The Holidays are a great time of year. It gives us a chance to gather with our family and loved ones and brings joy to our lives. Unfortunately, it is also a time when people frequently get sick and is also known as the cold and flu season. It can be quite discouraging when these illnesses affect the people we love and put a damper on our holiday season. How do you protect yourself?
Our bodies are designed to defend against foreign invaders that make us sick and has a built in defense mechanism known as our immune system. Our immune system effectively protects us from bacteria and other unwanted microorganisms every day. When our immune system is weakened we end up getting sick. Taking care of our immune system should be of upmost importance to prevent illness during the cold and flu season.
The immune system consists of proteins, cells, tissues and organs that are programmed to follow a plan called the immune response. This response allows the body to attack foreign invaders and organisms that cause sickness in our body. White blood cells are a big part of our defensive mechanism. They are created and stored in various locations in the body. Some of these areas include the thymus, bone marrow, spleen and lymph nodes. A large percentage of these white blood cells are known as phagocytes. These cells are responsible for eating invaders.
One liter of blood in the human body contains about six billion phagocytes.
Lymphocytes are another type of white blood cell and are responsible for remembering and killing the invaders. They are divided into two groups, B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes. B Lymphocytes develop a memory of the foreign substance and produce antibodies in case of future attacks on the body. Antibodies need help and that is where T lymphocytes come in. T lymphocytes help destroy the foreign invaders and signal phagocytes to join in the fight.
There are five things that are effective to do to boost the immune system and stay healthy during the holidays. The first is to take vitamin D3. Most people stay indoors a lot more during the winter and our bodies get less vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D is important for a healthy immune system. Taking probiotics can also help. Probiotics help restore the normal flora that should exist in our digestive tract.
Our digestive system plays an important role in helping our immune system. Taking antiviral herbal supplements are known to attack viruses and have found to be helpful especially for those that spend a lot of time in crowded areas like the airport and mall. Such herbs may include elderberry, grapefruit seed extract and olive leaf extract. Stay away from junk food, especially sugar and processed foods. They are hard on the body and are known to decrease immune function. Eat greens. Dark greens are loaded with good nutrients for the body that help to fight off sickness.