It’s no secret that your immune system protects you from infections big and small. At Lifeforce, we like to think of it as your body’s security guard — a big defense system that keeps the good things in and invaders out.
As with anything, there are several ways to bolster your immune system so it can do more of what it does best: protect you.
Read on for more natural boosters and tips on keeping this vital system functioning.
How Does My Immune System Work?
Your immune function has three critical roles:
Fighting pathogens (like germs, the flu virus, bacteria, parasites, etc.) and removing them from your body
Fighting off changes in the body caused by disease
Recognizing and offsetting harmful substances
If you’ve ever gotten sick or even had allergies, you’ve seen your immune system work in real-time to get rid of the illness.
Your immune system works to recognize antigens and then get rid of them. When antigens attach themselves to immune cell receptors, your immune system starts storing information on how to fight the unrecognizable germs while simultaneously fighting them off.
That’s because your immune system has two main functions, or parts, within itself:
Innate immune system
Adaptive immune system
It’s just like it sounds: your innate system is the one that you’re born with. This is the “security guard” that patrols the body to look for foreign invaders.
The adaptive, or acquired, system is the one that creates antibodies so your body can recognize an infection should it occur again; this is the system that helps us heal.
These two amazing parts work in tandem to keep our bodies happy and healthy.
Does Your Immune System Change as You Age?
The short answer? Yes.
As we age, our adaptive system constantly changes (it’s in the name, after all). But as our bodies produce fewer new cells, our immune system begins to wane.
While aging is a natural process, nobody wants to get sick if they can help it. The good news is that there are plenty of natural ways to keep your immune system thriving and even ways to turn back the immunological clock.
How Are Immune Cells Created?
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of it all. The immune system is astoundingly intricate. In fact, it’s the second-most intricate system in the body behind the brain, so you can see why it’s so important for us to stay healthy.
Our bodies create immune cells in the following places:
Bone marrow
Lymph nodes
Lymphatic vessels*
Spleen
Tonsils
Nasal passages
*Your lymphatic vessels are found throughout the body, and include the items on this list, the small intestine, and more!
Our immune cells start to decline after puberty and can continue to deplete due to certain lifestyle choices, like too much smoking or drinking. Recently, research has found several ways to measure your immune system’s age, which has led scientists to believe that you’re “only as young as your immune system.”
How Can I Keep My Immune System Strong?
When it comes to turning back your immunological clock, it’s often as easy as making committed lifestyle changes, or considering supplementation like Lifeforce’s Peak Defense™ treatment.
Here’s the scoop on how you can support your immune system and overall health.
Exercise Regularly
It cannot be overstated just how important regular exercise is to keep you healthy, especially when it comes to your immune response.
Regular exercise (which is recommended five times a week) is believed to cause positive changes to antibodies and our WBCs. Our immune system deploys these to fight illnesses in the body, thus leading scientists to believe that exercise is the golden ticket to staying healthy.
Plus, exercise helps reduce stress, which can be another great way to maintain a strong immune system.
Lifeforce’s Peak Defense™
Our state-of-the-art Peak Defense™ treatment provides you with essential nutrients and ultimate immune support so you can feel your best.
We’re committed to helping you perform at the highest level in moments that matter, and that includes your immune system. Our entire line of nutraceuticals was customized to perfectly fit your needs so you can continue to thrive throughout your midlife years.
Other Natural Boosters
We mentioned earlier that lifestyle choices could cause your immune cells to deplete faster than they should. These are usually activities such as smoking or drinking too much.
If you have unhealthy habits, talk to a health professional about changing your lifestyle. Learning how to moderate or even eliminate these activities can help de-age your immune system and keep premature aging at bay.
Other great natural boosters include vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin D, which can be found in daily supplements, citrus fruits like oranges and lemons, sweet potatoes, and red bell peppers.
When we ingest vitamin C, our white blood cells store it, which protects vital components of the cell’s structure and gives an added boost to our immune system. Foods like broccoli, strawberries, spinach, carrots, and other vegetables are also full of key antioxidants that work to support the immune system in its battle against oxidative stress, which is a key aggressor to our cellular health.
Decrease Stress
While stress may seem like a mental factor rather than physical, it can still have a drastic impact on your immune system’s function. When we’re super stressed, we release a stress hormone called cortisol, which can suppress the immune system’s effectiveness.
Additionally, some of us may cope with stress in unhealthy ways, such as reaching for junk food or skipping out on sleep, which we also know negatively impacts our immune system.
Stress can be a nebulous thing to define; however, health professionals agree that a regular exercise regimen is a great way to combat stressors of all kinds, whether chronic or short-term.
Other effective methods to de-stress include getting plenty of sleep, confiding in trusted friends or family, and even meditating.
Let Lifeforce Help Support Your Immune System
Your immune system is a remarkably complex system in your body that keeps you healthy and feeling great. Its two systems — our innate and adaptive immune systems — work in tandem to fight off infections and recognize them should they enter our body again.
Our body is constantly helping us heal, which is why it’s so important to treat it with care. Diet and exercise are a great way to naturally boost your immune system, but so is our Peak Defense™ treatment, which gives you ultimate immune support.
Our job at Lifeforce is to help you live life at your peak, including a personalized performance plan that’s custom built for your biology, goals, and needs. Head to MyLifeForce.com to get started.
Sources:
How to boost your immune system | Harvard Health
You're only as young as your immune system | NBCI
The Immune System | Johns Hopkins Medicine
How does the immune system work? | InformedHealth.org | NCBI Bookshelf
Exercise and immunity | MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia