Inside your body there is an amazing protection mechanism called the immune system. It is designed to defend you against millions of bacteria, microbes, viruses, toxins and parasites that would love to invade your body. The immune system is made up of special cells and chemicals that fight infection. The white blood cells that make up the immune system are made in the bone marrow. These cells move through blood and tissue. Every time a microbe (germ) is overcome, the immune system remembers that microbe. If the body comes in contact with that microbe again, it will be defeated quickly.
The immune system is one of the most remarkable and complex systems within the human body. When you realise that the immune system has the ability to produce a million specific straight-jackets’ (called anti-bodies) within a minute and to recognise and disarm a billion different invaders (called antigens), the strategy of boosting immune power make a lot of sense. The ability to react rapidly to a new invader is the difference between a minor 24 hour cold or stomach bug and a week in bed with flu or food poisoning It may also be the difference between a non-malignant lump and breast cancer, or symptom-free HIV infection and full-blown AlDS.
The main ‘gates’ for the body are the digestive tract, which lets in food, and the lungs, which let in air. Within the digestive tract is the ‘gut-associated immune system’ which is programmed to allow completely digested food particles, such as amino adds, fatty adds and simple sugars, to pass unhindered through the gut wall into the body. Incompletely digested food can result in immune reactions, especially the large food molecule passes into the bloodstream. This is often the basis of a food allergy. The nasal passages help to prevent unwanted agents from entering the lungs. Having healthy and strong ‘inside skin’ in the lungs and digestive tract is the first defence against invaders.
At any time there are a small number of immune cells roaming the body. Many of these cells have a short life. T-cells, for example, live for about four days. When an invader is identified new troops are produced in the bone marrow and thymus, and trained and posted in forts such as lymph nodes, the tonsils, appendix, spleen and Peyer’s patches. Lymphatic vessels drain into these forts bringing in invaders for their destruction. That is why lymph nodes, for example in the neck, arm pits and groin, become inflamed during an infection. This means they’re doing their job. Since the lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump, (lymphatic fluid is moved along by muscle movement), physical exercise is important for lymphatic drainage. Since no nutrients work in isolation it’s good to supplement a good high strength multivitamin and mineral. The combination of nutrients at even modest levels can have a strong effect on boosting immunity.
How do you naturally boost your immune system?
Here are some important points to take into account:
- Water is the single most important nutrient, helps your cells to properly communicate the healing messages, critical for an effective detox, vital for all your body systems to function correctly to boost immune system, helps maintain healthy energy, dehydration promotes cancer cell growth.
- Eat food found in nature as close to original form as possible without added toxins (a toxin is anything not currently useable by the cells and includes pesticides), a whole food diet has many known and many ‘hidden’ benefits that will boost immune system, is our natural source for whole food vitamins and minerals.
- Most invaders produce ‘free radicals’, dangerous oxidising chemicals, to fight off your immune advances. Antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin A, C, E, zinc and selenium disarm free radicals weakening the invader. They also have other immune-boosting functions.
- Most of the following specifically and powerfully target the immune system for rebuilding your health:
Probiotics, Glyconutrients, Selenium, Beta glucan, Ellagic Acid, Glutathione, Chlorophyll, Enzymes, B complex, Zinc, Vitamin D3, Magnesium, Coenzyme Q10, Melatonin, Vitamin C, Iodine, Multiple vitamin/mineral/phytonutrient. - Exercise increases response time of antibodies, increases body temperature which improves macrophage ‘munching’, stimulates production of beta endorphin that latch onto killer T-cells increasing their ability to destroy invaders by an average of 63%, relieves stress, MOST IMPORTANT – it mobilizes the lymphatic system which collects and removes ‘unwanteds’ from the body (rebounding is excellent for this), top immune booster for oxygenating the body (low oxygen levels breed cancer cells and bacteria), stimulates T lymphocytes.
- By managing your life and making choices, you can reduce stress as well as relax and recharge. And by doing this, you give your body a powerful reinforcement against one of the biggest threats to your health.
- Your sleep – the time when the body does the most repairing, the amount of sleep is directly related to the amount of energy we have the next day.
- Detox – initial and regular internal cleansing is imperative for a strong immune system and will eliminate bacteria, viruses, fungus, bad cells, parasites, heavy metals and other invaders that weaken the immune system, include colon cleaning (important to cleanse first so everything else can exit quickly), liver detox, kidneys, blood, gall bladder, etc., be proactive and careful about what goes into your body so you don’t need to cleanse as often
Our prevention and immunity boost program will ideally help you to adapt your diet, lifestyle to your personnal needs and thus improve and balance your immune system.
