Immune Health

7 Tips to Improve Immune System and Lower Health Risks with Lifestyle Choices

Here’s how to support immunity with healthy lifestyle choices and precautions for survival, well-being, and longevity

It is impossible to eliminate internal and external threats. Unfortunately, it is also not feasible to estimate when subsequent threats like Covid virus will hit humanity. However, it is possible to improve our defense system and deal with the situations as they arise by improving our defense system with healthy lifestyle choices.

Purpose of the Article

The human defense system is very complex. It comprises multiple components such as the immune system, genome, stem cells, lymphatic system, blood vessels, and gut microbiota.

For example, just the immune system, a component of the defense system, includes over a million medical reports in the National Library of Medicine (PubMed) in English.

There are also thousands of books and other resources. So the defense system is a substantial health topic.

As it is impossible to cover all aspects of the defense system in a single article, I only focus on the most critical items from a single perspective.

My goal is to highlight healthy lifestyle choices to strengthen the defense system and reduce the effects of internal and external threats.

First, I’d like to provide a generic definition and highlight why it is so critical for our health and well-being. Then, I summarize seven lifestyle factors to improve the defense system and lower the risks of threats.

What is a defense system, and why does it matter?

There appears to be a constant war inside our bodies, even though we might not be aware of this ongoing battle. A staggering army of complex defense systems continuously protects us from internal and external invaders.

The human defense system has multiple components. Literature encapsulated their functions under three headings, 1) physical barriers, 2) internal protection, and 3) adaptive responses.

The literature indicates that our defense system comprises the core immune system, genome, stem cells, lymphatic system, blood vessels, and gut microbiota.

I mention these defense system components as they play different roles and have various functions for protection. Therefore, their awareness is critical to design our lifestyle choices.

The defense system is critical for our survival as there are too many threats to the human body. These threats can be both internal and external. The most common hazards are toxins and pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites.

Entirely eliminating them is not possible. Besides, some of them are necessary for various biochemical functions in the body. However, keeping them in balance is essential for our survival and well-being.

Even though our immune system is designed to protect us paradoxically, an overactive immune system can also cause problems. This condition is known as autoimmunity, meaning the body attacks its own resources.

There are around 80 autoimmune conditions, as documented in this source. Unfortunately, immune and autoimmune conditions cause mortality and morbidity for millions of people.

Like all other systems, our defense system components also weaken as we age. Therefore, we need to pay more attention to healthy lifestyle choices to support immunity as we age.

Here are the seven tips to improve the defense system and lower health risks.

In the following sections, I only focus on principles, and the implementation of these items varies from person to person.

Principles can apply to everyone and be customized based on individual needs and goals with support from professionals.

1 — Use nutrition, water, and air as protective and healing tools.

Food is essential for energy, but it also serves as a building block for our cells’ growth and maintenance. Food, drink, and air are the most critical factors in ingesting toxins and pathogens into the body.

Some food can strengthen the defense system, and some can weaken it. Therefore what we eat matters to protect our cells.

Refraining from toxic and inflammatory food is a practical measure to improve the defense system. Eating whole food and refraining from empty calories coming from junk food are vital considerations.

As nutritional deficiencies can weaken the immune system, we need to address them timely. When required, we must consider supplementing essential micronutrients with support from qualified professionals.

In addition, eliminating anti-nutrients and toxic content from our food and beverages is necessary. Nutritious food is also essential for gut health which is part of our defense system.

Clean water and air are vital to keeping the defense system intact. Water and air are cleansing agents in the body. For example, drinking pure water and breathing exercises can clean the toxins in the bloodstream.

2 — Use exercise to get rid of toxins and pathogens.

Exercise has many benefits for improving the defense system. It maintains blood flow, oxygenates the cells, strengthens the muscles, burns excess calories, mobilizes fat, and eliminates toxins from the body.

How to exercise and how much to move the body depends on our needs, fitness levels, and goals. The critical point is to make movement a habit and do it regularly.

Both cardio and resistance training can improve the defense system using various mechanisms. However, excessive exercise increasing oxidative stress, might also suppress the immune system. Therefore, moderation based on our fitness levels is a crucial point.

For example, excessive cardio, such as long-distance running for a prolonged time, might damage joints and increase inflammation.

3 — Improve sleep and rest to lower stress.

As documented in this paper, “Over the last 15 years, research following a systems approach of neuroimmunology has accumulated strong evidence that sleep enhances immune defense, in agreement with the popular wisdom that sleep helps to heal.”

Overall, the literature indicates that restorative sleep and intentional rest are critical in forming immunological memories. Sleep is also essential for optimizing hormones and neurotransmitters to improve immunity.

Sleep deprivation can weaken the immune system and expose the body to internal and external threats. Therefore, improving our sleep is crucial to strengthen our defense system.

4 — Keep the body and environment clean.

Hygiene is essential to lower the effects of toxins and pathogens on the body. Our skin serves as a physical barrier to external threats.

Our skin is a protective organ, but it is exposed to many external microorganisms and toxins. The skin can absorb those toxins and pathogens if they are not removed timely and effective manner.

When harmful organisms and toxic materials threaten our health, our immune system is activated to defend our bodies from detrimental effects.

Therefore, cleaning our bodies and living environments is vital to lower the adverse impact of environmental threats.

We need to be cautious about using toxic cleaning agents. This is because the skin can absorb them, which can go to our bloodstream as foreign materials and cause inflammatory and allergic reactions.

5 — Use cold and heat to detoxify the body.

While hygiene can help with external threats, cold and heat therapies known as thermogenesis might naturally lower internal threats by detoxifying the body.

Cold and heat can activate the lymphatic system and enable the toxins to be removed from cells. Cold and heat create different biochemical reactions in our bodily systems.

For example, heat cause perspiration and enables toxins to be removed from the body through the skin. Therefore, health therapy such as dry saunas can bring many health benefits by improving the immune system.

Alternative cold and hot showers can engage the lymphatic systems and blood vessels to get rid of toxins from the body naturally.

6 — Leverage fasting to lower inflammation and initiate self-healing systems.

I recently posted an article about how fasting can be an alternative therapy to combat infectious diseases such as those caused by viruses and bacterial attacks. I introduced a few scientific papers in the story.

Studies indicate that intermittent fasting boosts host defense mechanisms while modulating the inflammatory response. I documented my perspectives on chronic inflammation in a previous article.

However, besides lowering inflammation, the most crucial contribution of intermittent and long-term fasting is to initiate the autophagy process allowing the body to self-heal.

The autophagy and mitophagy processes built into our bodies and activated when refrained from food can eliminate our zombie cells, pathogens, and harmful proteins. Self-eating is a miracle of the human body that we can leverage to enhance our defense system.

Intermittent fasting is even used for cancer prevention and treatment, as I documented in an article.

7 — Manage thoughts and emotions to balance hormones and neurotransmitters.

Some might wonder what thoughts and emotions got to do with the defense system. Unfortunately, thoughts and emotions are less spoken aspects of our overall health and well-being. Fortunately, psychosomatic health principles cover this.

In addition to our biology, our psychology can also impact our defense system, especially the immune system, DNA, and gut health.

For example, stress affects our genes through the DNA Methylation process, as I explained in an article titled Here’s How Stress Impacts Us at a Genetic Level and How to Address It with Lifestyle Changes.

Our thoughts and emotions can increase stress and anxiety, causing hormonal and neurotransmitter imbalances. So stress is psychosomatic, affecting both the body and mind. For example, elevated cortisol caused by chronic stress can suppress the immune system.

Traumatic memories can suppress the immune system through various mechanisms. Studies indicate that accumulated and unaddressed emotional stress is one of the root causes of autoimmune disorders such as ALS, Multiple sclerosis, lupus, Sjogren syndrome, or celiac.

Thus, it is crucial to manage our thoughts, regulate our emotions, and obtain timely professional support. Especially expressing our emotions is an essential requirement for our health and well-being.

Conclusions and Takeaways

There has been a constant war inside us since our inception in human form. As a result, our body has an army of highly complex defense systems with numerous integrated and functional components.

An awareness of our bodily enemies — viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites — and an understanding of the importance and mechanisms of our defense system can help design our lifestyle choices, health, fitness, and well-being goals.

As the defense system has multiple facets, such as the immune system, gut, genome, lymphatic system, and blood vessels, we need to tailor our needs and goals to support these systems.

Supporting our organs with healthy lifestyle choices and therapies when needed is critical to improving our defense system.

For example, as part of the lymphatic system, the spleen and thymus protect the body by clearing defective red blood cells and foreign bodies from the bloodstream.

Gut health, as part of the defense system, is fascinating. As documented in this paper, “the gut microbiota, the largest symbiotic ecosystem with the host, has been shown to play essential roles in maintaining intestinal homeostasis.”

Another paper highlights that “the gut microbiome can modulate the host immune system both locally and systemically.”

As part of the defense system, our bodies have a mechanism to regenerate, thanks to stem cells. Some organs can grow even if they are damaged. For example, the liver can produce after cutting a certain amount in a required surgical operation.

Metabolic health also affects immune health. For example, excessive visceral fat accumulates too many toxins and might adversely affect immunity.

Besides, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and insulin resistance might weaken the defense system. Therefore, lowering visceral fat by retaining lean muscles might be a valuable lifestyle choice.

In addition to whole foods, considering some immune-boosting nutrients can be invaluable. Some vitamins, such as Vitamin D, especially from sunlight, and minerals, such as magnesium, are critical for the immune system. Their deficiency can weaken it.

Some molecules, such as NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine), look promising to improve immunity by supporting master antioxidant glutathione.

Besides healthy lifestyle habits, I am also interested in immunotherapy which is growing and evolving rapidly. It creates hope in dealing with deadly diseases, thus increasing our lifespan, also known as longevity.

As documented in the immunotherapy literature, vaccinations and medications can also strengthen the defense system. Therefore, getting timely support from qualified healthcare professionals is crucial.

It is not possible to eliminate internal and external threats. But it is possible to improve our defense system with healthy lifestyle choices.

For example, despite my stringent precautions, I couldn’t prevent exposing myself to Covid earlier this year, but my solid immune system helped me deal with it effectively.

I also overcame my autoimmune conditions by reprogramming my immune system with healthy lifestyle habits, as I documented in an article titled Here’s How I Tamed Overactive Immune System and Lowered Arthritis Symptoms in 5 Steps.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

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