Boost Your Immunity? Replacing Hype With Health Living
It seems almost impossible these days to walk down an aisle at the store or watch an episode of your favorite T.V show without being inundated with hundreds of commercials and ads for the newest super product that will boost your immune system 1000%. With so many products claiming to fight off disease by boosting your immunity it is worth asking the question: “What exactly is my immune system? And should I be boosting it in the first place?” In this article we will be both clarifying some very common misconceptions, as well as providing insight into the many steps you can take to keep from getting sick this holiday season.
UNDERSTANDING IMMUNITY
The immune system can be thought of as your body’s defensive system against all sorts of outside threats, bacteria, viruses etc. The immune system is broken down into two distinct parts, “innate immunity” and the “acquired immunity” these two subsystems work together to both prevent, and fight off disease.
The day you are born your body is already prepared to fight off threats from the outside world. Your skin acts as a barrier against invading bacteria and the mucous in your throat, lungs, and nasal passages physically stop pathogens from entering your body. Your body comes preloaded with specialized protective cells designed to recognize and differentiate your cells from outside bacteria or viruses. White blood cells blindly track down foreign materials and digest them before they can multiply and make you sick. This basic defense is a great start and will keep you safe from weak, everyday bacteria but something much more complex is needed to protect you from viruses like the common cold and the flu- that’s where acquired immunity comes in.
The acquired immune system is much more sophisticated than the innate immunity you are born with. The acquired immune system is constantly adapting and learning from its past experiences, making it stronger and smarter as we are exposed to different pathogens. Acquired immunity is primarily made up of highly specialized cells called lymphocytes. These cells learn about, memorize and destroy all kinds of bacteria and viruses, which is why it is nearly impossible for most people to get the same sickness more than once. To say this explanation is just the tip of the iceberg would be a great understatement; the complexities of the immune system could be written about for thousands of pages, however, a basic understanding is all we need to know how to prevent and fight sickness and disease.
BOOSTED IMMUNITY CAUSES DISEASE
When we are told that a particular product or behavior will boost our immunity the first thing we should be asking ourselves is which exact aspect of the immune system are they claiming to boost? And does that area of our immune system need to be boosted in the first place? Although it has been demonstrated that certain vitamins and minerals play an essential role in the immune system, the concept of boosting your immunity is largely a myth.
Increasing the number of immune cells, or the function of those cells is not necessarily a good thing. Your immune system is expertly regulated by your body, when this precise regulation is interfered with severe illness or disease is the result. In the same fashion that patients with HIV have a dangerously under active immune system, patients with overactive immunity face similar challenges. Autoimmune diseases are disorders in which the immune system is confused or “boosted” to the point of destroying your own cells in addition to outside bacteria and viruses. These disorders in which the immune system over reacts to normal tissue are becoming more and more frequent and are of serious concern. Conditions such as Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Psoriatic Arthritis, Type 1 Diabetes, Celiac, Multiple Sclerosis and Graves disease, just to name a few, are the result of an overactive immune system. If it were possible to artificially increase your immunity autoimmune like disease would inevitably be the result.
REPLACE HYPE WITH HEALTHY LIVING
Although we should be skeptical of products claiming to increase the function of our immunity, we all should adopt healthy living strategies that have been demonstrated to help support our immune system and keep us healthy. If your diet consists of fast food and frozen pizza, taking a whole foods multivitamin may be an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle, however, mega doses of single vitamins have not been shown to bolster your immunity in any significant way.[1,2] This does not mean that particular nutrients don’t impact our immune system, just that these are areas that require more research before it is recommended that you take 10,000 IU of a particular vitamin to fend off the flu. There are many hurdles to address when it comes to naturally supporting your immune system. We will take a look at both the nutritional aspects as well as various lifestyle changes that may help reduce your chances of catching a cold this year.
COOK WITH GINGER & TURMERIC
Ginger and turmeric are two of my all-time favorite foods, both fall into a category I like to call super foods. The effects of regularly eating ginger and turmeric can be profound. Fresh ginger contains a very powerful bioactive substance called Gingerol. Gingerol has been shown to decrease inflammation, soothe morning sickness and menstrual cramps, decrease muscle soreness and even kill many types of harmful bacteria. [3] Turmeric contains curcumin, a powerful antioxidant that helps your body regulate many aspects of brain activity and has been shown to support everything from heart health to depression.[4] Because of these properties incorporating fresh ginger and curcumin into your daily meals may help reduce your chances of catching an infection.
WHAT ABOUT VITAMINS?
Over the past few years the age old tradition of taking unnecessarily high doses of either vitamin C or vitamin D has come under scrutiny. In multiple large scale studies both of these vitamins failed to produce any significant decrease in the rate of infection, duration of infection, or intensity of sickness- for this reason mega doses of either of these vitamins is not recommended.[2,3] However, some studies have shown that as many as 40% of U.S adults may be deficient in one of these vitamins. Rather than ingesting 5,000 IU of vitamin D with synthetic supplements, stay healthy by increasing the amount of fresh fatty fish you eat each week or double the number of leafy greens, bell peppers and oranges in your diet throughout the winter months.
EAT GREEK YOGURT
Our bodies are made up of roughly 37 trillion cells and as many as 39 trillion foreign bacteria- meaning that our bodies may have more bacterial cells than human cells. These bacteria play an essential role in the way our bodies function, especially when it comes to digestion. Because these bacteria do not share our DNA, and are not created by our bodies, they must be absorbed through our food. Greek Yogurt it a great source of this healthy bacteria. Naturally produced probiotics are also a great option when it comes to supporting your digestive health. A recent research study suggests that taking probiotics may decrease your chances of catching a respiratory infection during the winter season.[5]
MODIFY YOUR LIFESTYLE
Proper nutrition plays a huge role in your overall health, including the function of your immune system, however, many other lifestyle factors come into play when considering how to keep yourself safe from sickness.
PRACTICE COLD WEATHER HYGIENE
When your mom told you to come inside and out of the frigid winter air before you catch a cold she might have actually been doing more harm than good. Although it is true that winter is the time of the year you are most likely to get sick it has little to do with the cold weather affecting your immunity. Long term exposure to extreme cold has been shown to increase the rate of sickness in athletes, but most experts believe that the increase in sickness during the winter has much less to do with the cold and much more to do with the fact that we all spend a majority of our time indoors to avoid the cold- causing us to share and spread sickness at a much higher rate.[6]
Because of your increased contact with viruses and bacteria, proper cold weather hygiene is our best defense against catching a cold this year. Its no surprise that washing your hands and covering our mouths when we cough or sneeze is the number one way to keep yourself, and others, safe from infection. It’s an obvious solution but it’s so simple and effective, it had to be number one on the list.
We all know that sharing drinks with our friends while they are sick is a bad idea, but you might be surprised to know what things could be spreading sickness throughout your home. The best rule of thumb is don’t share! Everything from food, drinks and Bath towels, to bed sheets, tooth brush holders and kitchen sponges can quickly lead to everyone in your home sharing more than you would like. These items should be washed, sanitized and kept separate from the rest of the family especially if you are feeling under the weather.
DECREASE YOUR STRESS LEVELS
Both physical, as well as psychological, stress can have a big impact on the overall health of your immune system. When our bodies are stressed physically they release endorphins and other stress related chemicals into our bloodstream. These chemical stress hormones are a healthy part of a short term stress response and help us to react to the stress at hand. When exposed to these chemicals for long periods of time they can act as immunosuppressants, slowing and decreasing your overall immune response. These same hormones may also be released in times of psychological stress, which means that we need to be particularly aware of our stress levels if we wish to avoid an unnecessary sickness.[7]
GET PLENTY OF SLEEP
For many years scientists debated whether or not sleep was directly related to the function of your immune system. We now understand that sleep, and more importantly sleep cycles, are strong moderators of the immune system. Long term sleep deprivation, or even intermittent sleep deprivation mimics the effects of severe physiological stress and leads to increased inflammation and a decreased immune function throughout your body. Adults should aim for at least 8 hours of sleep each night especially during the cold and flu season.
EXERCISE REGULARLY
Regular exercise reduces your chances of developing everything from heart disease and pneumonia to type 2 diabetes and even some forms of cancer, but does it increase immune function? The short answer is yes, however, we have not yet made clear the exact connection between exercise and immunity. In a recent correlative study over 1,000 patients were observed over the winter months, those who were more fit and exercised regularly suffered almost 50% less instances of the common cold than those who were inactive. Increasing your overall activity level doesn’t have to be time consuming or complicated, by utilizing high intensity training you can fight off the common cold in just a few minutes each week.[8]
What you need to know:
- To date scientists have concluded that the idea of “boosting your immune system” is largely a myth
- There are many nutritional and lifestyle modifications we can make to help decrease our chances of getting sick this winter
- Rather than mega-dosing a single vitamin, adopt a natural whole foods diet to ensure your immune system is not suffering any nutrient deficiencies
- Cook with Ginger and Turmeric
- Take probiotics, or get them naturally through greek yogurt
- Decrease your stress levels
- Get plenty of sleep
- Exercise regularly
- Practice cold weather hygiene
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