The immune system is essential in order to keep us healthy. It protects us from bacteria, viruses, parasites, and more. Dead and damaged cells are also identified and flushed away..
Everyone’s immune system is different. Generally, it builds up over time until after middle age, where our it may become weaker. As we age, our immune response becomes reduced, which in turn contributes to more infections, diseases and cancer.
Unhealthy lifestyle, bad dietary choices, toxins and stress are some factors that can weaken your immune system, and thus compromise your immune response making you more vulnerable to illness and recovery more difficult.
In humans we have three types of immunity
Innate immunity, which is the immunity we are born with:
- Adaptive immunity is developed throughout our lives after being exposed to diseases, viruses’ bacteria and vaccinations.
- Passive immunity. This type of immunity is temporary and is being received from another source for example a baby receives the immunity from the mother just before is born or through the breast feeding.
Immune Disorders
If your body attacks healthy tissues, then autoimmune disorders can result in diseases such as Systemic lupus, Graves and Rheumatoid diseases, inflammatory diseases. Many other diseases fall into this category such as Hashimoto’s, Diabetes type 1.
An overactive immune system will promote asthma, hay fever, eczema and food allergies.
Certain cancer treatments can weaken your immune system like chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and steroids.
Boosting the Immune System
The immune system can recognise foreign invaders or identify cancer cells as abnormal and can kill them, but this sometimes doesn’t happen. That’s where we need to need to boost the immune system, like the immunomodulation. The gut also plays a key role with the microbiome flora. There are a lot of ways to address immune dysfunction or just simply keep your immune system in top condition with natural approach.
You can help with healthy lifestyle, avoiding smoking and alcohol drinking reduce stress, have enough sleep, eat quality food and don’t forget to drink plenty of filtered water.