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An Overview of the Immune System PDF Print E-mail

by Michael T. Murray, N.D.

With a strong immune system you are safe from attack by all but the most virulent microorganisms.
he immune system is the body’s chief defense system. When working properly, the immune system has a remarkable arsenal of weapons that have an enormous capacity to fight off microorganisms that have the capacity to infect us and do us harm. At all times, day and night, we are constantly exposed to various “bugs”— bacteria, viruses, fungi and other invisible invaders. They are in the food we eat and the air we breathe. They’re in everything we touch or smell. Despite this onslaught, many of us rarely catch a cold or get sick because of the strength of our immune system. With a strong immune system you are safe from attack by all but the most virulent microorganisms. Even if infection does gain a foothold, it’s usually just a matter of time before your immune system mounts an effective counterattack.

It is also the immune system’s job to be on constant surveillance for cancer cells. When found, the scout cells send out powerful chemical messages that call troops of white blood cells to the area to bombard and destroy the cancerous cells. Low immune function sets the stage not only for constant struggles with infections but also for cancer. While many people maybe aware of the consequences of low immune function, what they may not know is that for humans the immune system is a double-edged sword—it protects them on one hand but on the other it literally destroys them. What I am referring to are conditions where the immune system is hyperactive and out of control such as allergies (especially asthma) and conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis where the immune system literally starts attacking the body.

Tuning up your immune system
The principles involved in tuning up your immune system are basically the same whether you are suffering from hypo- or hyper-immunity. The first goal is to make sure that you provide the immune system with all the vital ammunition by consuming a health promoting diet and utilizing proper nutritional supplementation. A deficiency of virtually any single nutrient can significantly impair immunity.

Next is following a healthy lifestyle that includes getting enough sleep and engaging in a regular exercise program. Supplying optimal nutrition and learning to effectively deal with stress go along way in supporting central control mechanisms to keep the immune system functioning in a peak state. Tuning up your immune system not only increases your resistance to colds and flu and other infections but also protects you against cancer and other potentially deadly diseases.

Key Steps to Tuning Up
Your Immune System


A healthy lifestyle is essential for immunity. Be sure to eat a healthy diet, get exercise, avoid toxins, maintain your appropriate body weight and get enough sleep.

Stress lowers immunity. Take steps to manage stress. Practice techniques to activate the relaxation response such as breathing exercises, visualization or meditation.

Diet is vital for supplying your body the nutrients it needs to build disease-fighting cells and proteins. Eat plant foods, especially green leafy vegetables. Avoid refined sugars and fats but make sure you get plenty of protein and essential fatty acids.

Take a high-quality vitamin and mineral supplement. Vitamins B, C and E, zinc and selenium are especially important.

Light to moderate exercise may produce greater overall benefit to the immune system than heavier exercise.

A positive attitude and laughter are powerful immune system boosters.
The Infection Equation
The infection equation is like a mathematical equation where one plus two equals three. In the infection equation the interaction of the host’s immune system with the infecting organism determines the equation’s outcome. Each day every one of us is exposed to organisms that have the potential to make us sick, yet we don’t always fall prey to these “bugs” because our immune system is generally stronger than the organism. If the “bug” is extremely powerful, or our immune system is compromised, an infection can occur.

For too long modern medicine has ignored the role of immune function in the infection equation. Conventional medicine has been obsessed with the nature of the “beast,” the infecting agent, rather than the condition of the host and its defense factors. Unfortunately, the obsession with the pathogen has become predominant in modern medicine and the importance of the host’s immune system has been largely ignored. But that perspective is slowly changing, as evidenced by this Resource Guide to Immunity and Immunoceuticals.

One Final Recommendation
Laugh long and often to boost your immune system. Detailed scientific investigations have shown that laughter is without question the most powerful immune enhancer available. In addition, the use of guided imagery, hypnosis and other meditative states have been shown to enhance immune system function. Obviously, if you want to have a healthy immune system, you need to laugh often, view life with a positive eye and put yourself in a relaxed state of mind on a regular basis. 
MICHAEL T. MURRAY, N.D.
Dr. Murray is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities on natural medicine. He is a graduate, faculty member and serves on the board of trustees of Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. He is coauthor of the best-selling Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine and How to Prevent and Treat Cancer with Natural Medicine. Dr. Murray is director of Product Development and Education for Natural Factors.

 
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