from Hacker News

Ask HN: How can I improve my immune system?

by fefb on 1/28/20, 11:37 PM with 30 comments

• by troughway on 1/29/20, 1:20 AM

  > [...] that drinking a lot of water make the difference for my general health [...]

  Anything that you eat or drink will affect your "general health"; from your gut bacteria to the pores on your skin. Water and caffeine-free herbal loose-leaf green are both very healthy in this regard.

  Others have mentioned diet, sleeping, stress management, eating lots of fruits/veggies.

  I'll add: Get regular, consistent, intensive exercise. Preferably something that targets your larger muscles (your legs/glutes) and your core. Doesn't matter what it is. Some people swear by Rippetoe's Starting Strength, but you choose what you like.

  "Immune system" is a holistic term. Making sure your heart is healthy and strong, your bones are healthy, your gut is healthy, and so on, all contributes to your immune system.

  Supplements are supplements. They're nice to have but they can't replace a diet that you can depend on every day. And they can't replace breaking a sweat during exercise either.

• by pascalxus on 1/29/20, 12:45 AM

  Eat lots of fruits and veggies. try to make 50% of your diet fruits and veggies. the other 50% should be Whole grain, beans, nuts/seeds.

  if fruits and veggies don't sound appealing, it's usually because someone's taste buds have been blasted to death with artificial ingredients. but, if you get off all that stuff for a few months, your normal taste buds should re-emerge.

  Fasting has been shown to have countless numerous benefits that is extremely powerful for many purposes.

  Be Careful with Supplements. in the US they are COMPLETELY unregulated. They could put whatever they wanted in there, even if it contradicts what's on the label. You don't need supplements in the first place. Just eat food. Nature's food already has everything the body could ever want. humans spent millions of years adapting to Nature's food, there's nothing better out there than that.

• by pcurve on 1/29/20, 1:12 AM

  It's encouraging that you've had good result from staying hydrated. I think it makes sense.

  I've learned the hard way the importance of mental health as someone who had unfortunate pleasure of getting shingles in late 30s.

  The first thing my doc asked me when I suspected shingles; "are you under a lot of stress?"

  I nearly broke down and cried. I realized killed myself over work for nothing. For what? Never again. My outlook changed since then.

• by PaulHoule on 1/28/20, 11:55 PM

  Get sleep. Manage stress.

  If you are worried about coronavirus, flu, etc. the best protection is washing with soap and water frequently.

• by lioeters on 1/29/20, 1:40 AM

  Sunlight, fresh air, food, sleep, exercise. Fermented foods. Medicinal mushrooms like Shiitake, Reishi, Oyster..

• by bellwether on 1/28/20, 11:48 PM

  My wife has an auto immune disease and we have both switched (through progressive stages) to the Wahl's Protocol. I've never felt healthier and her symptoms are improving--she's also on disease modifying treatment, so we're doing this in addition to medication, not instead of it.

  The Wahl's Protocol is designed for cell and brain health, so it may be exactly what you're looking for.

  See Dr. Terry Wahl's Ted Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc

• by peteradio on 1/29/20, 12:08 AM

  It surprised me how important my oral health was for my overall health. I started taking it more seriously in the last year and had a much better year.

• by abhikandoi2000 on 1/29/20, 7:27 AM

  In India, it is pretty common to eat the leaves of the plant Tulsi, as it is known to improve the immune system. Personally, I used to catch cold almost 3-4 times a year, but taking Tulsi (in the form of one drop of concentrated tulsi extract mixed in my morning drinking water) has helped me immensely. The frequency with which I catch cold/fever has reduced dramatically.

• by jerome-jh on 1/29/20, 9:28 AM

  Maybe not the answer you are expecting, but the true way is to expose yourself to diseases.

  D vitamin may help: you best get it by exposing your naked skin to sunlight.

• by eu on 1/29/20, 12:42 AM

  Get breastfed for the first 2-3 years of your life.

• by enz on 1/29/20, 12:53 AM

  Eating good stuff, good sleep, doing physical exercise if you like that, managing stress if any.

• by libx on 1/29/20, 12:54 AM

  Coconut seems to be very good for the immune system. Turmeric is also very good. You may consider taking daily pills on magnesium, omega-3 and C vitamin. Don't take sugars, either directly, from sodas, etc, or indirectly from grains, bread, cakes... Take oils instead. From walnuts and others. You'll improve a lot with this discipline.

• by meiraleal on 1/29/20, 10:19 PM

  Eat less times a day, eat more meat and less vegetables. Look for Carnivore Diet.

• by throwaway4392 on 1/29/20, 1:08 AM

  Focus on lowering inflammation in the body. Try intermittent fasting, etc.

• by sendilkumarn on 1/29/20, 1:17 AM

  black pepper is very good for your immune system

• by vicmgon on 1/29/20, 12:56 AM

  Goji berries.