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Like Dr. Lodestro, let yourself be sick for a few days after exposure to allergens. Use natural remedies and rest, and when you recuperate, your immune system will be that much stronger!

Supplements that help immune function include the antioxidants A, E and C, elderberry concentrate, CoQ₁₀, green tea, dark green vegetables, as well as grape seed extract. Yoga stretching, massage, exercise, meditation and prayer also have been shown to boost the immune system.

Healthy Eating

Processed foods have been stripped of their natural nutrients, which are replaced with fewer, less effective synthetic ingredients. Unfortunately, the body considers most synthetic ingredients toxins. This means the organism doesn't get essential nutrients to function and regenerate.

When processed foods are combined with pesticides and genetically altered foods, like wheat and corn, the body tries to subsist on a diet of toxins. Factor in food additives and environmental pollutants, and the diet becomes a volatile chemical cocktail of interacting toxins. These foreign substances not only pollute the body, but also rob it of essential nutrients. To process toxins, the body pulls nutrients from its stores, leaving it with a deficiency.

Refined white sugar immobilizes the protective T and B cells for two hours after it is eaten. If you eat refined white sugar daily - or worse, more than once a day - your health is at risk. For two hours after ingesting sugar, you have no defense against germs. A virus can get a stronghold in your body before the immune system activates again.

It also is wise to avoid low-fat and artificial foods in favor of real food: raw vegetables and fruit (it is easy to grab an apple or banana for a snack), whole grains, fish and preservative- and hormone-free meat. And eat real butter. Research shows that butter is still superior to any artificial spread. Our bodies are mostly saturated fat; we need a balance of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, rather than eliminating any particular food group.

And now a word about raw cow's milk. It is much healthier than pasteurized and homogenized milk, which lack enzymes necessary for good health. Many states need to change their laws and certify raw milk, as health-conscious California does, so we can purchase it easily at health food stores. Dr. Jordan Rubin, author of The Maker's Diet and The Great Physician's Rx, says the absence of raw milk is one reason our society is getting sicker. (The book contains sources for raw milk, if it is unavailable in your area.)

The Role of Exercise and Sleep

Everyone wants to be physically fit, but pushing oneself to the limit can raise the level of the hormone cortisol. One of its jobs is to regulate sleep by awakening you in the morning and lulling you to sleep at night. A cortisol imbalance can suppress the immune system, and sleep problems are an early sign of this.