How can the immune system be strengthened?
To strengthen your own immune system, the following things can be considered: A healthy, balanced diet that provides the body with all the necessary nutrients is essential for a functioning immune system. Especially important are the various vitamins, most of which can be taken in a targeted manner in the form of fruit or vegetables. It is also important to drink enough, as many harmful substances are excreted with the urine.
Taking a sauna or alternating hot and cold showers trains the blood vessels and ensures that the body cools down less quickly. Regular exercise also has an activating effect on the body and thus a positive effect on the immune system. At the same time it is important to relax regularly: The hormone cortisol, which is released during physical and especially mental stress, inhibits the effect of the immune system.
Enough sleep gives the body the opportunity to regenerate and (re)build up the immune system, which makes it less susceptible to infections. Under the effect of sunlight, the body produces more vitamin D, which also supports the immune system. In addition, it is of course advisable to be vaccinated against some diseases, although the annual flu vaccination is controversial and is only recommended if a lot of contact with sick people is to be expected.In general, a healthy optimism and a positive attitude help not only subjectively but also medically proven to help ward off disease. and How can I strengthen my child’s immune system?
Immune system of the intestine
Compared to the skin, the intestine has a gigantic surface area and thus a large surface area for potentially harmful foreign organisms to attack. Therefore, it has some mechanisms to defend itself. So-called mucosa-associated lymphatic tissues, i.e. accumulations of cells of the immune system whose task it is to eliminate pathogens that have penetrated through the comparatively very thin intestinal wall, are distributed throughout the intestine.
The intestine is also populated by billions of different bacteria and other microorganisms, most of which are harmless and not only help digestion but also play an important role in the immune system. For example, they displace foreign, possibly dangerous bacteria, viruses and fungi and prevent them from settling down. They also help to keep the mucous membrane intact and provide the immune system with important information about invading pathogens, so that they can then be fought more effectively.
If this intestinal flora is destroyed, for example by antibiotics, it can be attacked by pathogenic bacteria and thus lead to diarrhoea, for example. In this case, the flora can be “reforested” with so-called probiotics.