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

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?

8 Ways to know that your immunity is low

Are you falling sick very frequently or get tired too soon? It could be most likely because your immunity is very low and your body has to fight harder to function properly. There are certain indicators which tell you that your immunity is low, and you must take quick action to avoid any major problem your body may encounter eventually.

Here are the telling pointers for lowered immunity.

1. Dehydration - Our body is made of 70% water. This goes to show how important water is, for it to function properly. Fluids help get rid of germs and other toxins from the body. It is very important to keep ourselves hydrated. At times, our body loses water, however we do not realize immediately. A good way to find this out is to keep a check on the colour of our urine. Ideally it should be transparent.

2. You are always unwell - It is a no brainer This is the clearest possible indicator that your immunity needs a boost. If every time there is a change in weather or you are around someone who has the flu/is sneezing, you get sick too then it is a clear indication that your body is unable to fight the germs.

3. Drinking water seems impure - Most parts of India doesn’t get pure drinking water and this happens to be a matter of grave concern. This doesn’t apply to only the poor and homeless; a lot of our population resides in localities where pure drinking water in not available. Therefore it is important to make sure you purify your drinking water. Always check your water purifier. In situations where one doesn’t have access to purifier, ensure that you boil and strain your drinking water.

4. You are forever stressed - Your work, family, personal and social obligations might be pulling you down and you are forever stressed or worried about something or the other. If you fall sick when already stressed, you body cannot fight the germs as it could if you are stress free. Chronic stress leads to your immunity being low and you falling sick repeatedly.

5. Your sugar cravings going up - We are all well aware that having a weakness for sweets poses a threat to your oral health and waistline. However, if it leads to a craving and you end up consuming too much, every day, it can lower your immunity by weakening the white blood cells. If the white blood cells are weak, the body loses its ability to fight the germs.

6. Your nasal passage feels dry - This is comparatively rare, but does happen to many people. While a dripping nose is bothersome, what is worrisome is a dry nasal passage. Germs linger in dry passages and one can have cold & flu frequently. Keeping a humidifier in the room might come handy.

7. You are overweight - Being overweight is never a good news. It leads to a multitude of diseases and also weakens your immunity. Once your body mass index is way above the allowed level, your body gets stuck in a vicious circle. An overweight body gives ways to health problems, which again affect your weight for instance, when hormonal imbalance happens.

8. Lack of energy - You are always tired. All you want to do is sleep, even after waking up from a good, long sleep. This is a clear indicator of low immunity. You need to regulate your diet & exercise, apart from ensuring you sleep a good eight hours in the night, instead of 8-10 hours throughout the day.




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8 Reasons Your Immunity Is Lower Than It Should Be

Probiotics are healthy bacteria that resolve two crucial factors:

1) Boost Immunity: They help in production of antibodies and other substances that fight infections.

2) Digestion: They help in digestive disordes, gastro as well as other stomach related problems.
Yogurts, Probiotics fortified drinks and foods are the common sources.

What are Probiotics?

When you have soft drinks or sodas, the pancreas quickly start to make insulin because of excessive sugar. Insulin is a hormone the body uses to move sugar from food items or drink into the circulation system, where cells are then ready to use that sugar for energy purposes. Within 15 minutes, glucose levels increase and the liver reacts to the insulin by transforming sugar into fat for capacity. Here is how soft drinks affect our health:

Asthma: It is prevalently found in a large number of soft drink consumers. Soft drinks contain sodium benzoate, which is utilized as an additive to control microbial growth. Sodium additives get blended with the rest of the diet and decrease the amount of potassium in our body. This expands the odds of rashes, asthma and skin aggravation.
Tooth enamel: Soft drinks contain high responsive solvents, which when blended with saliva or acids in the stomach, become acidic in nature. This starts affecting the body immediately. Because of such a quick effect, our mouth and teeth get influenced. It is proven that with every sip of a soft drink, the layer of the teeth decreases by two percent. The skin in the mouth and throat is very delicate and is easily harmed. This also causes rashes on the face and leads to pimples some times.
Heart diseases: Soft drinks contain fructose corn syrup, which has been connected with an increased danger of metabolic disorder. This condition increases the danger of both diabetes and heart diseases. One of 40 deaths each day are caused by heart strokes, which is an aftereffect of consuming soft drinks.
Kidney issues: A number of soft drinks contain phosphoric acids. These phosphoric acids irritate the digestive system and healthy organs. The stomach-related framework is connected to kidneys. Phosphoric acid expands the odds of stones in kidney and other kidney issues and diseases.
Reproductive issues: Soft drinks contain tar in them which contains BPA (Biphenyl   A) and is a similar tumor-causing compound found in pet bottles, water bottles and tinned food cans. This affects the endocrine framework, bringing about untimely adolescence.
Osteoporosis: It is seen that calcium is urinated alongside phosphoric acids, by the use of these drinks. This leads to osteoporosis, which results in corrosion or thinning of bones.  This in turn leads to calcium deficiency, which is one of the vital minerals of the body.
Obesity: It is dangerous to gain weight because of soft drinks. So it is not encouraged to consume soft drinks regularly since they can lead to obesity-related issues.
Sugar over-burdening: After around 15 minutes of soft drink consumption, our glucose shoots up, bringing on an insulin burst. The liver acts by changing the sugar particles into fat. This excites the consumer and increases the pulse, which causes the liver to deposit more sugar into the circulatory system.


Soft Drinks - How They Affect Your Health?

Alzheimer's disease is a neurological problem that is characterised by a cognitive decline and memory loss. It is a type of neurodegenerative dementia. The symptoms of alzheimer's disease include not being able to absorb and retain new information, lack of reasoning and judging, not being able to take on complex tasks, impaired visuospatial abilities, problems in reading, writing and speech, among many others. If a person has at least two of these symptoms in a debilitating manner, then the diagnosis can be made in favour of alzheimer's disease. The main causes of alzheimer's are shrinkage of the brain size and death of the brain cells. The immune system is also said to trigger this neurodegenerative disease. Let us find out what medical science has found so far.

1. Connections: many a times, in alzheimer's disease, the memory and behaviour of the person changes because the brain is unable to make proper neural connections which can lead to memory loss of how a person behaved and the elements that formed the basis of the patient's cognition. Apparently, the immune system behaves in the same way within the brain and blocks the connection. This happens because there is constant communication between the brain and immune system along neurological lines, which is where the disease first emanates.

2. Inflammation: the brain is prone to inflammation or swelling that is not the normal kind. This inflammation happens as a result of the activation of the infection fighting neurotransmitters and the chemical changes that happen in the brain when an infection strikes. The inflammation usually happens in the plaques or clumps which the brain tries to protect. These clumps are made up of a protein called amyloid. The immune system is responsible for creating this inflammation in the brain of the patient.

3. Pattern recognition receptors: many of these receptors work in different manners and cooperate with each other to create a response in the brain. These prrs can be found in the brain plaques, and they develop the signs of danger which further fuels the inflammation in the brain as a matter of protection.

4. Activation of cells linked with the immune system: when the prrs begin to respond, it basically activates the immune system and the cells of the same. This is the basic reaction that causes the changes in brain which then leads to the attachment of the protein to the tissue that is diseased, in which case alzheimer's disease starts. The inflammation that we had spoken about earlier basically happens in the nervous tissue.

It is important to recognise and act on the initial signs of alzheimer's disease before it progresses beyond one's control.

Can the Immune System Trigger Alzheimer's Disease

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