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Boosting your immune system
Can you explain what is meant by “boosting your immune system”? I have recently been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and told I need to boost mine.
Boosting your immune system simply means using natural remedies, such as adaptogenic herbs, to support optimum functioning of the body’s natural defences. That said, I should stress that this is not something you should be doing without medical supervision, since you have an autoimmune disorder. The risk in your case is that you could use something that would inadvertently exacerbate the problem.
Some 80 different conditions, ranging from arthritis to multiple sclerosis, have been linked with an abnormal immune response - but what has baffled researchers to date is why women should be so much more susceptible than men. Some 75% of cases are female, and while genetics and family history play a role, the new theory is that the female hormones, oestrogen, progesterone and prolactin, are also contributing in some way.
Women also, generally, have a lower metabolic rate than men and in investigations of metabolic types, researchers have found that females tend to be what is classified as The Slow Metabolic Type 1. This is relevant because with this type of profile, the part of the immune system that is the body’s primary defence against invading organisms and toxins does not function as well as in other Metabolic Types.
In perfect health, all parts of the immune system work together and are balanced - but some 80% of women (and only 50% of men) exhibit dominance of the cellular immune response over what is called the humoral (primary) immune response. In other words, the immune system only really kicks in once a virus, bacteria or infection has invaded the cell.
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) studies of both sexes show those falling into the slow metabolic type categories are often lacking in essential minerals including zinc, which is critical to immune function, calcium and magnesium. This suggests anyone who is suffering from an autoimmune condition will benefit from supplements of all three. Allergy Research Group’s calcium and magnesium citrate costs £8.95 for 100 capsules; Zinc Citrate costs £5.95 for 60 capsules and you can mail order both from Revital (0800 252875).