World Immunization Week is a global public health campaign to raise awareness and increase rates of immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases around the world. It takes place each year during the last week of April. Immunization can protect against 25 different infectious agents or diseases, from infancy to old age, including diphtheria, measles, pertussis, polio and tetanus. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates active immunization currently averts 2 to 3 million deaths every year. The goal of World Immunization Week is to raise public awareness of how immunization saves lives, and support people everywhere to get the vaccinations needed against deadly diseases for themselves and their children.

The immune system of the body essentially plays two important roles. Firstly, it protects the body from bacteria, viruses and other foreign organisms, thus preventing the onset of infections and diseases. Secondly, it ensures that body cells are functioning properly and are not degenerating. Thus, the immune system of the body is quite effective and is responsible for your overall health.

There are times when the immune system becomes weak and is thus unable to fight foreign organisms invading the body. A direct indication that your immune system is weak is when you catch a seasonal cold or flu. In such a case, you have to take certain steps to give a boost to your immune system, such as-

Live healthily- Living healthy does not only include eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly. Make sure that you get enough sleep on a daily basis and avoid smoking along with consumption of alcohol. It is also essential that you maintain your weight and keep a tab on your blood pressure.

Maintain good hygiene- Hygienic habits such as washing hands before every meal and after using the toilet go a long way when it comes to boosting the immune system.

Reduce sugar intake- As per research, it becomes more difficult for white blood cells to fight bacteria when the sugar level of the body is very high, which is why the immune system gets surpassed, and you are more susceptible to infections.

Consume healthy fats- Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids play an important role in boosting the immune system. These healthy fats help the immune system to make prostaglandins, which effectively destroy germs and viruses that have invaded the body.

Avoid the consumption of toxic food- As far as possible, make sure that you are consuming organic food. This is because food grown on a commercial scale is full of toxic chemicals from the pesticides, insecticides, preservatives and artificial colours added to it. The toxic chemicals have a grave impact on the immune system of the body, which can lead to severe complications in the long run.

Although, you want your immune system to be strong and effective, make sure that it is not highly overactive. A highly overactive immune system can also lead to many health complications, such as the onset of autoimmune conditions. All in all, make sure that you are leading a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

World Immunization Week - Boost Your Immune System!

The reason why you suffer from bad health every now and then is due to your poor immune system. Whenever there is a change in weather and you are attacked by the flu virus, stop blaming the weather because it is actually your weakened immune system that has let you down. Same goes for the particular food you eat or the way you heal from your wounds rather slowly.

So, if you really want to boost up your immunity system, then you can take a cue from the books of Ayurveda. Ayurveda not only believes in healing the body but makes sure that the root cause is weeded out so that you stay healthy for a longer duration of time.

Let us see how Ayurveda develops your immune system so that you can withstand all kinds of emotional, physical and most importantly, environmental challenges.

The first thing Ayurveda says is to stick to healthy and nutritious foods. That doesn t mean, you can t cheat once in a week, but make sure that you have a protein rich and less carbohydrate diet. Make sure your food is warm; neither hot nor cold when you consume it.
Cold foods and drinks are harmful to your body because they affect the digestive system. Say no to any kind of aerated drinks.
Avoid foods, which are oily and especially difficult to digest.
Take care of your muscles and skin by massaging daily with sesame or sunflower oil. They help in rebuilding the tissues of your body.
While taking a bath, apply some essential oils such as lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus or juniper oil in a tub of warm water. This will make you feel fresh and uplift your mood.
While cooking, add some spices to your food, especially turmeric, cumin, coriander or cinnamon. These will increase the food value.
There are some suggestions made by Ayurveda:

Make sure you get an adequate of 6-8 hours of sleep. Avoid sleeping less or oversleeping.
Exercise regularly; yoga, walking, free hand exercises which will increase blood circulations in your body.
Finally, avoid negative thinking. Make sure you are infused with a positive spirit, no matter what the situation is. Doing this, you will stay physically and mentally spirited.

Can Ayurveda Boost Your Immunity?

As indicated by Ayurveda, good digestion, solid  agni  (the metabolic flame), quality functioning of the liver and an adjusted endocrine framework result in strong immunity. Immunity of the human body is said to be associated to an entity called  ojas  which is believed to be the subtle and positive essence of  kapha  an aspect which provides the body with vigour, strength, immunity and vitality. The general notion is that stronger the Agni, healthier the  ojas , although other factors play a major role too. Therefore, it becomes important to protect your  ojas . Protection of 'ojas' is possible when you are able to live in the present with pure and complete awareness. A number of ways to promote  ojas  and thereby, develop your immunity are listed below:

Diet: Agni is bolstered by a dietary routine that minimizes refined sugars, stimulants and processed foods. The focus must be shifted to consumption of whole and healthy foods while maintaining a proper schedule. Inclusion of garlic, ginger, black pepper, long pepper, cinnamon, asafoetida in the diet is advised as it destroys poisons and bad bacteria, kindles Agni, promotes normal body temperature maintenance and eliminates the extra kapha.
Get adequate sleep: It is proven that sleep deprivation in humans can cause a total loss of the immune functions of the body. Thus it becomes mandatory to adopt a balanced sleeping schedule where the minimum duration to be regularly maintained is 8 hours.
Exercise: Appropriate exercise discharges collected strain, moves stagnant emotional and mental energy, enhances circulation, encourages proper elimination, improves digestion, supports sound sleep and promotes relaxation in the body. All these contribute to a healthy maintenance of the immune system. Adversely, improper exercise can prove to be damaging.
Meditation and yoga: The different types of Ayurvedic practices, each having a different set of benefits, are advised to be adapted so that you can sustain immunity. Some of these practices include yoga, pranayama, meditation, etc.
Herbal support: Different types of herbs in the Ayurvedic tradition, each having an affinity for a certain type of tissue, are capable of supporting the immune system. The advisable herbal supports include chyavanprash, turmeric, ginger, Tulsi, Shatavatri, Ashwagandha, turmeric, tulsi, trifla, giloy, Bronchial Support Herbal Syrup, Immune Support tablets, etc.
Regular detoxification: Regular detoxification (by Panchkarma procedures) of body as advised in Ayurveda , keeps basic body doshas ( Vats, pitta, kapha) in balance.
Rejuvenation therapy- After detoxification certain ayurvedic drugs, herbs are given for a long duration for rejuvenation, longevity of life, immunity boosting. It also prevents and cure diseases.

How Ayurveda Helps in Boosting Your General Immunity?

Catching a cold once in a while is nothing to worry about, but needing to take sick leave every few weeks is a sign of low immunity. Immunity can be defined as our ability to fight infections. By eating right and making a few lifestyle changes, you can easily strengthen your immune system and lower your risk of catching infections. On that note, here are 10 ways to strengthen your immune system.

Eat a balanced meal: Along with fruits and vegetables, your body also requires carbohydrates and proteins. Eating a balanced diet helps keep your blood sugar levels stable and allows your body to prioritize building your immune system over generating energy to perform normal tasks.
Drink plenty of water: When you re ill, fluids help transport nutrients to the infected area and flush out toxins from the same. Hence, it is important to stay hydrated in order to recover faster from an illness and to build your immune system.
Probiotics: 80% of your immune system is located in the gut. Probiotics help the body produce more healthy gut bacteria. Thus, probiotics directly boost the immune system.
A good night s sleep: Ideally, a person should get 8 to 10 hours of sleep on a daily basis. While we are asleep, the body produces cytokines ad antibodies that are vital to a strong immune system. Depriving the body of this sleep can thus make us more susceptible to infections.
Get some sun: While we put a lot of effort into protecting ourselves from the harmful UV rays of the sun, sunlight is also a rich source of vitamin D. Vitamin D helps protect us from a number of serious illnesses. Apart from sunlight we can also get vitamin D by adding cod liver oil, egg yolks and fatty fish to our diet.
Quit sugar: Sugar is an immunosuppressant and hence cutting out added sugar from your diet can have a drastic effect on your immunity. Added sugar refers only to refined sugar in cubed, crystal or powdered form and not the natural sweetners in fruits.
Exercise: Regular exercise improves blood circulation and boosts the production of antibodies. A healthy circulatory system combined with antibodies enables your body to fight infections in any part of your body.
Avoid tobacco and alcohol: Alcohol impairs the immune system and tobacco smoke weakens the body s basic immune system. This holds true for both first hand and second hand smoke.
Reduce stress: Stress increases the production of a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol suppresses the immune system and thus makes us more susceptible to illnesses.
Prevent germs from spreading: Lastly, make simple things like washing your hands before eating and after coming home or using the toilet a habit. This prevents germs from spreading and entering our bodies.

10 Ways You Can Strengthen Your Immune System

The immune system within your body is what protects you from all the attacks of various microbes from the world outside. However, the immune system itself can face problems and can defend the body only so much. Thus it is wise to add some homeopathic medicines and help the immune system fight the possible intruders better. Let's have a look at some of them:

Gelsemium: this medication is extracted from the vine gelsemium sempervirens, and is known as a very effective remedy when you have flu like symptoms with the cold such as, exhaustion, body ache and fever.
Arsenicum album: a very well known remedy for food poisoning as well as other digestive disorders, arsenicum album can be very effective in treating a wide variety of stomach related illnesses caused by the reaction to foreign microbes.
Oscillococcinum: this medication contains trace amounts of duck liver and heart and is known to be a good immune booster. Effective in the cases of cold and flu like symptoms, oscillococcinum can effectively treat fever with flu and other symptoms, although it may take a bit of time for it start acting. It is thus best to consult with your homeopathic doctor before starting a course.
Allium cepa: if you have flu like symptoms with teary eyes and nasal congestion, allium cepa is a very good remedy. You have to take a few doses before the symptoms start subsiding. One dose contains three to five pellets and you might have to take about two to three doses daily for a couple of days for the symptoms to subside.
Combination medications: there are multiple medical combinations, which can help you boost your immunity as well. Consult your homeopathic doctor to get the best combination for your specific condition. Some of these combinations are:
Calcarea carbonica 30-1 dose, phosphorus - 1 dose, lycopodium 30-1 dose: this combination is very effective in treating sensitive colds where fever may or may not exist but causes extreme nasal blockages.
Lycopodium 30, sabadilla 30: this combination is very effective when the cold and nasal blockages are due to pollen sensitivity and occur during the pollinating season. This can be used in a regular dosage to not only stop the symptoms but to also stop the allergy from happening in the first place.

5 Homeopathic Medicines to Increase Immunity

If you are looking for an effective immunity boost in your body, you should choose Ayurveda and undertake ayurvedic procedures and remedies. Good health, according to Ayurveda, involves balancing of your doshas such as vata, pitta and kapha and making sure that your agni or digestive system is working smoothly. There are several Ayurvedic ways using which you will be able to boost your body s immune system and its capability.

They are as follows:

Keep your immune system in proper balance by eating proper food: A weakened immune system makes you prone to all sorts of illnesses and diseases. In case the immune system becomes overactive, it targets your body s own tissues, confusing them for foreign invaders and attacks them. Your diet is very important for balancing this fighting response within your body. If your body gets the right nutrients and eliminates toxins effectively, the immune system gets strengthened. You should consume leafy vegetables, whole grain, nuts, legumes and highly pigmented food.

Detox: According to Ayurveda, ama is a primary factor, which leads to the development of diseases. Ama is the name of stored toxins in Sanskrit language and if your body has unhealthy ama, an environment is created where invaders thrive. Ama may occur due to both mental and physical indigestion. Ama and indigestion prevent essential nutrients from reaching your tissues, which weaken your immune function. You need to detoxify your body at regular intervals if you have unhealthy eating habits or get exposed to harmful environmental toxins.

Keep your agni strong: The digestive system or agni is very important for your health and it highly influences your immunity and immune system capability. The ability of digestion, assimilation and absorption of nutrients by the body also determines your immune strength. If your agni gets impaired because of an imbalance within the tridosha, your metabolism is affected, which weakens the immune system and body s natural resistance. Eating food items which are harmful for the digestive system leads to excess ama formation. A toxic environment is created in the body. This factor interferes with the natural intelligence of every cell which is encoded with the will of living healthy and working as a whole, together. Ayurveda aims at restoring this intelligence factor. You can boost your agni by consuming hot water and ginger tea regularly.

Yoga and meditations are important for boosting immunity, according to Ayurvedic traditions. Yoga and meditation help in reducing stress and positively affect your immune system.

Immunity - How Ayurveda Can Help You Restore it?

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