Not only is getting sick uncomfortable it steals precious time from your life. A friend of mine was looking forward to a week long vacation. Unfortunately, she got the flu during almost the whole week! How can this calamity be avoided?

Below are 7 ways you can build up your immune system naturally:

1) It is a fact that 80% or more of our immune system is in “the gut.”

This is one of the basics learned early in Chinese Medicine School. It is now coming out in mainstream media and I am thankful. So how do we create a healthy “gut”?

Of course a healthy diet is important but I would like to highlight here the need to have a healthy balance of ‘gut’ bacteria. These bacteria are commonly known as “pro-biotics” You can purchase supplements, but adding fermented foods is equally if not more effective.

What are fermented foods?

Some examples are: miso soup (don’t overheat or kills probiotics), kombucha – a flavorful fermented tea that can be bought in health food stores and some supermarkets now (or brew your own to save money), fermented vegetables which can be made at home (a store bought version is Rejuvenate Foods Brand Sauerkraut – find in refrigerated section of health food stores).

2) Supplement with vitamin D3.

Vitamin D isn’t just for bones anymore! I have found it to be much more effective than echinachea or vitamin c in avoiding respiratory infections. European RDAs are beginning to recommend 4,000 IUs per day for adults. This is 10 times more than the RDA here in the US which is only concerned with outright deficiencies, not optimal health and immunity. Again make sure it is vitamin D3 – cholecalciferol. Check into taking vitamin K2 with D3 to allow it to be used correctly by the body. Vitamin K2 keeps D3 from getting to overdose levels.

3 )If you tend to get sinus infections make sure you have a Neti Pot.

A Neti Pot gently streams warm salt water through the nasal cavity which cleans stubborn phlegm away that could be a breeding ground for infections. Find a Neti pot in local health food stores or online.

4) Reduce Emotional stress.

Negative emotions like anxiety, irritation, overwhelm and sadness have powerful energy that negatively affect the body when they are experienced excessively.

As they are felt, chemicals and nerve transmissions are sent out into the body that weaken one’s immunity. EFT or ‘Emotional Freedom Technique’ is a simple tool that if used regularly will effectively diminish the occurrence of these negative states.

5) Of course minimizing or eliminating sugar is very important.

It has been said that each time we eat sugar, our immune system is lowered for 5-6 hours afterwards.

6) Getting plenty of sleep.

If we skimp on sleep our bodies miss an important chance to rejuvenate and repair the body.

7) Acupuncture builds up immunity through allowing smoother flow of energy in the body (better digestion, open flowing sinuses, less emotional reactivity).

Most of us spend our days in survival mode. This mode of living does not allow our body to rebuild itself because we remain in a vigilant state. During acupuncture the body moves from ‘stress’ mode to ‘rest and relax’ mode. Do yourself a favor and enjoy some immune building, relaxing acupuncture.

I am speaking from my own experience. I suffered from multiple respiratory infections every year into my late 20s. I rarely become sick these days and have helped multitudes of my patients to stay healthy all year long!