How Can We Increase Our Body’s Immune Defenses?

Good hydration is fundamental to eliminate toxins. Likewise, we need a balanced diet and adequate sleep to prevent our body from getting sick.

Our body must constantly fight battles to fight against states of disease, depression, frailty, chronic fatigue or infections. Immune defenses must be prepared to face wars against external pathogens.

We have made a habit of consuming drugs or supplements to protect us. This is something so common that we no longer realize that it is a partial, and in the long run, ineffective solution. As demonstrated by the appearance of resistance of bacteria and fungi to antibiotics.

Immune defenses are able to curb almost any infectious disease. But there are many factors that can cause weakening of the immune system.

Be aware that intense and complicated emotional states such as anxiety, depression, as well as insufficient sleep can deteriorate several physical functions such as the combative availability of our immune defenses.

Then, other diseases such as cancer, AIDS, inflammatory bowel disease and all those that weaken our digestive system, and the lack of specific nutrients weaken the defenses.

In addition, the use of specific medical procedures, such as surgery and transplants, require parallel medication to avoid rejection. This weakens certain immune responses.

We will now list the elements that our immune system uses to fight against the invasion of external pathogens. 

The effective warriors are the white blood cells, the leukocytes. They are divided into lymphocytes of two types: “polynuclear” (neutrophils, basophils and eosinophils) and “mononuclear” (T and B lymphocytes and monocytes).

These little soldiers are very specialized and together provide the immune or protective cover of our organism.

When one of them malfunctions or is weakened, our vulnerability to any type of invasion increases, producing infectious disease or other diseases such as allergies, arthritis, psoriasis.

Program to strengthen the immune system

Consume calories to respond to attacks

Our bodies need calories to create antibodies. If you are trying to lose weight, you can eat fruits, vegetables and nuts, preferably nuts.

Get enough rest

To get back in shape, our body needs a period of rest.

One indicator that we have a poor ability to fend off disease attacks is when we are sleepy when most of our companions are busy.

We need to reconsider the consumption of stimulants to better understand our real “thermometer” of need for rest. If the consumption of caffeine (tea, coffee, energy drinks…) is excessive, it surely affects your sleep patterns and sabotages your immune system.

Irish research has shown that taking more than 4 cups of coffee per day is enough to affect the immune system. Caffeine suppresses the functions of certain key immune agents (lymphocytes and T cells). 

Immune cells must have fuel to work

When our body ingests protein, we get glutamine for fuel. If we do not consume the correct amounts of protein, our body will take it from the skeletal muscles, especially if we do physical work or a lot of sport.

We will then lose muscle mass and not fat. In addition, for our immune cells, the amino acid glutamine is our body’s real fuel. It is very powerful but consumes very quickly.

To correct this deficiency, after having made a physical effort, it is good to consume 5 to 10 grams of glutamine. Your white blood cells and muscles will thank you.

Can our body repair itself well after exercise?

One of the functions of our immune system is to help cleanse cells of waste.

Exercise is healthy when it is moderate. But muscles, when they work, release waste that they should excrete. The immune system then begins to work. To help it, it is therefore important to consume good foods after physical exertion.

According to studies Journal of Applied Physiology , the posterior nutrition exercise prevents disease.

To know if we are getting enough rest or ingesting sufficient calories after exercise, or if our immune defenses are weak, there is a series of data that informs us of the following situations:

• We are too tired most of the time, but have trouble sleeping at night.
• Our whole body hurts us.
• We feel more and more fragile when we play sports.
• Cramps, muscle tears often appear.

If you notice one or more of these symptoms, it is better to reduce the frequency and the time of physical exertion. In addition, take a large glass of milk chocolate after exercise.

Have a healthy stomach

A chronically inflamed stomach can play an important role in problems ranging from heart disease and cancer to autoimmune disorders. If you regularly experience a burning sensation in your stomach, perhaps you are eating too spicy or suffering from an infection.

In this case, you must take yogurt or rather probiotics daily to have healthy bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract (especially L. acidophilus).

Monitor all possible areas of pathogen attack

We must take care that all the entry points of our body (mouth, eyes, nose and ears mainly) are as little as possible to be invaded by germs.

To do this, do not put your fingers in the mouth or in the ears. Watch your skin for eczema or scabs that can lead to recurrent infections (such as Staphylococcus aureus).

Don’t shake hands with someone who has a cold. But if you do, wash them immediately with soap, especially the nails that you wear short.

Have a well hydrated immune system

Our soldiers must have a good supply of water to work effectively. Hydration should be even more important when you are sick.

Fluids carry nutrients in place of disease and carry toxins away for release. If you see a dark yellowish color in the first urine of the day, you need water.

The ideal is to drink at least one liter of water on an empty stomach and two more liters throughout the day. 

Natural remedies to strengthen the immune system

There is a wide variety of juices and infusions to increase our immune system.

In addition, we recommend avoiding fatty foods and refined sugars, consuming at least 10-12 glasses of water per day to stimulate the immune system, expelling toxins, doing 30 minutes of daily exercise and to perform relaxation and deep breathing exercises.

• Honey. It is a natural antibiotic. Take a spoonful every day.
• Ginseng. One infusion of ginseng a day is good for preventing illnesses and for treating ailments related to immune problems.
• Green tea. The infusion of green tea stimulates the production of immune cells.
• Carrot and orange juice. Mix a carrot and mix with orange juice. Take it for breakfast every day to boost your immune system.
• Garlic, orange, onion and broccoli. Mix orange juice with the juice of 2 garlic cloves, an onion and broccoli. Have a drink every day for a week and rest for a month.
• Mandarin, ginger, lemon and honey. Mix the juice of 2 mandarins, 1 lemon, 1 spoonful of grated fresh ginger and a small spoonful of honey with a little water. Take it at least three times a week.
• Echinacea. Boil half a spoonful of sprayed Echinacea in a cup of water for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand. Take one cup every other day for 6 weeks.