The immune system is one of my favourite parts of the human body, and needs to be kept healthy. I did some research on the immune system and the importance of keeping it healthy. Wow, what a complicated system. I am not going too much into detail, as you will be reading this blog for the next week, so I have just skimmed and made it sound more simple. So, here is what the research showed me.
What is the Immune System
The immune system is the body’s natural defense system. We have a lot of “systems” operating our body, but one of the most complex system is our immune system.
What are the main parts to our immune system?
- white blood cells
- antibodies
- complement system
- lymphatic system
- spleen
- bone marrow
- thymus.
What are some signs of a weak immune system?
- autoimmune disorders.
- frequently getting a cold or flu
- feeling tired and run down all the time
- allergies, skin disorders
- blood disorders or abnormalities, such as anaemia.
- digestive issues, including loss of appetite, diarrhoea, and abdominal cramping.
What does our immune system do for us
It is our immune system’s job to protect us from the bad guys like flu, colds, viruses, bacterial infections, fevers, disease and nasty pathogens, just to name a few. Also, our energy and endurance levels, and quality of life can be directly influenced by our immune system.
When these bad guys find their way into our body, it is the immune system’s response to gang up on it and fight it – so it produces antibodies to attack whatever bad guy is invading your body.
For our immune system to fight these bad guys, we need to keep our immune system in top condition by feeding it proper nutrition. The older we get the more our immune system can be at risk. One reason being, we are not replacing the nutrients that our body sweats out as we go about our day or do any type of exercise. Over the years that can take a toll on our body and our immune system.
What can we do to keep our immune system in top shape
We should be eating plenty of the goods foods, and, very little if none at all, of the bad foods. Good foods include plenty of vegetables and fruits, especially foods high in antioxidants. Unfortunately our food does not contain all the nutrients that are required by our immune system as they are not all present in our soil, especially minerals.
Your immune system is made of protein – so you need to eat protein, and less sugar. You do need some sugar as your DNA is made from sugar but you just need to consume less and when you do have sugar it should be natural sugars from fruits etc. Viruses, flus and colds can breed in a high sugar environment, which can end up suppressing your immune system. Having chicken soup when you feel sick, especially with flu and cold, is a great idea – home made chicken soup is best, if you like making soups, and very yummy.
Some people do not eat enough fruits or vegetables anyway, so the only other way you have to get those important nutrients into your body is to feed the immune system with a good quality vitamin and mineral supplement.
I have learned over the last 18 years that you need to give your body 90 essential nutrients everyday to live a long and healthy life and keep up the lifestyle we have all grown accustomed to. You will be amazed what your body and immune system will do, once you give it what it needs. Please check out my webinar below to further understand why we need to be topped up with 90 nutrients, and also find out what the 90 nutrients are.
Exercise is also good for your immune system – gets the lymphatic system moving, which gets the blood flowing. Walking 30 minutes a day is great, and as I said above, if you are sweating out nutrients with exercise, you need to be putting those nutrients back into your body.
Conclusion
The truth is, we all want to grow old gracefully and extend out our life. So make the commitment by looking after your immune system and it will look after you so you can live a healthy life well into your 80s and 90s.
A balanced and healthy immune system is important to fight against infections, so anything you can do to strengthen and support your immune system will help to assure your well being.
Hopefully this information has given you some food for thought on how important it is to look after your immune system. As I said, I have only skimmed the top. There is so much more to the immune system. All I can add to finish off is that this is a complex and important system and needs to be respected and looked after.
