Boost Your Immunity - Keeping The Immune System On The Go

A strong effective immune system prevents illness and allergies, helps you to fight off infection and enables you to recover from injury and illness quickly. There are several nutritional elements that will keep it strong and functioning well.

Factors that adversely influence the immune system are:

injuries and surgery,
the over use of antibiotics which destroy the helpful bacteria in the intestines,
some drugs,
digestive disorders, such as, enzyme deficiencies and chronic constipation,
infections such as candida and other disease conditions (such as cardiovascular disease),
poor diet,
environmental pollution,
stress, and
inherited weaknesses and genetic conditions.

How to boost your immune system

Adequate nutrition gives your immune system a boost in its fighting power. Immune boosters work in many ways. They:

increase the number of white cells in the immune system,
enable the cells to better fight invaders to the system,
help the white cells form an overall better response to invaders, and
also help to eliminate the cells that are not functioning very well from the 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 and
Selenium.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C tops the list of immune boosters for many reasons. Vitamin C:

increases the production of infection-fighting white blood cells and antibodies, and
increases the levels of interferon (this is the antibody that coats cell surfaces thus restricting the entry of viruses into the cells).

Vitamin C also reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by:

raising levels of HDL (good) cholesterol while lowering blood pressure, and
interfering with the process by which fat is converted to plaque in the arteries.

Vitamin C intake lowers the rates of various cancers including colon, prostate, and breast cancer.

Dose

Take 250 to 500 mg two or three times daily to boost the immune system.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an important antioxidant and immune booster. Vitamin E:

stimulates the production of natural killer and B cells, (those that seek out and destroy bacteria and cancer cells) and
�may also reverse some of the decline in immune response commonly seen in aging.

Dose

Take 400 to 600 IUs daily to boost your immune system.

Vitamin A and beta-carotene

Vitamin A and beta-carotene boost the immune system in a number of ways. They:

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, and
reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by interfering with how the fats and cholesterol in the bloodstream oxidize to form arterial plaques.

Dose

Take 5,000 to 10,000 IUs vitamin A and 25,000 to 50,000 IUs beta-carotene daily.

Vitamin A does have toxic effects so you need to keep to the recommended doses.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 can assist in keeping the immune system functioning effectively and may help in the prevention of cancers and the growth of tumors.

Dose

Take 25 to 50 mg daily as a part of a vitamin B complex.

Zinc

This valuable mineral:

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.

Dose

Take 25 mg daily to improve your immune functioning.

Selenium

Selenium boosts the immune system largely through its antioxidant effects and can protect the integrity of the cells thus improving their overall functioning.

Dose

Take 50 to 200 mcg daily, in conjunction with vitamin E, to boost your immune function.

Summary

Vitamin A -Take 5,000 to 10,000 IUs and 25,000 to 50,000 IUs beta-carotene daily. (Vitamin A does have toxic effects so you need to keep to the recommended doses).
Vitamin B6 - Take 25 to 50 mg daily as a part of a vitamin B complex.
Vitamin C - Take 250 to 500 mg two or three times daily.
Vitamin E - Take 400 to 600 IUs daily.
Selenium - Take 50 to 200 mcg daily, in conjunction with vitamin E.
Zinc - Take 25 mg daily.

What else you can do to help improve your immune 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.
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.

An important and remarkable effect on the immune system is that of refined carbohydrates, such as sucrose and glucose. These have a depressant effect on the immune system within one hour of eating them.

Alcohol, because it depletes the body of B vitamins and zinc, may, if taken in significant amounts, have a suppressant effect on immunity.

Cigarette smokers tend to have an increased number of white blood cells. This might suggest that they have an improved resistance to infection, but the high level of white blood cells is in fact a sign of a mild, chronic chest infection (smokers are particularly prone to chest infections, such as, bronchitis and pneumonia). Smokers do not respond as well as non-smokers when immunized against influenza.

References

Bland, J. 1996, Contemporary Nutrition. J & B Associates.

Davies, S. and A. Stewart., 1997, Nutritional Medicine. Pan.

Holden, S., Hudson, K., Tilman, J. & D. Wolf, 2003, The Ultimate Guide to Health from Nature. Asrolog Publication.

Pressman, A. and S. Buff, 2000, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vitamins and Minerals. (2nd Ed.) Alpha Books.

Soothill, R. 1996, The Choice Guide to Vitamins and Minerals. A Choice Book Publication.

Sullivan, K. 2002, Vitamins and Minerals: A Practical Approach to a Health Diet and Safe Supplementation. Harper Collins.

Wu, L. 2004, Increase your Immunity. Glow, Issue 1 2004.