How can you boost your immune system? Have proper hydration, a balanced diet and maintain adequate sleep patterns to prevent your body from getting sick.
At some point, we have all looked for remedies to increase our body’s defenses. Who has not resorted to taking drugs or supplements to combat disease states, decay, weakness, chronic fatigue and infections? These are practices that are also becoming increasingly popular.
This is something so daily that we do not realize that it is a partial solution. And, in the long run ineffective. This is evidenced by the appearance of more and more strong resistance by bacteria and fungi to antibiotics. This, according to studies such as the one carried out by the CESCA team of the INSALUD Health Center, has become a public health problem.
It is our immune system that must fight these battles. A good immune system has the strength and readiness to face all-out wars against external pathogens and is capable of almost totally stopping any infectious disease.
What weakens our defenses?
There are many factors that can cause a weakening of our immune system. According to this research, intense emotional states (such as anxiety or depression) and insufficient sleep can deteriorate physical functions, such as the combative availability of our defenses.
In addition, diseases such as cancer, HIV, inflammatory bowel disease and all those that weaken our digestive system or the lack of certain nutrients entail “low defenses”.
The use of certain medical procedures, such as surgery and transplants, which involve parallel medication to prevent rejection (which is achieved by weakening certain immune responses) also plays a role.
How does the immune system work?
Very basically, we are going to name the elements that our immune system uses to fight against the invasion of external pathogens.
The effective warriors are the cells of the white series (the leukocytes). These are divided into two types of lymphocytes: “polymorphonuclear” (neutrophils, basophils and eosinophils) and “mononuclear” (T and B lymphocytes and monocytes).
These soldiers, who are the defenses of our organism, are highly specialized and together they provide the immune cover. When one fails or is weakened, our vulnerability to any type of invasion increases, thus producing infectious disease or other diseases such as allergies, arthritis, psoriasis, etc.
How can you boost your immune system?
These are some tips about how can you boost your immune system in a simple and completely natural way.
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Eating calories to respond to attacks
Our bodies need calories to create antibodies, the soldiers we will send to the front invaded by germs. In case of losing weight, we have to gradually eat fruits, vegetables and nuts (preferably nuts). The dietary variety is important, as stated in this research carried out by the Health Research Institute of the La Paz University Hospital.
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Get enough rest
Our body to recover needs a period of rest. An indicator that we have a low ability to repel the attacks of the disease is when we feel sleepy at those times when most of our colleagues are fully active.
We have to reconsider the consumption of stimulants to have a true “thermometer” of our need for rest. If you consume too much caffeine, it is possibly affecting your sleep patterns, and sabotaging your immune system.
As long as it’s done in moderation, regular coffee consumption has more benefits than risks, as the following research states.
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Immune cells must have “fuel” to work
When our body ingests protein it obtains glutamine as fuel. If we do not consume enough protein, the body will “steal” it from skeletal muscle, especially if we are doing physical work or sports, and we will lose muscle mass and not fat.
In addition, for our immune cells the amino acid glutamine is like super gasoline, it is very powerful, but it you need to consume it very quickly. To correct this deficiency, after exercising it is good to consume 5 to 10 grams of glutamine. Your white blood cells and your muscles will thank you.
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Can our body repair itself well after exercise?
One of the functions of our immune system is to help clean the cells of waste. Exercise is healthy in its measure, but the muscles when working release wastes that have to be excreted. The immune system goes to work and to help it, what we consume after physical effort is key.
According to studies in the Journal of Applied Physiology, post-exercise nutrition prevented illness among Marines on boot camp. There is a series of data that indicates whether we rest enough or eat enough calories after exercise or not, and our body’s defenses are low:
We are extremely tired most of the time, but we have a hard time sleeping at night.
- Our whole body hurts.
- We feel weaker and weaker in the gym.
- Cramps, muscle tears, etc. often appear.
- If any of this happens to you, you have to reduce the frequency and duration of your physical effort a little
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Have a healthy stomach
A chronically inflamed stomach can play a role in a variety of problems, ranging from heart disease (according to this report) to autoimmune disorders. If we frequently have a burning sensation in the stomach, it may happen that we like spicy too much or, most likely, we suffer from an infection.
In this case we have to go to our doctor and ask if we can take a daily yogurt or better probiotics to have healthy bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract (especially L. acidophilus).
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Monitor all possible attack zones for pathogens
We must ensure that the entry points of our body (mainly mouth, eyes, nose and ears) are difficult to invade by germs. To do this, we will not put our fingers in our mouths, or our ears, etc.
We should also check our skin for eczema and scabs, which can lead to recurrent Staphylococus aureus infections. Never shake the hand of someone with a cold, and if we do, we must wash them immediately with soap, especially on the nails that we will wear short.
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Have the immune system well hydrated
Our soldiers must have good water reserves to work effectively. Hydration becomes even more important when you are sick.
Fluids carry nutrients to the site of disease and carry toxins away for disposal. If we observe a dark yellow color in the first urine of the day, then we need more water. Ideal is to drink at least one liter of water on an empty stomach and another two throughout the day.
However, it is essential to bear in mind that water needs can vary depending on body weight, age and health. Therefore, if you are overweight patients or if you have a special health problem, consult your doctor to find out how much water to drink.
Also, avoid drinking excess fluids, as it can also be harmful. Try to distribute the total liquid for several doses a day.
Natural remedies to strengthen the defenses of our body
There are a wide variety of smoothies and infusions to increase the defenses of our body. In addition, we recommend avoiding foods with refined fats and sugars, drinking 10-12 glasses of water per day, 30 minutes of daily exercise, and deep breathing and relaxation exercises.
In addition, there are many foods that can help strengthen our defenses. Learn how to boost your immune system, using these ingredients and recipes.
The recipes
- Honey: it is a natural antibiotic.
- Ginseng: according to this study, ginseng acts as a regulator of all cells of the immune system.
- Green tea: the infusion of green tea can help in the production of immune cells. That’s thanks to its high level of antioxidants.
- Carrot and orange juice: blending carrots and mixing with orange juice, taken daily at breakfast, is very beneficial thanks to the antioxidant properties of lycopene. For its part, citric acid is antimicrobial, as stated in this report by the University of Benin.
- Garlic, orange and broccoli: mix the juice of an orange with a smoothie of 2 garlic cloves (antimicrobial) and broccoli. Drink a glass daily for a week and rest for a month.
- Tangerine, ginger, lemon and honey: mix the juice of 2 tangerines, 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger. Add a teaspoon of honey with a little water. Take at least three times a week.
- Echinacea: boil ½ tablespoon of powdered echinacea in a cup of water for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and rest. Drink 1 cup every other day for 6 weeks.
Before going to supplements to strengthen our body’s defenses, it is important that we monitor and take care of our diet. Diet is essential to have a strong immune system that protects us against viruses and bacteria.
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