Boosting Your Immune System
The immune system is sometimes an overlooked component of the body. Without it, we would be suffering from allergies and headaches practically every minute of the day. Not taking care of it can even be fatal at times.
As people get older and enter the midlife stage, they need to realize that some of the protective bodily functions are not the same as they were twenty years ago. Needless to say, if you want your body to keep doing the things you want it to, you must take good care of your immune system.
The human body is almost always under attack from various bacteria, parasites and other pathogens. They number in the trillions! So how do you suppose the immune system works to defend against these?Just like any good army, the immune system is composed of a first line of defense and then an interior defensive system. Respectively, they are called non-specific and specific defenses.
The non-specific is made up of the outer layers such as the skin and mucous membranes. The specific defensive system goes into action when micro-organisms make it past the non-specific defense.
There is also a very intelligent communication system that is required between the nonspecific and specific defense systems. The nonspecific is usually very good at detecting something that is foreign and blocks them out. But certain antigens get past, and this is when the specific system is called upon to mount an appropriate response.
Cells and proteins within the blood and lymph go into action to neutralize the invader. Even more fascinating is that the specific defense is able to memorize the attack and response so that when confronted with the same invader in the future, it will repeat what was the effective response against it.
However above all this intricate interaction and communication between the systems, it is paramount that an immune response be activated as quickly as possible to prevent the destruction of good cells. And as mentioned above, as one gets older, the response time becomes delayed. That delay may be enough to destroy enough cells to cause a person to become sick. Usually these sicknesses manifest themselves in the form of allergies.
It is therefore imperative for people in their midlife years and beyond to give their immune system a boost. More so during the cold months. This can be done through some simple adjustments to your diet and lifestyle:
- Get a good dose of vitamin C from fruits like lemons and oranges;
- Avoid too much sugar in your diet;
- Avoid dairy products, if you need milk switch to soy milk;
- Eat vegetables and fruits rich in antioxidants like broccoli and dark grapes;
- Use garlic in your cooking, garlic is a natural antibiotic;
- Get a good night's sleep;
- Take supplements like flaxseed oil
, selenium
, zinc
and omega-3
;
- Take supplements that will provide you with the approriate amounts of vitamins and antioxidants
if the fruit and vegetable sources are not available;
- Exercise regularly.
Going natural is always a good thing. Not only does it provide a harmonious effect, it does not act as a drug which means you are not bombarding yourself with chemicals that will harm it as much as it helps. In the long run, the natural ingredients enhance your body's effectiveness so that it can continue to work well for you.
