Is your immune system ready for the change of season?

It definitely feels great to shed those heavy layers but is your immune system ready for the warmer and often windier days as we recover from winter colds and brace for spring allergies.

An allergic reaction is when the immune system over responds to a non-harmful substance (dust/pollen) and attacks as if it was a dangerous invader. Rather than protecting the body, the immune response creates a set of symptoms that becomes a disease state – watery eyes, sneezing, congestion, fatigue, congestion.

Several holistic systems of medicine argue that allergies develop due to a compromised immune system, a weak digestive system and toxic overload. Allergies are a sign one or more of our organs - the kidneys, liver, lungs or stomach are imbalanced and simple need a tune-up.

When symptoms of allergies start to show we tend to reach for the anti-histamines to keep them at bay. But did you know there are many ways we can stabilize and build our immune system, flush out toxins and wastes and improve respiratory passages to help that doesn’t involve popping something.

·       Move your body: to assist with the flow of lymph, the fluid responsible for removing wastes and toxins from the body and maintaining our immunity. Take a brisk walk with plenty of movement in the arms and legs creates a natural pumping action to move lymph fluid through the lymphatic system.

·       Elevate your legs up the wall can also assist with draining toxins from the body and transporting immune cells throughout the body.

·       Perform Heart opening poses and backbends like Sethu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge) to open the chest and lungs also stimulate the thymus gland, located in centre of the chest, the gland responsible for maturing T cells our immune boosting cells.

·       Breathe through your nose – try full yogic breathing or 3 part breathing to reduce symptoms of allergies – inhale through the nose expanding through belly, side ribs then chest, exhale again through the nose softening through the chest, side ribs then belly.

·       Meditation builds antibodies (immune cells), the body’s natural defense against viruses and bacteria. 

Come and visit us at The Key to discover how yoga and meditation can support your immune health and establish a healthy body and mind.