This is what many practitioners call immune depletion<\/strong> — the stage before illness, when your body is working harder than you realize.<\/p>\n
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What’s Likely Happening Inside Your Body<\/h3>\n
From a functional nutrition perspective, your immune system doesn’t suddenly fail. It responds to your total stress load<\/strong> (also called allostatic load<\/em>), which builds up from:<\/p>\n Emotional stress<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Poor sleep<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Blood sugar swings<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Highly processed foods<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Environmental toxins<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Hormonal shifts<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Chronic inflammation<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Holiday overwhelm<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n When stress stays high for too long, the body shifts into conservation mode:<\/p>\n Cortisol remains elevated<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Mucosal immunity (IgA) can weaken<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Natural killer cell activity may decline<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Gut barrier function may become more permeable<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Inflammation can rise<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n You aren’t sick yet — but your defenses may be more vulnerable.<\/p>\n This is often the internal environment where people experience:<\/p>\n Lingering post-viral fatigue<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Reactivated viruses such as Epstein-Barr<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Shingles<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Autoimmune flares<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Digestive issues<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Your immune system doesn’t only need supplements — it needs signals of safety and recovery<\/strong> so it can repair itself.<\/p>\n This short routine helps interrupt the stress–immunity feedback loop.<\/p>\n 1) Nervous system cue (3–5 minutes)<\/strong> 2) Sensory anchor<\/strong> 3) Blood sugar stabilizer<\/strong> Boiled egg + olives + carrots<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Bone broth protein smoothie<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Almonds + berries<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Setting a 3 p.m. timer<\/strong> can help make this a daily habit.<\/p>\n This technique is one of the fastest research-backed ways to calm the nervous system.<\/p>\n How to do it:<\/strong><\/p>\n Inhale slowly through your nose<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Take a quick second sip of air at the top<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Exhale slowly through your mouth<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Repeat 3–5 times<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Why it helps:<\/strong><\/p>\n Lowers stress hormones<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Improves oxygen–carbon dioxide balance<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Signals safety to the brain<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Supports immune resilience<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Immune-support blends can be helpful, but they aren’t a replacement for sleep, nutrition, and stress regulation. If you choose a supplement, look for one that supports:<\/p>\n Gut and mucosal immunity<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Balanced (not overstimulated) immune response<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Antioxidant and antiviral botanical support<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Always check with a qualified healthcare provider before starting new supplements.<\/p>\n If you’re:<\/p>\n Getting sick more often<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Taking longer to recover<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Feeling run down for weeks<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Unable to bounce back like you used to<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n …it may be time to look deeper at what your body is asking for.<\/p>\n The goal isn’t perfection — it’s resilience.<\/p>\n Jennifer is a IPHM, Certified Holistic Nutritionist, Integrative Health Coach and a Personal Trainer. Eating for Healing Nutrition and Wellness transforms lives through the power of holistic nutrition.<\/em><\/p>\n She can be reached at 803-556-2593. Her website is www.eatingforhealing.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Jennifer Tardy You know the feeling… You’re exhausted but wired.Your throat feels scratchy, but a full-blown cold never arrives.You drag through the day — yet your labs come back “normal.” It’s not in your head, and it’s not always “just a virus.”This is what many practitioners call immune depletionContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[56,38],"tags":[1192,1108],"class_list":["entry","author-john-griggs","post-7894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-columns","category-health","tag-eating-for-healing","tag-jennifer-tardy"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gpstrianglenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Tired-Red_2025_630x350.jpg?fit=630%2C350&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nWhy This Matters During the Holidays<\/h3>\n
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\nA Simple 2–5 Minute Daily Reset<\/h3>\n
Try humming, 4-7-8 breathing, or gently splashing cool water on your face.<\/p>\n
Pick one song you only use during this reset to help your body associate it with calm.<\/p>\n
Choose a protein + fat + fiber snack, such as:<\/p>\n\n
\nTool of the Week: The “Physiological Sigh”<\/h3>\n
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\nA Note on Supplements<\/h3>\n
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\nWhen to Pay Attention<\/h3>\n
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