The human immune system helps our body every day, fighting bacteria and viruses that surround us wherever we go, with tumor processes and malfunctions in cellular activity, which normally occur constantly, allows cells to regenerate after injuries and performs many other functions. But, of course, it is not qualitatively active from birth to old age, and during adulthood it is influenced by many factors. Let's look into all this in a little more detail.
Building
The human immune system includes both whole organs and individual cells. Includes:
- Bone marrow. All blood cells are formed in it, including those with a protective function: macrophages, T- and B-lymphocytes, plasma cells, monocytes, natural killers, etc.
- Thymus. It exists only up to 12-14 years, after which it begins to gradually fade away, the final differentiation of T-cells occurs in it.
- Spleen. Place of death of all blood cells and maturation of lymphocytes.
- Lymph nodes and individual areas of lymphoid tissue. This is where the immune reserve is stored.cells, and when they are urgently needed, their formation.
Factors that reduce immunity
Every day a person is exposed to the negative effects of the environment: he breathes gassed and dusty air with impurities from industry, uses poorly purified water and products grown on polluted soil. In addition, obviously harmful food is often used in the diet: alcohol, carbonated drinks, chips and all kinds of snacks with flavor enhancers and carcinogens, canned food, organ meats and much more.
This depletes the liver, the main laboratory of the body, and also disrupts the intestinal microflora, which normally protects us from the introduction of pathogens that have penetrated with food. Plus, a person is increasingly exposed to stress, lack of sleep and gets tired at work, which ultimately weakens the reactive ability of the body. On this ground, chronic diseases, allergies develop, the introduction of infectious agents is easier, which only aggravates the situation.
Basics
Since, as we have already found out, an extraordinary number of points act to weaken the body, it is equally important to know how to strengthen the immune system for an adult. The basics are, of course, getting rid of all risk factors, which is the primary prevention of any disease.
First of all, this concerns bad habits. Further, a person must clearly understand that sleep and leisure must be complete both in terms of time and comfort.conditions. Plus, you need to cure all chronic diseases as much as possible, including carious teeth, thereby getting rid of a constant source of infection in your body.
Also, to increase immunity, an adult should give up harmful products, which were mentioned in the previous paragraph. And if possible, try to get out into nature more often - to the country house or to the village with relatives, in order to reduce the negative impact of the environment at least for a while. And, of course, you need to switch to proper nutrition, that is, those products that can strengthen the immune system. We will talk about them further.
Useful products
Mothers explain to every person from childhood how important it is to eat more vegetables, fruits and fresh juices. And although all of them directly or indirectly affect our body, there are still the most honorable natural remedies for immunity in adults.
First of all, these are foods with a high content of proteins, because it is at their expense that the body builds new cells. These are meat (beef, horse meat, poultry, rabbit), fish (preferably sea and steamed or boiled), eggs (chicken protein is the only one of its kind, 100% digestible), the legume family (beans, peas, lentils). The latter, in turn, are best eaten no more than 2-3 times a week, as they cause a tendency to constipation.
Other "tasty medicines"
You should also try to eat more seafood, as they contain, in addition to protein,unsaturated fatty acids and the maximum amount of minerals. These are seaweed, shrimps, squids. Moreover, the less their heat treatment, the better they will strengthen your immunity. Their special value lies in the high content of iodine - the main stimulant of the thyroid gland, whose hormones affect all types of metabolism and improve the functioning of organs.
And fermented milk products will help normalize the intestinal microflora and the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. These are kefir, ryazhenka, milk, sour cream, yogurt and cottage cheese. Especially useful will be their simultaneous use with fruits or berries and preferably without sugar.
The undisputed leaders
And, of course, the most valuable natural remedies for adult immunity are fruits and vegetables. First of all, these are products rich in phytoncides - natural antibiotics: onions and green onions, garlic, horseradish, red pepper.
Secondly, these are vegetables rich in vitamin C, the main antioxidant and immune system helper. These include bell peppers, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. The body also needs potassium, a large amount of which is found in potatoes with peel, nuts, apricots, oatmeal and buckwheat. Fruits and their derivatives will also tell you how to strengthen the immune system for an adult, the most important of which in this regard are all citrus fruits, kiwi, prunes, dried apricots and raisins, as well as pulp juices from them and red wine.
From the berries of a storehouse of vitamin C - this is honeysuckle, sea buckthorn, blackcurrant, viburnum, wild rose, wild strawberry and mountain ash. In addition, green tea also contains antioxidants, which also helps to remove harmful toxins from the body. And ginger has tonic properties, which will help you endure long loads and get less tired. Now let's move on to the topic of which drugs strengthen the immune system.
Medications
Often, the human body is so exhausted from stress, mental and physical labor that one adjustment of the lifestyle is not enough, and one has to resort to pharmacological knowledge. So, the simplest medicines for immunity for adults are vitamins. They affect various types of metabolism, thereby helping to strengthen our body as a whole, including its defenses.
They are contained as in herbal preparations with extracts of Echinacea purpurea ("Immunal"), ginseng, Schisandra chinensis. Their advantage lies in the free sale, relative cheapness and ease of use, and therefore reviews of vitamins for immunity for adults are almost 100% positive, because with mild immunodeficiency they are highly effective.
Prophylaxis
Next are bacterial immunostimulants containing enzymes of various infectious agents and acting as a passive activation of the defense system. These include drugs "IRS-19", "Ribomunil", "Imudon","Bronchomunal", "Likopid" and many others. However, these adult immune-boosting medications are mostly prophylactic and require a doctor's consultation before using them.
Similar are antiviral agents containing interferon or stimulating its endogenous synthesis in the body. These are the preparations "Grippferon", "Viferon", "Anaferon", "Cycloferon", "Arbidol", "Amiksin". Most often they are used in the form of solutions or tablets. However, suppositories for immunity for adults "Genferon", which are more often used by pregnant women in the complex therapy of any infectious disease, have also proven themselves well.
Other drugs
Means with a more pronounced therapeutic effect are the drugs "Remantadin" and "Acyclovir", which directly cause the destruction of influenza A viruses and herpes. This also includes preparations containing nucleic acids "Derinat", "Poludan", "Sodium Nucleinate". They are available in various pharmacological forms. The first is in a parenteral solution (i.e., these are injections for immunity for adults), the second is in lyophysilate for making eye drops and for administration under the conjunctiva, and the third is in tablets and powders. However, all of them have a pronounced stimulating effect, activating the humoral and cellular stages of protection.
Reserve drugs
More serious drugs that affect immunity are thymus preparations and bone marrow immunomodulators. They are prescribed exclusively by a doctor withsevere forms of infection with severe complications. Thus, they have strict indications and are not dispensed from pharmacies without a prescription. The first group includes Taktivigin, Timalin, Timimulin, Timogen, Vilozen, the second group includes Myelopid and Seramil.
In the treatment of purulent-inflammatory diseases, long-term sluggish forms of immunodeficiency with bone marrow suppression, trophic ulcers, as well as in the rehabilitation of frostbite and burn disease, they have established themselves as highly effective drugs. They cause the restoration of normal hematopoiesis, regulate the quantitative and qualitative ratio of protective cells, improve metabolic processes at the biochemical level and skin regeneration.
Other methods
You can help your body cope with a serious illness on your own, so everyone should know how to strengthen the immune system of an adult. To do this, you can reinforce the treatment with special herbal medicines using homemade traditional medicine recipes.
Acupuncture and reflexology (acupuncture, moxibustion, acupressure) have also proven themselves well, as they tone the entire body and relax the nervous system well, thereby restoring the correct processes of regulation of immunity, metabolism and energy. And physiotherapy will help to reduce the time of treatment and rehabilitation, relieve pain associated with some infectious diseases, increase blood circulation in the tissues, thereby providing better blood flow to the body.site of inflammation of immunocompetent cells. Such methods are especially important during pregnancy, when the patient should drastically limit the intake of any medications. The most favorable physiotherapy should include electrophoresis, sunbathing, ultrasound and laser therapy, as well as mud and hydrotherapy.
Symptoms
How to understand that the defenses of your body are not working enough? Of course, the most important role in diagnosing this is played by clinical tests that reveal a decrease in blood circulation, formations in the bone marrow, or a deficiency in your immune cells.
However, there are external signs that a person can independently observe in himself. If at least three of them are found, he should be interested in how to strengthen the immune system for an adult, change his lifestyle for the better, or even consult a doctor. These include: susceptibility to colds (more than once during the cold seasons of the year), as well as their duration, headaches, a feeling of rapid fatigue or general weakness, decreased ability to work, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract (diarrhea or, conversely, constipation, nausea, heartburn), the development or frequent exacerbations of chronic inflammatory processes (gastric or duodenal ulcer, tonsillitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis, cystitis, pyelonephritis, prostatitis, etc.), slowing down the growth of hair, nails and wound regeneration.
Conclusions
Thus, there are many methods to strengthen your immunity and restore its normal functioning. These are both special procedures andmedicinal products. However, despite this, first of all, it must be remembered that prevention is the best way to maintain your he alth. Therefore, a person should initially try to lead a proper lifestyle, minimizing the impact of external factors on their immunity. Stay he althy!
