Your immune system is pivotal when it comes to keeping your body protected from infections and viruses, like the Coronavirus. Working around the clock to ward off harmful pathogens and bacteria. Believe it or not your skin has a vital role in this process, forming an integral part of your innate immunity. This is because your skin is a primary defence mechanism, acting as a physical barrier between your bloodstream and antigens (harmful foreign particles). This is why so many different immune cells exist on your skin including around 20 billion T-cells. Even kerinocytes, which are primarily responsible for producing keratin, communicate with nearby immune cells when antigens are detected inspiring an influx of white blood cells to the affected area. When your immune system is in prime condition this relationship works well and even if antigens do breach your skin, your immune system is equipped to deal with them as it triggers an inflammatory response to deal with the threat.
Despite what you may have heard about inflammation, in the right circumstances it can be a good thing as it helps to isolate the harmful antigen and attracts white blood cells which can get rid of the intruder. T-cells and B-cells may rush to the area to eliminate the antigen and produce antibodies, preventing reinfection.
As I’ve just discussed, your immune system is vital for preventing infections but in cases where your immune function is compromised it may struggle to protect your skin from harmful bacteria and infections. This can be problematic as your skin, like many other areas of your body including your gut, has its own delicate microflora system composed of friendly and unfriendly bacteria.
Have you ever noticed that whenever you contract a virus your skin seems to suffer too? One reason for this is that your immune system is so preoccupied with fighting off the virus that other areas of the body like your skin might not get the same level of attention. If you suffer from a condition like acne, this means that your immune system might not be as efficient at combating the bacteria, P.acnes, that is responsible for your breakouts.
It is one thing to feel the effects of having a sluggish immune system but things can be equally problematic when your immune system becomes hyperactive. In these circumstances, even harmless particles like bee pollen or dust can trigger a rush of inflammatory chemicals like histamine, causing symptoms such as swelling and itchiness to occur. The worst part is that sometimes it’s not always easy to identify the trigger - detergents and soaps that never previously bothered your skin may suddenly inspire a reaction.
Things only get worse if you already suffer from a skin condition like eczema. In eczema, the epidermis (your outer layer of skin) is already weakened which means that you’re already more vulnerable to pathogens and bacteria. If you combine this with an immune system that’s been kicked into hyper-drive, you’re almost guaranteed to experience a nasty flare-up.
What about autoimmune conditions?
Suffering from an autoimmune condition is slightly different from having a sluggish or overactive immune system. In cases of autoimmune conditions such as psoriasis your immune system is not attacking potential pathogens but instead perceives its own tissues and cells as a threat. This means that your body is essentially locked into a conflict with itself and usually the treatments for this tend to be more long-term.
How can you support your immune system?
At this time of year especially with the cold weather setting in, your immune system is particularly vulnerable. This is why it’s extremely important that you take steps to support it during the winter months and today I’ll be talking about a few of the ways you can accomplish this.
1 – Feed your immune system
Getting the right balance of nutrients, such as zinc, vitamin A and Vit C is absolutely crucial when it comes to maintaining a healthy immune system. If you’re not getting the right balance of vitamins and minerals or consuming to many foods that are rich in refined sugar and unhealthy fats, it can place your immune system under additional pressure. Eating organic & even better growing your own vegies at home is a great way of ensuring your eliminating toxins. Drinking teas are an amazing way to boost the immune, read our Immunity tea recipe here.
Each person has an individual Ayurvedic body type called a dosha, (you can do the free quick test here to determine your type.
Ayurvedic medicine (“Ayurveda” for short) is one of the world's oldest holistic (“whole-body”) healing systems. It was developed more than 5,000 years ago in India. It’s based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit. Its main goal is to promote good health, not fight disease. But treatments may be geared toward specific health problems. Influenced by the rhythms of nature and seasonal changes, each body type has foods & different lifestyle choices that help to keep the immune healthy.
2 – Drink plenty of fluids
Yes, I know you’re probably tired of hearing this but I cannot overstate just how important it is that you stay hydrated. If you’re not drinking enough fluids it means that toxins aren’t being removed from your body as efficiently, which will impact your immune function. It’s also important to remember that water helps to carry oxygen to your immune cells so if you’re not drinking enough these cells can become weak and lacklustre.
Ideally you should be aiming to drink between 1.5-2 litres a day. Adding lemon to your water is amazing to boost the immune, also in Ayurvedic Medicine Lemon water is to be drank at room temp and be first thing in the morning to help rid the body of toxins.
3 – Get plenty of sleep
Sleep is crucial when it comes to giving your body the time it needs to rest and repair. While you’re asleep, your immune system uses this time to produce more pathogen-fighting immune cells so, if you’re not getting enough sleep your immune function may start to suffer. Studies have found that poor sleep can increase your vulnerability to inflammation and may make you less resistant to nasty bugs like the cold or flu. That’s why getting 7-9 hours a night is so important! Our Website gives you a daily guide after the online quiz that will help you to achieve deep restorative sleep.
4 – Keep active
Getting plenty of rest when you’re suffering from a cold or flu can help to accelerate your recovery but unless you’re in the grips of an infection, it’s important to remain active. Exercise can help to increase your Circulation making sure that your immune cells can get to where they're needed more efficiently, not to mention it raises your respiratory rate helping to flush out bugs and viruses. It’s also believed that engaging in regular physical activity can help to reduce your stress levels too so it’s a win-win all round! It doesn’t have to be anything too intense either – a brisk 20 minute walk or jog each day can do the trick! Dry body brushing daily is also a great way to get the Lymphatic system working in conjunction with a citrus stimulating body oil like the Ayurvanna Kapha body oil
5 – Make some self love time
At this time of year it’s difficult to set aside some time simply to sit down and breathe. In fact, in general, our lives have become busier and often we struggle to cope with all of the demands placed on us. Stress is a very real problem and not only affecting your skin, it will make us unbalanced, it can also weaken your immune system making you feel tired and run down. That’s why it’s important to try and manage your stress levels and a great way of doing this is by setting aside some ‘me-time’ everyday, just so you can sit down and take a deep breathe. Giving yourself this breathing space can help you to unwind and relax and who knows, perhaps it may also give you the perspective you need to tackle any sources of stress or anxiety in your life.
6 – Use Clean Non toxic skincare
There is increasing awareness and concern within the scientific and public communities that chemical pollutants can suppress immune processes and thus cause increased development of neoplastic and infectious diseases. Using a skincare range that has no dangerous chemicals & toxins is going to keep your immunity levels high, as your body wont be going into overdrive trying to rid itself of all the toxins from cosmetics, medications and foods instead of your immune system focusing on incoming viruses. This is why Ayurvanna is 100% Clean, Natural and Non-Toxic, Green Active Plant based skincare.
The new standard of beauty is "clean" conscious and sustainable beauty. It's this clean quality that makes Ayurvanna a new standard in natural skincare. A revolution in skincare. Our plant based formulations utilise an army of organic, nutrient-rich plants to create new cells high in purity and nutrients with no synthetic chemicals ensuring high concentrations of natural lipids, proteins, amino acids, phytoalexins and omegas.
Clean goes one step further by ensuring that it's 100% naturally derived and clean of any proven or suspected harmful or toxic ingredients.
Many brands that make clean and natural claims have synthetics and controversial preservatives hidden inside, such as phenoxyethanol which is often used to make a “paraben-free” claim. All our ingredients have "low hazard" ratings on the Environmental Working Group (EWG)'s Skin Deep Database, the leading authority on skincare. Look closely and you'll see not many other brands can make this claim, proving we truly won’t compromise your health.
Ayurvanna uses ingredients at the highest concentrations in our products to get uncompromising results for your skin & body.
Each bottle contains 20-24 natural actives, a move away from the status quo of 1-3 per bottle. All are powerhouse ingredients meticulously chosen for their wealth of benefits and results. For example our Beauty Oil is an organic Moroccan Prickly Pear blend (containing the highest amount of vitamin E of any skin oil), organic Australian Kakadu Plum (with the highest concentration of vitamin C in the world), Himalayan Sea Buckthorn (containing 190 nutrients and highly sought after and rare omega 7).
Our products are organic and made up of an Ayurvedic blend, each oil blend has taken over 16 years to develop.
Quality Sources
We’ve worked hard to provide our customers with clean skincare via a supply chain that is efficient, transparent and accountable. Our ingredients are of the highest quality, sourced from sustainable, organic and conscious growers and a never-ending search for the best.
We utilize the latest scientific methods to extract all of the powerful bio-actives from plants. Bio-actives are the part of the plant proven to be good for your skin at a cellular level. We use manufacturing processes to specifically extract and retain the active ingredient.