The body’s immune system is not physically situated in one specific location in the human body. It is a complex of various interrelated elements that include physical structures such as skin and bones, organs, and even tissue like the blood.
The best way of promoting a good immune system is to pursue a healthy lifestyle. This is done through appropriate exercise and rest, avoiding harmful substances, reducing stress, and above all, proper nutrition.
Micronutrients such as the basic vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to function are found in many foods. This makes eating a balanced diet–which we derive from a large variety of food sources–imperative.
But while ensuring proper nutrition may sound simple, it has become a little difficult with our increasingly urbanized way of life. Because the typical American-on-the-go diet of fast food often doesn’t really cut it nutrition-wise, supplementation has become par for the course.
To fill in the gaps in our diet, the health industry has made numerous vitamin and micronutrient supplements available to people who wish to strengthen their immune systems. Let us look at some foods that help us strengthen our immune systems as well as some products that have been developed as a supplement for immune support.
Vitamin C
Recognized as one of the biggest contributors towards a healthy immune system, vitamin C can be found in many citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, and grapefruit as well as in green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale. As vitamin C isn’t produced by or stored in the body, it is important to eat these foods regularly or take a vitamin C supplement to maintain good health.
Vitamin E
A powerful antioxidant, vitamin E helps the body fight off infection. Nuts, seeds, and spinach are rich in vitamin E.
Vitamin D
Present in many fruits, in some mushrooms, and in fatty fish, Vitamin D is the principal micronutrient involved in promoting strong bones. Babies with jaundice are brought out into the morning sun because sunlight on the skin causes it to produce healthy levels of this substance.
Ample amounts of Vitamin D in one’s diet can ensure the proper absorption of vital nutrients like calcium and enable good cellular development and transcription. Transcription is the process by which each cell’s DNA dictates the structure of proteins being manufactured in growth and healing.
In truth, Vitamin D isn’t just one substance, nor is it even a vitamin. Vitamin D is a group of prohormones that are converted by our bodies into vital hormones. Supplementation with nutritional products such as Cataplex D, for instance, can help boost the immune system and supports basic physiological functions like mineral absorption, bone density, and cellular processes.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6-laden foods like chicken, salmon, and tuna are vital to the immune system. Those who love green vegetables and chickpeas, the main ingredient Middle Eastern hummus and Mediterranean foods, can get a healthy dose of B6 through their food.
Probiotics
Our digestive processes are helped along by probiotics found in our stomachs and intestines. People who have digestive issues often need to boost the amount of probiotics present in their bodies.
Products packed with probiotics, including fermented products like yogurt, are available in many food stores. We can all benefit hugely from milk-based probiotic health drinks, usually with Lactobacilli organisms. Products like Lact-Enz and Prosynbiotic can help add large numbers of these healthy microbes to our systems to help jumpstart digestion and promote better absorption of the foods we eat.
These products support the healthy intestinal flora already present in the body. They foster a healthy community of bacteria and yeast organisms to ensure good health and a robust immune response.
Cytosol
Most laymen are unaware of the role of the thymus gland in the human body’s immune response. A twin-lobed organ in front of the heart and behind the ribcage and sternum, the thymus is a gland where the immune system’s T-cells mature and become ready to wage war against infections.
T-cells are the group of white blood cells in the bloodstream that are responsible for a variety of immune-related functions, including actually destroying cells that have been infected with pathogenic organisms. Maintaining a healthy thymus gland is vital in ensuring a fully-functioning immune system.
Fortunately, a supplement for immune support targeted at supporting a healthy thymus gland is available in the form of a Cytosol extract marketed as Thymex. Cytosol is a naturally occurring fluid found inside all animal cells, generally referred to as cytoplasm. This product, however, is extracted from bovine sources, and processed into a nutritional supplement that promotes the function of the human thymus gland.
Are supplements necessary for good immunity?
The value of immunity-boosting nutritional products cannot be stressed enough in our present-day milieu in which the threat of communicable diseases is very real. In our pursuit of healthy lifestyles, let us not dismiss the value of anything designed as a supplement for immunity support.
Choose only products that use natural ingredients and are certified with the USFDA and local regulatory authorities.
For natural, safe, and effective solutions to health concerns, get in touch with WholeBody Solutions here. We believe in taking a holistic approach to health and wellness. You can also reach Dr. Ann Doggett at 617.328.6300 and at [email protected].
Opened more than 30-years ago by Dr. Ann Doggett, WholeBody Solutions is a holistic wellness center whose mission is to provide the community with safe, effective, and natural answers to health and wellness concerns. Our all-encompassing wellness center focuses on the following drug-free services: Nutrition, Chiropractic, Acupuncture, and Weight Loss. Our goal is quite simple – to make sick people well and to keep healthy people healthy. It’s that simple and that powerful.
