Keep your immune system at its best
Lead Summary
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Stress control, plenty of sleep, physical activity, balanced nutrition and hydration are key factors in maintaining a strong immune system. Your chances of surviving, recovering, or totally avoiding infectious diseases is much higher if your general health is good. Not only does a strong immune system keep you healthy during cold and flu season, it also determines how long and how well you live.
“Exercise is one of the best tools for keeping your immune system in shape,” says Paul H. Schreibman, M.D., internal medicine physician at Lynchburg Medical Center and on the medical staff at Highland District Hospital. “It is also great for keeping your bones healthy, mind focused, outlook bright, weight managed, hypertension controlled, stress reduced, and body image improved.”
Wow! How do we start? “Take your first step and don’t over do it,” says Dr. Schreibman. “Walking or running for 30 to 45 minutes most days of the week is considered moderate exercise and just the right amount to boost health, improve fitness, reduce sick days and enhance immunity. Vigorous exercise —90 minutes or more of high-intensity exercise—can actually cause the immune system to drop in function, so keep it moderate.”
Exercise also helps to reduce stress, making it an immunity booster. Long-term stress on the immune system and inflammation process (when the immune system senses an intruder) may influence depression, infections, auto-immune diseases, heart disease and even some types of cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.
“We can’t really change the world we live in, but we can do things to change our bodies’ reactions to it,” says Dr. Schreibman. “After a stress-filled day, a walk or run may be the best antidote against stress and sickness.”
A good circulatory system affects your immune system, because the bone marrow is where immune cells are made. “So keep it healthy,” says Dr. Schreibman. “Have your annual check-ups. Watch your cholesterol.”
Other Immunity Boosters
• Remember what your mother probably told you over and over, “Wash your hands”. Good advice, especially with the threat of the flu still lurking about.
• Eat a healthy diet filled with antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables to neutralize free radicals—toxic byproducts of digestion, pollution, cigarette smoke—that can damage DNA, suppress the immune system and cause some types of cancer.
• Take vitamin D supplements to reduce the risk of flu and auto-immune diseases. Check with your health care provider on the amount you need to take. A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that 75 percent of U.S. teenagers and adults are vitamin D deficient.
Stay hydrated. Water is essential to your body’s health.
An estimated 1 billion colds will lead to visits to doctors and missed days of work and school in America this year. “To stay healthy,” says Dr. Schreibman, “develop healthy habits to keep your immune system strong.” Paul Schreibman, MD – Lynchburg Medical Center 937.364.2346.[[In-content Ad]]
“Exercise is one of the best tools for keeping your immune system in shape,” says Paul H. Schreibman, M.D., internal medicine physician at Lynchburg Medical Center and on the medical staff at Highland District Hospital. “It is also great for keeping your bones healthy, mind focused, outlook bright, weight managed, hypertension controlled, stress reduced, and body image improved.”
Wow! How do we start? “Take your first step and don’t over do it,” says Dr. Schreibman. “Walking or running for 30 to 45 minutes most days of the week is considered moderate exercise and just the right amount to boost health, improve fitness, reduce sick days and enhance immunity. Vigorous exercise —90 minutes or more of high-intensity exercise—can actually cause the immune system to drop in function, so keep it moderate.”
Exercise also helps to reduce stress, making it an immunity booster. Long-term stress on the immune system and inflammation process (when the immune system senses an intruder) may influence depression, infections, auto-immune diseases, heart disease and even some types of cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.
“We can’t really change the world we live in, but we can do things to change our bodies’ reactions to it,” says Dr. Schreibman. “After a stress-filled day, a walk or run may be the best antidote against stress and sickness.”
A good circulatory system affects your immune system, because the bone marrow is where immune cells are made. “So keep it healthy,” says Dr. Schreibman. “Have your annual check-ups. Watch your cholesterol.”
Other Immunity Boosters
• Remember what your mother probably told you over and over, “Wash your hands”. Good advice, especially with the threat of the flu still lurking about.
• Eat a healthy diet filled with antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables to neutralize free radicals—toxic byproducts of digestion, pollution, cigarette smoke—that can damage DNA, suppress the immune system and cause some types of cancer.
• Take vitamin D supplements to reduce the risk of flu and auto-immune diseases. Check with your health care provider on the amount you need to take. A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that 75 percent of U.S. teenagers and adults are vitamin D deficient.
Stay hydrated. Water is essential to your body’s health.
An estimated 1 billion colds will lead to visits to doctors and missed days of work and school in America this year. “To stay healthy,” says Dr. Schreibman, “develop healthy habits to keep your immune system strong.” Paul Schreibman, MD – Lynchburg Medical Center 937.364.2346.[[In-content Ad]]