Excerpted from “The Truth About Your Immune System”, a Special Health Report from Harvard Health Publications
What can you do?
On the whole, your immune system does a remarkable job of defending you against disease-causing microorganisms. But sometimes it fails: A germ invades successfully and makes you sick. Is it possible to intervene in this process and make your immune system stronger? What if you improve your diet? Take certain vitamins or herbal preparations? Make other lifestyle changes in the hope of producing a near-perfect immune response?
The idea of boosting your immunity is enticing, but the ability to do so has proved elusive for several reasons. The immune system is precisely that — a system, not a single entity. To function well, it requires balance and harmony. There is still much that researchers don’t know about the intricacies and interconnectedness of the immune response. For now, there are no scientifically proven direct links between lifestyle and enhanced immune function.
Stress, either quick or constant, can induce risky body-mind disorders. Immediate disorders such as dizzy spells, anxiety attacks, tension, sleeplessness, nervousness and muscle cramps can all result in chronic health problems. They may also affect our immune, cardiovascular and nervous systems and lead individuals to habitual addictions, which are inter-linked with stress.
It doesn’t matter whether you want to achieve the best results in all the spheres of your life or prefer to live without fuss. Your life can’t be harmonious without health. Otherwise all you efforts will be aimed on other things. Just to feel better. Some people don’t realize it till they face this challenge. And nobody can realize what the problems are in the health system till they start to wait for assistance from its services.
