The Immune System and You

The immune system is the body's primary defense mechanism against infections, and imbalances or disturbances in the system can cause (dis)ease, or, if the activity is harmful to the host as in auto-immune states. A healthy and robust immune system is essential to normal health. The Immune System and You is the urgent talk needed today, for a basic understanding, of how it works for you as it underlies your health or your disease.

Before we go into how to boost your immune system or how to strengthen it, it is important to have the understanding that the fact that there are so many viruses in so-called animal “reservoirs” is not a surprise to scientists and researchers are studying them. But the concern is that the evolution of human behavior, both social and economic, is increasingly reaching out to this army in animal habitats. Experts say this is the result of massive deforestation and the expansion of agricultural land to provide food and other goods to a human population that has more than doubled, from 3 billion in the 1960s to the current 7.7 billion.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the friction caused is among the factors that allow infectious diseases to arise at a faster rate in human populations, including the three main killer coronaviruses of the 21st century so far,  and although most of these new pathogens come from animals, the disease epidemics that follow are the result of a complex network of human infrastructure and transport networks around the world - this is what quickly spreads a virus far beyond the forest, farm or community, where it first jumped from an animal to a person, and from person to person throughout almost all the countries in the world.

“These repercussions have always happened - that is part of nature - but it is our activities that are changing things," said veterinary epidemiologist Dirk Pfeiffer. "We are creating an imbalance; we are approaching the forest and invading the habitat of wild animals and pathogens that we did not know before".

This is compounded by the growth of megacities that, along with the massive development of global trade and travel, allow infections to spread quickly, said Pfeiffer, a professor at Hong Kong City University.

"Human beings have shaped the planet to make more money and live comfortably, and in doing so have provided the best possible environment for the transmission of pathogens," he said.

We need to understand how and why these things are happening at a faster pace and need to think about pandemics the same way we think about climate change or climate cycles - it is an existential threat to us, but it is a threat we can really control if we start focusing on the right way to handle it - prevention.

Are there more scientists working on treatment and vaccines for viruses and bacteria or prevention? I really don’t know! Even in the prevention area, are they doing it the right way or just based on vaccines? Is there another way? Of course there is!

Are we going to continue to be convinced we must “run away” from viruses or bacteria or as some say “kill them” or are we going to finally wake up to the fact that all are part of nature, and we as members of nature in this planet, must learn to live respecting boundaries and using the tools innate in our bodies to be immune and healthy?!

Human bodies are built with all the tools to be healthy and immune from the contagion of viruses and bacteria, the problem arises when the person mistreats the body over and over with abuse, to the point the immune system becomes incapable of responding.

People are easily persuaded to take a pill instead of changing their lifestyle to healthier ways of recovering and improving their health. Big pharma and governments do all the hypnosis mental marketing work that persuades people, and society nods and helps, so they walk through life taking a pill for just about anything! How many do you take per day? It may be time to review your situation.

Taking into consideration the immune system and you belong to only one entity which is YOU - only you - will be able to evaluate what you need to do to be in shape now and again, and here I am just going to focus on the general guidelines for all, as each unique person has unique needs that correspond to their unique lifestyle, and this article is a general view not a private session.

How can you improve your immune system?

In abstract your immune system does a remarkable job of defending you against disease by causing the necessary microorganisms to act, but it may fail if it is not robust enough.

Energy imbalance, wrong diet, lifestyle, lack of certain nutrients, lack of sun light, drug abuse (legal or non-legal), alcohol, smoking, stress (continuous fight or flight state) all contribute for a weak immune system, in which, over the years of abuse, one becomes less and less protected. In order to improve your immune system, you must truthfully review your habits and get the bad ones out of your system one by one, so then it has time to recover.  That’s as easy and as hard – I know – habits are very hard to change, but all you have to do is to go within and evaluate what is best for you:  - The habit or your good health!?

What can you do to boost your immune system?

The idea of boosting your immunity is desirable, but the ability to do so has proved sometimes elusive to some, as the immune system is a large organization that belongs to a single entity (YOU)  - is part of many others – as many say – there is a large condominium inside each body – which is comprised of at least one hundred trillion cells, and for all to function well, it requires a normal flow and balance of energy as well as harmony through it all; this is where Reiki practices become extremely handy. Many are eluded to think if they have a balanced diet and exercise they should be healthy; little do they know that there is much more to the whole functioning of the body and what contributes to be out of balance, aside from diet and exercise.

But that doesn't mean the effects of lifestyle on the immune system aren't important – they are just not enough.  Researchers are exploring the effects of diet, exercise, age, psychological stress, and other factors on the immune response.

Healthy ways to strengthen your immune system

-        Your first line of defense is to choose a healthy lifestyle with the adequate nutrition for you, where the focus should be on the quality and less on the quantity – eat less and eat better.  Cook your meals using fresh and varied ingredients. Do not eat the same foods every day, rotate them.

-        Maintain a healthy weight.

-        Use the principles of a good and proper hygiene for your body, your food and your house.

-        Don't smoke.

-        Exercise regularly – and this does not have to be at a gym, or too strenuous anyway, just move, move and move! Dance!

-        If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation.

-        Get adequate sleep.

-        Minimize or reduce stress by meditating every day using whatever method is best for you.

-        Avoid direct contact (is possible) with people that are always sick or are always negative. Build boundaries. 

-        Take on sun bathing – a few minutes a day is enough – without sunscreen.

Many products on store shelves claim to boost or support the immune system, but the concept of boosting immunity for one might not be the same for another person,  I already said each one is unique, and pertains to  several factors such as DNA, pre-existence of certain auto-immune diseases for instance, or age – but not always.

Immune system and age

Generally and in abstract as we age, our immune response capability becomes reduced, because of long substance or diet abuse or long pre-existing conditions, which in turn contributes to more probability of infections. To be clear - the immune system response capability does not become reduced because of age but because of being neglected or mistreated over the years.

While some people age healthily, others don’t because of the abuse they take on their bodies during years on, end making them more vulnerable to contract infectious diseases due to the reduction in immune response.

There is evidence that various micronutrient deficiencies alter immune responses, especially as it is almost impossible in today’s diet habits to ingest the appropriate dosage for each person. However, if you suspect your diet is not providing you with all your micronutrient needs — maybe, because there are certain important foods you don’t like, for instance — taking a daily multivitamin with minerals will supplement you and may bring the balance you need. Taking mega doses of a single vitamin because someone advised you to - is not advisable! During the winter months, though, it might be useful to supplement the multivitamin with an extra dosage of vitamin C, because their composition is usually not enough to support you during the colder season. Vitamin C does not stay in the system anyway – it washes off through the urine so you must take it all the time it’s needed, and the extra need is during the cold season.

Stress and immune function

Modern medicine has come to appreciate the closely linked relationship of mind and body. A wide variety of maladies, including stomach upset, hives, skin disorders or conditions and even heart disease, are linked to the effects of emotional stress. Despite the challenges, scientists are actively studying the relationship between stress and immune function, but are often lacking the will to go deeper and advise the healthier approaches, instead of the usual drugs prescribed for stress that continue to be a constant weakening of the immune system. These drugs only serve as a patch-up and do not resolve the underlying condition anyway.

Stress produces too much of the hormone cortisol which in short spurts can boost your immunity by limiting inflammation, but over time, your body can get used to having too much cortisol in your blood opening the door to a decrease of the body’s lymphocytes — the white blood cells that help fight off infection. The lower your lymphocyte level, the more at risk you are for viruses, including the common cold.

Is exercise good for the immune system?

Regular exercise or movement is good for healthy living period.  A person can’t think that it’s healthy to be a “couch potato”, but unless you are an athlete of some sort, the normal body was not built to be in constant or strenuous movement all the time as muscles need rest anyway.  In my perspective, exercise is necessary but very personal – attending to specific needs. Some people prefer to run, others bike, others yoga… to me simple gymnastics or dancing are my favorite way of exercise - free flow, and happy way, to exercise all my muscles. Whatever your preference is, any kind of movement improves your health, but most of all moves your energy flow throughout the body.  But does exercise help boost your immune system naturally and keep it healthy? No! Just like a healthy diet, exercise can contribute to general good health and therefore to a healthier immune system as it may contribute more directly by promoting good circulation, better flow of energy, which allows the cells and substances of the immune system to move through the body freely and do their job efficiently, but never just that alone.

Does Reiki help the immune system?

Yes! Our physical condition, mental and emotional state affect all energy centers which in turn affects our health; when the energy flow is incomplete or  nonexistent due to blockages, and this persists for a long period of time, depending on each unique body immune system, the body becomes (dis)eased. In other words:  (dis)ease (lack of ease) happens when the  body is energetically unbalanced for a certain period of time. 

Each energy center has it´s unique area to energize, specifically, but it is the normal flow throughout all of the body energy centers (chakras) that produces the total balanced wellbeing and the harmony for the immune system to be robust. You may read  to better understand how this works The Seven Main Energy Centers or Chakras of the Body

It is time to go within and meditate on how you’ve been treating nature in general, as well as specifically - how you’ve been treating your body all your life - and what it is telling you right now, so you can understand that The Immune System and You is the most important discussion you should have with yourself right now,  to be safe and healthy in this world.  In this reality all you have to do is learn how to be good to your own spiritual vessel – the one you chose to have this time - your body - by using all your innate tools instead of poisonous chemicals.

Much Love and Light!