The Quick Trick That Might Just Boost Your Immune System

You may not have seen a gorilla in the flesh, but surely you are familiar with their chest thumping habits. It never fails to amaze me how smart our hominoid relatives are.

That act of pounding ones chest actually serves to benefit the body in a number of ways and you may be taking a book out of an apes book after reading this guide to thymus thumping.

What is the thymus?

Hidden behind your breastbone is a small specialized organ which is intrinsic to immune system function: the thymus gland.

As an essential part of the lymphatic system, your thymus gland is responsible for churning out mature white blood cells which are vital to fighting all kinds of infections, from serious disease to the common cold.

It seems strange that an organ with such a big job sees little attention, but a healthy thymus is most active during neonatal and pre-adolescent stages. After puberty, the thymus gland enters into an type of atrophy outside of residual T cell lymphopoiesis and won’t really be of significance unless sickly.

What is important to know about your thymus however is that it has a major influence on the strength of your immune system when functioning at its best.

So how can you get it to function at its fullest? The thymus thump, that’s how.

Remember our friends, the gorilla? So in the same way they hit their chest, humans can thump their breastbone to increase our energy levels.

This action has been shown to slow down gland atrophy and create vibrations which help to stimulate and increase the maturation of white T cells.

In Ayurvedic practice it aligns with the high heart chakra and one of the thymus thumps functions to release fear.

Try this simple and easy routine once a day to give your immune system a quick boost:

1. Take a couple of deep, relaxing breaths.
2. Using your fingertips or side of your fist, tap up and down about 2-3 inches along your sternum, between and above your mammary glands.

The thymus is located behind the third rib, but any vibrations along the length of the upper sternum will stimulate it.

3. Do this for 15-20 seconds and continue to take regular slow breaths.
4. Do 1-3 times a day or up to 4 during times of acute illness. (this recommendation is through my personal experience; anyone who practices energy work, please feel free to share your ideas in the comments!)

Along with yoga and stretching, this simple trick is sure to improve your well being.

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