He Functioning of the immune system Can be favored in many ways. Most experts recommend having a healthy life style .
This means practicing regular physical exercise, having a balanced diet, consuming vitamins and minerals and managing emotions properly so that these do not translate into physical ailments and discomforts.
The immune system is an interactive network of organs, cells and proteins that are responsible for protecting the human body from viruses, bacteria, fungi and external agents that may be harmful to the body. In this way, the immune system works to neutralize any threats that enter the body and remove it from it.
The Cells Of the immune system originate in the marrow And then migrate to neighboring tissues, circulating through the bloodstream. These cells are produced and displaced by a system specialized in defending the body, known as the lymphatic system (Holford & Meek, 2010).
When the immune system is working properly, it is difficult to notice changes in it. However, when it fails, we begin to feel sick. The lack of effectiveness of the immune system makes us prone to contract infections and develop tumors and autoimmune diseases.
The older we are, the more likely we are to have a poor immune system; It is more common to get sick and take longer to recover from them. Therefore, it is vital to take into account factors that favor the proper functioning of the immune system to maintain optimal health status (Macmillan & Schryver, 2014).
How to promote the proper functioning of the immune system?
The idea of contributing to the proper functioning of the immune system is to enhance its ability to protect the body from potentially harmful external agents. Some strategies to drive this improvement include:
1- Adopting a healthy lifestyle
The best we can do to improve the functioning of our immune system is to have a healthy lifestyle. This includes following basic guidelines that can help the body to always be healthy and strong.
Each part of the body works best when it is protected from risks present in the environment. This is how it is recommended to refrain from consuming tobacco Y alcohol , Increase the consumption of fruits, vegetables, cereals and products with little saturated fat.
In this regard, exercise is also important because it stimulates the production of beneficial substances for the body, helps maintain a controlled weight and regulates blood pressure. Managing emotions such as stress Also contributes to a healthy lifestyle (University, 2016).
2- Exercise regularly
Exercising regularly is one of the pillars for a healthy life. Exercise helps improve cardiovascular function, lowers blood pressure, helps maintain a healthy weight and protects the body from numerous diseases.
By having a healthy body, the proper functioning of the immune system is potentiated.
One of the reasons why exercise promotes the proper functioning of the immune system is because it promotes good circulation in the body, allowing cells and other substances to move freely through the body and perform their work efficiently.
Some scientists are currently conducting research to determine whether regular exercise practices prevent people from becoming less susceptible to infection.
This practice of exercise is constantly linked to the lifestyle that each person has, so it can not be guaranteed that the immune system improves its functioning when the exercise is accompanied by habits harmful to the body such as smoking or alcohol (Hamilton, 2017).
3- Caring for the diet
The immune system is directly related to the type of diet we have. A healthy immune system feeds on good nutrients.
The science recognized this fact some years ago and relates the situations of extreme poverty, where malnutrition is common, with the lack of defenses and the propensity to have a deficient immune system.
There is evidence that a lack of micronutrients such as zinc, selenium, iron, folic acid and numerous vitamins leads to a weaker immune system. For this reason, it is important to have a diet rich in these micronutrients necessary for the proper functioning of the body.
It is recommended to consume fruits and vegetables and to choose food rich in cereals. Similarly, the consumption of multivitamin complexes and mineral supplements can bring benefits to improve the performance of the immune system (Peggy Pletcher, 2017).
4- Stress Management
Modern medicine has found a direct relationship between managing emotions and the immune system's response.
This way, many specialists recommend to treat the emotions firstly to be able to strengthen the performance of the immune system.
Numerous diseases, including stomach problems, allergies, urticarias, and even cardiac deficiencies and arrhythmias are related to the Emotional stress .
Although this relationship is clear, there is still no area of science that is responsible for studying the behavior of the immune system in the presence of emotional stress (Dunkin, 2017).
Diseases of the immune system
With the tips outlined above, you can prevent the diseases listed below.
Allergies and Asthma
Allergies are an immune and inflammatory response that occurs when certain substances harmless from the environment, known as allergens, enter the body.
Common allergy-related illnesses include asthma and rhinitis reactive to the presence of dust, mold or pollen.
Deficiencies in the immune system
There are certain diseases that can appear when the immune system is incomplete and reacts slowly to the presence of a threat.
This happens when certain drugs are consumed, a virus such as HIV is contracted or there is some kind of genetic disorder.
Autoimmune diseases
This type of disease makes the immune system of an organism defend itself from the cells and benign substances that inhabit the body. These diseases include diabetes , he lupus , Arthritis and thyroid diseases.
References
- Ax, J. (2017). Ax . Retrieved from How to Boost Your Immune System - Top 10 Boosters: draxe.com.
- Dunkin, M.A. (2017). WebMD . Retrieved from How to Use Your Immune System to Stay Healthy: webmd.com.
- Hamilton, C. (2017). Health Media Ventures, Inc . Retrieved from 7 Ways to Boost Your Immune System Naturally, According to an Immunologist: health.com.
- Holford, P., & Meek, J. (2010). How to Boost Your Immune System. Great Britain: Piatkus.
- Macmillan, A., & Schryver, T. (January 30, 2014). Prevention . 9 Power Foods That Boost Immunity: prevention.com.
- Peggy Pletcher. (March 16, 2017). Health Line . Retrieved from"15 Foods That Boost"The Immune System: healthline.com.
- University, H. (June 15, 2016). Harvard Health Publications . Retrieved from"How to boost your immune system"health.harvard.edu.