Your immune system – how to take care of it

“Sleeping is a factor which regulates the functioning of the human body as a whole," Dr Paweł Grzesiowski of the Preventive Medicine and Rehabilitation Centre in Warsaw, an expert in infection prevention emphasises in his interview for the e-zdrowie portal.

Two sleepless nights will not, however, immediately put you down with flu. Nevertheless, continued fatigue, shortage of sleep and stress will make your body more and more unwell.

“Your circulatory and hormonal systems will begin to fail and your energy supply will deplete, leading to lower resistance," says Dr Grzesiowski.

Nutrition

Proper nutrition is imperative for immunity. A balanced diet, rich in fruit and vegetables, with adequate proportions of dairy products, meat, fish, and fluids, covers your daily demand for vitamins, minerals and, as emphasised by Dr Grzesiowski, generally does not need to be supplemented with any preparations.

“If our diet is healthy, we provide our bodies with everything they need. The only exception is vitamin D, since it is hardly found in natural sources. In addition, from September to April there aren’t many sunny days in our climate. And, as we all know, vitamin D supplied in food needs to be processed in our skin with the help of sunlight. This is the only vitamin which, according to the current recommendations, needs to be supplemented in specific times of the year throughout our entire lives," Dr Grzesiowski says.

Boosting immunity through vitamin C supplementation is a myth, the expert counters.

“Vitamin C is not at all conducive to increased immunity. There is no scientific proof to support this claim. However, during an infection it can accelerate the healing process, as the demand for it is soaring. Therefore, its medical use is justified, but the preventive one - not so much," Dr Grzesiowski argues.

Physical activity

“Nowadays, it is believed that each healthy person, irrespective of their age, should elevate their heart rate above 120 for at least 45 minutes a day to enjoy a longer life in health," the expert says. What does this mean? In simple terms, you have to put as much effort as to increase your heart rate by about 40 percent compared to its normal level to stimulate blood flow and oxygenate your internal organs.

“No matter what type of physical activity you choose – it can be either riding a bike, hurdling or even sex," Dr Grzesiowski enumerates.

Exercise also helps maintain correct body weight which is crucial for immunity.

“Obesity is number one immunity killer. Fatty tissue secretes certain hormones which paralyse immunity," Dr Grzesiowski explains.

Vaccination adds to immunity

Vaccination is targetted immunity building. “Vaccines provide the immune system with a very specific training oriented towards fighting selected viruses or bacteria," the expert adds.

It can be regarded as the second line of defence, because, in addition to our general immunity, we create cells which remember viral or bacterial anti-genes contained in the vaccine, he continues. As he goes on to explain, “In other terms, humans do not have any specific immunity against e.g. hepatitis B, but vaccination creates this immunity."

However, Dr Grzesiowski warns that it is vital to undergo a detailed examination before vaccination, which always involves some sort of interference with the immunity system.

“Sick people cannot be vaccinated as this could cause their condition to deteriorate," he concludes.