What to do if your immunity is low? How to improve your immunity? Learn more in one article

It is said that only idiots catch colds in summer. A netizen said that he is very busy and often stays up late, has poor sleep quality, and is in a bad mood the next day, and is prone to lose temper. He often catches colds even in summer, and each time it lasts for a long time. Sometimes he even doubts whether there is something wrong with his body.

First of all, colds do not decrease in summer, and many people still catch colds in summer. In addition, this netizen's behavior is obviously caused by low immunity, so improving immunity is the key. So why is immunity low? What is immunity? How to improve immunity? Let's talk about it today!

01. Weak immunity

Low immunity is actually a relatively broad term, and the most common symptom is chronic and frequent bacterial or viral infections. Of course, this is often already a disease.

Most people have low immunity and are in a sub-healthy state, that is, the condition is not serious enough to require medical treatment, but it is not particularly healthy either.

For example, if you often catch colds, feel tired or listless easily, have indigestion, poor sleep, or even low mood, then you need to pay attention to your immunity. Being prone to catching colds is the most common manifestation of low immunity. Regarding the causes of colds, many people believe that the common cold is caused by cold weather or a sudden drop in temperature (such as going from a warm indoor to a cold outdoor); in fact, changes in temperature and humidity only affect the body's sensitivity to viruses, and viruses are the real cause of colds.

Due to low immunity, the virus begins to multiply, thus causing cold symptoms. Therefore, the key to fighting colds is to improve immunity. So, what is immunity?

02. What is immunity?

Immunity is one of the major systems of the human body, which is mainly responsible for the body's defense, monitoring and regulation. Therefore, some people compare immunity to the human body's firewall, police and army. They play a vital role in maintaining human health.

Our body has three lines of immune defense:

The first line of defense is our skin and mucous membranes , which are a natural barrier that can block the invasion of most pathogens. For example, our skin can block the invasion of many pathogens, so we must pay attention to cleanliness.

The second line of defense: bactericidal substances and phagocytes in body fluids . If pathogens break through the first line of defense, they will encounter the second line of defense. At this time, some lysozymes and phagocytes in our body will be activated to dissolve, engulf and eliminate the pathogens.

The above two lines of defense are the body's natural immunity, or in other words, they are non-specific and can target all pathogens. However, there are always some pathogens that are particularly powerful and cannot be eliminated by the above two lines of immunity. At this time, the third line of immunity will appear.

The third line of defense: immune organs and immune cells . The third line of defense is the specific immune system, which targets pathogens and eliminates them by producing specific antibodies.

Use a picture to put the three together, as shown below

It is precisely because the human body has a strong immune system that it can fight against microbial infections, allowing humans to avoid the harm of many diseases.

Since immunity is so important, how can we improve it?

03. How to improve immunity?

Generally speaking, there are many factors that affect immunity, such as a person's emotional state, stress level, lifestyle, eating habits, and nutritional status. Therefore, there are also some specific improvement measures for these problems.

1. Healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle is very important for the human body. The biological rhythm of the human body is very important. This is a long-term evolutionary regulation method. Many people have adapted to their biological clocks. If the biological clock is always disrupted, it will cause metabolic disorder in the human body, which will naturally affect immunity.

2. Moderate exercise. Exercise is crucial to physical health, especially for improving immunity.

In 2016, a very meaningful study was published in a cell journal, suggesting that daily physical exercise can reduce the incidence of cancer and inhibit its recurrence.

Studies on mice have shown that exercise mainly increases immune-related signaling pathways, especially the levels of natural killer cells, thereby producing a significant anti-cancer effect.

3. Proper nutritional supplementation. Nutritional supplementation is critical for improving immunity. Many nutrients play a vital role in the human body, and timely supplementation is an important means of restoring immunity. It is very important to eat a pair of fruits and vegetables that are beneficial to immunity on a daily basis. For example, oranges are rich in vitamin C, and vitamin C is an antioxidant that can fight free radical damage and enhance the body's immunity; some vegetables such as spinach are rich in iron, which is also beneficial to the human body. In addition, studies have shown that complex polysaccharides have a promoting effect on immunity and can significantly improve immune ability.

Finally, of course, since many people are currently resistant to or inconvenient with diet itself, then at this time, choosing some health supplements is actually very helpful. However, it should be noted that if the immune system is very serious, then you need to see a doctor. After all, health supplements or food or even daily conditioning cannot replace medical treatment.

Main references:

1. http://www.simple-remedies.com/home-remedies/low-immunity/low-immunity-symptoms.

2. html http://doctormurray.com/health-conditions/low-immune-function/

3. Luo Xia, Ma Zhonghua, Hu Minghua, Ma Fangli, Wen Ruyan, Zhou Lian. Effects of compound polysaccharides on cellular immune function in mice[J].

4. Chinese Journal of Food Hygiene, 2016, (02): 186-191. Pedersen L, Idorn M, Olofsson GH, et al. Voluntary running suppresses tumor growth through epinephrine-and IL-6-dependent NK cell mobilization and redistribution[J]. Cell metabolism, 2016, 23(3): 554-562.