At Vyral Defense, we’re all about helping you and your family stay healthy year-round, with immunity boosting products that give you superpowers during cold and flu season, family vacations and trips to the doctor’s office, school, the gym—and wherever else life takes you.

You’ve probably heard a lot about the immune system recently, but do you know how this complex network of organs, cells and chemicals work together to fight infection and keep you healthy? Read on to learn all about it!

How the Immune System Works

The immune system is your body’s natural defense against illness. It’s a network of cells throughout your body that work together to prevent or limit infection from potentially harmful pathogens (AKA germs) and prevent damage from noninfectious exposures like sunburn and cancer.

The main tasks of your immune system are:

• Fighting off disease-causing pathogens like bacteria, viruses and fungi by removing them from the body.
• Recognizing and neutralizing harmful substances from the environment.
• Fighting disease-causing changes to the body, such as cancer cells.

Your immune system is activated when your body comes in contact with something that it doesn’t recognize as its own; these are called antigens. Antigens are the parts of a pathogen that your body recognizes as a potential threat. When an antigen is detected, your immune system triggers a whole series of processes in your body.

When your body comes in contact with a disease-causing germ for the first time, it usually stores information about the germ and how to fight it. That means if you come in contact with that germ again, your immune system already knows what to do and can start protecting you faster.

What the Immune System is Made Up Of

The main parts of the immune system are white blood cells, antibodies, complement system, lymphatic system, spleen, bone marrow and the thymus gland. Here’s how they all work together to protect you from “invaders” (AKA viruses and infections):

• White blood cells are the key players in your immune system. They move through your blood and tissues looking for harmful “invaders” such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. When they find them, they launch an immune attack.
• Antibodies are part of the attack squad that’s triggered by your white blood cells. They help fight pathogens by recognizing antigens on the surface and marking them for destruction.
• Complement system is made up of proteins whose actions complement the work done by your antibodies.
• Lymphatic system is a network of delicate tubes throughout your body that help manage fluid levels, react to bacteria and deal with cell products that would otherwise result in disease or disorders.
• Spleen is a blood-filtering organ that removes pathogens from your body and destroys old or damaged red blood cells. It also produces disease-fighting components of the immune system including antibodies and lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell.
• Bone marrow is a spongy tissue in your bones that produces the red blood cells your body needs to carry oxygen, the white blood cells your body needs to fight infection and the platelets your body needs to clot blood.
• Thymus gland is a small organ located in the upper chest under the breastbone, which filters and monitors your blood content and produces the white blood cells called T-lymphocytes.

In addition to the immune system, your body uses your skin, lungs, digestive tract and bodily fluids such as saliva, skin oil and tears to help defend itself against pathogens.

Healthy Ways to Strengthen Your Immune System

An optimally functioning immune system helps keep you well by protecting your body’s tissues and fighting off bacteria and viruses that can make you sick. Although the immune system is precisely fine-tuned to protect you, there are ways to help strengthen it and give yourself a natural boost:

• Get enough sleep (experts recommend at least seven hours a night).
• Fill your plate with nutrient-rich vegetables and fruits as often as possible.
• Avoid environmental hazards, such as exposure to air pollution and pesticides.
• Stay active with regular moderate activity, such as brisk walking, tennis or cycling.
• Find healthy ways to help manage stress.

Of course, Vyral Defense is a great way to give your immune system an extra layer of protection whenever you need it. Formulated with highly bioactive ingredients that are patented and clinically proven, our 100 percent made-in-the-USA products are the ones you can trust to keep you and your family safe.

There’s lots to love about the holiday season: Family, friends, good food and great memories. But among the shopping sprees and ho-ho-hos, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, let healthy habits slide—and even get sick if we’re not careful.

This year, we’re helping keep you happy and healthy with 10 tips for a healthier holiday season. 

1. Stay Hydrated

It’s important to stay hydrated even during the cooler months of winter. Proper hydration can help us sleep better, fight infections and improve our mood. Always have your bottle on hand, and be sure to sip often when holiday shopping and party prepping.

2. Make Time for Movement

Between all the holiday festivities, your regular routine may fall by the wayside. But instead of beating yourself up for missing a workout, try incorporating healthy activities into your day instead, like walking during your lunch break, stretching before bed or taking a trip to the park with the kids if the weather is nice.

3. Support Your Immune System

Since it’s not only the holiday season, but flu season too, your immune system may be working overtime to keep you healthy this time of year. Give it some added support with an immune booster supplement, like our Sicilian Blood Orange On-the-Go Sticks—perfect for on the go.

4. Stress Less

Stress: The true grinch of the holiday season. Between family, finances and a finite number of hours in the day, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed. And stress can take a toll on your immune system, making you more susceptible to seasonal illnesses. Beat the grinch with plenty of sleep, some mindful breathing exercises—or any of your tried-and-true methods for stress management.

5. Don’t Sugarcoat It

Now for the elephant in the room: The holiday season can be absolutely dripping with sugar-coated confections. While delicious, too much of it can derail one of the important factors to staying healthy during the holidays—a healthy diet. You don’t need to forego all treats this time of year, but by limiting indulgences to special days, you make room for better balanced eating in your day-to-day. Our best tips: Practice portion control, eat mindfully and don’t forget to eat your veggies!

6. Wash Your Hands Often

Especially if your holiday season has you out and about more often than usual, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly and often to help prevent illness and the spread of germs.

7. Make Healthier Traditions

Focus gatherings around family and fun, rather than food. Go for a walk together after Thanksgiving dinner, plan an annual Black Friday hike, organize a backyard football game or gather the crew for a group bike ride.

8. Step Up Your Self Care

While an hour-long massage or day at the spa may not be in the cards this holiday season, you can work small-but-meaningful moments of bliss into your day to help manage the stress of the holidays. Having a coffee date with your bestie, taking a hot bath with your favorite essential oils or doing 10 minutes of yoga poses before bed can dial down your stress level and help you feel more rejuvenated.

9. Do the “D”

Vitamin D, that is! Since winter is known for having shorter, colder days, we’re less likely to get the vitamin D our bodies need this time of year. One of the best ways to get vitamin D is by incorporating foods like tuna, salmon, yogurt and milk into your meal plan.

10.  Don’t Forget to Enjoy It

With all of the hustle and bustle around you, don’t forget to take time to be in the moment. Trust that these tips will help you feel your best and allow you to focus on the most wonderful part of the holidays—relaxing and enjoying the festivities with your family and friends.

Your immune system is your body’s first line of defense against illness. In the same way that a security system protects your home, your immune system uses an intricate system of organs, white blood cells, antibodies and chemicals to fight off harmful invaders in your body like viruses, bacteria, infections and parasites. The stronger your immune system, the less chance you have of getting sick.

But unlike a security system, your immune system isn’t fully charged up and ready to go at all times. Real-life factors like stress, sleep deprivation, unhealthy eating and being sedentary can all lead to a weakened immune system. The result? You’re more susceptible to getting sick.

Fortunately, adopting a few healthy lifestyle habits can boost your immune system and help keep you healthy year round.

1. Maintain a Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is key to a strong immune system. In addition to providing your immune system the energy it needs, whole plant foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes are high in antioxidants that may give you an upper hand against pathogens. 

These powerhouse plant foods also provide plenty of fiber, which is important for gut health. A healthy gut microbiome can improve your immunity and help keep harmful pathogens from entering your body through your digestive tract.

2. Get Enough Sleep

Sleep and immune health are closely linked. Studies have found that those who slept fewer than six hours a night were more likely to catch a cold than those who slept more than six hours a night. 

But how much sleep is enough? Adults should aim to get seven or more hours a night, while teens need eight to 10 hours a night and children and infants can sleep up to 14 hours a night.

3. Keep Stress Levels Low

When your body is under constant stress, you’re more vulnerable to everything from the common cold to more serious diseases. That’s because long-term stress promotes inflammation and puts out a steady stream of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, which weaken the immune system.

Effective stress relief looks different for everyone, but some activities to try include meditation, exercise, journaling, yoga or a mindful breathing practice.

4. Aim for Moderate Activity

While prolonged intense exercise can suppress your immune system, moderate activity, such as a brisk walk, steady bicycling, swimming, jogging or light hiking, can give it a boost. Most people should aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, which breaks down to 30 minutes, five days a week.

5. Be Smart with Supplements

Some studies indicate that incorporating a few key supplements may help strengthen your body’s general immune response:

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Zinc
• Elderberry
• Echinacea 
• Garlic

For those who lead busy lifestyles—or just want a quick and easy way to boost immune health—Vyral Defense immunity products contain vitamin C, vitamin D3, zinc and magnesium, along with patented and clinically proven ingredients to support digestive and upper respiratory tract health, increase resistance to fatigue, stress and tension, and increase your body’s natural defenses.