How To Have A Healthy Immune System

The Creator has given each of us a built-in mechanism for natural self-healing: the healing power is within all of us. This mechanism is the human immune system that not only protects but also sustains life by fighting all foreign invaders to the human body in the form of diseases and infections.

Research scientists have discovered that the optimum functioning of a healthy immune system is dependent on the human behavior. That is to say, the efficiency of a healthy immune system is contingent on how well we behave, or, more specifically, how well we live our lives. The bottom line is: we are all responsible for the health of our own immune system.

In our culture and society, in which the sickness industry plays a pivotal part, many of us have become oblivious of the philosophy of self-healing, such that we have relied heavily on external means for healing, such as pills, potions, and surgeries; even many medical doctors have been trained to opt for drastic measures to control disease symptoms, instead of promoting the healing power within the patient to re-establish health and wellness.

To have a healthy immune system, focus on appropriate human behavior in three major areas: nutrition, exercise, and relaxation.

Human cells produce oxidants in the natural process of their growth and rejuvenation, during which health-damaging free radicals are released. Eat foods rich in antioxidants to eliminate as much oxidation as possible to prevent disease, to slow down the aging process, and to promotet a healthy immune system.

To have a healthy immune system, eat fresh, organic fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts daily. In particular, the phytonutrients (carotenoids, flavonoids, and phytosterols, among others), which are rich plant nutrients, provide nourishment for a healthy immune system. In addition, eat natural foods because cooking, food processing (most supermarket food items), and freezing (frozen food) destroy some of the nutrients that promote a healthy immune system. Therefore, it is also important to eat raw occasionally.

To have a healthy immune system, in addition to eating natural foods to optimize your thymus (the commander-in-chief of fighters in your immune system to fight against foreign invaders), you may want to get the 10 most important nutritional supplements: vitamin A to prevent thymus shrinkage, (5,000 IU daily dosage); vitamin B6 to maintain hormone levels (50 mg daily dosage); vitamin C to regulate T-cell (white blood thymus cells) to improve bowel tolerance (at least 1,000 mg daily dosage); vitamin E to increase infection resistance (400 0800 IU daily dosage); selenium to increase T-cell activity and antibody production for detoxification (100 mcg daily dosage); zinc to boost the thymus for maturing T-cells to fight invaders (15 mg daily dosage); coenzyme co10 to increase energy production for cells' activities; L-glutathione to regenerate immune cells in the immune system (200 mg daily dosage); and magnesium to increase enzymatic reactions (100 mg daily dosage); and DHEA to control cortisol, the stress hormone. These nutritional supplements may compensate for any deficiency from you natural diet.

Moderate exercise, such as walking, is excellent in boosting the immune cells to create a healthy immune system to protect you from infections, cancers, and heart diseases. However, competitive and strenuous exercises may depress certain immune cell counts and thus reduce immunity. Moderation guarantees not only a healthy immune system, but also sustainable success in your exercise regimen.

Given that stress is the No.1 trigger of autoimmune diseases (the immune system attacking the body itself, instead of foreign invaders) when the immune system is weakened or compromised, relaxation is the pathway to stress management, and hence a healthy immune system. As you continue to age, your immune system continues to weaken, as evidenced by the increasing frequency of viruses among the elderly. In addition, stress may also become more acute with age due to financial, relationship, and health problems. Relaxation is the most effective stress management. Relaxation is not just reading a book, or going on a vacation. Relaxation has to do with the mind: after all, stress is relative, and no more than a perception of the mind.

Sleep relaxes both the body and the mind. Good sleep, without the use of medications, does just that. Never try to be a thief of time to outsmart nature by sleeping less. Sleep deprivation depresses your immune system. To relax the mind for stress management, practice meditation, which is a process during which the mind focuses only on the present moment, and thus giving the mind a meaningful break without being preoccupied with thoughts of the past or worries of the future. It is a myth that meditation is only a religious practice; meditation is a mind practice that teaches you mindfulness, that is, how to be "mindful" of everything you do in your life, no matter how insigificant it may be. Through this mindfulness of the relationship between the body and the mind, you may also learn how to prioritize your life, and thus instrumental in releasing stress and promoting a healthy immune system. Relaxation is mindfulness of whatever you are doing at the present moment

According to Western medicine, there is no known cure for autoimmune diseases (there are as many as 100 of them). Truly, medications cannot and will not treat a disease that involves many different parts of the human body. The only possible cure is to have a holistic approach to the immune system, that is, a healthy immune system that works for you, instead of against you.


Copyright (c) 2011 Stephen Lau