How to make your immunity stronger. Strong immunity is the key to good health Immunity is strong or strong

Strong immunity is the dream of every woman. This topic is always relevant, but especially in spring and winter, when we are attacked by all kinds of viruses and microbes, and the body experiences a deficiency of vitamins. What is immunity? In essence, this is our body’s ability to resist all kinds of illnesses, very different. This is the foundation, the basis of our health.

Each of us has immunity, but its capabilities are different. Often we don’t even realize how weakened it is, but attribute frequent ailments to stress, the environment, viruses and other reasons.

Your immunity is weakened and needs strengthening if:

• you get tired quickly, experience a lack of energy;
• you have a headache more than twice a week;
• there is frequent aching in the muscles or joints;
• your frequent “night guest” is insomnia;
• during the day you suffer from drowsiness;
• you get colds more than three times a year.

More about immunity

Each person’s immunity can be either specific or non-specific. We can get the first type through heredity, with the genes of our parents and other relatives. We develop the second type for ourselves independently, throughout our lives, when our body finds means to combat certain diseases (viruses). And for this protection to be reliable, our immunity needs help.

When we turn to professionals for advice, many doctors prescribe a variety of immunomodulators, but do we need them?

Ways to strengthen immunity

Fortunately, there are many others in the world alternative ways strengthening the immune system. Here we will talk exactly about them!

1. Activities on fresh air. A very important factor for strengthening the immune system is fresh air and active activities while being outside. It's a great idea to walk a few stops on your way to or from work. If you want to strengthen your immune system, your walks should be brisk. It is important that the body feels sufficient stress and the heart beat accelerates.

2. Walking barefoot (on grass, earth, snow) is also an excellent method of strengthening the immune system. They are extremely useful for anyone who is not one of those people who gets sick from walking on a cold floor. For example, Hollywood star Diane Keaton, in her fifties, sometimes loves to walk barefoot along the streets of New York, not paying attention to the dirty sidewalks. After some time of such walking active points on the heels they become more active and normalize the functioning of not only the immune system, but also the body as a whole.

3. The notorious hardening is indispensable in strengthening the immune system. To everyone who daily hardens their body by dousing themselves cold water, this is clearly beneficial, and they themselves realize it. If you want to start hardening, don't start with an extreme dive into the ice hole! The best time Summer is the starting point. The most important thing here is moderation and gradualness. First, start pouring cool water over your feet. Make the water colder and higher in your body. But never take sudden steps, this will not lead to strong immunity, but to serious illnesses. Morning dousing with cold water helps women not only get sick less, but also rejuvenate themselves and their bodies. Don’t forget that you don’t need to warm up after such a procedure, it’s better to just rub yourself with a towel and enjoy the effect.

4. Yoga is another “slow but sure” immune booster. If you do not notice any particular problems that require urgent treatment, but it still won’t hurt to strengthen your immune system, it’s time to do yoga! This is a rather complex and unusual hobby, however, if you devote at least three hours a week to yoga, you are guaranteed to get rid of many problems. Your posture will improve, your muscles will become stronger, and your figure will become more graceful. In addition, your mood and well-being will improve, you will have energy and strength for new achievements, and insomnia will disappear. Many celebrities love yoga, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow.

5. Good mood and positive thinking - prerequisites strong immunity. Without this point you can’t go anywhere, no other methods will work. Remember that people who once got sick and overcame a serious illness did so not only thanks to pills and doctors, but also with the help of self-confidence, their confidence in success, a positive attitude and an iron will. These are all the main factors in our lives, without which we will quickly break down. And if you are lucky and have a positive mood to play sports, strengthen yourself and lead a healthy lifestyle, then your immunity will definitely be very strong and invincible!

6. Communication is a non-standard way to strengthen the immune system. Modern doctors are confident that communication is a great way to boost immunity, although some consider this stupid. When we communicate with other people, we go out into the outside world, and it is full of viruses and germs. But if we sit at home all the time, in perfectly clean rooms, then our body gets used to it and reacts extremely negatively to external stimuli. Most scientists say that people who frequently ride the subway are less likely to get sick by catching the virus. And those who travel by their own transport, or generally sit at home, do not train their immunity daily, and get sick much more often. The first type of people has already developed a strong immune system, but the second type has not.

All these recommendations will really help you achieve strong immunity. But without proper nutrition you still have less chance of strengthening it. If for some reason it is difficult for you to adhere to a balanced diet, and you do not want to monitor the content of vitamins in your diet, then periodically take modern vitamin-mineral complexes. This way you will help your body resist viruses.

Folk remedies

Ordinary rosehip, containing a huge amount of vitamin C, has long been recognized as one of the best ways strengthening the immune system. To make tea with rose hips, you must grind (for example, in a mortar) two tablespoons of dried fruits, pour 0.5 liters of them ordinary water and bring to a boil over low heat. Boil the tea for five minutes and steep it overnight. You can add honey to the finished drink, this will make it even more valuable.

There is an easier recipe for strengthening the immune system. You will need one tablespoon of raisins (preferably seedless), dried apricots and some walnuts. All this needs to be crushed and stirred, then add a spoonful of honey and lemon juice. Now, as soon as the signs of a cold approach, you will always have this on hand useful remedy. Take it one spoon (or two), three times a day.

Use our advice and strengthen your immune system using any available and pleasant means. Good health to you!

Pokidina Svetlana
for women's magazine www.site

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Immunity is a very popular topic, often discussed in connection with the health promotion craze. From the TV screen, from the pages of magazines, people in white coats call on us to strengthen our immunity.

1. Strong immunity can be inherited from parents.
Not certainly in that way. The initial development of a newborn is indeed inherited from the mother - after all, the immune system, like other body systems, is formed when intrauterine development. Therefore, some antibodies can indeed be inherited from parents. But immediately after birth, the child begins to develop its own immunity. Depending on environmental conditions (nutrition, climate, physical activity), a child’s immunity can be stronger or weaker than that of his parents.

2. Immunity is aimed at fighting the invasion of dangerous substances and microbes.
This is mostly true. However, sometimes the immune system fails, and then white blood cells or antibodies turn against harmless substances or even the body’s own cells. The result of a malfunction of the immune system is autoimmune diseases and even tumors.

3. In winter and autumn, immunity naturally decreases, so we get sick more often.
Lie. Immunity does not decrease on its own. It always remains at the same level unless we ourselves reduce it by our actions. In autumn and winter we get sick mainly for two reasons: firstly, many dangerous bacteria and viruses that are less active in the warm season, and secondly, we ourselves do not sufficiently monitor the safety of our body. and in the fall, not everyone dresses warmly enough - many do not wear a hat, they wear short jackets to show off their beauty (this mainly applies to teenagers). Many of us begin to eat monotonously - just to be hotter and fattier. And the body requires vitamins, some of which are found mainly in vegetables and fruits.

4. If a person is often sick, this indicates that his immunity is reduced.
And to be more precise, if a person often suffers from colds. The fact is that most harmful bacteria usually cause colds in organism. Therefore, pay attention to your condition - if you catch a cold more than 4 times a year, and in addition, you experience severe fatigue, get tired quickly, often feel aching joints, muscle pain, then this is a sure sign of decreased immunity.

5. Most often those who travel on public transport get sick.
It is not true. The fact is that our body has the ability to adapt to the external environment. And it is precisely because of a sharp change in the composition of this environment that we can get sick. That is, if you constantly use public water, then your body is accustomed to the set of bacteria that you encounter in it, and nothing threatens you. And if not, then even one trip to your grandmother on the other side of the city can be dangerous for you - an organism that is not accustomed to a large set of bacteria may not be able to withstand the attack of so many different bacteria!

6. To strengthen your immune system, you need to consume more vitamin C.
This is not entirely true. may help with some colds, but the body will need loading dose- not a few milligrams, but a few grams! Therefore, lemons and kiwis will not help here - they can only provide you with vitamins to maintain normal functioning of the body.

7. Yogurts strengthen the immune system.
Yogurts do not affect the immune system, although they are very beneficial for health. contain beneficial lactic bacteria, but in the acidic environment of our stomach, almost all of them die! Only 2 species can survive: Lactobacillus Immunitas and Lactobacillus GG. To achieve a beneficial effect, you need to consume 100-150 g of a product containing 106...107 CFU/g of these bacteria.

8. Immunity can be boosted by vaccines.
Lie. The fact is that our immunity consists of two types of reactions: cellular and humoral. The cellular reaction is the action of leukocytes, and the humoral reaction is the action of antibodies. And the vaccine stimulates only one type of reaction - either cellular or humoral. For example, tonsillitis stimulates the cellular component, but the humoral component is weakened. This is why sore throat and flu often have complications in the form of inflammatory diseases lungs.

9. Immunity depends on lifestyle.
This is true. Our immunity really depends to a greater extent on the quality of nutrition, nutritional value, physical activity, availability bad habits, general hygiene and even from psychological factors! The most best methods strengthening the immune system are good nutrition, sleep, reasonable physical, mental and mental stress, absence of bad habits, and psychological comfort.

10. Your immune system can be helped!
Right. Products that have an antibacterial effect greatly help the immune system - after all, they destroy some of the harmful bacteria! Such products include hot peppers, onions, garlic, bananas and chamomile tea.
In addition, we greatly help the immune system by practicing good hygiene.

As you can see, our health is in our hands! Not a single product, not a single drug by itself can cause an increase in immunity. Only a comprehensive effect in the form of a healthy lifestyle will allow us to strengthen the immune system and reduce the risk of breakdown of the body’s defenses by harmful bacteria! Therefore, practice a healthy lifestyle, don’t be sad and be healthy!

Meanwhile, health can not only be protected, but also increased in every possible way. And to make the immune system an impenetrable shield for the whole body, you don’t need to drink expensive vitamins. You can get by with affordable means.

Natural resources

The man is rich. There are invaluable treasures around him: air, water, solar warmth. And all this can be used for your benefit. Alone only natural resources You can strengthen your immune system so that no illnesses will be scary.

Staying in the fresh air is the best conditioning for everyone. Everyone, including children and the elderly, can increase immunity with the help of air baths. Air hardening means being exposed, partially or completely, in the open air. The greater the difference between air and body temperatures, the stronger the effect of strengthening the body. By the way, air baths are considered the most safe method hardening

The sun can also be used to boost immunity, as it has radiation that has healing effects on the body. Of course, in moderation. Sun rays increase the hemoglobin content in the blood, improve the condition lymphatic system. General health improves, the body's resistance to viruses and bacteria becomes higher.

Strengthening the body with water is especially effective. Rubbing, dousing and gargling give a powerful hardening effect. People who harden in this way have a strong barrier to disease. Resistance to low temperatures, and to high.

Vegetables and herbs

All vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamins and should be included in your daily diet as often as possible. But onions and garlic are the most proven means for strengthening the body, and also the most affordable. Regular consumption of these vegetables protects the body from ailments. Even if you just place cloves of garlic or chopped onions around the apartment, the effect will still be there. The pathogenic bacteria will die before reaching their goal.

Almost magical properties ginger roots are known to many. And those who know how beneficial ginger is constantly use it in food. Tea with ginger helps well in the fight against all kinds of viruses. An illness that has already begun will instantly recede if you take a drink of ginger with honey and lemon.

Honey is simply a storehouse of vitamins. One teaspoon of this healing nectar is enough for an adult to strengthen the immune system. A small amount of honey should be taken on an empty stomach and washed down warm water. This is real vitamin bomb and no pharmacy supplement can compare with it. Only allergy sufferers should use honey with caution.

Echinacea purpurea does more than just increase the body's resistance. Under its influence, new immune cells are produced! If you regularly brew it into tea, you can avoid many diseases. It tastes good, no, so children can also drink this drink. At least in the off-season.

Sport

Everyone knows that movement is life. But for some reason they are too lazy to actually believe this. Even regular walking can relieve many ailments. Regular physical activity not only affects the body, but also has a beneficial effect on state of mind person. Sport relieves stress, anxiety, calms and relieves depression. Those who engage in any kind of sport are always active, cheerful and... healthy.

Bath

People who often go to the bathhouse get sick much less often than those who do not. “Whoever takes a steam bath does not grow old,” says the old saying. And this is actually true. Hot, moist steam cleanses from the inside, draws out all ailments and diseases, cleanses the lungs, bronchi, and nasopharynx. After its healing effects, the whole body feels light.

Strengthening your immune system means saying yes healthy image life. It’s not at all difficult to follow simple rules every day. But the result is well worth the effort.

Since 2002, at the initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), World Immunity Day has been celebrated on March 1, the purpose of which is to remind people of the problems associated with various immune diseases, as well as with the preservation and strengthening of immunity.

Immunity is the body’s ability to resist; the immune system neutralizes foreign cells, various infections and viruses, and then destroys them.

Signs of immune failure

The human immune system depends half on heredity, as it begins to form in the womb, and 50% on lifestyle. The three pillars on which human immunity rests are: healthy sleep, physical exercise And balanced diet. Usually a person thinks about the role and possibilities of maintaining immunity only during a severe cold, while it itself is a consequence of immune deficiency.

Therefore, it is important for everyone to take care of health and strengthen the immune system, especially in the off-season on the eve of spring - this is the time when the body especially needs support. It is also important to pay attention to immunity for those who have suffered from acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections or influenza and who experience heavy physical exertion.

You can restore and maintain immunity with the help of special immune-strengthening agents, but there are many additional ways to strengthen the body.

Horseradish, shrimp and bay leaf

Nutrition is the key to protection against viruses and diseases and the most important factor in improving the body’s defenses. Nutrition should be as rational as possible in quantitative and qualitative terms. Your menu should contain animal proteins and plant origin. Animal proteins are found in meat, fish, eggs and milk, and plant proteins are found in peas, beans, buckwheat and oatmeal. Beef liver and seafood - shrimp, mussels, squid - have a beneficial effect on the immune system.

Under no circumstances should you take immunostimulants on your own. To have the right to prescribe these drugs, the doctor must: first make sure that standard therapy has not brought the desired effect; study the patient’s immunogram; have long-term experience in the use of immunostimulants, based, among other things, on assessing the long-term effects of the prescribed medication.

Spices that support the immune system well include ginger, barberry, cloves, coriander, cinnamon, basil, cardamom, turmeric, bay leaf and horseradish.

Extracting vitamins

Vitamins and microelements are needed to strengthen the immune system. Their deficiency can be compensated with the help of multivitamin complexes, but in general it is better to obtain vitamins and microelements naturally.

Vitamins A can be obtained from carrots, grapes, greens - it is found in all red and orange fruits and vegetables. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits, rose hips, cranberries, lingonberries, and cabbage, especially sauerkraut. Vitamin E - in sunflower, olive or corn oils. There are many B vitamins in legumes, cereals, eggs, any greens and nuts.

Among the microelements, zinc and selenium have a positive effect on the immune system. Zinc is found in fish, meat, liver, nuts, beans and peas. Selenium should be “extracted” from fish, seafood, and garlic.

Minerals - iron, copper, magnesium and zinc - are found in liver, kidneys, heart, nuts, legumes and chocolate.

Dry red

Smoking and alcohol not only undermine, but kill the immune system. But if with tobacco everything is simple and clear - you need to quit smoking and avoid tobacco smoke, then with alcohol the situation is different. Dry red wine is good for the immune system, but the maximum permissible daily dose is 50-100 grams.

Getting used to the cold

It is necessary to prepare for any outbreak of morbidity in advance, strengthening, first of all, nonspecific protection. Everyone knows about such a method as hardening, but most are sure that hardening is getting used to the cold, for example, walking in the snow in shorts. But in fact, the essence of hardening is to train the mucous membranes to quickly respond to sudden changes in temperature.

The training can be quite simple - alternate dousing with cold and hot water forearms - from hand to elbow. The temperature of cold water is +20 °C, hot water is +35 °C - this is the most tolerable difference of 15 °C.

Pouring should be done daily - 5-7 minutes a day, in the morning or evening. This procedure is especially suitable for children.

Calm and only calm!

If you often suffer from colds and ARVI, try strengthening your body with Kalanchoe juice.

Hardening will help strengthen the body's strength. The easiest way is to take a small foam mat, moisten it with a cold infusion of plants that enhance immunity, and stand on it barefoot.

Nutritional yeast has a good immunostimulating effect, which is especially recommended for children. They should be taken for a month (at least 50 grams per week), diluting a small part V boiled water sugarless.

Of the plant substances that have a pronounced immunostimulating effect, it is worth paying attention to infusions of Eleutherococcus, ginseng and Chinese lemongrass.

Today the word “immunity” is familiar to almost every person. However, not everyone knows what is hidden behind it. From Latin, “immunity” is literally translated as immunity. Previously, this term was understood only as immunity to infectious diseases, but later its boundaries expanded significantly. It turned out that there is an entire system in the body that is responsible for “immunity” to pathogens of infectious diseases.

However, the immune system does not only do this - its functions include protecting the body from all harmful substances that have entered it from the outside, as well as from one’s own defects - defective proteins and cells (for example, cancer cells). This is why the immune system is one of the most important systems in the human body - deserves special attention.

Signs of decreased immunity

1. Various colds. If you get sick more than four times a year, constantly blow your nose and sneeze, this means that your body desperately requires strengthening its immunity. By the way, fungal diseases often begin in parallel with these symptoms, which can be very difficult to cure completely.
2. Constant fatigue, malaise, chills, drowsiness, headaches, muscle aches, Bad mood- all this may indicate a decrease in immunity. If you have a poor appetite or a perversion of it, or you have fallen in love with something that you previously couldn’t stand (for example, sweets), then you also need to be wary.
   The next thing to evaluate is the condition of the skin. It’s bad if various rashes and inflammations, boils, peeling, and herpes begin to appear on it. In addition, often when chronic processes, occurring in the body, the skin becomes very pale.
3. The sudden appearance of puffiness, bags, or blue discoloration under the eyes are very serious signs of decreased immunity. Can talk about the same thing increased sweating, previously uncharacteristic, or change in the smell of sweat. With reduced immunity, our hair also suffers - it looks dull, thin, and may begin to fall out. Nails become uneven and thin, become dull, flake and break. Pay attention to the growth rate of nails, which may not grow at all instead of a few millimeters in a week.

Another “bell” is an allergy. If you are constantly tormented by various allergic reactions, then you should be wary. Other signs of weak immunity often include elevated temperature, chronic fatigue syndrome, infections and regular fungal diseases.
Eating for immunity benefits

Any person needs uninterrupted functioning of the immune system, and especially in the off-season, because at this time our immune system experiences increased load. Cold weather, temperature changes, lack of vitamins - all this depletes our body.

For the immune system to function properly, you need to eat a variety of foods that contain many vitamins. and microelements, absolutely necessary for maintaining and strengthening the immune system. We present the most important of them.

Vitamin A. Strengthens immunity (especially the mucous membranes of the throat, nose and oral cavity). With its deficiency, the body begins to malfunction - resistance to infectious diseases decreases. A lot of vitamin A is found in fish liver (cod, flounder, pollock, halibut), caviar, beef liver, butter, egg yolk, dairy products (milk, butter, cheese).

Vitamin B3 (niacin, nicotinic acid). Helps cope with increased fatigue, lack of appetite, migraines, nausea. Flaw nicotinic acid has a very negative impact for restoration body processes. Sources of niacin are products of animal and plant origin: meat and offal, potatoes, green pea, tomatoes, cabbage, cereals (especially buckwheat), brewer's yeast, etc.

Vitamin C. The Most Powerful antioxidant. Plays an important role in metabolism, redox reactions and improves immunity. Vitamin C molecules penetrate white blood cells, enhancing their resistance bacteria and microbes. Simultaneous intake of bioflavonoids enhances the effect of vitamin C by 10 times. Excellent sources of vitamin C are rose hips and black currants, lemons, onions, sauerkraut, radishes, peppers, and parsley.

Vitamin E. The strongest natural antioxidant. It supports the immune system, participates in the synthesis of hormones, protects the body's cells from damage by slowing down the oxidation of lipids (fats) and the formation of free radicals. Taking vitamin E increases resistance to diseases in all age groups, and it is especially useful for elderly patients. Contained in nuts and vegetable oils, herbs, milk, eggs, liver, meat, as well as cereal germs.

Zinc. It actively affects the immune system, as it is needed for the formation of phagocytes necessary for the rapid destruction of microbes and viruses that have entered the body. If there is a shortage of this element immune T cells become less active, which means the risk of catching a cold increases. Zinc is found in meat, liver, hard cheeses of all types, shrimp, legumes, nuts, bananas, etc.

Copper. Keeps the immune system active, helping it protect the body from infections. This trace element has a pronounced anti-inflammatory property, softens the manifestations autoimmune diseases, promotes iron absorption. Copper is necessary for the normal process of hematopoiesis and the functioning of the immune system. It is found in baked goods, meat by-products, cereals, vegetables, legumes, seafood (squid, shrimp), nuts, mushrooms, chocolate, spinach, cranberries, and strawberries.
Immunity as a way of life

In order to help your immunity, you need to understand that protecting the immune system is not one-time procedures, but above all consistency and a system. Try to lead an active lifestyle - go swimming, jogging, morning exercises, walking. Hardening has an excellent effect on the immune system - dousing it with cool water in the morning, cold and hot shower.

In the fight for strong immunity, proper rest and relaxing massage sessions with essential oils (for example, eucalyptus, lemon, basil, fir, pine) will also help. And don’t forget to laugh more often, because it has long been proven that laughter activates all vital processes.

Strengthening the immune system is also a healthy diet and regular nutrition. Products containing vitamins play a very important role here. and microelements, promoting protection immune cells. During the cold season, it is recommended to eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, which improve the functioning of our immune system. You should pay attention and for fermented milk products. Many of them, for example, various bio-yogurts, contain probiotics, which are necessary for the work gastrointestinal tract.

Of course, given the peculiarities of modern life, we are not always able to provide ourselves with a nutritious and varied diet. However, this is not a reason to give up on your immunity. Dietary supplements containing everything will be excellent helpers for our immune system. essential vitamins and microelements. Practice shows that each of us needs such care and support.