Strengthen Your Immune System

Knowing your body's Immune system is the first step to better health and longevity.

The immune system is responsible for protecting the body against infection. Its major components include lymph nodes, bone marrow, spleen, thymus gland, and tonsils. The immune system creates antibody's, which react to specific infectious agents. In most cases, an antibody is created the first time that the body encounters a germ. The antibody then remains in the body, preventing a second infection by the same germ.

Only in the last ten to twenty years has there been any real understanding of the complexity and importance of the immune system. Scientists have come to realize that stress and improper nutrition can lead to a breakdown in the immune system. The best way to form a strong immune system is through maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Some foods appear to interfere with the body’s immune function. Sugars inhibit white blood cells in their attempts to destroy bacteria. Alcohol and high dietary fat also interfere with immune function.

The purpose of your body's immune system is to identify the enemies and destroy them. This includes defective body cells (cancers) as well as foreign agents such as viruses and bacteria. However having a body that runs on sub par nutrition can leave you open for a sub par immune system. There are several or even dozens of nutrients that play a key role in the development of a strong immune system. So many environmental factors can also play a key role in weakening your immune system.

The body's immune system is made up from several key components, all of these responsible for their own task in keeping us healthy. One can unknowingly weaken his or her immune system by simply not eating correctly. I am not even talking about the wrong foods yet, but simply by not chewing your food correctly could expose you to the chance of having large food molecules enter your digestive tract causing you to encounter reactions that could eventually lead to allergies. This could happen if large food molecules try to pass into your bloodstream. So you can see immunity starts as soon as food enters your mouth. Now by adding the proper nutrients you could also build a stronger immune system. Many of the nutrients that our food supply once possessed are simply missing, thus causing a further break down in our body's ability to build a stronger immune system.

These nutrients are missing due to many of the commercial farming techniques, along with the food processing practices being employed in today's times. The practice of placing chemicals into our food so it can be stored on the shelves at the store for long periods of time also places havoc on our immune system. Many of the chemicals that the manufacture inserts into the food supply are unable to be broken down by our digestive process simply because our body's were never designed to ingest them in the first place.

The human body is a very special machine, having the capability to heal just about anything it encounters, if our immune system maintains its optimal performance. Doing this would require the proper supplementation of vitamins and minerals. Knowing which ones you need could be an art in itself which is why we at Complete Life Nutrition offer the Nutritional Analysis. This tool can give you the basic starting point for you to begin the proper influx of nutrients responsible for building a stronger immune system. Many of the vitamins and minerals have plenty of scientific publications written about them to back up their performance. Keeping your immune system functioning properly is the greatest step towards health and longevity.

The immune system must employ an army to do the job it is intended to do. Just like any army, it has to be fed. You cannot win a war on an empty stomach and neither can your body's immune system. Therefore, we need to flourish it with proper nutrition. Be sure that if you're kind to your body's immune system, it will be there for you and will help you to lead a much healthier life.

The Immune system's army consists of many key players. They include Stem cells and Lymphocyte precursors which are Natural killer cells responsible for killing cancer cells. B-lymphocyte they produce antibody's to destroy specific invaders. Antibodies latch onto the invader and help "eating cells to do there job". T-lymphocyte attack and control overall level of immune reaction.

Then there's the macrophage precursor, they include the following. The macrophage (in the tissue) ( which eats the invader and dies), the Monocyte (in the blood) ( which eats the invader and dies), and the granulocyte ( which warns of an attack cause's inflammation to alert the troops. It also eats the invader then dies). Then there's the red blood cell which arrests the invader then holds on to it.

There is a army waiting to defend you in the battles of everyday life. Their job is to keep you healthy. They constantly defend your home the humane body and even give their lives in your defense. They are always in need of being replenished. That is where good nutrition come into play. There are many other parts of the body (glands) that have a role in the development of immune system cells. Keeping these glands in great working shape is also very important. The immune system requires constant replenishment. These glands also play a key role in keeping you healthy. They include the pituitary gland, the thymus gland, the spleen, the liver, the adrenal glands, and last but not least, the lymph nodes. The lymph nodes store white blood cells in them to collect and eat foreign invaders.

The lymphatic fluid is a substance that drains in your body and has a filtering affect into the lymph nodes. Many people don't realize, but this fluid is driven by your muscles, which is why it's so important to get plenty of exercise, keeping your muscular structure intact so that our lymphatic function can work properly. Keep in mind not to over train or do exercise so vigorously that you can actually suppress immune function. Stress can also play a role in suppressing immune function. Learning how to deal with stress as well as proper nutrition can play a key role in developing a stronger immune system. Knowing the correct supplements that contribute to building a stronger immune system plays an important role in keeping you healthy it's as easy as buying the The Helpful Guide To Understanding Vitamins and Minerals. This guide will show you what each nutrient is capable of and at the same time could contribute a large part in keeping you healthy.

As you read though this article that explained the function of the immune system you should have seen that it is no easy task. So, be kind to your body and help it to be kind to you. This will lead to a healthier life giving you more energy, keeping you younger and making you feel much better overall.

Keeping your immune system in great shape requires the proper use of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Most of the food we get today has been robbed of these beneficial nutrients. Now you can get protection against many diseases if your body has the proper tools required to protect you.
It’s that time of year again where everywhere you turn someone is sniffling, coughing or feeling sick. Cold and flu season is upon us and the time for protecting yourself is now! Properly feeding your immune system can boost its power to fight off those pesky “bugs” that bring us down. Read on as Truestar reveals the top immune boosting foods and nutrients to incorporate into your diet to help you stay healthy.

1. Vitamin C: Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that protects against infection and enhances immunity. Vitamin C works by increasing the production of white blood cells, which fight off infection. It also works by increasing the production of antibodies and in particular, raises levels of interferon, the antibody that coats cell surfaces, preventing the entry of viruses. Vitamin C sources include citrus fruits, potatoes, green peppers, strawberries and pineapple.

2. Vitamin E: Vitamin E is important to a healthy immune system. One function of vitamin E is that it enhances the production of B-cells, the immune cells that produce antibodies that destroy bacteria. In fact, research shows that people who eat vitamin E rich foods tend to have a higher immunity. Vitamin E rich foods are seeds, vegetable oils and grains.
3. Beta-carotene: Beta Carotene enhances the functioning of your immune system. Beta Carotene works by increasing the number of infection fighting cells, natural killer cells and helper T cells. Foods rich in beta-carotene include sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, spinach, turnip greens, winter squash, collard greens, cilantro and fresh thyme. To enhance the availability of the beta-carotene in these foods, they should be eaten raw or lightly steamed. Getting the recommended 5-10 a day of fruits and vegetables will approximately provide you with 3-6 milligrams of beta-carotene.

4. Zinc: Zinc helps to prevent a weakened immune system. Studies have shown that a zinc deficiency can impair a number of white blood cells and platelets (blood cells involved in clotting), and can increase susceptibility to infection. Excessive zinc intake, however, may impair immunity and increase infections. Get an adequate amount of zinc in your diet by eating zinc rich foods such as oysters, liver, lean beef, pork, turkey, lamb, lentils, pumpkin and sesame seeds, garbanzo beans and yogurt.

5. Garlic: Garlic is known for its cold-fighting abilities. It increases the potency of two important cells of the immune system: T-lymphocytes and macrophages. The immune-boosting properties of garlic appear to be due to its sulfur-containing compounds, such as allicin and sulfides. You can eat it raw or cooked—so start adding it to your favorite foods today!

6. Omega-3 fats: The all important omega-3 fats are essential immune boosters, as they work by increasing the activity of phagocytes, the white blood cells that eat up bacteria. These fats also help strengthen cell membranes, thereby speeding up healing and strengthening resistance to infection in the body. Omega-3 fats can be found in foods such as fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna), flax oil and flaxseeds, omega-3 eggs, nuts and seeds. To boost omega-3 in your diet, try adding ground flaxseed to yogurt, baked goods, cereals or smoothies or use unrefined, cold-pressed flax seed oil as a salad dressing. See “Opt for Omega-3” for more information.

Immune Drainers
Some foods or unhealthy lifestyle behaviors can make a person more susceptible to colds and flus. Avoid high-fat, high-sugar junk foods, as they can decrease the activity of the immune system. It’s also best to avoid too much caffeine (pop, coffee, tea, chocolate) as caffeine can undermine your body’s immune system and act as a diuretic, which will deplete your body of water. Also, don’t smoke! Smoking can impair your resistance as well as injure the respiratory tract, which makes you more susceptible to the flu.