How to improve immunity? Not lowering is king.

 

Such a question is often asked: how to improve immunity?

When the body's immunity is low, the body is prone to disease symptoms. The most common of these symptoms is infection. Because the immune system is weakened, the immune system cannot properly remove pathogenic microorganisms, which will lead to the occurrence of infection, and it is difficult to heal itself.

In addition to infection, weakened immunity may also increase the risk of developing tumors. Tumors are cancerous from their own cells under certain conditions. If the immune system is normal, it will have a certain inhibitory effect on tumor cells, thereby preventing the occurrence of tumors. Conversely, when a person has a weakened immune system, the risk of developing tumors increases.

Because immunity is related to many diseases, it has attracted people's attention. So, how can we improve our immunity?

Before answering this question, let’s first understand immunity.

Humans live in a world full of various pathogens, and even many pathogenic microorganisms live in the human body. Therefore, in the long evolutionary process of the immune system, pathogenic microorganisms have always been with them. The long-term existence of these pathogenic microorganisms is a powerful natural selection force for the immune system. In other words, individuals with low immunity will be easily eliminated in the long evolutionary process, while individuals with sufficient immunity to deal with these pathogens will survive.

So, as a result of natural selection, the vast majority of us have a qualified immune system, which means that our immunity is normal. Therefore, only a very small proportion of people with congenitally weakened immunity. For ordinary people, low immunity generally occurs only under certain conditions and within a certain period of time.

To further illustrate that the vast majority of people have normal immunity, here are two examples.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacterium that causes tuberculosis. About 90% of people have been infected with TB bacteria, but less than 10% of those who are infected will develop tuberculosis. That is to say, more than 90% of infected people are able to control the Mycobacterium tuberculosis entering the body, and this credit should be attributed to normal immunity.

Not just bacteria, but viruses as well. For example, the hepatitis B virus that everyone hears most often is the culprit that causes hepatitis B. But out of the billion infected, less than 100 million will become virus carriers. In other words, the immune system of more than 90% of people infected with HBV is able to eliminate HBV, leaving only antibodies against the virus.

So, now back to the question that everyone cares about: how to improve our immunity?

Since the vast majority of people have normal immunity and can resist common pathogenic microorganisms, what needs to be done is to improve immunity, or not to reduce immunity?

Some people may say that although more than 90% of people can deal with the tuberculosis bacteria and hepatitis B virus that enter the body, there are still the unlucky 10% of people who will get sick. Indeed, these people are sick because of their low immunity and cannot fight against bacteria and viruses. Some of these people have low innate immunity, and they really need to improve their immunity; while more people have normal immunity, but their immunity is reduced under certain circumstances. Therefore, for the vast majority of people, what needs to be considered is how not to reduce their immunity, not to improve their immunity.

So, how do you know if your immune system is weakened?

The most direct consequence of low immunity is to increase the probability of infection. In everyday life, there are three obvious examples.

One is the common cold. The common cold is mostly caused by viruses, the most common of which is rhinovirus. These viruses are already in the body, but normally the immune system is able to contain them, so they don't show symptoms. But in some cases, such as catching a cold, climate change, fatigue, etc., these viruses can escape the control of the immune system and cause a cold.

Another is herpes on the lips, a symptom commonly referred to as blistering or "fire" at the corners of the mouth. Cold sores are caused by herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-I), which is present in the vast majority of people. Under normal circumstances, the herpes simplex virus in the body can be controlled by the body's immune system, so they have to lurk in nerve cells that the immune system can't hit. But when a person's immunity is weakened, these herpes simplex viruses can become active. They enter the epithelial cells of the mucous membranes at the corners of the mouth, where they multiply and cause herpes.

A third symptom that can reflect a weakened immune system is that wounds are difficult to heal. We sometimes encounter some small wounds in our daily life, such as broken skin, biting the lip, etc. Normally, the immune system will allow these small wounds to heal. But when the immune system is weakened, the rate of this healing becomes slow.

If the above three phenomena occur frequently in a person, it is likely to be a manifestation of a weakened immune system. It is time to seriously consider how to improve the immune system. The improvement here includes two aspects: what people with weakened immunity need to do is to know the reason for the decline to restore their original immunity; people with weakened immunity need to improve their immunity.

So how not to reduce the immunity, and how to improve the originally low immunity? There is no easy and straightforward answer to this question but doing the following things will definitely help.

The first is a healthy diet that ensures adequate energy and nutrition.

The human body produces tens of billions of immune cells every day, mainly neutrophils. The raw materials needed to produce these cells need to be obtained through diet. In addition, the immune response against pathogenic microorganisms requires the generation of a series of immune-related molecules. Producing these immune molecules and making them work also requires a supply of energy, vitamins and minerals. Therefore, a healthy diet can provide a material guarantee for the normal operation of the immune system.

The second is to exercise properly and regularly.

Studies have shown that daily moderate physical activity can reduce the probability of infection. We can also feel this in our daily life, that is, people who insist on exercising are less likely to catch a cold. The mechanism by which exercise strengthens the immune system is not yet fully understood. One reason may be that exercise improves blood circulation for better transport of immune cells throughout the body. However, it needs to be added that excessive physical exercise will not only not be good for immunity, but will lead to fatigue and reduce immunity.

 

The third is to maintain a good lifestyle, including not smoking, not drinking or drinking less, regular work and rest, and not putting too much pressure on yourself.

Smoking and excessive drinking can reduce immunity, and irregular work and rest can also negatively affect the function of the immune system. And stress, whether it is physical stress, such as fatigue, or psychological stress, will reduce a person's immunity. This is also in line with our daily feelings, that is, when the body or mind is tired, diseases such as colds and herpes at the corner of the mouth are also prone to occur.

Another point is not to abuse drugs.

Drugs can quickly kill or inhibit pathogenic microorganisms, so they have been widely used. But at the same time, the application of drugs makes the immune system lose the opportunity to fight against pathogenic microorganisms. The immune system is like an army, and its combat capability requires long-term experience. And in fact, many diseases (such as the common cold) can be cured by the immune system. Therefore, drugs should only be used when the immune system is difficult or unable to subdue pathogenic microorganisms (such as acute influenza).

To sum up: don't have bad habits, don't smoke, don't drink too much, don't work and rest irregularly, don't put too much pressure on yourself, don't abuse drugs, and don't be lazy and don't exercise. If this is done, the immunity of the vast majority of people will naturally be normal, because this is the most precious gift of natural evolution to human beings.

At the end of the article, it is particularly necessary to add that: improving immunity is a systematic project, not a home remedy. There are some "diet experts" who will give various remedies, but not only will remedies not help improve immunity, but some remedies (such as those that make people partial eclipse) may also reduce immunity.