Can I strengthen my immune system?
• The short answer is no, and antibiotics do not weaken your immune system.
· Your immune system is what it is.
· Other than conditions of immunodeficiency such as HIV, cancer, diseases of antibody deficiencies, your immune system functions adequately to protect you from life-threatening infections.
• Your immune system is made up of inflammatory cells: WBCs(White Blood cells) and antibodies.
· You can think of your immune system as an army that fights against foreign invaders.
· WBCs are soldiers that will recognize and attack pathogens such as bacteria, virus and fungus.
· Antibodies are like smart bombs in that they are made specifically for a specific bacteria or virus.
· For example, Influenza is a relatively common virus that infects millions of people every year.
· The Flu vaccine will alert your immune system to produce an antibody that will specifically fight the influenza virus.
• Medications such as Neulasta are available which act just as your own chemical messengers, stimulating the immune system in immune-deficient states.
· These are reserved for people on chemotherapy or documented immunodeficiency disease.
• Antibiotics do not interact with the immune system.
· Antibiotics typically function by impairing the way bacteria divide and grow. This in no way affects the development of your immune system cells or their ability to coordinate an immune response.
· Although you may become concerned over a season of multiple respiratory infection and relate taking antibiotics with the recurrence, there is no relation with subsequent infections.
· The immune system response is in no way affected by the exposure to antibiotics and these cases are typically due to repeat exposures to bacteria or incomplete treatment or allergies.
• You can decrease your risk of catching a respiratory infection by:
· limiting airplane trips
· decrease your contact with people who are sick
· keeping a window open to maintain cross ventilation and decrease your risk of exposure
• Although many experts agree that there is no way to improve a normally functioning immune system, rest and good nutrition and stress reduction are probably beneficial.
January 27, 2009
Posted on January 27, 2009
