A healthy immune system will usually penetrate well with harmful bacteria, viruses and fungi is done in the body. But how can you strengthen it and the risk of a cold, flu or other infectious disease to capture lower?
The advice sound familiar, because as the entire body, the immune system works best when a healthy lifestyle: Not Smoking, about, the experts from the Harvard Medical School. Enough about seven to eight hours of sleep every night. On a good diet and avoid Obesity. Regularly move. Alcohol in moderation drink. Wash hands to avoid infection.
The physician and health scientist Tobias Esch has developed a more detailed guide, in order to strengthen the self-healing powers and to support the immune system: BERN is, because it is based on four pillars – Behaviour (behaviour), Exercise (movement), Relaxation (contemplation and relaxation) and Nutrition (mindful consumption and healthy diet).
In short, he recommends:
To identify → Stress and is good to deal with it: A stress diary helps to identify stressful situations and disastrous patterns of behavior.
→ Get sufficient exercise: at least five days a week for at least 30 minutes; of the best 70 percent of the endurance training, 20 percent and ten percent, coordination, and balance exercises.
→ Relaxation: regular relaxation exercises in everyday life, for example, ball up your fist and loosen, breathe deeply; meditate.
→ Eat healthy: meals mindfully prepare, and conscious consume.
The Principle Of Hormesis
Already Paracelsus realized that small amounts of a negative stimulus act harmful, but, on the contrary, the defenses of the organism.
This applies, for example, for Stress, in the body free radicals, aggressive oxygen molecules. This is the organism of antioxidants to counter the healing.
Sport is also a Stress for the body: The body temperature increases, it comes in some tissues to a lack of oxygen, toxic molecules, and the triggers for protection, repair and construction processes. In Natural medicine have been traditionally used to heat and cold. Cold stimuli, in the Form of water-based castings, analgesic and anti-inflammatory, heat stimulates blood circulation and activates substances immune cells and the release of messengers.
Healing Sun
Research suggests that natural light is extremely important for a well-functioning immune system. Swedish researchers believe the lack of sun light for a risk factor that shortens the life time in the Mediterranean, as well as Smoking.
And this is not only the Vitamin D. The “sunshine vitamin“, which is more like a hormone, and inflammation is counteracted, is formed in the skin under influence of UV-B radiation – i.e. when the sun is high in the sky. In Germany, UV does not penetrate between October and March is sufficient-B rays to Vitamin D to stimulate the formation. With 1000 and 1500 hours of sunshine from spring to autumn, by estimations of experts, is not to be supplied throughout the year with Vitamin D, since it is stored in fat tissue.
Statistically higher Vitamin D levels are associated in the blood with a reduced risk for many types of cancer and other diseases: Alzheimer’s disease, auto-immune diseases such as Multiple sclerosis, type 1 Diabetes, psoriasis, and rheumatoid Arthritis, age-related macular degeneration.
Measurements have shown that the majority of the population, “suboptimal” levels of Vitamin D, or even a lack of; only 38 percent were adequately supplied. Many experts therefore recommend Vitamin D supplementation – how useful this is, but seems to be still unclear.
Simply on suspicion of Vitamin D should not be taken. The experts of Stiftung Warentest, refer to possible side effects, which can occur in Overdose.
“Vitamin D tablets are not an adequate substitute for sufficient solar radiation”, is the conclusion of a review by 2016. The effect of sun light is apparently more complex and goes beyond the formation of Vitamin D also. In the laboratory showed that the blue and ultraviolet part of the sunlight increases the activity of T-lymphocytes, which fight infections. When sunlight hits the skin, the vessel is delivered by expanding nitric oxide into the blood, the strokes, protects.
Eat Healthy
Many foods and spices are anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and enhance the immune system: garlic (due to its content of Allicin), turmeric (Curcumin), bilberry (flavones). Cloves contain many antioxidants, but also rosemary, thyme, marjoram and other herbs provide the body with helpful radical scavenger.
Fasting
In the case of a fever, infection, it brings most people to the appetite. This is healthy, because fasting improves the immune system. In Natural medicine it is used against a variety of chronic illnesses: Diabetes, high blood pressure, migraines, osteoarthritis, pain syndromes. Also rheumatism, allergies, eczema and Asthma improve, presumably because fasting inhibits inflammation. Because as a substitute for the missing carbs, the ketone to be formed body, the anti – inflammatory and growth-inhibiting in the metabolic intervention. A short time fasting from 14 to 20 hours brings the ketone formation.
Movement
It is one of the best means to strengthen the health: motion keeps the blood sugar levels low and prevents Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases and stroke. It also reduces the risk for certain types of cancer, including breast and colon cancer, and alleviates depression. People who do a lot of Sport, have less cytokines in the blood, Pro-inflammatory molecules that accelerate the aging process of immune cells. The Sport is suitable to receive the immune system biologically young.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C plays an important role in the immune system. Unlike almost all animals, man is Vitamin C can not form itself, but it must continue with the food. The German nutrition society (DGE) recommends that healthy men and women, 110 and 95 milligrams daily. This need is already covered with about two oranges. Also other fruits and vegetables contain a lot of Vitamin C: Raw red pepper brings it to 140 milligrams per 100 grams. In addition, ascorbic acid is in processed foods because it increases shelf-life.
In the presence of oxidative Stress and inflammation, the need is increasing, however. Each infection consumed Vitamin C: a Few hours after the start of infection, the concentration of Vitamin C in the immune cells decreases to half. If the reserves are dwindling, and affected the immune system and the body vulnerable to other infections. In the prevention of disease, the DGE recommends a Vitamin C blood plasma levels more than 0.9 mg/dl.
Deficiencies are demonstrated in many chronic diseases, including Diabetes, tumour diseases, osteoporosis and Arthritis. They seem to be generally rare: In the US, a third of the Surveyed showed under powered; also in women over 40 the average value was below the DGE-recommendation.
Should you have to swallow in case of illness, so high-dose Vitamin C supplements in order to strengthen the defense?
It’s not much: About the intestines, the body can absorb only about 200 mg of Vitamin C in two hours – the Rest is excreted. It is better Vitamin C to take in small portions spread over the day. To correct a deficiency quickly, high-dose infusions suitable with Vitamin C to immediately enter the bloodstream. Such infusions of the dreaded Sepsis after operations to prevent, according to pilot studies to be effective. They are also used against chronic infections, shingles, osteoporosis and in cancer therapy.
… the output 06/2017 of star a Healthy life. The booklet can be ordered. Other topics in this issue:
Proximity to other
Touches and hugs, as ever, the proximity to other people and strengthen the immune system, which showed a test in which students with a common cold virus were infected. Who had previously had little contact to the other, caught a cold. Subjects who had experienced a lot of Affection, rails against the virus immune. They were sick less often, and if so, were the symptoms of harmless and went faster.
Nature is good for you
In Japan, forest bathing is a recognised form of therapy. And in fact, the stay in the natural healing and strengthening effect on the immune system: the blood pressure and stress hormones decrease, in the case of type 2 diabetic patients is improved by the increased blood sugar levels, the Fears, the mood brightens. Patients have a room with a view of the greenery, recover faster from operations. A short walk in the woods lowers the cortisol level in the blood. Also, the heartbeat calms down. The trees but terpenes from defensive substances against insects, which stimulate the immune system of the people.
Editors ‘ note: The article comes from our archive.
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