Take Good Care of Your Immune System

The immune system is your most important health ally. Its job is to keep you healthy at all times. Your body is created that way; if only you could eat and drink foods that are completely pure and chockfull of all the best vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc. The main function of your immune system is to fight off all the harmful bacteria, viruses, toxins, parasites and the like that are constantly trying to attack you.

Your skin is your protective coating. Toxins, acids and overexposure to sunshine are just a few examples of how it can be attacked. Furthermore, all kinds of germs enter the body through cuts, bruises and burns.

You are constantly bombarded by billions of harmful elements, called pathogens, every day. The nose, mouth and skin are examples of mechanical barriers that are the first line of defense against infection. However, your body is not sealed against all detrimental onslaughts. Other systems help protect the body openings: the lungs, intestines, and the genitourinary tract.

Mechanical barriers are involuntary actions that expel pathogens. Coughing and sneezing eject most of these invaders from the respiratory tract. Tears and urine expel them through their automatic flushing action, while mucus in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts ensnares the microorganisms.

Then there are the chemical barriers. These are antimicrobial enzymes secreted in the skin and respiratory tract. Saliva, tears, breast milk, gastric secretions and genitourinary tract secretions all fight off germs chemically.

A healthy immune system keeps you healthy by getting rid of the culprits before they can settle in and reverse your sense of wellbeing. It also heals any physical injury! Fever and swelling are some of the side effects of an effective immune system.

This is merely a partial simplistic picture of your immune system. But, isn't it amazing how your body is programmed to keep you in top health?

So, why is it that you still get sick if your body is designed to fix every ailment single handedly? Well, in a nutshell, the lack of the right nutrients and antioxidants in your regular diet will eventually lead to immunodeficiency.

Immunodeficiency diseases occur when the immune system becomes less active. This can be caused by genetic diseases, drugs, or infections such as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which is caused by the retrovirus HIV.

On the other side of the spectrum are the autoimmune diseases resulting from a hyperactive immune system. In this case normal healthy tissues are attacked as if they were foreign organisms. Autoimmune diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus type 1 and lupus. There is much scientific study in progress regarding its causes.

High blood sugar, for example, is the result of the immune system getting a wrong signal to destroy cells in the pancreas. Itching and sneezing reflect the system's overreaction to certain stimuli due to faulty communication between cells.

Our blood requires a ph balance of 7.36. If it's too acidic, which is most often brought on be various forms of stress, it will attempt to regain its alkalinity. It does that by leeching calcium, which is alkaline, from the bones. According to medical science, this calcium transfer is the cause of so many joint disorders!

So you can see that the body, although it has all the systems in place for your health, is very dependent on optimum nutrition. Your very best investment in your life and wellbeing is keeping your ph balance in check with the most potent antioxidants. They are the communicators between all the cells and ensure that your immunity is a peak performance.

Nuggets of wisdom to take to heart:
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Don't worry; be happy!
Laughter doeth good like a medicine.

Ann Stewart, author, inspirational writer and wellness coach, shares tips on how to fight off disease and feel your best in her weekly newsletter, Youth Makeover