- Our immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, organs, and substances that protect us from infection and disease. The more we protect it, introducing changes that promote a healthy lifestyle, the more it will protect us, according to a doctor specializing in Internal Medicine.
Paul Gutman
EFE Reports
“At this point, and partly due to the pandemic, many people have heard of the Immune System” (IS), says Sari Arponen, doctor in Biomedical Sciences, specialist in Internal Medicine, university professor and expert in microbiota (the set of bacteria that reside in our body, for example in the digestive system).
Many people know that our SI is often called the “defenses” (organic), but they may not have much more knowledge about “everything that this wonderful system does in our body and the impact it has on health,” says Arponen (www.drasariarponen.com).
“Infectious diseases have killed and sickened millions of humans throughout our evolutionary history. From malaria to the successive waves of the black plague, passing through smallpox, influenza and cholera ”, he explains in his latest informative book, focused on our immune system.
He points out that “if we have not disappeared as a species before vaccines, hygiene and antibiotics were invented, it is thanks to the fact that our ancestors had an immune system, flexible and strong enough, that allowed them to survive”.
“One of the defensive actions of SI is inflammation, a process whose ultimate goal is to destroy the pathogen, or whatever has caused the damage, and prevent its spread beyond the point of entry as much as possible,” according to Arponen, who regrets that our lifestyle causes us to “be continuously inflamed”.
Our immune system is constantly on a bit of an alert from everything we do and everything we’re exposed to: from the ultra-processed products we eat and the toxins or heavy metals we’re in contact with, to the stressors of life. modern life, sedentary lifestyle and the alteration of our biological rhythms, he points out.
NATURAL PROTECTIVE SHIELD.
Arponen describes the IS as “a set of cells, tissues and organs of the same type that collaborate with each other to carry out their functions”.
“It is a very complex system, made up of many elements and it is everywhere: in the blood, the skin, the intestine, the liver, the ganglia, the brain…”, he adds.
He explains, in an entertaining way, that just like a public security body, such as the Police, our IS “has many different `units’, that is, many different types of cells, each with its own functions.”
It also has its “weapons” (the different types of molecules that function as the tools of the IS), as well as a series of “barracks and barracks”, that is, the various organs that are part of the immune system, he points out.
“In general, the immune response is a process that requires a lot of energy, so most of the lymphocytes (lymphatic cells that take part in an immune reaction) circulate through the blood in a calm state, as if they were “patrolling the city” , without spending excessive energy or resources, he describes.
“They are like the policemen who go in their vehicle making sure there are no incidents, until suddenly something happens, which requires them to intervene, and they go into action,” according to Arponen.
One of the situations that triggers “police action” is the detection of “an antigen which is, put very simplistically, any substance that can be recognized by SI receptors, thereby generating a response against said substance, as explained by this doctor.
He adds that to function well, our IS must know how to recognize pathogens and toxins as foreign and bad antigens, and other foreign substances such as pollen or food as harmless antigens. It must also distinguish the body’s own structures as good and self-antigens, and identify when a self-antigen has gone bad, such as in cancer.
TO STRENGTHEN OUR DEFENSES.
The human being needs a diet of varied movements: jumping, running, walking, lying on the ground, swimming, climbing, whether in the field, the forest, the sea or the mountains, according to Dr. Arponen
“We are made to move. And the moment we stop doing it, we are laying the foundation for the disease,” he stresses.
Likewise, “being a little hungry or thirsty from time to time, exposing yourself to cold or heat, and doing physical exercise, is beneficial for our immune, nervous and endocrine systems”, always dedicating enough time to recover between one practice and The next.
Arponen comments that friendships also strengthen us organically, since it is estimated that “people who have between thirteen and twenty real friends and spend time with them have a more robust and balanced immune system than those with fewer friends.”
It is also essential to sleep enough hours, each day, since after just one week of insufficient sleep, a series of changes are produced in hundreds of genes related to metabolism and the immune system, according to this expert.
Regarding cancer, he points out that it is not easy to develop it, since many protection mechanisms have to fail.
We can reduce our risk of developing a tumor by leading a healthy lifestyle and taking care of our IS, so that it “performs the necessary tasks to kill any cancer cell before it proliferates or releases metastatic cells,” he points out.
Arponen considers vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids and magnesium to be three recommended supplements for most people, although he warns that vitamin D can be obtained by sunbathing (difficult in winter) and omega-3s they get by eating food from the sea.
In addition, Arponen transfers to EFE a series of keys to strengthen and take care of our immune system, recommending…
…Eat “real food” (vegetables, fruits, nuts, eggs, shellfish, mushrooms…) without eating too much or too often.
… Eat with adequate frequency: An adult should not eat more than 2-3 times a day, it is advisable to allow at least 12-13 hours between dinner and breakfast. … Eat foods rich in soluble and fermentable fiber, which helps maintain a healthy intestinal microbiome (group of microorganisms), which in turn translates into a good state of the immune system.
…Incorporate enough micronutrients (minerals and vitamins that the body needs in small quantities) into the body, as they are essential for its immunity.
…Include breaks in our daily routine of always sitting, getting up every 30 minutes and exercising for 2-3 minutes: jumping jacks, burpees, squats, push-ups…Reducing the stress of modern life (harmful to our defenses), meditating, reading books, and spending time with our family and friends, especially in natural settings.
…Disconnect our digital activity, turning off the ‘smartphone’ at least 12 hours a day and one day a week, which is another way to calm down and de-stress.