Do you catch the flu bug easily? Are you always catching colds? Plagued
by chronic fatigue or allergies? Chances are, you are suffering from
depression.
Your immune system is
your bodyguard. Without it, your life will be in danger, as your
body will not be able to fend off viruses, bacteria, fungi and pathogens
that you are being exposed to constantly.
So, if you find yourself
falling sick often and taking longer to get back on your feet, your
depressed immune system can do with a boost.
How does your immune
system work?
Like all systems, the
immune system is made up of many parts. The main elements are the thymus
gland, bone marrow, the spleen and the lymphatic system with white blood
cells and lymphocytes.
"Our immune system
is our body's army. It is always on the look-out for external offences
and it fights these enemies," says Dr Swee Yong Peng, head of
A&E in private practice.
The system searches
constantly for antigens - which are proteins that don't belong in your
body and defends against the effects of these harmful antigens.
When your immune system
is healthy, it can combat a wide range of such alien beings - viruses,
fungi, bacteria and parasites.
When your immunity is
low, you can catch a cold twice in a month or feel lethargic for weeks
after a bout of flu.
Dynamic and highly
complex, the immune system is not as easy to comprehend. It is not easy
to understand the immune system because of its highly individualistic
nature.
It is a personal defence
system and the strength of its defence varies from person to person.
The current Sars (Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak throws light on the nature of
personal immune response.
Immunity compromised
It is a tall task to
maintain a healthy robust immune system.
Every day, our bodies are
subjected to a constant and unconscious battle. Exposure to
environmental pollutants, the emotional stresses of modern life, poor
nutrition and new virus mutations are some of the challenges our immune
system faces daily.
An overload of drugs,
such as antibiotics, antacids, steroids or immunisations, can be more
harmful than good.
Over prolonged use, a
drug can dull the immune response so that the body becomes dependent on
it.
"When your body gets
used to getting a foreign army to fight its battles, your own soldiers
forget how to fight after a while," says Dr Swee.
Or the drug may confuse
the body's defence system so that it does not know what to fight and in
its confusion, fights everything in sight.
"This is evident
when, for example, women go on a course of antibiotics and they develop
a yeast infection," explains Dr Swee.
"Good and bad
bacteria exist in our bodies. Antibodies can inadvertently lower
immunity because it kills off all bacteria, including the good ones that
prevent yeast infection."
If we keep our bodies
clean, that is, no drug use and keep them well-nourished, our immune
system can concentrate on rebuilding natural wear and tear, instead of
wasting its energy constantly doing battle with antigens introduced by
our own unhealthy lifestyle habits.
The strength of our
immunity must be built from the inside out. And our immunity or the lack
of it, is caused mainly by nutrition deficiencies.
You are what you eat
An immune-boosting diet
is really no different from the ideal diet that everyone should aim to
eat. Many nutrients can power up your immunity.
Protein.
This is important for the production of antibodies. A constant and
healthy supply is needed for a well-defended body. Rich sources include
fish, eggs, nuts, tofu and poultry.
Minerals.
Minerals transform protein into tissues and cells. Essential minerals
are magnesium, iron, zinc, selenium, manganese and calcium. A good
source is green leafy vegetables, fish, mushrooms and lentils.
Vitamins.
The core vitamins involved in boosting the immunity are A, C and E. The
mucous layer that lines the nose, lungs and stomach is your body's first
line of defence against invading colds and flu viruses.
Vitamin A helps to keep
the mucous layer healthy. Carrots, apricots, spinach, watercress are
good sources of Vitamin A.
Vitamin C promotes
healing because it aids cells reproduction after old or diseased cells
wear out or die.
It is therefore vital for
a healthy immune system. Your body cannot produce its own supply; the
requirements of Vitamin C by your body can double or treble at any time
when it faces an infection challenge.
So, it is important to
obtain plenty of Vitamin C through the diet and supplements. Rich
sources are citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, kiwi and guava.
Garlic. This
contains allicin, which has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties to
help your body fight infections.
Mind over matter
The old adage
"laughter is the best medicine" is not just folklore, there is
a medical basis to this. It is found that laughter lowers cortisol, a
substance produced in the body that is an immune suppressor.
Your state of mind
greatly influences your immunity.
According to Dr Swee:
"High stress wears down your immunity. Stress puts you in a state
of hyper-alertness which is an exhausting state and the body gets tired.
This, in turn, can depress your immune system."
Coping with stress and
learning to laugh and look on the lighter side of things can charge up a
lowered state of immunity.
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You're What You Eat
It
doesn't take a lot of effort to cultivate good eating habits.
Remember to:
* Reduce dairy and sugary foods. Stop snacking! If you must, have
a muesli bar.
*
Have a protein drink every morning, for example, soya bean milk. *
Include generous amounts of antioxidants in your diet such as
fresh fruits, vegetables and garlic. Drink green tea. *
Eat organically-grown food whenever possible. Pesticide pollutants
in food lowers immunity.
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