Amid the pandemic, everyone is searching for answers on how to stay healthy. We know the tried-and-true methods, wash your hands, sneeze into the crook of your elbow, don’t share drinks with people who are sick. However, the real answers about staying healthy lay deep in one of your greatest assets – your immune system. The inner workings of the immune system are complex, so today I’m going to break down just what exactly is happening in there and how you can build resilient immune health.
What Exactly Is the Immune System?
Your immune system is a sophisticated matrix of lymphoid tissue and organs, cells, humoral factors and cytokines with two layers of defence – our primary defence (innate) and our secondary defence (adaptive). How easily we are able to resist and recover from invaders like viruses, bacteria and antigens is largely due to how well our innate and adaptive immunity responds. They are responsible for protecting from attack and need certain conditions to stay in top form.
A strong immune system does not just protect you from the common cold. A healthy immune system can reduce allergies, lessen sinus and skin conditions, modulate asthma, and fight off autoimmune disorders and even cancers!
Immune System Breakdown
Innate Immune System – Your innate immune system is your primary line of defence. It is the first to respond when your body registers the presence of dangerous cells. It includes:
- First line of defenders – skin, mucous membranes plus other fluids
- Second line defenders – antimicrobial proteins, natural killer cells and phagocytes and inflammatory responses1.
The Second line of defenders come into play only when the First line have not been effective and pathogens have entered the body.
Adaptive Immune System – Your adaptive immune system develops as you grow and encounter different diseases. Your adaptive immune system protects you by producing lymphocytes, namely B-cells and T-cells.
- B-cells: As part of the adaptive immune system, B-cells produce antibodies in response to specific antigens. When you are exposed to a specific antigen (for eg: the chickenpox virus) our body can create antibodies for it so that, when that same virus is introduced again, your body already has the B-cell blueprint ready to go.
- T-cells: T-cells are sent out by your immune system to attack pathogens, the cells B-cells attach to and mark as dangerous.
Components of the Immune System
Your immune system works 24/7. There are countless parts of your immune system located all over your body to make sure cells are being examined and handled everywhere (this includes constant surveillance and termination of potential cancerous cells!).
- Skin2: Your skin is your first line of defence as it can keep microbes out of your body
- Bone marrow: Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside of bone cavities. Bone marrow contains stem cells which are blank cells that can develop into any cell type the immune system needs
- Lymph nodes: Lymph nodes are small glands located all over the body. Immune system cells, also known as white blood cells, travel throughout the body through the bloodstream and lymphatic vessels looking for dangerous cells and then report back to the lymph nodes. When dangerous cells are detected, signals are immediately sent out to attack them.
- Spleen: Your spleen is an organ in your abdominal cavity that helps filter microbes and damaged red blood cells out of your blood.
- Thymus: Your thymus is a small organ in your upper chest where T-cells mature.
Top 3 Threats to Your Immune System
Now that you know what the immune system is, it is crucial to understand what compromises its performance. When your immune system is compromised, your body is weakened and increasingly susceptible to infections, colds and illness. The top 3 threats that can impact immune function negatively are:
- Poor Diet: The immune system heavily relies on micronutrients you obtain from your diet. Without these micronutrients, the production and activity of white blood cells and antibodies can be impaired3.
- Stress: Chronic stress, which produces constant high cortisol levels, creates chronic inflammation in the body which cause a cascade of health implications, including suppressed immune function.
- Lack of Sleep: Restorative sleep is the time that our body can rest and repair. Consistent lack of sleep or poor quality of sleep is researched to be associated with a weakened immune response.
How to Strengthen Your Immune Health
The good news is you can also strengthen you immune system. A strong immune system protects you and keeps you healthy and thriving. These are my top recommendations to keep your immune system in top shape:
- Eat a whole food diet that is rich in micronutrients and the colours of the rainbow. This provides fibre, antioxidants, an abundance of vitamins and mineral and is also anti-inflammatory.
- Include the immune boosting nutrients Vitamin C, Zinc, Vitamin D, Selenium and Vitamin A into your daily diet or consider supplementation (check in with a Nutritionist or Naturopath to assess your immune nutrient levels).
- Avoid inflammatory food. Constant exposure to inflammatory foods (processed foods and refined sugar) can be the cause of ongoing inflammation in the body.
- Stress less! Keeping our body in parasympathetic nervous system dominance aka: a stress free state gives us the chance to repair and recharge
- Get quality sleep
- Maintain good gut health. 80% of the immune system lives in the lining of the gut walls. Maintaining a healthy gut is key in maintaining strong immune system.
To learn more about supporting your immune system read my eBook, ‘Immunity Essentials’ – it is your personalised Immune health plan and includes 20+ immune fortifying recipes. Grab your copy here https://monicacaligiuri.com.au/mc-shop/
References
1Hechtman, L., n.d. Clinical Naturopathic Medicine. 1st ed. Victoria: Luisa Cecotti, p.281.
2 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Overview of the Immune System. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Available at: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/immune-system-overview.
3 Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. (2021, January 27). Nutrition and Immunity. The Nutrition Source. Available at: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/nutrition-and-immunity/
