You Investigate Repeated Infections?
Although catching the occasional cold is a normal part of life, frequently getting chest infections, persistent sore throats, recurring sinus infections or infections that are unusually severe or slow to resolve, it’s important to speak to your GP because there may be an underlying medical explanation that needs investigating.
How Can a Naturopath Help If You Keep Getting Ill?
If you’ve had all your medical checks and your GP is happy that there is nothing that needs further investigation and cannot give you a reason why you keep getting sick then a naturopath can start to look a bit deeper into your terrain and start to unpick what might be going on in the background. I start by taking a lot of health information from your intake form, you also need to complete a 4 day food dairy so I can analyse the nutritional content of your meals. We then go through your health questionnaire in person by Zoom or face-to-face where we discuss things in more detail. After the consultation I take the time to have a deeper look at all the symptoms and health history and look for all the potential causing factors that could be affecting your health. If you have provided a blood test then I can also do an Endobiogenic analysis of the results for deeper insight into what could be going on. I then get back in touch to provide you with a nutrition plan, supplement suggestions and if appropriate herbal medicines too.
If you’re ready to understand your health a little better, get in touch to find out how a personalised naturopathic consultation could help you take the next step.
Written by Tina Prajapat DipCNM, mANP, rGNC – Registered Nutritional Therapist, Herbalist and Naturopath using nutrition, herbal medicine and lifestyle approaches to support better health.
Disclaimer
The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. While nutrition, herbal medicine and lifestyle approaches can play a valuable role in supporting general health and wellbeing, individual needs and circumstances vary.
Always consult your GP or a suitably qualified healthcare professional regarding any health concerns, symptoms or medical conditions, particularly if symptoms are persistent, recurring or worsening. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical attention because of something you have read in this article.
Herbal medicines and nutritional supplements are not suitable for everyone and may interact with prescribed medications or existing health conditions. Always seek appropriate professional guidance before starting any new supplement or herbal preparation.
The views and information shared reflect general naturopathic principles and should not be considered personalised medical advice.
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/?utm_source
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/colds-flu-and-complementary-health-approaches?utm_source
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/ImmuneFunction-HealthProfessional/?utm_source
