I want to improve my immune system

[Birdie]

Tips tips tips tips tips please.


I'm pretty sure I spend at least six months of the twelve
ailing with some shitty bodily ailment. I live in a very cold
place and I do not sleep regular hours opposite from my
natural inclinations. As a child I was always an early riser
and liked to sleep at night. Now I'm on an opposite schedule
sleeping whenever I can fit it in and working at night times.

I currently have some sort of sick chest and sinus congestion
going on. I was sick like two weeks ago with some sort of
stomach bug. I no longer have insurance nor am I interested
in obtaining insurance as dividends are seriously absurd.

The man I am with thinks that a lot of my sickness has to do
with the environment I am in. Cold, windy, dry, moldy, etc...
At this time I don't have elsewhere to go though. In two months
I will have changed my living situation and I am going to see if
things will improve then. For the time being I would just like
some tips on how to break up chest congestion and just feel
healthier. For the remaining next two months I would like to be
as healthy as possible. If you have any suggestions for how to
go about this I would greatly appreciate them.

I'm getting ready to go to the store to purchase some things:
sinus relief stuff man has been insisting I buy for some sixteen
months now and I've been neglecting to.
sea salt
ginger roots
honey
peppermint leaves
grape fruits
comfrey
mullein
licorice
squill
thyme
anise
eucalyptus
distilled water

If you're going to suggest medication please include a
detailed explanation as to how the medication helped you
and your experiences with it. Thank you.

[Pa3s]

Last time I had a cold I took some spoonfuls of medical honey which was mixed with fennel extracts every day. I found it worked surprisingly well for both relief of the symptoms and as a cure of the sickness.

[Beautiful sky]

1. Don't touch your face with your hands.
2. Stay away from people who sneeze.
3. Eat a balanced diet. Feed your immune system dark leafy greens that have been wilted for a few minutes, greens like collards, mustards, organic spinach, because these have inulin, a fibrous like food that the bacteria in your guts feed on. Eat a lot of foods/veggies with both soluble and insoluble fiber. Most of our immune system is actually in our guts. Don't eat out; never eat out; when you do eat out, choose foods that have low calorie, low cholesterol, low sodium....good luck finding that.
4. Cut down on coffee.
5. Don't drink alcohol.
6. Get lots of sleep.
7. Exercise regularly to moderately.
8. Go to the doctor annually.
9. Have safe sex.
10. Don't follow fad diets or fad suggestions. Don't do crazy diets like the "all juice diet."
11. Ward off depression with positive thinking.

[fen]

Well, it seems you are doing one of the biggest things that can boost your immune system: exercising.

Hmm, well, I don't know a whole lot about that kind of thing, but I'll tell you what I do know.

Are you getting enough B vitamins? B vitamin deficiency can weaken your immune system, among other things.
Do you take a Probiotic supplement or eat yogurt with live cultures regularly? There is a link between good bacteria in your digestive system and immune system health.

If you don't take a Probiotic supplement, I suggest taking one. They really help you feel better all around I find.

Also, whenever you start feeling ill, maybe up your intake of Vitamin C. There are lots of things you can buy at the pharmacy, like Emergen-C (contains 1667% of your daily value of Vitamin C, as well as a bunch of B Vitamins)that will boost your immune system and help you get better. I've used Emergen-C before. I don't know if it actually helps really, but it should in theory. In addition, you could try Cold-EEZE, which keeps the cold virus from multiplying, which will help you get better faster. I've never used it since I don't get sick much, but I think it's worth a try.
If you get a sore throat from draining sinuses, drinking tea with honey in it will soothe your throat.

[Korpsy Knievel]

Work outdoors year round in all weather; avoid unnecessary human contact, especially out-of-towners and local huggers; eat plenty of chickens, steaks and fresh vegetables; keep away from objects contaminated by children's disease-spreading hands; smoke marijuana regularly and drink plenty of alcohol to drive out evil spirits; will yourself to never become ill.

[anndelise]

For sinus congestion....neti pot your nose. Yes, it sounds gross, yes, it may sometimes feel gross, but it really helps clear up sinus gunk. Sinus dripping down the back of the throat may get into lungs, so this might also help with some of the chest congestion.

For chest congestion, use a humidifer/vaporizer with the menthol additative. This will help break up mucus chunks, making it easier to cough them out. When breathing is particularly harsh, I will place my face into the warm steam (check it's temp first), and breath in the moisture through both nose and mouth. This helps further in breaking up the mucus.

Diet-wise, do one of those elimination diets which are used for checking for food allergies. It,s when you take out common allergen foods, give time for the body to recover, then slowly try some of the allergen foods to see if adding them to your diet leads to the poor health you're feeling. One of my neighbors did this, for both herself and her daughter. Both recovered health, and have a better idea of which foods to limit and how much to limit them.

Have your home cleaned from top to bottom, thoroughly. To remove dander, pollen, spores, etc. since you're already feeling the ill health, try to have someone else do the potentially bad areas (like carpet, bathroom, dark corners, etc). Maybe can exchange services for that, to help reduce your costs.

I don't know where you live, but winter weather...the cold stuff...tends to be drying and mucus forming anyways. Heaters and such will dry the air, leading to dried skin, dry sinus, etc. the mucus is produced sometimes to help protect things like the sinuses...but unfortunately, the dryness dries the mucus up too. Downward cycle. Beware dehydration symptoms. Drink water and fresh vegetables juices to help hydrate your body. In cold weather, drink lots of warm teas.

With spring time coming, there's usually a lot of rain, which can allieviate the dryness, but cause mucus for other reasons. Going on a temporary cleansing diet at this time can help the body recoup from winter damages, faster.

Try to eat foods which are seasonally related. Cold weather means greens, leaves, proteins, and fats, including the fatty fishes, warm cereals/grains, animal products (though animal products like milk and cheese encourages mucus production). The fats also help protect joints from winter stiffness. Warmer weather means fruits, fruiting vegies, carbs, etc.

Also, for any sinus mucus, blow it out rather than sucking it into the lungs/throat.

Edited to add:
Also try sleeping elevated if the mucus is interfering with night time breathing. And also try sleeping on the your left side if you're coughing things up at night.

Oh, and each day, even in midwinter, open your windows throughout the house, for about half an hour to an hour. This helps refresh the air inside your home, and moves out stale air.

Edited again to add:
Winter stews, hearty soups, and slow cooked juicy foods also helps both to get warm, and to break up mucus. (By juicy, i mean something like juicy meats rather than dried out meats.)