When it comes to immune defenses, our body resembles a fortified castle. When the defensive elements are properly in place, viruses and bacteria are kept at bay. The problem is that environmental pollution combined with poor lifestyle habits weakens the ramparts and allows the enemy to invade.
So how can we strengthen our immune defenses, which ensure robust health? As the famous saying goes, « let us prepare for war to have peace »!
How can you tell if you have a strong immune system?
Symptoms
Several symptoms may appear and indicate that your immune system is weak. We have selected the most common ones:
- persistent fatigue, often masking chronic stress or a lack of sleep, 2 factors that weaken immunity
- increased sensitivity to infections, manifested by frequent colds, urinary tract infections, herpes outbreaks, etc.
- injuries that take a long time to heal or close
People at risk
Some people are more affected by a weakened immune system. They are often weakened by one of the following factors:
- a chronic disease
- a heavy treatment: for example, chemotherapy for cancer.
In general, older people usually have a more weakened immune system than middle-aged adults. This is linked to their appetite, which is often smaller, and to their less varied diet. Thinning skin and drying mucous membranes also contribute to this. Indeed, the body's outer layer is a real shield against infections. However, over time, the body produces fewer white blood cells, leading to a weakened immune system.
Advice
To strengthen your immune system over the long term, as recommended, choose a varied and balanced diet. This is especially strongly recommended for people undergoing antibiotic treatment, which can disrupt the intestinal flora, or drug treatments such as chemotherapy.
Scientific studies have also confirmed that stress plays a crucial role and can genuinely affect the proper functioning of the body and therefore the immune system. Excessive cortisol secretion (the stress hormone) over time makes the immune defenses vulnerable.
This remarkable immune system
The immune system consists of the means our body has to defend itself against external threats. It works every day without us even realizing it, checking that what comes from outside does not pose a danger to us (bacteria, viruses, toxic substances). White blood cells are the royal guard of our castle.
Our lines of defense are experiencing increasingly frequent disruptions:
- Allergies or intolerances: a sign of an excessive reaction by our defense system.
- Autoimmune diseases: resulting from a dysfunction of the immune system, causing it to attack the healthy cells of our body.
What weakens our immune system?
70% of our immune system is located in the gut! You can understand why an imbalanced microbiota (intestinal flora) contributes to the development of all kinds of conditions, since it no longer fulfills its barrier function.
Here are the main sources of imbalance:
- Poor diet
- Chronic stress and poor emotional management
- Lack of sleep
- Excessive consumption of stimulants such as tobacco, coffee and tea…
- Excessive use of antibiotics
- Lack of physical exercise
- Environmental pollution (pollution, pesticides, endocrine disruptors)
All these factors will weaken our terrain, a combination of several factors that help maintain good health. Yet, as Béchamp said, a view later echoed by Pasteur at the end of his life: “The microbe is nothing; the terrain is everything.” A favorable terrain = a top-notch immune system = optimal health! The strategy? Strengthen it through natural means.
Solutions for strengthening our immune defenses
- Dietary hygiene
This is the first pillar of good health! “Let food be your first medicine,” said Hippocrates. Remember to adapt your diet to your constitution and needs. Adopt a diet that is as natural and simple as possible, favoring organic, local and seasonal foods.
Make sure to include plenty of foods rich in vitamin C, such as lemon, parsley and broccoli, as well as foods rich in omega-3s, such as small cold-water fish (mackerel, sardines and herring).
- Learn to manage your stress and emotions
The problem is not the problem; it is how we perceive it. Immunity is closely linked to the way we approach life's experiences. Maintaining a positive mindset is essential to prevent psychosomatic symptoms. You surely remember having a weekend migraine or falling ill on the first day of your vacation, precisely when the stress subsides!
Explore practices such as sophrology, meditation, and yoga, which will help you regain a state of well-being by lowering excessive levels of cortisol, the chronic stress hormone responsible for weakened immunity.
- Engage in regular physical activity without overdoing it to keep energy flowing and activate your emunctories - your body's elimination pathways – to promote the removal of waste.
- Quality sleep
“Sleeping is a little like healing.” While the amount of sleep matters, its quality is essential for strengthening your immune defenses. While you sleep, your brain secretes hormones that help your immune system fight infections.
- A little boost to get back on your feet ?
Sometimes, outside help is needed when the body struggles to recover after an attack.
- Think about taking vitamin D - preferably in drops - from October to April, when the sun's rays are less intense. You know its role in bone health, but it is also essential for your immune system to function optimally. Vitamin C is just as essential; choose its natural form by starting your day with lemon juice in warm water or acerola.
- Taking probiotics helps replenish our gut flora with beneficial bacteria, thereby strengthening our lines of defense.
- To strengthen your constitution, plants such as echinacea, ginseng, elderberry, and milk thistle have proven their worth.
- In aromatherapy, ravintsara essential oil is the one you need in case of a virus! For bacterial infections, choose tea tree oil instead.
- Finally, make propolis a go-to remedy: this natural wonder is made by bees to coat the inside of their hive and protect it from outside attacks. It naturally helps protect and strengthen your body, hence its nickname, “natural antibiotic”!
