Protein
Sadly, fat pork and mutton will not help boost the immunity.  Instead, young beef and turkey are perfect for the immune system. Also are used polyunsaturated fatty acids, known as Omega-3, to improve the immunity. Omega-3 is found in oily fish of cold seas such as herring, tuna, halibut, salmon.

Dietitians recommend to consume oysters, a healthy and delicious product. Oysters are rich in zinc that helps to fight influenza and protects body from cold. Zinc has a positive effect on T-cells which play an important role in detecting foreign antigens and recovery of other cells of immune system. Even moderate zinc deficiency may have negative effects on immune system.

Vegetable oils
In period of boosting your immunity try to prepare food with oils made of pumpkin, walnut, grapes, cedar necessarily of primary extra virgin. They are rich in Omega-3 but are quite expensive. Alternatively, accept purchase of these oils as purchase of a needful medication. Generally speaking, it is so.

Honey
Honey is digested easily by the body and its consumption helps to increases the immunity. Honey contains vitamins of B group which helps it to improve stomach work, calm nerves and improve sleep. Besides this, honey is natural analgetic remedy, which helps it to relieve cough during cold. Eat honey with or without warm green tea.

If you are not allergic to honeycraft products, it would be good to consume pollen. Pollen helps to boost immune system, prevent colds and influenza, normalize blood pressure, increases hemoglobin, normalize bowel work, helps to restore body after diseases and stress.

Tea
Tea (especially green tea) is second popular drink after water in the world. It is rich in polyphenols and contains a number of healthy substances which protect body from influenza.

Mushrooms
Mushroom of oriental origin called shiitake is used to boost immune system. It contains specific substances which help to recuperate in case of chronic fatigue, besides this they destroy practically any viral microflora, inhibit and restrict development of cancerous growths, boost physical strength and sexual drive.

Grains and legumes
For a wonder, waste products in manufacture of wheat flour (mill offals) are healthy for immunity.  Mill offals contains complex of vitamins B1,В2, В6, PP and micro- and macroelements such as potassium, magnesium, zinc, cuprum, selenium, chrome. Wheat mill offals help to lose weight by suppressing appetite.

Most healthy for the immunity are grains of buckwheat and oatmeal as they are rich in healthy elements. It is recommended 1 – 2 times a week to prepare foods with legumes: pea, bean, lentil as they give to your body native protein.

Fermented milk products
Kefir and yogurt deliver into stomach healthy microorganisms and help to maintain microflora healthy. Stomach itself is immune organ and it makes a contribution in common body strength.  However, remember that healthy are only fresh products containing fresh microorganisms. Buy products with live bifidobacterium and lactic bacteria and pay less attention on brand name.

Fruits and vegetables
There is a number of fruits and vegetables which are well known bacteria killers for centuries. Garlic and onion were included in everyday menu of Roman army. Horseradish, radish, onion and garlic were taken in travels by Russian sailors. There are lots of such examples in history. It’s clear that in remote ages people didn’t know about viruses and pathogens but they were observant enough. People who consume those products frequently, do never get diseased. Take advantage of it!

Onion, garlic, horseradish, mustard, radish, chili do release phytoncides, substances with antibiotic properties. They inhibit growth and reproduction of viruses and bacteria. They release phytoncides not only during eating but also in surrounding medium which helps people with unhealthy stomach to just smell acrid vegetables, but the effect in this case will be much weaker. Phytoncides are found in vividly colored fruits such as blueberry, black wineberry, cherry, dark grapes, raspberry. Antiviral effects do increase when those products are combined with other ones rich in beneficial microelements.

Major vitamins that do increase persistence to diseases are vitamins A and C. Vitamin C is found abundantly in citrus, cabbage, wineberry, spinach and other lettuce. Vitamin A and its provitamin called beta-carotene are found abundantly in red and orange vegetables and fruits (carrot, peach, paprika, persimmon).

Yellow berries are rich in vitamins A, C and E. They do activate immunity,  prevent infection development in human body and improve skin. Red berries of rosehips contain daily amount of vitamin C, iron, magnesium and carotene. Those substances do increase hemoglobin rate in the blood and strengthen body defenses.

Biologically active supplements are divided into two groups:
1) nutraceuticals – biologically active foods supplements (BAFS) used to regulate chemical composition of food of a man. These are additional sourse of protein, aminoacids, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, mineral substances, dietary fibers.
2) parapharmaceuticals – biologically active food supplements used as a preventive measure, adjunct therapy, and also to maintain functioning of organs and body systems.
Among biologically active supplements most healthy for the immune system are pectins (apple, plum, currant, beet, eatberry) and algae (among algae first place occupies spirulina with its anti-allergic and immune-stimulating properties).

Water
Insufficient consumption of pure water results in frequent colds and contagious diseases, thrombus formation, lymph congestion, tenderness of vascular walls, bladder diseases. Reduction of water in the body aggravates normal work of kidneys and as a result part of its work is made by liver (liver splits fats into useful energy and makes this 100% if not takes work of kidneys). When we drink sufficient amount of water, it makes work much better both kidneys and liver which regulates immune system work.

Antibiotic substances in food
Some foods have antibacterial properties which helps them kill disease causing microbes. These are non-specific antiinfection agents (organic acids such as winy, lemony, apple). Acerbic tanning substances of plums and apples also kill microbes. Raspberry,  currant, apple, wineberry, ashberry, cranberry, pear, berbery, pomegranate, and also foods rich with phytoncides (horseradish, radish, garlic, onion, beet, cabbage, carrot, paprika) are perfect natural antibiotics.

Multivitamin preparations
Multivitamins play an important role in prevention of influenza and URI in period of higher illness frequency. Taking multivitamins helps to avoid diseases, keep body healthy and boost immunity. You should pay a serious attention to multivitamin preparation you choose. Multivitamin preparations are recommended to take as a preventive measure against virus diseases, especially they are recommended to children in spring when immunity is weakened after winter.

Specialists do recommend to take multivitamin preparations which contain whole spectrum of essential vitamins. They must be of hight quality and dosages must be well balanced. This will be a guarantee of effectiveness and safety of the multivitamin preparation. High quality and optimal dosages of vitamins help to reduce significantly risks for allergic reactions which unfortunately occur frequently today and make it possible to undergo preventive course entirely.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) increases lymphocites number, movements and activity of neutrophilic leucocytes, increases production of interferon, a substance which has antiviral properties. Vitamin C stimulates macrophages, which makes them increase production of highly active forms and compounds of oxygen thus strengthening anticancerous immunity. It is supposed that at least part of immune-stimulating effects of ascorbic acid are connected with its antioxidant properties.

Under the influence of Vitamin C occurs the increase of body ability to recognize proper and foreign cells which is extremely important in older age when frequency of immunodeficient diseases with age increases dramatically. Therefore ascorbic acid is important medical product for older people with immune deficiency conditions. Other cases when ascorbic acid is prescribed:
- when person was subjected to ionizing radiation and exhausting physical load
- persons after severe surgical interventions, who got in their body an increased intensity of free-radical reactions which resulted in increased risks for development of destructive processes, cancerous growths, viral and bacteria infections.

In this case ascorbic acid is recommended as an immune-stimulant. Dozes of 100 – 300mgs (4 – 5 admissions) of ascorbic acid daily help to reduce the intensity of pathologic processes and prevent from infections. To protect from ionizing radiation the doze of ascorbic acid must be not less than 1g daily (5 admissions).

Commonly ascorbic acid is recommended in cases of increased risks for infectious diseases development. In this case ascorbic acid is admitted after food intake  0,025 – 0,05g three times daily. In  a different scheme is recommended to take 0.4 g (4 admissions daily) in first four days, 0.3g daily in next three days and then 0.1g daily in next 6 – 8 days.

Normally human needs 70 – 100mg of Vitamin C daily. Products rich with ascorbic acid are black currant, cabbage, lemons, oranges, lettuces, peppers, tomatoes, turnip greens, rosehips. When you consume these products, remember that heating, contact with metal, freezing and defrosting reduce vitamin C rate in products from 30 to 70%. Moreover, when you smoke one cigarette your body loses 0,025g of vitamin C.

In viral and bacteria diseases also gets activated run-off of vitamin C, therefore it is recommended to consume it in form of tablets. Remember, that your body never accumulates vitamin C, and you should consume products with this vitamin regularly, or at least you should take it in form of tablets.

Immune system lowers body protective potential when the body for a long time is affected by radionuclides, heavy metals, pesticides, tobacco smoke,  and when the body at this time lacks such natural antioxidants as vitamins A, E, C, beta-carotene, macro- and microelements (calcium, selenium), organic components of plant tissues (bioflavonoids).

The system of antioxidant defense requires consumption of vitamins containing antioxidants as this system plays a very important role in prevention of damages caused by foreign agents. Vitamins E, A, C, beta-carotene, selenium and zinc have immune-stimulating effects – they aggravate immune response in form of virus abtibodies production and production of interferons which disturb virus production in body cells and mobilize anti-cancer immunity.

Vitamin E deficiency leads to lowering of antibodies formation and lymphocyte activity. Admission of Vitamin E increases disease-resistance at all ages and it  is most useful for aged people. Nutritional sources of Vitamin E: wheat, porridges from ungrained cereals, green parts of plants, liver, egg yolk, leaf lettuce, sunflower oil.

Vitamin A perfectly stimulates immunity by activating cytotoxic functions of T-lymphocytes and macrophages which provide anti-cancer and anti-viral defebse, resistance to autoimmune and immunodeficient conditions. It is necessary to consume daily 1,5 mg of Vitamin E for the normal work of immunity and its acting against cancer.

Vitamin A deficiency leads to immunity disorders: lowering of B-lymphocites rate, disoreds in antibodies production against microbes. Here most of all is affected cell-mediated immunity:  the activity of cells, which are first who monitor cancerous cells, gets lowered, If immunity works normally, those cells fight cancer at its embryon state. Remember that excessively high doses of Vitamin A may lead to balance disorder in certain parts of immune system, so high doses should not be taken. Vitamin A deficiency weakens body immune system and it cannot fight viral infections. Also vitamin A deficiency may provoke allergy for albumens, milk, chicken meat, and this shows with following signs: dry skin, small rash, loss of hair, visual loop. Vitamin A is useful for mentation, attention concentration and reaction rate. Two forms of vitamin A:
- retinol, which is ready-to-use vitamin found in butter, milk, egg yolks, fish oil, liver;
- provitamin A (carotin) found in apricots and other yellow fruits, carrots, green vegetables, cabbage, lettuce, potatoes, plum.

Human immune system nicely responses to the entering of foreign molecules (called antigens) into the body – it localizes antigens, then neutralizes them to destroy them. When immune system works normally, it is able to protect us from a great range of contagious diseases including our own pathologic cells which are formed in the body.

However, when immune system begins to work incorrectly or stops its work entirely, this may result in such severe diseases as AIDS or cancer. Normal immune reaction may occur naturally when agents of viral infection enter the body or may be activated artificially with the help of various vaccines.

Most vaccines contain dead or very weak microorganisms which cause development of particular disease (pathogens) . These microorganisms just activate immune reaction and do not cause the disease itself. Immunity acquired after vaccination is as strong as natural immunity which appears after body fight with viral infection. However, vaccination not causes in man usual disease symptoms in order to produce normal defensive reaction of immune system. Vaccination is performed gradually against viruses causing such diseases as measles, parotitis, roseola, influenza, poliomyelitis, hepatitis, and also some bacterial infections.

The effectiveness of body immune system work reduces slowly, and as a result with aging immunity becomes weak. It was found that most of cancers which appear in older people result from “aging” of immune system.

Viruses are smallest microorganisms which cause infectious diseases. Viruses multiply only in live cells. How does this occur? Virus makes the cell it intends to enter produce special virus-alike molecules which form new virus particules which spread to neighbored healthy cells.

The number of viruses increases, gradually they capture more and more cells which leads to disease appearing. Each of body organs may be affected by viruses, thus each vurus disease has its own symptoms and signs. However, all viruses are intracellular pathogens and therefore all methods of treatment of diseases they cause are inefficient. Antibiotics are ineffective in case of viral infection, it means that the duration of disease and its severity depend on organism ability to fight the virus.

One of most seroius methods is prevention of serious virus diseases with the help of vaccination. Most popular classification of viruses is based on their correlation with diseases they cause, for example, viruses that cause such diseases as smallpox, measles, rubella and chickenpox. These diseases spred via blood through whole body very rapidly, and may affect at once several organs including skin (rash).

Other viruses affect only particular organs. For example, viruses of poliomyelitis and rabies damage nervous system. Influenza viruses affect respiratory system, viruses of hepatitis A and B affect liver work. However, this classification is not quite reliable because one and the same virus may damage various organs. For example, herpes catarrhalis  may affect lips skin, genitalia or even nervous system. Therefore, today viruses do classify according to their size, shape, structure and mode of reproduction.

Though antibiotics are ineffective to fight viruses, however, there are medications which help to do it. Remember that prevention is the best way to fight virus diseases – try to avoid them, protect yourself and your children from them. Vaccination prevents from entering of particular viruses in the body.

We continue to talk about immunity.  See the beginning in previous post.

Vaccines may be killed or live. Adaptive immunity after injecting killed vaccine is of small duration (about one year) in comparison with live ones (5 – 8 years). Killed vaccines present of themselves a suspension of microorganisms killed with folmalin, spirit or heating. Live vaccines present of themselves a suspension of live but attenuated microorganisms.

Contraindications to vaccines usage are:
- acute febrile illness;
- passed infectious diseases;
- tuberculosis;
- heart disease;
- serious diseases of kidneys; stomach, etc;
- pregnancy;
- first weeks of lactation;
- allergies.

Signs of low immune system:
- frequent backsets of chronic diseases
- frequent cold-related diseases
- sedentary lifestyle, alcohol abuse,  smoking, stress, lack of good rest do greatly lower immunity
- chemical substances have negative effects on immune system. Using of medications for a long period of time may lower immunity, so it is recommended to take preventive measures for maintaining body defenses.

How to boost your immune system?
1) Vitamins. Most positive effects on body have natural vitamins rather than pills.
2) Adaptogens, i.e. medical agents which increase body resistance to negative effects of external environment (ginseng, eleuterococcus, etc).
3)  Exercises.
4)  Healthy lifestyle.

Take special care about medications which do “boost the immunity”.  Remember that those medications are never used as self-acting remedy. They may only be prescribed by your doctor to take it along with basic medication for treatment of concrete disease.  Healthy people have no need to take these medications. Chemical balance in human body is too fragile mechanism and self-treatment in this case may lead to negative effects. Taking medications for immunity boosting without prescription of your doctor leads to immunity lowering.