To be aware is an upcoming trend! Nowadays, social media is become a key medium an easier mode to spread facts like fire. Similarly, the pandemic of 2020 has emphasized facts about enhancing self immunity which has made human beings realize the importance of the body’s natural immunity system. In order to enhance the body’s natural immunity system, all have started to again rely on temporary modes like taking natural emulsions, Vit C supplements, etc. without realizing the fact that treasure is within, of which they should take care of at the same time. Have you ever thought of what has kept you going in the past? In most cases what has kept your childhood free of many chronic lifestyle diseases like hypertension, diabetes, psoriasis, etc?
About the body’s natural immunity system- awareness!
As the human body comes into existence in the outer world, he is already blessed with his individual immunity. Body immunity is influenced by various factors i.e. age, hormonal cycle, and lifestyle. This individual immunity maintains its integrity until these well-balanced functions are not screwed up. As we are human being we have in-built intelligence like every other species on earth for survival, that usually strive to preserve our functions and sensations, so does our natural immunity system.
Our immunity gets influenced by:
- Food – As it directly goes into our stomach, absorbed, circulated, and distributed to cells. Thus, the quality of your food determines the quality of your every cell. Which also reminds us about changes in basic food habits in the last decade, because of various distracting influences around like the use of mobile while eating, eating hurriedly without relishing every bite, adapting food habits of other habitat and not making use of your senses. Cooking at home has become a rare culture that is given lesser importance compared to the work lifestyle. From eating outside food once in a month or 2/3 months to eating them every weekend is a trending style that has taken a toll on a person’s immunity.
- Body Hormonal cycle – Our body has hormones that are respondent to the various factors eg. what we eat, when we eat, whether we eat, when we sleep, how sound is our sleep, etc. During the times of stress, there is a release of hormone i.e. cortisol which acts in time of inflammation, injury in order to control the body’s over immune response and promote natural healing. But it is often found in studies that due to disturbed sleep or prolong stress or prolong illness there is a rise in cortisol which suppresses the natural immune response to even to common infectious micro-organisms.
- Age – It also plays an important role in responding to various influences in our environment. A child is born, his immunity is unaltered by lifestyle, unhealthy food choices, and over drugging. Thus, a child’s immunity is loaded in functions. But recurrent infections, consumption of packed food or preservatives, sedentary lifestyle, and unnatural dietary intakes gradually take a toll on the healthy immunity response. As a person grows up, due to unfavorable influences there is a decline in the body’s self-preservation mechanism. Nowadays, the major impact is laid down by the intake of heavy doses of medicines and unhealthy habits which damages essential micro-nutrients and enzymes. The body becomes dependent on these substances and natural death has become a distant thought in old age.
- Mental health – Yes! mind affects your body. When you are angry, sad, or you start an uncontrollable train of thoughts your sleep gets disturbed. How does this happen? Your mind governs your body’s sensation and functioning. When a person does not sleep for a long period of time naturally it affects his hormonal balance. When a person is stressed he gets disturbed emotionally, our emotions have a direct effect on the release of many-body juices, hormones, and enzymes. Thus, in order to maintain good immunity, you should practice staying present and calm. When a person is awake in a fit of passion he enjoys his work, he is happy so that does not affect his health; provided his lifestyle is healthy.
Components of the body’s natural immunity system-
You will be astonished to know the various line of defenses in our bodies. Only if you are aware of these facts you will preserve it by consciously choosing what is healthy for you and what is not.
- Epithelial tissue– Our skin and mucous lining that covers our body and the orifices protect us against an invasion of any microorganisms.
- Skin– Healthy skin has bactericidal activity as it releases highly saturated sweat, sebaceous secretions, etc. that kill bacteria if placed on the skin.
- Mucosa– Lining of the mucosa is found in your nasal tissue, lining respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, etc. If anything invades in your nose it will be thrown out by the nasal hair, if it all it passes this it gets arrested by the mucosa in the throat and swept towards the nose by the cilia. Then another level of defense mechanism is cough reflex. Also, there are immunoglobulins in the mucosa lining which protect from any infection.
- Antibacterial substances in blood and tissues– The complement system is part of the immunity system that has the ability to destroy bacteria that have invaded into blood and tissues.
- Cellular factors in innate immunity– there are cells called phagocytes which is an integral component of our natural body’s immune system. These cells are circulating in the blood, are present in the tissues, organs and they are specific in their functions.
- Inflammation– If there is any injury to the tissue or irritation due to the entry of pathogen or noxious agent, there is an initiation of inflammatory reaction in the body. If the damage is local there will be local inflammation but if the noxious agent entered into the circulation there will be general signs of inflammation seen. Inflammation signs are- swelling, pain, warmth, redness, and loss of function. If the cause of inflammation not removed, it will sustain. Prolong effect of inflammation leads to changes in the structural morphology of the tissue or even cross reactivity. Thus, just suppression of the signs of inflammation is not a long term solution.
- Acute-phase proteins – There are certain proteins that rise in the blood in order to protect us from the noxious agent, which rises only for a particular duration of time. Eg. C reactive protein.
These are the essentials every individual should be aware of before adapting to any type of lifestyle to boost their immunity. Read more on ways to boost your immunity naturally.