ADVERTISING: Advertorial — Can you actually improve your immune system?
Can you actually improve your immune system? Overall, our immune system does an amazing job of protecting us against disease causing organisms. But unfortunately, it occasionally fails. So, is it even possible to intervene in this process and boost our immune system? What if you change your diet? Take certain supplements? What can you do?
The idea of boosting our immune system is exciting, but the ability to do so has proven difficult for several reasons. The immune system is exactly that — a complex system, not a single entity. To function properly it requires a certain balance and harmony.
As with most things in our body, a healthy diet is key to a strong immune system. This means making sure you eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats. Stay away from sugar. A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that it takes about “75 grams of sugar to weaken the immune system. And once the white blood cells are affected, it's thought that the immune system is lowered for about 5 hours after."
In addition to providing your immune system the proper nutrients it needs to function, a healthy diet can help ensure you're getting sufficient amounts of the micronutrients that play a role in maintaining your immune system, including:
● Vitamin B6, found in chicken, salmon, tuna, bananas, green vegetables and potatoes (with the skin)
● Vitamin C, found in citrus fruit, including oranges and strawberries, as well as tomatoes, broccoli and spinach
● Vitamin E, found in almonds, sunflower and safflower oil, sunflower seeds, peanut butter and spinach
Since experts think that our bodies absorb vitamins more efficiently from dietary sources rather than supplements, the best way to support your immune system is to eat a well-balanced diet. But you could benefit from supplementation of certain vitamins. That’s why I recommend whole food supplements rather than synthetic made vitamins. They are much easier to absorb than synthetic ones.
A study titled The effectiveness of vitamin C in preventing and relieving the symptoms of virus-induced respiratory infections found that “flu and cold symptoms in the test group decreased 85% compared with the control group after the administration of megadose Vitamin C.”
Another key factor in proper function of our immune system is water. Lymph, the fluid that flows through the lymphatic system, which carries important, infection-fighting immune cells around your body, is largely made up of water. Being dehydrated can slow down the movement of lymph throughout the body, sometimes leading to an impaired immune system.
Physical activity plays an important part of not only being healthy, but supporting a healthy immune system. Studies have shown that engaging in as little as 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise every day helps stimulate your immune system. This means it's important to focus on staying active and getting regular exercise.
How you handle stress can impact your immune system as well. It doesn’t matter if stress comes on quickly or gradually builds over time. During stressful periods, especially chronic stress that's frequent and long-lasting, your body responds by initiating a stress response. This response can actually suppress your immune system, thus increasing your chance of infection or illness.
Taking care of yourself at home by keeping a balanced diet, exercising, drinking enough water, and finding healthy ways to decrease stress are imperative to the functionality of your immune system.
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Dr. Wayne M. Fichter Jr. is a chiropractor at Natural Spine Solutions. The business is located at 3913 Schreiber Way in Coeur d’Alene, 208-966-4425.