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It's likely we all know someone who seems to have "superhuman" health. Most of us mortals battle seasonal allergies, colds, flu, stomach bugs and whatever else is making the rounds at schools and workplaces. These immunity superheroes go on working and playing or, if they do get sick, they overcome it quickly. Why is that?

Do They Have "Immunity Superpower"?

Since the time of Hippocrates, the answer has been a mystery capturing the attention of doctors and researchers. In fact, there is a rigorous area of research known as psychoneuroimmunology that specifically focuses on this mystery. That's a fancy word for the study of the way the mind (psych), the body (neuro, nervous system), and the immune system interact. This includes how they contribute to both good health and illness, as well as recovery from illness, among other areas of scientific interest.

Research has begun to reveal how genetics, lifestyle, stress, personal history of illness and exposure to toxins affect the strength and resiliency of our immune response. Moreover, these discoveries help reveal the characteristics that give some people "immunity superpowers" and explain why the rest of us have more kryptonite to overcome in our quest for health and vitality.

What Makes Us Vulnerable to Getting Sick?

When a person gets sick - be it an acute illness like a cold, a chronic disease such as diabetes, or something more serious like cancer or COVID-19 - a number of factors contribute to what makes us vulnerable to illness:

Genetics and family history. An increased likelihood for certain diseases can be "set-up" in a person's biology by genetics and family history. But biology is not destiny. Just because a parent had a certain illness, doesn't mean you are destined to the same fate. You are a unique individual living in a different time. You have different life experiences with likely more knowledge about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle than the family who came before you.

Environment. While genetics provides your body with a template for health versus disease risk, the environment in which you work, live, and play matters. Your environment fills in the details for that template to activate/deactivate different pathways within the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems. This revolutionary field of study known as epigenetics examines how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work.

Lifestyle. Broadly speaking, lifestyle is the end-game when it comes to vulnerability to or resilience over illness. Your lifestyle habits can make you more likely to get ill in a couple of ways. One is by activating your genetic predispositions. Another is by introducing germ-warfare that your body is not equipped to defend against. For example, you eat McDonald's three meals a day and you find yourself sick all the time from one thing or another. Eating the same processed foods over and over can activate genes which create a less healthy body.

On the positive side, lifestyle habits can rewire genetic predispositions and strengthen the immune response. This makes your body more resilient to viral or bacterial invaders. Additionally, science has shown us strong evidence for what we can do to make our bodies healthy, more resistant to illness, and better able to thrive as nature intended.

How to Build Your Immunity Superpower

There are several lifestyle "secrets" that can help you build your immunity superpower:

Nourish the Body. Your body needs  a variety of fresh, colorful fruits and vegetables; lean meat, poultry and fish; healthy oils, whole grains, and nuts. It needs adequate hydration for digestion and absorption of nutrients and the efficiency with which all organ systems are able to work. You can complement a high-quality nutrition-dense diet with supplements such as vitamins, minerals, and herbs that are known to support the immune system. Examples include cod liver oil, probiotics, garlic, vitamin D, antioxidants such as vitamin C and A, astragalus, and ashwagandha among many others.

Relax the Mind/Body. Taking time to relax, especially away from phones and other screens, is essential to immunity. Research on the power of the mind over illness, and the effects of stress on immunity, demonstrates that a calm mind/body is better able to defend against disease. It can even reduce the severity of illness when it occurs. Yoga, breathwork, mindfulness practices, massage therapy, gardening, zen sandboxes, guided imagery, and having a good laugh (yes! laughter) are a few of the practices that can shift the body's template from disease-promoting to health-promoting.

Move the Body. Consistent, moderately vigorous daily exercise not only does wonders for heart, lungs, and muscles... It's also good for the health of the brain and immune system. If you aren't able to get a more intense workout in, know that ANY movement is better than no movement. Walking up and down the block, doing 10 minutes straight up and down your stairs, etc., improves your health. If you aren't exercising regularly, consult with your holistic health practitioner or a certified fitness professional to help you get started.

Live Clean. Strive to actively control the things you use and put in your environment as much as you can. Use air purifiers. Clean home air filters regularly. Use organic (less toxic) household cleaning supplies. Carefully choose the cosmetics you use on your skin. Try to avoid plastics as much as possible. If money is a confounding factor, choose greener more healthful options as you can

Never Forget...

Never forget that health is a journey and can take time. The more often you practice healthy lifestyle habits, the healthier you make the template within the body and the more likely you will be to create your own "health superpower." Even very small changes, day after day, week after week, add up to big changes. These can redirect your life in very positive directions. As always, before making any major health change or adding new supplements, see a qualified health professional. If you are looking for a more natural way to help by addressing the root cause of your illness, Dr. Blandford offers free 15 minute consultations.

Resources

1) Eli Camp, ND Personal Communication. September 2021.

2) CDC. "What Is Epigenetics? | CDC." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3 Aug. 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/disease/epigenetics.htm.

3) DiscoverMagazine.com "Why do Some People Get Sick All the Time, While Others Stay in Freakishly Good Health?" Posted 12 June 2020. Accessed 13 Sep 2021: https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/why-do-some-people-get-sick-all-the-time-while-others-stay-in-freakishly

4) LiveScience.com "Why Some People Catch a Cold and Others Don't." Posted by Rachel Rettner (2020). Accessed 14 Sep 2021: https://www.livescience.com/63552-cold-virus-defense-tradeoff.html

5) APA.org "A New Take on Psychoneuroimmunology." Posted by Beth Azar (2001). Accessed 14 September 2021: https://www.apa.org/monitor/dec01/anewtake

6) VeryWellMind.com "Psychoneuroimmunology Sheds Light on Stress and Overall Health." Posted by Elizabeth Scott (2020). Accessed 14 Sep 2021: https://www.verywellmind.com/psychoneuroimmunology-and-stress-3145127