Natural immune system modulators.

The immune system is our primary protection from pathogens which affect some of our body functions through infections, bacteria, viruses, etc. Apart from that, it also controls the inflammatory response that helps our body to heal the damaged tissues. When the immune system is under/over-activated, there can be many side effects.

Signs of low immunity:

When your body is not reacting to pathogens effectively thereby increasing the risk of harmful and various types of infections, it points to a low immunity. Other signs are fatigue, allergies, blood sugar related issues (control, imbalances), brain fog, food sensitive (reactions – allergies, vomiting, etc.), and digestive issues.

Parts of our body that form part of our immune system:

There are branches of the immune system present in the lymph nodes/lymphocytes (this helps to recognize and eliminate invading pathogens), in the respiratory system(hair-like follicle called, “cilia,” moves the mucus and pathogens upwards out of the respiratory tract), in the skin (pores and sweat that form a barrier against the invading pathogens), the GI tract (intestinal acids kill most of the bacteria, while the antibodies secreted by the intestine kill the viruses and pathogens which had escaped the other defenses of the body before entering the intestine). In addition to a weak immune system, there can also be a deregulated immune system, where the immune system is highly active also known as hypersensitivity where the immune system overreacts and targets the body’s own tissues rather than pathogens, which results in chronic inflammation and destruction of tissues in the body, a condition also known as autoimmunity.

Even if one doesn’t have any of the above immune system-related problems, there’s still the likelihood of some factors (such as an unhealthy lifestyle, dietary choices, environmental toxins, and stress) slowly weakening our immune system, leading to some illnesses recovering from which could be a struggle. Therefore, we should also know about the causes of a poor immune system so that we are careful all the time.

• High sugar and simple carbohydrate (breaks into sugar) intake:

To being with, if a large portion (more than 60%) of your regular diet comprises sugar and simple (refined) carbohydrates, then it will weaken your immune system after a point when it’s capacity to regenerate it’s fighting qualities decrease. Now, after reading this you might be worried: because these foods containing these two are favorites of most of us, and we always crave for dishes made of or containing them.

We all have heard about white blood cells (WBC) are known as scavengers of our body, or whenever there’s a discussion about immunity. WBC need Vitamin C to perform certain functions. Vitamin C and sugar are very similar in their chemical structure and are constantly fighting to enter the cell. But, sugar (glucose) always gets priority (because it is in excess) and enters the cell. Thus, we see that consuming more sugar than is need hinders the proper functioning of our immune system. So, even though you take supplemental or natural Vitamin C to protect your immune system, you may not get its full benefits if you are a sugar/carbohydrate lover.

Sources of simple carbohydrate and sugar:  Bread, biscuits, cookies, baked products, carbonated drinks (even the so-called ‘diet’ versions contain more than 50% sugar), canned fruit juices, candies, and chocolates. Try to avoid these harmful foods as much as you can.

Mistakes we often make, thinking we are eating healthy:

• Eating sandwiches because it has vegetables – but we forget that something unhealthy (bread) is also combined with it, so we should eat just plain salad instead of a sandwich.
• Drinking canned fruit juices thinking those contain natural fruits. They don’t! Rather, they contain more than 50% sugar, and the fruit taste you get is essence combined with preservatives -to preserve whatever little amount of fruit pulp added to it.

• Lack of sleep / improper sleep: 

Inadequate/improper sleep is one of the many causes of a poor immune system. It increases the inflammations in our body while also leading to blood sugar imbalances and many metabolic disorders. Not only that, but lack of sleep also causes a high-stress response in our nervous system, resulting in elevated cortisol levels – which inhibits proper immune functioning.

• Not getting enough of the sun (light):

Progress in technology and the recent/current pandemic have made people spend more time indoors. Even if they did come out of their home (after office hours) in the evening, nights, etc., obviously, there is no sunlight. But, getting proper sunlight at the right time is important for the functioning of our body’s biological clock which, in turn, supports optimal sleep at night. 

Apart from consuming immunity-boosting foods, we also need to focus on other things such as mentioned above as well as proper breathing which also has a great impact on our immune system.

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