The main purpose of your immune system is to protect your body from viruses and bacteria. Without it, they’d have free reign and you’d be constantly falling ill. Your immune system works by recognizing the difference between your body’s own cells and invading cells, allowing it to destroy any that could be potentially harmful. This natural defense usually works well but there are many factors that can lead to a weakened immune system. In this article, I will go over those factors and how to strengthen your immune system so you can make the most out of each day
1. HEALTHY DIET
A healthy diet keeps your gut strong, which in turn helps keeps your immune system strong. A diet too high in sugar can weaken your immune system, and I often recommend my patients to adopt the Mediterranean diet, which is also the best diet to keep your heart healthy. For recommendations on what constitutes a healthy diet, please see my “Healthy Diet Guide.”
2. SUPPLEMENTATION
A healthy diet keeps your gut strong, which in turn helps keeps your immune system strong. A diet too high in sugar can weaken your immune system, and I often recommend my patients to adopt the Mediterranean diet, which is also the best diet to keep your heart healthy. For recommendations on what constitutes a healthy diet, please see my “Healthy Diet Guide.”
Vitamin C
IMMUNE RESPONSE BOOST
Vitamin C is associated with a gradual fortifying of one’s immune response. It greatly supports its cellular functions as well as both the innate and adaptive immune systems that make up the body’s main defense line against microorganisms. Supplementing vitamin C appropriately ensures robust protection against various commonly occurring infections. Moreover, it shortens the duration time of the disease should an infection occur
PROMOTING COLLAGEN SYNTHESIS
Vitamin C actively plays a role in collagen synthesis as well as in between the cells. Such an action contributes to visible rejuvenation of the skin and the hair, strengthening the walls of blood vessels and thus facilitating blood flow, improving wound healing and subsequent tissue regeneration.
INFLAMMATION REDUCTION
Vitamin C has extremely potent antioxidant properties. It actively scavenges free radicals, securing the proper structure of tissue-building macromolecules, including proteins, sugars, lipids and nucleic acids. In doing so, it helps maintain balance within the body, efficiently reducing damaging inflammation that uninhibited leads to diseases like diabetes, hypertension, arthritis and even cancer. An additional benefit of the antioxidant action of vitamin C is that it decreases overactive melanogenesis, preventing unwanted hyperpigmentation of the skin and increasing the skin’s natural brightness.
Vitamin D
A moderate and daily dose of vitamin D can offer the appropriate protection if you lack vitamin D. The most effective way to find out your body’s requirement for vitamin D is to have a test for your blood levels. Optimal ranges for vitamin D are 20 to 39 ng/mL. In these ranges, you will require a daily supplementation with 600-800 IU. If your blood test reveals the low levels of vitamin D, then you will need to take a daily dose up to 2000 IU. I always recommend patients take these supplements with meals containing oils and fats. Oils and fats help to increase the absorption of vitamin D. Below I list the reasons why it is essential to maintain normal vitamin D levels
IMMUNE RESPONSE BOOST
It has been documented that multiple immune cells possess receptors for vitamin D on their surface—for this reason, adequate supplementing of vitamin D significantly strengthens one’s immune response as it increases the amount of disease-fighting cells.
OSTEOPOROSIS PREVENTION
Vitamin D ensures proper bone density and structure, preventing the development of osteoporosis and associated fractures like fractures of the femoral neck, the chest region of the spine or the wrist.
CALCIUM ABSORPTION INCREASE
Supplementing vitamin D is crucial for sufficient calcium absorption in the gut. Likewise, calcium is responsible for a healthy bone structure; nonetheless, it also greatly contributes to other essential bodily processes, e.g., blood clotting, strengthening of the blood vessels, and maintaining the proper muscle tone.
GLUTATHIONE
Glutathione is naturally present in various tissues around the body. It functions by deactivating potentially harmful substances within the body, including free radicals and toxins.
INFLAMMATION REDUCTION
By effectively inactivating damaging free radicals, glutathione prevents tissue and hence organ damage in the body as well as actively prevents the development of inflammatory diseases like diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, and cancer.
PREVENTION AGAINST TOXINS
Glutathione actively binds toxins present in the body, including those created by microorganisms. This way it protects the body against infections as well as potential damage to the organs that could lead to more serious consequences in the future
Unfortunately, due to the food industry implementing various detrimental processing techniques in the production line, many people are nutritionally deficient even if they think they are meeting the recommended nutritional standards. This can be later reflected in chronic fatigue, symptoms of burn out, and decreased immunity. Such a state makes it difficult for people to get through the day let alone efficiently fight offinfections or other diseases. My integrative approach to this problem involves looking at more than just one or two vitamin levels—when it comes to such a vital case as nutrients we need to look beyond for more comprehensive approaches. This is why I implement IV nutrition therapy into my practice, which helps my patients make sure they are receiving the proper nutrition
3. STAY ACTIVE
Working out is one of the most efficient ways to boost your immunity since exercising can circulate white blood cells and antibodies more rapidly. Staying active is one of the best methods for lowering your stress hormones like cortisol, thus reducing the chances of getting ill.
The effects of exercise are directly related to your immune system’s ability to fight off infections. Sweating during exercise is an appropriate way to prevent viruses. A rise in body temperature helps to kill the germs present in their tracks.
One key to staying active and exercising daily is to exercise in moderation. Doing too much exercise can put additional stress on your body, which can depress your immune system.
4. ADEQUATE SLEEP
One way to view our body’s immune system is as a computer that needs a break on occasion to avoid getting overheated. Sleep tends to reboot our immune system. During sleep deprivation, our body tends to produce the stress hormone, cortisol, which keeps you alert and awake. The release of the cortisol hormone suppresses the immune system.
According to several research studies, a er sleeping a full
eight hours, the levels of your T-cells will increase. People
with an adequate amount of sleep are less likely to
develop infections and other problems.
5. REDUCE STRESS
This may sound obvious, but it is extremely important to reduce your stress because research has shown there is a strong association between mental health and immune health. Under chronic conditions of anxiety and chronic stress, the body tends to produce hormones that suppress the immune system. Simply put, stress makes us more likely to get sick due to proteins called cytokines being released in higher concentrations, which triggers inflammation
To manage stress, I advise patients to:
- Do mindful meditation
- Workout regularly or get daily exercise
- Avoid the triggers of stress
- Keep good company
- Identify hobbies they enjoy
- Try new activities
What if I try all of these things but I am still getting sick offen?
Ozone therapy can be a useful treatment for patients who have a weakened immune system. Ozone is a natural molecule, which is commonly found in the environment. While a typical, regularly occurring oxygen molecule consists of two oxygen atoms, ozone possesses three of them in its structure. When administered into the bloodstream and having blended with its constituents, a highly efficient, healing oxygen–ozone mixture is created, providing improvement to many diseases.
The significant extent to which the ozone therapy boosts the immune response has been proven effective in numerous cases. It does so via various pathways, including a notable increase in the immune cell count, especially enhancing the activities of eosinophils and cytotoxic T8 – lymphocytes. Both type of cells are responsible for the inactivation and further killing of the
microorganisms as well as larger parasites. Moreover, ozone does stimulate the production of interferon—a highly potent antiviral substance that appropriately modulates the immunity of a cell so that it is protected against potential infections
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