The immune system is a built-in defense mechanism in the body, designated to help keep us healthy. Its designed to resist the attack of external germs, bacteria, and viruses. The purpose of the immune is to keep us from getting sick, bedridden or hospitalized.
What the immune consists of are several components, which are able to adapt and adjust itself to any new diseases encountered, generating pathogen specific immunity.
Our immune system is divided into two specific types, innate and acquired.
• Innate is the body’s natural resistance to external germs invading our body
• Acquired immunity is a response towards any invasion of a deliberate disease causing agent
As there are various “germ” threats abound in this day and age, are you someone who’s prone to catching any and all types of common illnesses near by.
For most, the sneezing season is wrought with sore throats, coughing, and non-stop sniffles.
These symptoms for some can last or persist throughout the entire cold season, which leads to signs of a weak immune. What you need to know is how vulnerable you are.
1.) – You Always Feel Sick And Tired
The most obvious sign of low immunity is you constantly feel sick, and prone to easily coming down with something that makes you feel ill and under the weather.
Know the average adult comes down with 2 to 4 illnesses per season, while kids will contract bouts of illness up to 8 times. If you’re sick more often than that, it’s a good sign your immunity is weakened.
2.) – You’re Constantly Under Stress
You know you work too much, you have little downtime for rest and relaxation because of a busy schedule, an active family, and too many social obligations.
What the various health associations will constantly warn, is any type of prolonged stress does is it compromises the immune system.
This is the reason why you’ll often get sick directly following that big project at work.
If you’re feeling a bit sick already, then what the chronic stress does is it exacerbates the symptoms of an existing cold, causing the virus to linger around for a while longer.
3.) – You Have Low Energy
It’s absolutely normal to begin feeling a bit tired once the “germ” season rolls around, as the body is adjusting to the fluctuating temperatures of the new weather patterns.
However, even after a few weeks of adjustment, you continue to feel lethargic, and all you’re wanting to do is sleep. What your immune system is crying out for is some type of boost.
What you then need is to prepare better by resetting your immune system by adopting a healthier diet. Inject regular exercise, take supplements, and get at least 8-hours of sleep.
4.) – Abnormal Bodily Functions
Although you may not like the dreaded drippy or stuffy nose, what the nasal cavities when they’re moist or runny is doing, is fighting off an oncoming cold.
The mucous that forms and discharges out of the body is one of the best methods of ridding of those nasty germs or viruses, you’ve contracted and built up.
But if your nose remains bone dry, what happens is the germs will linger, promoting a cold or flu to persist and remain in the body.
So it’s recommended you keep your nasal airways moistened, by using a humidifier while you sleep.
5.) – You Pack Around A Few Extra Pounds
What those extra pounds do is weigh down your body, absorb valuable energy, while dampening your brain, heart, joints, and more importantly your immune response.
If you happen to be a bit over weight, what occurs is a metabolic chain reaction in your body, that compromises your nutrient absorption and your hormonal balance.
What this results in is chronic inflammation, leaving you exposed to all types of germs, viruses, and infections.
A recent study concluded that any type of metabolic abnormality, is closely linked to obesity, which leads to an increased risk of contracting a virus.
6.) – You’re Constantly Dehydrated
There’s a reason why doctors along with all health practitioners will tell you to drink plenty of fluids, usually purified water, fruit juices or herbal based teas when you’re battling a cold.
What the body does is it uses these fluids as a means of detoxifying and eradicating the germs along with other toxins.
The best “self-check” method is to take a look at your urine.
If it’s not clear, then that’s a sign you need to drink more water, this to accelerate your germ fighting ability.
7.) – Make Sure The Water Is Purified
Drinking water directly from the tap in the industrialized world is still common practice.
What most assume is that the drinking water is clean and chemical free.
Based on research, it’s found the water quality in the average city water wells, contain contaminants such as arsenic for instance, levels deemed safe by the environmental agencies.
But even just trace amounts can build up and weaken the immune response, which invites viruses such as influenza.
8.) – You Constantly Crave Sugar
Most have a weakness for sugar, which began from childhood.
What an addiction for the sweet stuff does, is elevates the risk of your oral health while also increasing your waistline.
This especially for those who are overweight, or if the temperature is cold and the fat has no where to go.
For those who has a tendency to give in to anything sweet, such as store bought bakery goods, soda, candy, and anything else that contains refined empty sugar. Your immune system becomes weakened.
The reason being what sugar does is it lessens the response of the white blood cells, which are assigned to kill germs.
So if you consume more than 100-grams, which is equivalent to 3 cans of soda on a daily basis, what you’re doing is reducing your immune systems ability to fight off disease.