Immunity boosting formula

The immune-boosting formula that can truly take effect in the long term is never a miracle drug or health product, but a combination of "70% basic living habits + 20% personalized supplement adjustments + 10% stress intervention at special times". There is no universal standard answer. All formulas must be dynamically adjusted according to your physique, daily routine and even seasons.

In the past two years, I worked on a project for three months. When the season changed, I caught two colds in a row and developed urticaria. I went to the nutrition department to see a doctor I knew well. He didn't even prescribe protein powder for me. He first asked me to keep a diary of my work, rest, and diet for a week. Later, when I saw it, I drank 4 cups of ice cream every day, the total amount of green leafy vegetables was less than 100g, and I slept for 5 hours, which was considered excessive. He laughed directly: "You are just a leaky bucket. No matter how much water you pour into it, you can't retain it. Let's fill the hole first before talking about anything else." ”

It's interesting to say that I used to be superstitious about "exercising more will strengthen your body." Until last year, I met a friend who was a horse racer. During the preparation period, he couldn't run 10 kilometers a day, but in the end he got pneumonia and was hospitalized. According to Western medicine, long-term excessive exercise causes cortisol to continue to rise, and immune cell activity is directly suppressed. ； The explanation from traditional Chinese medicine is more straightforward, saying that this is due to excessive dissipation of Yang Qi, weak Wei Qi, and the inability to hold back wind evil once it enters. I have learned to do it myself now. I take 20 minutes during the week to dance Pamela or walk two brisk laps downstairs. On the weekends, climbing a mountain with friends is more than fulfilled. I haven’t had rhinitis this year. I am much more comfortable than before when I forced myself to run three times a week. The effect is actually better.

When I talk about food, I want to laugh. Previously, a reader sent me her "immunity-specific recipe", which consisted of boiled broccoli and oil-free chicken breast. After eating it for half a month, my face turned yellow. In fact, the nutrition community itself is constantly arguing. Some schools say that high protein is needed to supply energy to immune cells, while others say that high-fiber whole foods are the core. I have tried it myself for more than half a year, but why is it necessary to be so extreme? It is enough to collect 1 fist of mixed beans and grains, 2 fists of various vegetables, 1 fist of fish, eggs and poultry every day, and a small handful of plain nuts as snacks. My bestie previously stocked up on more than 300 yuan worth of imported kale powder, which was unopened when it became wet. It’s really not as good as eating half a baby cabbage every day.

After finishing the daily basics, the remaining supplements are actually very flexible and are the most controversial. My own habit is to supplement 400IU vitamin D every day in winter when there is less sunshine, and to supplement zinc when staying up late or when many people around me have colds. Both of these have been clinically proven at home and abroad to help improve respiratory immunity and shorten the course of colds. But if you can get enough sunshine for 15 minutes a day and eat shellfish and red meat two or three times a week, you don’t have to spend this money at all. As for the recently hyped probiotics, there are some studies that say they can regulate intestinal immunity, and there are also many studies that say that eating them is useless for healthy people. When I had diarrhea and had diarrhea, I would take them for a week. It can indeed relieve the discomfort, but if you have regular bowel movements and no gastrointestinal problems, there is really no need to spend hundreds of dollars on those fancy products.

Oh, by the way, there is another point that people ask a lot: Do I need to take immune globulin? I specifically asked my friends in the Department of Infectious Diseases. Unless they are patients with congenital immune deficiency or severe infection, vaccination is completely unnecessary for ordinary people. Not only is it ridiculously expensive, but there is also a risk of blood transmission. Don’t listen to the scammers.

The remaining 10% of stress intervention is actually simpler, that is, when you feel like you are about to catch a cold, or there are many people around you who have been infected, don’t bear the spicy stimulation of staying up late and eating ice cream. The last time I cooled down, I stayed up until 2 o'clock as planned. When I woke up the next day, my throat felt tight. I quickly made a cup of warm lemon salt water. I slept on my stomach for 40 minutes at the company at noon. When I got home at 9 o'clock in the evening, I lay down on my back. When I woke up the next day, nothing happened. Instead, I had to catch a cold for three to five days. At the end of last year, when the office was full of sunshine, I went home to sleep after get off work for three days in a row. I didn't even dare to catch up on the drama. In the end, I was the only one in the whole department who had no sunshine. Of course, it may be because I was lucky, but don't tell me, two more hours of sleep at critical times is really more useful than anything else.

There are friends around me who are stocking up on various health care products that are claimed to "boost immunity". Their cabinets are piled high, but they still end up catching colds when the seasons change. To put it bluntly, immunity is the most honest thing. What you do to it will do to you. How can there be any universal formula that is suitable for everyone? A small habit that can make you feel comfortable and stick to it for three months is much more effective than taking expensive supplements for half a year.