Understanding an Underactive Immune System
When the immune system is underactive, or immunocompromised, it becomes overwhelmed and cannot react quickly enough to invaders or cancerous cells.
A less active immune system leaves the body vulnerable to for everything from more frequent and severe colds, flus (including H1N1) and other viral disorders to hepatitis, pneumonia, fungal infections, and the ultimate failure of the immune system – cancer.
The immune system can be compromised for a number of reasons, including AIDS/HIV, chronic illness, chemotherapy treatment, malnutrition, immune-suppressing medications such as steroids, and an assortment of primary immune deficiency disorders, which are often genetic.
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However, for most people, lifestyle choices are much more likely factors affecting immune function. Inadequate sleep, poor nutrition, stress, lack of exercise, being overweight (or extremely underweight) and excessive use of alcohol or prescription medications can all impair immune function.
A balanced lifestyle that includes getting enough sleep; maintaining a healthy weight; exercising consistently; eating a nutritious Mediterranean Diet; not smoking; limiting processed foods, sugar, alcohol and overuse of antibiotics; and finding ways to cope with stress and grief can make a big difference in keeping your immune system strong.
But the most common cause of a weakened immune system is the natural slowing that occurs as we age. It begins in the early thirties, and by the age of 55 or 60, almost every person who has been studied has shown a significant decline in their immune function.
Fortunately, God has provided a way to combat this slowdown through natural substances that can be taken daily as part of a nutritional supplement program. Even an article in the Journal of American Medical Association states, "The era of nutrient supplements to promote health and reduce illness is here to stay. In selected groups such as the elderly, there is overwhelming evidence of immunological enhancement following intervention with nutrient supplements."
There are four vitamins/minerals that are critical in enhancing immune system function: vitamins E, C, D and zinc. In addition, there are other nutrients that help boost the immune system in a way that does not overstimulate it. These include the root astragulus; beta-glucan, a type of fiber; garlic; fruit extracts from elderberry, blueberry and pomegranate; reishi, maitake and shiitake mushrooms; selenium; and the probiotics lactobacillus and bifido bacterium.
If you have a predisposition to a weakened immune system, are prone to frequent infections, colds and flu, or have found your immune system slowing with age, you may want to take a supplement specifically designed for the immune system that contains these nutrients, such as Immunity Support, in addition to your daily full spectrum supplement.
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