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Dietitian’s unique not-at-all-diet-related tip for boosting your immune system this fall
Whether its the common cold, man flu, the real flu, or a case of the seasonal heebie-jeebies, fall is wont to spring ailments upon us. The cold, dark months stretch out ahead, and we get feverish, tucked up in bed.�
The changing colors of the leaves can have a positive impact on your mood, which might be worth harnessing to counterbalance the onset of seasonal blues. We recently ran you through our ultimate 5-step guide to beating seasonal colds, for which we fielded some pretty unlikely candidates. But one dietitian has a tip thatll blow your socks off. And it wont cost you a penny. As Confucius once said, the best things in life& are free.
Dietitian offers immune-boosting tip that has nothing to do with diet
Susie Kundrat is a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and wellness expert. She works with consumers, clients, students, and athletes, and has won awards for her academic work.�
So I hope youll believe her when she recommends belly laughter as an accessible, non-diet-related, and completely free immune booster.
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Enjoying a hearty laugh can boost your mood, lower anxiety, and reduce stress, she says. The physical action of laughing can trigger chemical changes in your body that may boost your immunity.
She suggests watching a funny video, listening to a funny podcast, or acting like a kid with your dog. Or kids. I might venture to add you could also act like a dog with your kid, like a kid by yourself, or like a baby dog with one or more of your grown-up friends. One friend is all you need for this exercise.
Is there a scientific basis for laughter as an immune booster?
Yes, although its taken us some time to fully appreciate its variegated wonders.�
A metastudy of the relationship between laughing and health outcomes from 2007 mentions other studies that show, at least to some extent, that laughter can:
- Act as a buffer or moderator of the effects of daily hassles �this doesnt relate specifically to the immune system, but suggests that were better at dealing with minor stressors if we laugh regularly; and
- Counteract one of the effects of stress, which is that it produces significant immune suppression.
The authors wrote, at the time, that research into the effects of humor on various health-related outcomes is in its infancy, and that results are tentative. But that was nearly 20 years ago.
Since then, Mayo Clinic has written that, when it comes to relieving stress, more giggles and guffaws are just what the doctor ordered.
On the long-term effects of laughing regularly, it adds that negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity.
By contrast, positive thoughts can actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more serious illnesses.
Laughter is good for your heart, waist, brain, and immune system
Just last year, Heart Views published Laughter In Medicine, in which consultant cardiologist Rachel Hajar writes unequivocally that laughter boosts the immune system.
Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease, she states. It protects the heart, burns calories, and helps you stay mentally healthy.
It “improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. And laughing for 10-15 minutes a day can burn as much as 40 calories, which could be enough to lose three or four pounds over the course of a year.”
What more could you want? And its totally free. On tap. Any time.
So, put on your favorite sitcom. Send Instagram reels to your friends. Write jokes. Cook messily. Earmark some time for frolicking in the fields. Oh yeah, were frolicking. Doctors orders.
