Give your immune system a boost
A strong effective immune system helps prevent illness, helps you to fight off infection and enables you to recover from injury and illness quicker.
Factors that adversely influence the immune system are:
- Injuries
- surgery
- some medicines (ask our pharmacist for more advice)
- digestive disorders
- infections and other disease
- poor diet
- environmental pollution
- stress
- inherited weaknesses and genetic conditions.
How do I boost my immune system?
There are several vitamins and minerals that are able to assist your immune system. These vitamins and minerals include:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin A
- Beta Carotene
- Vitamin B6
- Zinc
- Selenium
- Echinacea
- Garlic
Vitamin C
- increases the production of infection-fighting white blood cells and antibodies
- increases the levels of interferon (this is the antibody that coats cell surfaces thus restricting the entry of viruses into the cells)
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Vitamin E
- Vitamin E is an important antioxidant and immune booster
- Stimulates the production of natural killer and B cells, (those that seek out and destroy bacteria and cancer cells)
- May also reverse some of the decline in immune response commonly seen in aging.
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Vitamin A and beta-carotene
- increase the number of infection-fighting cells, natural killer cells, and helper T-cells,
- are powerful antioxidants that mop up excess free radicals that accelerate aging,
- help the thymus gland to grow – protecting it from the harmful effects of stress,
- protect the respiratory system from infections
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Note:Vitamin A does have toxic effects so you need to keep to the recommended doses.
Vitamin B6
- Can assist in keeping the immune system functioning effectively
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Zinc
- Increases the production of white blood cells that fight infection and helps them fight more aggressively,
- Increases killer cells that fight against cancer and helps white cells release more antibodies, and slows the growth of cancer.
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Selenium
- boosts the immune system largely through its antioxidant effects and can protect the integrity of the cells thus improving their overall functioning.
- Garlic, echinacea and ginseng are herbs that have been shown to assist in fighting infectious diseases and are therefore valuable to the immune system.
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What else can you do?
- Make sure that you have plenty of sleep.
- Treat any underlying infections (especially chronic candidiasis, if present).
- Drink lots of fresh pure water to cleanse the body.
- Take plenty of exercise, sunshine and get adequate rest.
- Keep you stress levels under control.
- Take on a positive approach to life.
- Avoid smoking and alcohol.
- Avoid excessive tea and coffee.
- Limit refined grains.
- Avoid artificial sweeteners.
- Avoid refined carbohydrates, glucose and sucrose.
- Limit environmental pollutants.
- Eat a diet rich in wholefoods, nuts, seeds, fresh vegetables and fruit.
- Take a good multivitamin and mineral supplement to ensure that you have an adequate supply of the nutrients needed for the body.
