The Immune Response

Doctors and nutritionists believe that the average American’s immune response is only functioning at about 70%.  That means their immune system is about 70% effective.  Is that good enough?  For some, maybe.  But if you’re getting sick too much, probably not.  Your immune function may be well under that national average.

I was reading in the local newspaper about the recent Swine Flu scare and how the spread is uncertain at this point.  I have two daughters in college and the first week after they went back they were hearing that kids had the flu, some the regular flu and at least two cases of the Swine Flu.  It is very unsettling having children in college when there is a potential outbreak because viruses spread very quickly in dorms.  They live such a ‘close’ lifestyle in small rooms and sometimes community bathrooms.  Schools in general can be challenging because kids pass germs very quickly, and repeated sickness can hurt immune function.

Chilly weather is coming soon, and this is the favorite time of year for the flu and many other seasonal health challenges.  There is fear that we are going to be a sick nation.  I prefer to focus on prevention.  I sent my daughters to school loaded with natural supplement that will help build their immune system.  Still it is challenging.  However, many times when your body is more prepared than it might otherwise have been, and even if you get some part of the ‘bug’, it is likely that the symptoms will be less and the recovery time will be quicker.  That is what my goal is for myself and my family, and we have to be pro-active if we want to get good results.

The article in my newspaper stated that the Swine flu is brand new, and nobody really has immunity to it.  I heard it discussed on the national news (television) that older adults may have some immunity, though younger people have none.  What we are hoping is that the flu will wait until the vaccine is released, or at least the widespread part of it.  We are just starting to hear about how many doses of the Swine Flu vaccine people will need, on top of the regular flu shot.  Not everyone will get it because there may not be enough.

Whether you don’t get the flu because of supply and demand, or your own personal choice, and even if you do get the shot, there are preventive measures to take as well.  Everyone talks about washing your hands, but don’t let that lessen your observance of it.  Wash your hands.  Often.

We know that nutrition can help us be well, and yet we don’t eat the best diets every day.  And we eat fast foods.  And we eat processed foods.  And we are stressed.  And many of us don’t exercise enough or sleep well.  These things and more can put us in the less than national average immune system statistics.  And it can make us sick more than we want to be.

I don’t know about you but I hate to be sick, even with the common cold.  I am faithful to an array of supplements every single day of the year, and it pays off for me.  When I am exposed to something, or maybe feeling tired (one of the first signs of getting sick), I take a special echinacea blend for a week to ten days.  Almost always, I can beat it.

I may get the flu, one of them, this winter.  Of course I hope that I don’t.  All I know is that I am doing everything I can to prevent it, and that is all I can do.  Besides supplementing with the nutrition that I know I don’t get enough of in the foods that I eat, I try to sleep enough hours every night (that can be challenging because I am not always tired and always find something to do.. plus night time is my favorite time to work!), exercise (taking the time can be tough, but it pays off), balance stress, and think positively.  These may sound like things you’ve heard before, and brushed off, but bottom line is:  they work.

Science tells us these things.  They are proven.  They are not even that hard.. it just takes desire.  I answered a question on LinkedIn yesterday.  Someone was asking why people don’t succeed at something when they have proven answers or ways to be successful.  My answer is that it is all about desire.

We have to want things for ourselves.  There has to be a ‘strong why.’  It is what will drive us each day.  It will keep us going.  It will make sure we do what we need to do.  And it will bring us results.

I started this article writing about the Immune Response, and went a little off-track (especially if you were looking for an all-technical article).  What I wrote about is still associated with our immune response because the immunity results we get can be very closely related to the choices we make.  We have to want wellness for ourselves.