Your Immune System Is the Foundation of Good Health—Here's How to Strengthen It

Your immune system isn't just part of your health equation — it's the foundation everything else builds upon. This revolutionary concept forms the core of the Wellness Warrior's approach to natural healing, and it's backed by medical experts like Dr. Leonard Calabrese of the Cleveland Clinic who confirms: a strong immune system underpins good health.

Drawing from her remarkable journey from wheelchair dependency to whitewater kayaking adventures, Antoinette Lee shares the four science-backed pillars that transformed her health when conventional medicine failed. Imagine moving beyond the cycle of medications — each with its "unwanted, potentially harmful, and sometimes deadly effects" — toward a state of natural resilience where your body fights illness effectively on its own.

The first pillar challenges you to "eat like a Spartan, not a slob" by embracing a Mediterranean diet that slashes inflammation while abandoning the standard American diet of processed foods. The second pillar takes you outdoors where movement and sunlight combine to strengthen immunity and mental wellbeing — a strategy that helped Antoinette progress from using a walker to mastering whitewater rapids. The third pillar reveals how quality sleep serves as your body's repair shop, with practical guidance on natural sleep aids like homegrown chamomile and liposomal melatonin spray. Finally, the fourth pillar addresses the profound connection between mind and immunity, offering simple but powerful stress management techniques like deep breathing and targeted activiti

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Chapters

• 0:00 Immune System: Your Health Foundation
• 2:46 The Four Pillars Approach
• 5:14 Pillar One: Eat Like a Spartan
• 8:48 Pillar Two: Move It or Lose It
• 14:09 Adventure Sports Micro Story
• 15:44 Pillar Three: Sleep for Healing
• 19:50 Pillar Four: Master Your Mind
• 23:56 Your Battle Plan Starts Now

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:19

New, normal, big life. Your bright future demands that you stop scrolling and start fighting for your health. Life's not waiting. So step up, warrior. Here's how to heal naturally, reclaim your power and crush illness with four science-backed moves. Ready to own your strength, no matter who you are, let's charge in. Hey friends, welcome to the New, normal, big Life podcast. We bring you natural news and stories about nature that we hope will inspire you to get outside and adventure, along with a step-by-step plan to help you practice what you've learned and create your own new normal and live the biggest life you can dream.

Speaker 2: 0:57

I'm your host, antoinette Lee, the wellness warrior. The immune system is the foundation of your good health. You can quote me on that. The idea that the immune system is the foundation of your good health you can quote me on that. The idea that the immune system is the foundation of good health is widely supported by medical experts, as it plays a critical role in protecting the body from infection, diseases and other threats. The immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues and organs that work together to maintain overall health by identifying and neutralizing harmful invaders like bacteria, viruses and even cancers. When it functions well, it helps you recover from injuries and illnesses. When it's compromised, you're more vulnerable to sickness and chronic conditions. An expert who echoes this sentiment is Dr Leonard Calabrese, a rheumatologist and immune system specialist from the Cleveland Clinic. Dr Calabrese emphasizes the immune system's foundational role, stating quote your immune system is a cornerstone of your body's ability to fight off disease and maintain wellness. End quote. He explains how lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, sleep and stress management directly impacts your immune system, reinforcing the idea that a strong immune system underpins good health. This aligns with the broader scientific consensus that a well-functioning immune system doesn't just react to threats. It actively prevents and repairs damage, keeping you in the game. So yeah, it's true, your immune system isn't just a player, it's the cornerstone of your health. I bet my life on this science-backed theory and won. I've had a cold, flu or respiratory illness only three times in six years, and my family and I never had COVID-19, because we followed four key pillars of immune system health.

Speaker 2: 2:49

In this podcast, I'll show you my secrets to good health and expert advice that could help you and your loved ones stay healthy, no matter what challenge comes next. New health concerns pop up constantly, so maintaining a strong immune system is more important than ever with threats like a future resurgence of the bird flu, which is difficult for humans to catch and not something you need to worry about, unless you think you might be at risk for inhaling infected blood bird, bird poo or bird feathers, blood bird, bird poo or bird feathers In disease sex, an unknown pathogen that can cause a serious future international epidemic or pandemic. Understanding how to support our bodies has become a priority for many, fortunately. Naturally, boosting immunity isn't complicated. You don't need to take drastic measures. This podcast explores four fundamental pillars that can help you boost your immunity naturally. Here's why it matters you can use nature to help your body's immune system work better to keep disease and other chronic health problems at bay and keep you out of the hospital and off medication.

Speaker 2: 3:59

There's no such thing as side effects to medication. When you take medication, there are unwanted, potentially harmful and sometimes deadly effects. This is the reason there are so-called side effect warnings on medications. That doesn't mean I never take medications, however. I carefully weigh the potential cost, like experiencing unwanted effects like this drug may cause kidney damage. I weigh the effects of a drug with how the medication might benefit my health. When the benefit outweighs the cost or side effects, I'll agree to taking medication for the shortest time possible, or sometimes I'll pass. Maybe you'll consider adopting a similar strategy because it's good for your health, or adopting a similar strategy because it's good for your health. Take it from someone who was once on 20 medications, six of which caused kidney damage, and I didn't know they were harming my kidneys until my kidneys were failing. Luckily, I got off all long-term medications using natural medicine and reverse kidney damage through natural remedies.

Speaker 2: 5:02

So learn from my experience and make smart choices about what medicines you put in your body. Don't be like the old me. So here are the weak habits that kill tough people like you, the habits that you need to break. Step one you like a Spartan, not a slob. Yep, I said it Friends. Tell friends what will help them the most, and we don't sugarcoat it. What will help them the most and we don't sugarcoat it?

Speaker 2: 5:28

Your ancestors didn't choke down neon orange snacks or gulps syrupy sodas. They ate real food straight from the earth. Ditch the standard American diet chemical-laden garbage like seed oils, sugars, dyes and go Mediterranean. Think grilled meats, lots of olive oil, veggies and heart-healthy carbs, like the Greeks and the Italians mastered. Dr Linda Calabrese, a rheumatologist from Cleveland Clinic says it plain, quote a Mediterranean-style diet slashes inflammation, the root of disease, while processed crap ramps it up. End quote. Inflammation's the enemy, weakening your immune system. So eat like a warrior, not a lab rat. Start today grill some steak and shrimp, bake sweet potatoes and fresh green beans sauteed in olive oil and wash it down with unsweetened cold green tea. That's what my guy, matt, made for dinner last night. Toss the takeout and feel the difference. A Mediterranean style diet reduces inflammation in the body. A standard American diet increases inflammation, leading to an unhealthy immune system and disease.

Speaker 2: 6:31

Vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements are also important to good health. Your doctors have probably never talked to you about how the foods you eat and drink are making you sick and the important role of vitamins, minerals and micronutrients or the natural biohacking that could greatly improve your health. The National Institute of Health said quote our study shows that nutrition education continues to be very limited in most medical schools, a situation that casts doubt on the readiness of future physicians to effectively counsel their patients. End quote. You won't learn how to eat and drink your way to good health from your doctor. Most doctors get two to three hours of nutrition training in medical school and often your insurance company won't let you get an appointment with a nutritionist until you've been diagnosed with something significant like heart disease or diabetes.

Speaker 2: 7:24

Since I was a kid, I've always eaten clean food and my family grew fruits and vegetables in the backyard of our Queens New York house. However, kidney destroying medication, the hidden toxins that I didn't know about in the foods I bought, the water I drink, the where I breathe, the products that I use and sugar created massive amounts of chronic inflammation in my body. The biggest food changes I've made are carefully reading food labels, choosing products with five ingredients or less, growing most of my own fruits, vegetables and cooking in medicinal herbs, buying non-GMO foods, foods that aren't genetically modified, reducing my sugar intake and learning how to wildcraft or forage for wild foods and natural medicines. I got you In a future article and post and podcasts I'll teach you how to wild craft wild food where you live. We at the new normal big life blog and NBLblog did the research to help keep you informed and we're working on a podcast that's going to blow your mind. You might've been diagnosed with celiac disease or wheat sensitivity, but we'll break it down for you and help you talk with your doctor about it in future podcasts. Follow our show wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated.

Speaker 2: 8:44

Step two you got to move it or lose it, and do it outdoors. You're not built to rest on a couch. Your body craves adrenaline and action and movement, especially under the sun. It's one of those things that make you feel fully alive. Doctors and researchers are shouting it from the rooftops. Exercise, particularly outdoors, is your ticket to ironclad health. Sunlight pumps vitamin D into your system, a natural shield against disease, and people with dark skin like me aren't getting enough of it. Cancer rates in the black and brown community are skyrocketing and so-called turbo cancers fast-growing cancers are popping up in people no matter your race, even children.

Speaker 2: 9:26

Getting outside for a workout helps your mental and physical well-being, while sweat removes toxins from your body. No gym, no excuse. Hit the yard, chop wood, spread hills, do it like a man or a grown-A woman, reclaiming your strength. Studies back this Physical activity slashes chronic disease risk by 30%. So get up for your butt, soak up some rays and build a body that fights back. Now more than ever, it pays to be one of the fittest. Researcher, clinician and author Dr Nicholas Carderas PhD said quote we're just not meant to be sedentary. Screen-steering meaning devoid creatures end quote. In his book Digital Madness, dr Carderas says quote psychologists have known for decades that the most beneficial non-pharmaceutical antidepressant is physical activity Taking a walk, riding a bike, jogging, playing a sport anything that gets the body moving also increases serotonin levels and helps to oxygenate the brain. End quote.

Speaker 2: 10:32

When I survived a traumatic brain injury and a broken back, my doctors, including service specialists, told me to rest, that said, sleep as much as possible to allow my body to heal. Then I was sleeping 20 hours a day sometimes. When I was diagnosed with what my doctor called dangerously low A1C blood sugar, I followed their advice and ate more sugary foods. By 2014, following the doctor's advice, I was using a walker, a service dog and a full-time caregiver. I was getting sicker by the day and by 2015, I stopped listening to the doctors and started listening to my body. My body knew that I needed to get out of bed and move. Within two weeks, I put down my walker, climbed in a little plastic boat and learned to kayak. Today, 10 years later, my service dog is semi-retired. I don't use a walker, I don't need a caregiver anymore and if you scroll through my social media you'll see me whitewater kayaking, some gnarly whitewater on the Caché-Luputa River near Fort Collins, colorado, and other adventures. I've got you Becoming active, getting outside with others, getting outside with others in your adventure sports community and learning a new activity has many benefits.

Speaker 2: 11:49

First, there's so much value to connecting with humans, other humans, face-to-face. I even met Matt, the love of my life, on a camping and kayaking trip with 15 veterans like us and their families. Next, wanting to be a whitewater kayaker gave me a reason to exercise and the goal of kayaking kept me motivated on the hard days when my symptoms flared up. While training and improving my fitness for whitewater kayaking, I lost 50 pounds, I ate even healthier and made lifelong friends. Today, I'm a sponsored adventure sports athlete and an all-around outdoors woman. When we come back from this short break, we'll learn two other habits you need to break for an optimal immune system and general good health.

Speaker 1: 12:32

World events are constantly teaching everyone some very painful lessons. Without warning, everything we take for granted can suddenly fail, and if you're not prepared in advance, you really don't have a chance. Thank you. If you don't have emergency food and gear stockpiled in advance, you will probably suffer. My partner, ready Hour, is here to help you ahead of time. Ready Hour has a long history of providing calorie-rich, reliable and delicious nourishment for life's unexpected situations and critical emergency gear too. They're part of a family of companies that have served millions of people like you for decades. My family and I use Ready Hour products for camping, mountaineering and disaster preparedness for five years now. They're not just reliable, they're also your affordable option too. Long-term survival food shouldn't break the bank. That's why they have great sales and payment options for you. It's your bridge to safety and survival when things just aren't normal anymore. So make your next decision, your smartest decision. Be ready for tomorrow. Today, trust Ready Hour. Ready to shop? Use my affiliate link in the show description.

Speaker 2: 14:09

Before we cover the next topic in this episode, I want to introduce you to the Adventure Sports Lifestyle with what I call a micro story about an adventure that I've had. The Adventure Sports Lifestyle and my deep connection to nature is essential to my good health. So here's the story. So here's the story. 14 class one to class two plus level boaters and their advanced safety boaters put in on the milk run section of the Arkansas River and Buena Vista, colorado, at high water. Seven of the 14, including some very experienced safety boaters, immediate flipped their kayaks. The safety boaters roll their boats right side up immediately and then they help the inexperienced boaters do the same, or they rescued the boaters who swam out of their boats right side up immediately, and then they help the inexperienced boaters do the same, or they rescued the boaters who swam out of their boats. I watched this carnage and then it was my turn. I was afraid, but bravery doesn't mean you're never afraid. It means being brave, means being afraid and overcoming your fear and doing the thing anyway. Coming out of the Yeti, I pointed my yellow plastic boat upstream, paddling out into the main Kermit, gliding across the fast-moving water, leaning downstream. While placing the paddle and blade into the water. I successfully peeled out into the main current to avoid the large rock hazards that were down below. That caused other paddlers to flip their boats, edding out to catch up and rejoin my group. I was all smiles. Matthew offered me a paddle high five to celebrate my accomplishment, while my other friends say way to go, antoinette, this is community. I did that. I hope this story inspires you to get outside and adventure and tag us. When you do so, we can celebrate you.

Speaker 2: 15:43

Up. Next is step three. Sleep like a king or queen. Heal like a beast. Sleep isn't for the weak, it's your body's repair shop. Immunity experts recommend six to eight hours nightly, not the 20 hours I was sleeping when I was so, so sick and couldn't walk. Plus, they recommend that you take naps when you're banged up or battling chronic health problems. Quote your body heals in sleep End. Quote, says Dr Calabrese Skip below six and a half hours and your immune system stalls, inflammation spikes and you're a sitting duck for illness. But don't turn into a slug. Balance sleep with daily movement. Tonight, kill the screen, hit the bed early and wake up ready to dominate. Healing's not passive, it's power earned.

Speaker 2: 16:31

Here's some natural ways to ensure that you get enough sleep to keep your body healthy. One five milligram tablet of melatonin is a hormone that your body naturally produces. It plays a role in sleep. Melatonin is usually made by your body on a daily basis, but sometimes you don't make enough of this hormone and a melatonin sleep aid can gently make you start to feel sleepy. Melatonin is a dietary supplement that can be created in a lab or made from animals like cows. So when choosing nutritional supplements, you should talk with your healthcare provider and choose a natural over a lab grown or synthetic source. Nature's version will be gentler and more easily absorbed, and it'll also be more bioavailable by your body.

Speaker 2: 17:13

Not all natural supplements are created equally. We'll teach you more about choosing quality supplements in future episodes, but here's how to choose a natural sleeping. When I need a little extra help falling asleep, I brew a cup of homegrown organic German chamomile that I grew in my organic garden. You can grow an organic chamomile in a sunny apartment window, on your balcony or in your garden, like I do. The small act of self-care gardening helps you have organic chamomile year round. You can also buy quality, lab tested for purity tea when you can't grow your own. But my new powerhouse sleep aid is Nano Nutra's Liposomal Melatonin Spray. Here's my AI assistant, malcolm, to tell you all about it.

Speaker 3: 17:57

Antoinette's go-to natural sleep aid is lab tested for purity. To tell you all about it, antoinette's go-to natural sleep aid is lab tested for purity Nanoneutra's liposomal melatonin spray. When psychosocial stress is high, like during the riots, the increased crime over the past few years during the early COVID lockdown days and the rapid change in government policies and geopolitical unrest recently, she needs a little more natural help to fall asleep and stay asleep. Nanoneutra's liposomal supplements combine nature and science to unlock your optimal health and well-being. Nanonutra's melatonin sublingual spray is the best solution for supporting a restful sleeping pattern. The melatonin liquid perfectly mimics naturally produced melatonin to greatly improve the quality of sleep, combat difficult sleep patterns and act as effective sleep aid relief. This non-GMO liposomal melatonin sleep aid allows you to enjoy the amazing benefits faster than anything else. With minute-sized particles that are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, you won't have to wait for hours for the sleep relief to kick in. 75 servings per container, with a recommended serving size of two sprays. Each container provides 75 servings of melatonin 3mg. That's over 2 months of perfectly restful nights and rejuvenated mornings, giving you a melatonin supplement with unmatched value for your money.

Speaker 3: 19:10

This is great-tasting melatonin. This melatonin sublingual 3mg spray is pleasantly flavored to make supplementing with the sleep remedy as easy as possible. No more dealing with hard-to-swallow melatonin tablets or unpalatable sleep-chewable solutions Made with the utmost quality standards. All products are made in a GMP-certified facility that complies to the same standards as pharmaceutical companies. Every ingredient is tested in-house by a world-recognized third-party lab to ensure sleep aids for adults of absolute quality. Melatonin has the following proven health benefits has six to ten times the antioxidant properties of vitamin E. Works as an immune system booster. Improves mood and promotes better concentration. Helps reduce menstrual disturbances. For better sleep, stop feeling sleep deprived and get your best rest tonight with Nano-Neutral Liposomal Melatonin Spray at the Health Ranger store using my affiliate link in the show description the final weak habit to break is step four Master your mind, crush your stress.

Speaker 2: 20:10

Life's a battlefield. Prices are high, the country is divided and your loved ones are sick and stress is piling up. But here's the kicker you could rise above all of that because your headspace controls your health. Dr Calabrese drops some molecular truth, he says when you're internally stoked about life, inflammation drops and immunity sores Stress, isolation or depression. That's a fast track to a compromised immune system.

Speaker 2: 20:38

Social bonds and grips stick to it. Nest they matter. Hang with your crew, tackle problems head on and don't let anxiety punk you. Start small, call a buddy, lift something heavy, go for a mountain bike ride and own your stress like a champ who won't break. When my mind's racy or anxious, I go out back and shoot my 75 pound Browning compound bow at a few targets. Not only does that quiet my mind, it's a technique my occupational therapist recommended to retrain my brain for skills like reading, writing and anything that required focus or even remembering what I'm going to say in a conversation. So I needed this help from archery after my brain injury, and folks with ADHD and Alzheimer's find benefits with target shooting too. However, dr Leonard Calabresi had this to offer An AI generated voice.

Speaker 3: 21:33

Reading a quote from Dr Leonard Calabresi, rheumatologist and immune system expert Social factors and how you think and respond to the stress created by social factors can have a huge impact on your immune system and general good health. Dr Leonard Calabresi, rheumatologist and immune system expert, said we now have molecular evidence that when we are internally happy with our lives, this dynamic state of being satisfied, inflammation goes down and immune health goes up. When we're socially isolated, when we have stresses that may be beyond our control, when we are depressed or anxious, when we don't handle our stresses the way that we really want to, all of that is immunocompromising. Learn more natural stress management strategies at nnblblog and the new Normal Big Life podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 2: 22:25

Deep breathing is one of the most effective and easily accessible ways to de-stress, and it's an effective tool in my toolbox. Here's how you can practice an effective deep breathing exercise Inhale deeply through your nose for five seconds, counting one, 1,000, two, 1,000, and so on. Then exhale through your nose for five seconds, ensuring every drop of carbon dioxide air is out of your body. Repeat the five breaths in and five breaths out technique 10 times. Afterward, I feel calmer and my brain is more oxygen available to think clearer and perform tasks better. This technique also gets rid of that out of breath feeling after exercise or when exercise, when anxiety has got its grip on you. This five second inhalation and five second exhalation strategy is based on an ancient tibetan technique that I'll teach you more about in an upcoming podcast, so follow the show wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review to help others refine this natural health and share it with those you love. Now you have all the tools to start practicing the four pillars of boosting your immunity A Mediterranean style diet made from natural, non-GMO ingredients, quality health supplements and getting daily physical activity outside with other people, getting quality sleep and managing social stress. You can build a healthier immune system by making simple lifestyle changes. Today, the wrap up, your battle plan, starts now. You've got the playbook diet, movement, sleep and head game. No prescription pills, no shortcuts, just raw natural power.

Speaker 2: 24:05

This isn't some granola hippie rant. This is a call to arms for every red-blooded American dude or gal who wants to heal, thrive and spit in the face of whatever life throws at you. Pick one step Hell, grill a steak tonight and go from there. You're not just surviving, You're forging a body and soul that disease can't touch. Get after it, brother sister. Your health's worth it. Your health is worth the fight.

Speaker 2: 24:31

If you're getting value from this content, leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts to make it easiest for others to find us. Until next time, friends, I'm your host, Antoinette Lee, the wellness warrior here at the New Normal Big Life Podcast. I hope one day to see you on the river, in the back country or in the horse barn living your best life. Tag the New Normal Big Life Podcast or nnblblog on social media so we can celebrate your good health and your big life. If you're a visual learner, you can watch an informative and entertaining version of this video on YouTube at the new normal big life channel. Share this episode with someone who needs it, Comment on our posts and drop us a message or email. Nothing personal, too specific. Whenever you have a health or adventure sports topic you want us to cover and support others in this community.

Speaker 1: 25:21

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