Oct 8, 2009 11:46 pm US/Eastern
HealthWatch: Boost Your Immune System
While Vaccines May Be Best Way To Prevent Flu, Doctors Say There Are Plenty Of Other Ways To Stay Healthy
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Washing your hands or hand sanitizing is just as important as eating right and sleeping enough when it comes to keep your immune system sharp.
MYCHELE DANIAU/AFP/Getty Images
With cold and flu season practically on our doorstep, we want to be able to do what we can to help keep ourselves strong.
CBS 2 HD has some simple and surprising ways we can boost our immune system.
It's simple but important advice -- and with all the talk of flu these days -- especially important to keep in the forefront of your thinking.
"First and foremost the way to prevent the flu is vaccinations, but there's other things we can do," said Dr. Tracy Zivin-Tutela, and infectious disease specialist at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital.
"Drinking lots of water and eating lots of vegetables and fruits," said Liona Davis of London.
That's right. Start with good nutrition, a diet rich in antioxidants to fight free radicals and keep our cells strong. Fruits and vegetables like berries, pomegranates and broccoli are an excellent source.
"Omega 3s are what we call the cardiac healthy fats. Those also work in decreasing bad cells as we say from causing damage to your system," Dr. Zivin-Tutela said.
Your best sources here are in fish and nuts. And don't forget citrus for vitamin C. It decreases inflammation in the body and that helps ward off colds and flu.
Other effective ways to boost your immune system include getting ample sleep so cells can repair themselves, and don't forget to focus on fitness.
"Exercise when your full-fledge sick cannot be good for you, but if you are warding off something or start to feel a sniffle, exercise actually revs up your immune system," Dr. Zivin-Tutela said.
Some turn to vitamin stores for remedies.
"Taking herbs to enhance the immune system," said Katarina Decaro of Manhattan.
While others choose a more holistic approach.
"We use mushroom extract commonly. Mytaki shiitake have been shown to boost immunity. Etragalis is another common one that we use, which is a root from the pea plant. You can boil it, put it in a soup, kind of sweet tasting has some good evidence to boost immunity," said Dr. Stephen Dahmer.
But one old-fashioned remedy may also be the best for prevention.
"The one thing that can really help the immune system is chicken soup, and that's actually been well studied. Chicken soup decreases inflammation in the body and may actually provide medicinal benefits," Dr. Zivin-Tutela said.
Reducing stress may be the best thing you can do for optimal health and immunity. Recently, the American Medical Association estimated that 80 percent of medical visits are for illnesses that are in some way related to stress.
So take time to take it easy.
And make sure you check with your doctor before trying any non-prescribed cold and flu remedies.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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