Two Surprisingly Simple Ways to Boost Your Immune System

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. & Salvador Cefalu, M.S., L.Ac.

While Autumn is the most important time of year to support your Lungs, your Lung health is essential to support your immune system year round. Here are two less common tips to strengthen your Lungs and support your immune system during Autumn and beyond.

Tip#1: Hydrate

Autumn is the season of the Metal element, which relates to the Lungs, the Large Intestine (or colon) and skin. Your skin is your body’s largest detoxification organ (byway of sweating) and therefore your most important defense against external pathogenic factors, or anything in the environment that can compromise your immunity.

Your skin is also an extension of your Lungs and what Chinese Medicine refers to as Lung Yin. Lung Yin is comprised of substance and fluids so if your Lung Yin is dry, your skin will be dry too. 

Just as the skin detoxifies your body through sweating, the Large Intestine also supports detoxification through elimination of waste. 

The Lungs, Large Intestine and skin are associated with the Metal element and the Fall season and each requires proper hydration to work efficiently.

If your colon is dry, you may experience constipation with dry, hard stools and if your Lungs are too dry you may experience dry cough, lips and mouth as well as dry skin.

Simply drinking adequate amounts of water helps hydrate these organs, but it’s also important to eat hydrating foods such as soups and stews as well as to steam and boil rather than fry or bake foods (which increase dryness) to support hydration even more.

Since most of the filtered water we drink nowadays is stripped of the minerals that help maintain proper fluid balance in the body, you may need to add some naturally processed salt to your drinking water to help your body retain fluids, especially if you notice your body feels and looks dry. 

If you’re concerned about salt because of high blood pressure, be sure to use naturally processed salt such as Himalayan pink salt or Celtic sea salt. Pink Himalayan salt is higher in potassium and lower in sodium than Celtic salt and may actually help lower blood pressure and reduce palpitations and heart arrhythmias. 

Managing proper hydration is the first step to keeping your immune system functioning optimally by supporting the production of your defensive Qi, known as Wei Qi. 

Wei Qi circulates along your skin’s surface at night to protect you from environmental factors that can challenge your immune system. At night, your Wei Qi withdraws internally to help your have a good night’s sleep.

Tip#2: Diffuse Immune Boosting Essential Oils

Essential oils provide potent support for immune and metabolic functions. They strengthen the Lung Qi to effectively combat fatigue, low immunity and asthma. 

Evergreen essential oils, including Pine, Black Spruce, Cypress and Balsam Fir, are important immune boosting oils. 

These oils can be used in an essential oil diffuser to strengthen your immune system and prevent colds and flus during the Fall season. 

If you have pets, be especially cautious with diffusing any essential oils, especially those like Pine which can be toxic to dogs.

If you tend to get sick during this season, you can consider using Eucalyptus oils to clear congestion in your lungs especially during the acute stage of an infection. 

Eucalyptus Radiata is a good all purpose ear, nose and throat oil and very good for viruses and can be combined with Eucalyptus Citriodora or Eucalyptus Globulus to combat infections. Diffusing essential oils, particularly those extracted from evergreens, can help strengthen your Lungs and clear your home and office to protect you from colds, flus and other viruses.

Summary

Hydrating your Lungs and supporting your body’s immune function is imperative during the Fall season to protect yourself from the plethora of colds and flus that tend to arise during this time of year. By incorporating essential oils and proper hydration, you’ll effectively support your health as we approach the colder Winter season.

*Here are some dietary tips to provide you with additional support for your Lungs & immune system.

Please note: These health tips are for educational purposes only. Please consult your medical professional for health advice specific for your individual needs.

---

Never feel overwhelmed by what to eat again.

Join the waitlist for our one-of-a-kind-nutrition course in 2021.

---

3 Foods to Strengthen Your Lungs

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

Your lungs play an important role in your immune system. As part of the respiratory system, and they provide a connection between your external and internal worlds through the breath. Inhalation draws in fresh oxygen and Qi, or energy, while exhalation helps you let go of toxins. 

The Lungs' natural movement is to disperse and descend Qi.

The Lungs disperse, or spread, the body fluids as well as the Wei Qi, the defensive Qi that runs on the surface of the skin to protect you during the day and travels into the body to help you sleep at night. This ensures that Wei Qi is equally distributed under the skin and to the muscles to warm and moisten the skin, allowing for a normal amount of sweating, and to protect the body from external pathogens that can cause colds, flus and skin problems (see more about this in a previous article).

As the uppermost organ, the Lungs also descend Qi to communicate with the Kidneys, which are said to 'grasp' the Qi of the Lungs. This allows for deep breathing. 

The Lungs also direct body fluids downward to Kidneys and Bladder. Dysfunction in the communication between the Lungs and Kidneys can result in wheezing and asthma or accumulation of fluids either from the failure of the Lungs to descend the Qi or weakness in the Kidneys that prevent the grasping of the Lung Qi.

The Lungs also have an important relationship with the Large Intestine. The descension of Lung Qi stimulates peristalsis to support detoxification through the colon.

While breathing exercises and regular movement practices like Yoga and Qi Gong certainly help to support your Lung Qi, there are also some key foods that can strengthen your Lungs and support your immune system overall.

Since the pathological factor that most commonly affects your Lungs is dryness (which is also the predominant factor during the Fall season) it’s important to stay hydrated and integrate three groups of foods that support the Lungs: fruits, nuts and root vegetables.

#1 Fruit

According to Chinese Medicine, all fruits support the Lungs.

Compact fruits such as pears, apples, Asian pears, and persimmons are most beneficial to nourish your Lungs. These fruits moisten Lung Yin to stop a dry cough and increase hydration during the dry season.

Eating apple-pear stew (cut one apple, one pear and simmer slowly on low heat - no water needed!) can help to moisten a dry cough. And drinking a little pear juice before going to bed can help you fall asleep since the Lungs must be nourished to anchor the Wei Qi, or defensive Qi, of the body, to help you fall asleep.

Though fruits are great hydrating foods, they should be consumed in moderation as their sweet nature can create phlegm and congest the Lungs. Citrus in particular, especially in the form of juice, is overly concentrated in sugar and can cause phlegm or mucus to develop, weakening your Lung Qi.

#2 Nuts

Like fruits, all nuts have an affinity with the Lungs. The nuts that help support Lung Qi in particular are pine nuts and sweet almonds. Walnuts help strengthen the Kidneys to grasp the Qi of the Lungs. Walnuts therefore are considered an important food for conditions like asthma with shortness of breath.

The only caution is to eat nuts in moderation and to avoid them if you have skin problems as nuts can generally hyper activate your Wei Qi, or defensive Qi, and lead to allergies, acne and skin irritation.

The damp or fungal nature of nuts also warrant caution. Roasting nuts reduces shelf life by causing the oils to more quickly turn rancid. It’s therefore best to purchase raw nuts and toast or soak them yourself to make them easier to digest. Walnuts and almonds are especially nice to eat when soaked overnight.

#3 Root Vegetables & Tubers

Root vegetables not only support your Lungs’ ability to descend Qi, but they also help fortify your digestive system by fortifying your Spleen and Stomach.

Root vegetables that are high in beta carotene, the precursor to Vitamin A (an important vitamin for immune health as well as the health of your hair, skin and nails) are especially beneficial to strengthen the Lungs. These include carrots, beets and sweet potatoes.

Tubers, including parsnips, rutabaga and daikon also help the Lungs descend Qi to support peristalsis. Rutabaga and daikon are also known for their ability to break up stagnation and clear fire toxins through the colon. In addition, turnips help to break up phlegm and are great to strengthen the Lungs and help clear a cough with mucous.

Conclusion

While these foods can generally support the health of your Lungs, this list is certainly not exhaustive and not all of the foods here may be beneficial to everyone. Nutrition is highly personalized, so if you want more specific recommendations, you can work with us or a trusted practitioner.

Remember that Nutrition = Food + Digestion so it’s important to remember that food is only beneficial when it’s properly digested so it’s always essential to support your digestive system to support healthy nutrition.

If you’re interested in learning about Classical Chinese nutrition in greater depth, you can learn more and join the waitlist for my upcoming program.

Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is co-owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California. The Silicon Valley-based health and wellness clinic specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture with a clinic and studio where Dr. Moafi offers clinical services and transformational workshops that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga. More information at www.setarehmoafi.com and www.acenterfornaturalhealing.com.

---

Never feel overwhelmed by what to eat again.

Join the waitlist for our one-of-a-kind-nutrition course in 2021.

---