The immune system. Everyone has heard of it and most people know that a good immune system can add great value to your overall health, especially during the harsh winter days. But why is it so important and how does the immune system work?

Our ally in good and bad times

The immune system protects our body from invaders such as microbes, viruses and bacteria. Is the immune system located in one place in our body? No! The immune system includes several different kinds of mechanisms such as your skin, intestines, respiratory system, blood and lymphatic system. Their job is to make sure our body can tell the good stuff from the bad.

The physical barrier, or more accurately, the skin forms a protective harness between your body and the environment which exposes you to harmful substances. Your immune system is on duty 24/7 to protect your body from bad invaders like germs and other harmful substances. You would constantly get sick if you do not have good defenses and that is exactly what we want to avoid.

Our protector against external danger

There is also a difference between the general and specific immune system. As the name suggests, the general immune system protects you from all pathogens that try to enter your body. The white blood cells are the soldiers of our general defence system, for they destroy all bad intruders.

The specific or acquired immune system develops throughout your life and tries to fight off a particular disease each time, as your general immune system is unable to destroy those pathogens. What is the main difference with the general immune system? Our specific immune system contains memory cells. This allows our specific immune system to recognise previous pathogens and, in the event of infection, to fight off the infection more quickly. In this way, you become immune to the pathogen and can no longer get sick.

A dynamic factor

Your general immune system is already active from birth, while the specific immune system develops later. Therefore, a child is more susceptible to specific viruses because the immune system is not yet strong in the first years of life.

The effectiveness of your immune system decreases over time. This makes it harder to distinguish the bad intruders from the good ones and that is also the reason why autoimmune diseases occur more often at a later age.

The golden key(s) to a better immune system

How do you ensure that you have a well-developed immune system? There is no magical panacea that can give you a top immune system in 1,2,3. There are factors, however, that can have a good influence on your immune system.

1. Eating healthy and varied

We can't say it enough, but a healthy diet remains essential throughout your life. You can stimulate a good intestinal flora by eating foods containing dairy products such as yoghurt and cheese. Do you especially want to boost your natural resistance? Then consider citrus fruits, because they are a source of vitamin C and antioxidants.

2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

It's not for nothing that specialists recommend drinking at least 1.5 litres of water a day. Water keeps the skin healthy and the skin stops bad intruders wanting to enter your body. Besides water, green tea is also a good remedy. Green tea contains many antioxidants, is full of good substances and strengthens the natural resistance.

3. A good sleep rhythm

We all know how hard it can be to go to bed early when there's an exciting film on or you're out with friends. However, you should try to go to sleep at the same time every night and let your alarm clock ring 7-8 hours later. If you don't do this, you're more likely to get viral infections. Research shows you are almost three times more likely to catch a cold if you sleep less than 7 hours at night.

You may think you wash your hands enough because you do it after every visit to the toilet. However, it is important to do this in the meantime to reduce the spread of bacteria. In addition to hand hygiene, we also recommend changing your towels regularly, changing your bed more often and ventilating your home enough to avoid becoming a breeding ground for bacteria.

A whole day of doing nothing can be blissful, but try to get a half hour of exercise on such rest days. That half an hour can do wonders. It will help you cope with stress better, keep you in deeper sleep and reduce the risk of viral infections such as the common cold.

Stress and dark thoughts often go hand in hand during difficult times in our lives. However, this has a negative influence on our immune system and we are better off living by the motto 'keep on smiling'.

It is not for nothing that our gut is considered our second brain. Your intestines are home to billions of bacteria and micro-organisms. It is of crucial importance to have a healthy intestinal flora, because that leads to a good resistance. If your gut flora in balance, it protects us better against bad intruders.

Make your body happy

It is already clear that a good immune system promotes your overall health. Do you feel that you are experiencing increasing stress and fatigue lately? Then definitely try Svenssons immunomix.