The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has brought heightened attention to how we nurture our immune system to stay healthy and well. From working to ward off the common cold or a novel virus, this system is a powerful network that sustains us at all stages of our lives. This special edition from Shape delves into the inner workings of the immune system. Learn why stress makes you sick, how to adjust your lifestyle choices, including getting more sleep, engaging in a healthy diet, exercise and stress reduction to boost immunity, as well as features what to eat when you have the cold or flu, your body’s natural healing power, and recipes to help boost your inner illness-fighting power and much more.
Immunity
A Balanced Immune System • Support your body’s natural defenses to help keep yourself healthy.
Full-Body Connection • Some of the best tools you have to keep your immune system healthy are the choices you make, from exercise and diet to how much time you spend outdoors and how much you sleep.
Decoding the Immune System • This bodyguard is made up of organs, cells, and proteins that protect us from disease-causing bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. How does it do it?
Immune Health and Covid-19 • On the upside, we’ve learned to wash our hands regularly and cook at home more. The impact on sleep and exercise? Not ideal.
Let's Hear It for Fitness • Exercise helps us keep our bodies in tip-top shape, inside and out. Hitting the treadmill or swimming laps could even help the body’s defense system ward off disease.
5 Yoga Moves to Beat the Flu • Try these poses before bed to help ward off the cold and flu, as well as manage the symptoms should you fall prey.
What You Need to Know About Your Thyroid • This little gland controls many of your body’s systems, so if it’s out of whack, your body and mind might be too. Here are the signs your thyroid might be off and what to do if it is.
Why Stress Makes You Sick • It’s no coincidence you may start to feel under the weather during periods of constant stress. While small instances boost the immune system, chronic stress can have a lasting impact.
10 Weird Ways Your Body Reacts to Stress • These strange signs from your skin, nails, immune system, and more could mean you need to chill out.
See the Light • Brightening up your environment can boost your energy, slim you down, and improve your health, research says. But to harness the power, you need to smartly work the rays into your day.
Is It More Serious Than the Common Cold? • How to tell what those lingering symptoms mean.
Healing And Your Health • If you get sick or start to feel under the weather, there are steps you can take to get back to your best self.
Americans Should Be Taking More Sick Days • One in five American workers takes zero sick days, recent data shows—and that’s a problem for everyone. Here’s how to take the time off you need.
Is It a Cold or Allergies? • Not sure whether your scratchy throat is a sign of a cold or of allergies? Experts advise on how to tell the difference.
The Step-by-Step Stages of a Cold • From the first cold symptoms to the final sniffles and full recovery, here is everything you need to know about the common cold.
What to Eat (and Drink) When You Have the Flu • Give your immune system a fighting chance.
A Complicated Battle With Cancer • Forced to pause chemotherapy because of the coronavirus pandemic, Eliza Paris returned home, only to contract Covid-19. The New Yorker shares her journey.
Keeping Strong • Whether during cold and flu season or any time of year, there are plenty of ways to fuel in order to keep the immune system healthy.
Your Body’s Natural Healing Power • It’s inflammation. Yes, that notorious health...
