7 Things that Weaken our Immune System

Last week, I talked about our Amazing Immune system and how it functions.  Today, I will deal with what will weaken our vital Immune System. 

Compared to infants and the elderly, people between the ages of 5 and 50 typically have a stronger immune system.  

Lack of Sleep
There is scientific evidence that sleep has powerful effects on immune function.  For example, a modest amount of sleep loss (4 hours a night) reduced natural killer (NK) cell activity to an average of 72%, compared with NK cell activity in participants who had a full night’s sleep.⁵  Sleep loss is also related to a higher risk for infection. Restricting sleep to 4 hours per night for 6 days, followed by sleep for 12 hours per night for 7 days, resulted in a greater than 50% decrease in production of antibodies to influenza vaccination, in comparison with subjects who had regular sleep hours (Figure 2.2, arrow 3).⁸

Too Much or Too Little Exercise
Studies have shown that the seditary lifestyle does affect one’s immune function.  According to a January 2012 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, inactivity can lead to an impaired immune system, inflammation, and other chronic diseases.  It is known for an increased risk for premature death.  
   On the other hand, too much exercise can deplete the body of essential nutrients and can be debilitating for the body and make it more vulnerable to infection.  A good balance is essential.  30 minutes a day of moderate exercise or 5-10 minutes of intense exercise with breaks is recommended.

Stress
Prolonged periods of intense stress can affect the immune system.  Stress makes the brain boost production of the hormone cortisol, which impairs the function of infection-fighting T cells.  

Poor Nutrition
Giving our bodies adequate nutrition is very important for a strong immune system.  Things in our diet that weaken our immune system are: sugars, artificial anything, nitrates and chemicals, anything that contains toxins, over eating, animal products that are not clean (pork, rabbit, crustaceans, etc). 

Lack of Water
Without adequate water, the body is not able to process toxic wastes, carry nutrients and oxygen to the cells, aid digestion, normalize blood pressure, protect organs and tissues, stabilize heartbeat, and regulate body temperature.  It is recommended to drink half your body weight in ounces.  This means a 160 lb person would need to drink 80 oz. of water a day.

Grief
A sudden or tragic event can weaken your body’s immune response, according to the NIMH. Losing a loved one, for example, can boost production of nerve chemicals and hormones that increase your risk for more frequent and severe viral infections, such as the flu, the agency says. Bereavement is associated with increased cortisol response and immune imbalance, according to a June 2012 review published in Dialogues in Clinical NeuroSciences. 

Drugs+
Most ALL drugs will weaken the immune system because they are TOXIC.  This cannot be stressed enough.  Toxins do not promote health.  This is an impossibility.  We cannot eat garbage and be healthy. Sure, we might feel full, but eating garbage will never produce health.  Neither will drugs ever make one healthy!!!!   This goes for vaccines as well.  Vaccines are laden with toxins, to think that this is going to help our immune system is utter insanity.  When we introduce toxins into our body via a non natural method, our immune system goes haywire.  Furthermore, it is readily known that toxins damage the liver.  When our liver is not working well then our body will become more toxic and prone to disease.

I trust this has been helpful.  I will cover what to do to help strengthen our Immune system next week.

We’re Here to Help YOU!
Amy Willis, MH, CN