Myths About Immunity

Do you think your immunity is low because you are often sick? Are you afraid to vaccinate against influenza in virulent season? Probably, you are a victim of common myths believed in society. Now let's try to reveal them!

Myth #1. If you are often sick it means you have low immunity
Cold, influenza, acute respiratory diseases show with running nose, sore throat and high body temperature. The man is sure that he got sick because he has low immunity.

Revealing the myth
It is wrong! When man feels these symptoms, it means his immunity responds to pathogenic microorganisms. Symptoms of cold are systematic and local reactions of our immunity to viral invasion. The disease is manifestation of strong immunity.

Explanation
In human body exists a group of special immune cells called T-killers. They do regularly examine all cells and analyze their receptors. Thus they recognize foreign cells or microbes and viruses and kill them. If patient has no temperature and the disease courses without symptoms common for inflammation – it means patient has low immunity.

Conclusion
If you are sick with influenza and it shows with temperature, running nose and sore throat it is good sign. It means your body fights the infection and immunity works correctly.

Myth #2. Vitamin C strengthens immunity
It is considered that taking vitamin C during outbreak protects our cells and prevents their membranes from distruction, which means it strenghtens the immunity.

Revealing the myth
During a disease viruses affect body cells, destroy their membranes and kill cells. On one hand, vitamin C normalizes cell membranes and help the immunity because it is strong antioxidant. However, vitamin C helps only in big doses – 8g or 16 pills should be taken at once. Otherwise, there will be no positive effects.

Explanation
Vitamin C is powerful antioxidant and it would help the immunity to fight influenza on condition that patient would take big doses of vitamin C which may fatal. Vitamin C is an acid, therefore its big doses may cause ulcer of stomach or kidney failure leading to death.

Conclusion
Vitamin C strenghtens the immunity only when taken in big doses, but it may lead to death.

Myth #3. Vaccine doesn't prevent from influenza
Many people beware of influenza vaccines as they believe that it doesn't prevent from influenza.

Revealing the myth
Patient cannot get sick from modern vaccines because they are safe and are created in such a way as not to infect a person, Vaccine helps human body to work out immune response to pathogenic virus.

Explanation
Vaccine has properties similar to real virus, but it is not contagious. Vaccine imitates viral infection to make immunity fight the virus. Therefore, when a real virus enters the body it faces antibodies produced by body with the help of vaccine.

Conclusion
It is necessary to vaccinate. It is most effective way to prevent influenza.

Foods To Fight Inflammation

At the basis of each disease – be it obesity, be it atherosclerosis – lies inflammation. It is neccessary to fight these diseases when they threaten your health. Here do help such products as onion, thyme and chamomile.

1. Onion
Tears we shed while cutting onion do kill viruses and microbes.

Explanation
While cutting onion do mix up substances of different onion cells. Appears gas containing sulphur. This gas irritates eyes and mixes with tear.s. Appears sulphuric acid which irritates conjunctiva and we feel itchiness. Tears are produced more actively. Thus, our body washes eyes and kills microbes with he help of sulphuric acid.

2. Thyme
Thyme has powerful anti-inflammatory effects.

Explanation
Antiseptic properties of thyme help to soothe the inflammation. Consumption of thyme helps to fight cough and inflammatory diseases of upper respiratory tract.

3. Chamomile
In case of inflammatory reactions of infectious origin in gastro-intestinal tract may be used chamomile tea.

Explanation
Bisabolol and chamazulene are substances of chamomile essential oils that have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. They do prevent inflammations because do not let microbes get to mucous membranes to damage the body. Deactivated microbes are released outwards.

Daily dose against inflammations
Onion – 100g (1 onion) of fresh onion
Thyme tea – 3–5 teaspoons of powdered thyme herb per one grass of boiling water
Chamomile tea – 1-2 cups daily

Truth About Viral Diseases

Various polls show that most people consider that cold-related diseases are treated with antibiotics. It is wrong belief because antibiotics do not act on viruses. When doctor prescribes antibiotics in case of cold, he supposes treatment of complication that was developed at the back of bacterial infection.

Viral diseases are treated with antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu. The medication works complexly – from the one side it activates natural body defense, from other side it blocks reproduction of viruses in epithelial cells. This approach really helps the body to fight infection much quicker. Tamiflu not develops addiction, it just accelerates natural process of body defense. The immunity may produce itself all necessary protective substances but it requires more time for this.

Figurally, this process may be compared with the situation when you saw a danger and notified security service before security observes the dander itself. Indeed, in older times influenza coursed mildly with running nose and slight weakness which lasted 5 days.

In recent years flus do course severely, practically causing bronchitis, pneumonia and sinusitis. In first symptoms of starting disease it is necessary to take medications that activate immune system. Vitamins C, D and zinc also improve immunity, therefore may be recommended in case of influenza. Vitamin C may be taken in doses of 2 grams per day.

Many people do sincerely believe that is is dangerous to aerify room because you may catch cold. Cold-related diseases are caused by viruses, concentration of which get increased in closed rooms. Aeration helps to get rid of “excessive” viruses and get a portion of fresh air.

Conditioner not solves this problem, it cools down stagnant air in the room. And if you stay under its cool streams of air, you may easily get cold. Therefore, try to aerify room regularly and dress warm clothes when you stay in a room with conditioner.