What can I do after taking antibiotics to strengthen the immune system?

In most cases, antibiotic therapy also has an effect on the intestinal flora: When antibiotics are taken orally, the bacteria of the colon are also killed. These bacteria normally feed on undigested food components and have a proven impact on a person’s immune defenses and allergies. There are several explanations for the exact mechanism – but it is clear that a good intestinal flora has a positive effect on the performance of the immune system.

After antibiotic therapy, in which certain strains of bacteria in the large intestine have been killed, there are usually false colonizations in the intestine, which means that the surviving bacterial strains can multiply unchecked and thus change the overall qualitative composition of the intestinal flora. This not only affects the tolerance of individual foods, but also the immune system. The solution to this problem can be preparations available in pharmacies for rebuilding a healthy intestinal flora. In extreme cases, i.e. long-term antibiotic therapy, so-called stool transplants can also be a treatment option: In this case, a healthy person’s stool with the bacteria it contains is prepared and supplied to the affected person.

What can I do after chemotherapy to strengthen my immune system?

Very important for the general well-being and health are inner balance and equilibrium. The immune system reacts particularly strongly to negative stress, the so-called distress. This means that chronic, long-lasting restlessness, nervousness and discomfort caused by the release of stress hormones such as cortisol have a direct inhibitory effect on the immune system, leading to increased susceptibility to infections.

In the short term, the body then wants to devote all its energy to dealing with the supposed threat. Although this has helped our ancestors in the Stone Age in acute, truly threatening situations, such as an attack by a wild animal, it has also helped our ancestors in the Stone Age. However, this is unsuitable in today’s professional working world, since the challenges cannot be solved by fight-or-flight.

Recommended are relaxation techniques such as autogenic training, certain meditation exercises or progressive muscle relaxation. If these are carried out regularly and carefully, a strengthening of the immune system can also result according to the reduction of the stress level. In the short term, these help to resolve an acute stress situation and in the long term to prevent a chronic condition.

In addition, a permanent recommendation for a personal attitude towards life that is conducive to inner calmness and balance can be expressly recommended, since a good basic mood and a positive, life-affirming attitude of mind not only lead to a more satisfying, but also to a more immunocompetent and healthier life. Not for nothing are the many relaxation techniques such as Hatha Yoga (Yoga in the original sense: it has spiritual perfection as its goal. The relatively small physical aspect has been redesigned in the West as modern yoga) or meditation (among others in the Vipassana practice of Buddhism) are subordinated to a spiritual, philosophical system.

Another important factor is sufficiently long and high-quality sleep. For most adults this means a sleep duration of 7- 8 hours. Small children and senior citizens have a correspondingly longer or shorter need for sleep.

Furthermore it is important that the sleep is continuous and thus the different sleep phases occur. Especially the deep sleep and the REM phases (Rapid Eye Movement: In this phase of rapid eye movements, mainly dreaming occurs) are important, as these are essential for physical and mental regeneration. The hormone balance is also time-dependent and runs in phases.

For example, the stress hormone cortisol has its lowest plasma level (concentration of a substance in the blood) during the night and thus enables the immune system to develop. The so-called growth hormone somatotropin is also mainly released during sleep at night and is also important for the immune system. Especially endurance sports such as swimming, jogging or cycling have been shown to strengthen the immune system – even if it is not completely clear how this works.

One explanation is that the lymphatic fluid is better transported by muscle movements. In addition to dietary fats, the lymphatic fluid transports many of the immune cells, which thus reach the places where they contribute to the actual defence more quickly. These are mainly the lymph nodes, in which the cells are presented with the corresponding pathogens.

In addition, according to the current state of knowledge, sport is always also training for the immune system: it is assumed that it is stimulated a little by physical exertion. Thus, the production of immune cells does not drop and the immune defense remains at a stronger level than without regular exercise. Ultimately, this is also shown by the fact that people who do sport less often and usually suffer less from infections than other people.

The benefits of an active life are countless. Sport has a beneficial effect on all physical systems, but especially on the cardiovascular system. Since the cardiovascular system in particular supplies the body and thus all cells (including immune cells) with blood, oxygen and nutrients, its strengthening is associated with a strengthening of the immune system.

The heat produced during physical activity is also beneficial for cell activity. Moderate sporting activities such as cycling or swimming also stimulate the immune system in a non-specific way and promote its activity level. It is generally known that saunas promote the body’s resistance to a variety of complaints, including infections.Especially when it comes to an effective warm/cold treatment in the form of a shower under cold water or, in its extreme form, manifesting itself in a bath in ice water, this is an excellent way for the blood vessels and mucous membranes to prepare them for the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria or infectious, pathogenic particles such as viruses.

One of the main reasons for the frequent occurrence of colds in winter is that the temperature of the nasal mucous membrane drops below a certain ambient temperature, so that vasoconstriction (constriction of the blood vessels by the body’s own vascular muscles) occurs reactively. As a result, the areas are less supplied with blood and there are also fewer immune cells in the blood that could ward off a potential viral infection. Even less extreme measures such as an alternating bath or shower are very helpful to get the immune system going again.

What is important is the physiological stimulus that gives the body a stimulus so that it gets used to greater temperature fluctuations and is thus better adapted to different weather conditions. The heat during the sauna to raise the temperature inside the body. This works effectively like a slight fever: the increased temperature makes it easier to kill off pathogens.

The alternation between hot and cold when taking a sauna also stimulates the metabolism and releases endorphins. Both have an indirect positive effect on the immune system: A good metabolism also stimulates the flow of lymphatic fluid, which contains a large proportion of immune cells. Endorphins are the “happiness messengers” of the body, which are responsible for the typical feeling of well-being during and after sauna bathing. Thus they can also support the immune system by influencing the psyche, as stress reduction also has a positive influence on the immune system.