Firstly, let's talk about what the immune system is.
The immune system is your body’s army for fighting off pathogens, which cause disease. In particular, the pathogens we’re talking about are microbes, like bacteria and viruses.
There are three main barriers to the immune system: skin, mucous lining, and inflammation.
Once a pathogen is in the body, your body launches its counter-attack using white blood cells (WBC) and friendly gut microbes.
White blood cells and friendly microbes:
• Make acid to rid pathogens
• Secrete poison
• Release free radicals
• Create hydrogen peroxide
• Create enzymes
• Compete for food/space
• Generate mucous and inflammation
• Have a memory so they can easily deal with microbes they’ve encountered before
• Promote phagocytes, which are cells that destroy unfriendly microbes
You have things that can weaken the immune system, and you have things that can give you an immunity boost.
A few things that weaken the immune system are:
• Low-nutrient foods
• Unhealthy diets
• Low vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, amino acids, etc.
• Stress
• Low sleep
• Glucose
A few things that strengthen the immune system are:
• Vitamin C (natural sources)
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin A
• Zinc
• Garlic
• Colloidal silver
• Olive leaf
Now, let's break it down into four different parts -
1. How to repair your immune system if it is old and damaged?
When you age, your immune system starts going downhill.
With age, you have less of the:
• Natural killer cells
• B-cells
• T-cells
• Phagocytes
• Antibodies
Certain things can also weaken the immune system as you age, such as:
• Antibiotics
• Chemotherapy
• Steroids
• Pre-existing medical conditions
• Chronic stress
How to help repair a weak immune system:
1. Colostrum Supplement
2. Acids
3. Fermented foods (prebiotics and probiotics)
4. Fasting
5. Sleeping (increases melatonin)
6. Low carb (healthy keto diet)
7. Keep stress extremely low
How to help boost the immune system (for babies and kids):
• Breastfeeding
• Exposure to germs
• Don’t suppress the immune system
2. How to kill viruses?
A virus can only be activated when it enters your cells. Once in the cell, it hijacks your machinery to replicate. But there are natural things that can help reduce viral reproduction, kill viruses, and strengthen your immune system.
Many of the symptoms you experience when you have a virus aren't from the virus. Instead, the symptoms are caused by your immune system attacking the virus.
The sun provides vitamin D, which inhibits viral reproduction and supports the immune system. It also produces NIR (near-infrared light). NIR can help you generate melatonin, a powerful antioxidant that is twice as strong as vitamin C.
Melatonin has many benefits for the immune system, including helping you resist and fight a viral infection. Getting out in the sun is very important for your health.
A fever is your body's way of attempting to cook the virus. It can inhibit the reproduction of viruses and shorten the viral infection cycle.
Autophagy is also effective in supporting your immune system because it eliminates dormant pathogens in your body. Autophagy can be stimulated by intermittent fasting and periodic prolonged fasting.
The best food to consume to kill a virus is garlic. Garlic has a wide range of antiviral properties. Consuming garlic regularly is fantastic for supporting a healthy immune system. The nutrients you need to boost immunity are vitamin D, vitamin C, and zinc.
You can use many different natural remedies, including oregano oil, colloidal silver, and elderberry extract, to help your body through an infection. But, overall, instead of trying to kill a virus, I believe we should focus on supporting and strengthening the immune system.
Things that weaken your immune system and increase your susceptibility to viruses:
• Metabolic syndrome
• Insulin resistance
• Diabetes
• Chronic sleep problems
• Stress
• Vitamin deficiencies
3. How does exercise affect your immune system?
If you’re doing regular exercise, you could enhance your immune system.
Health benefits of exercise for the immune system:
1. Heightened immune surveillance
2. Increased lymph circulation
3. Delays the negative effect of ageing on the immune system
4. Enhances immune defence mechanisms
5. Lowers mental stress
The trick is to exercise in a way that won’t activate too much cortisol. In order to do that, it’s best to make sure you don’t overtrain and that you get enough sleep. The healthier you are and the more recovery you have, the less you have to worry about activating too much cortisol.
Certain people may be able to do marathons and not have it phase their immune system. But, people who have higher levels of cortisol could get sick when they try to exercise. For most people, doing regular and consistent exercise is extremely beneficial for the immune system.
4. How does stress affect your White Blood Cells (WBCs) and immune system?
When we’re talking about stress, we’re talking about the hormone cortisol. Cortisol has the purpose of suppressing white blood cells. Your white blood cells are the army of your immune system. Cortisol suppresses that function since stress activates cortisol.
There are two types of stress:
1. Acute stress
2. Chronic stress
Chronic stress is the type of stress that’s behind so many health problems. Cortisol resistance may develop if cortisol levels are consistently elevated. This is very similar to insulin resistance. The amount of cortisol in your blood may even appear normal. But, the cells are not sensitive to cortisol anymore, and cortisol is no longer working. This means it’s not going to have a good effect on the immune system.
It may cause an increase in white blood cells, which could put you at risk for a variety of problems. Or, it could cause you to lose your immune protection and make you more susceptible to getting sick.
Before you get sick, there is almost always something that happens. It’s some type of factor that lowers your immune system. It could be a combination of stress and a nutrient deficiency, or stress itself. A virus can also cause a nutrient deficiency. It can even block vitamin D. This can cause the infection to persist.
Let me know your thoughts below.
Data:
Immune Function and Micronutrient Requirements Change over the Life Course: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6212925/
The compelling link between physical activity and the body's defence system: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254618301005
Regular exercise benefits immunity -- even in isolation: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200331162314.htm
Debunking the Myth of Exercise-Induced Immune Suppression: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5911985/
Exercise can help your immune system fight off infections: https://www.insider.com/guides/health/fitness/does-exercise-help-immune-system
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