We talk a lot about avoiding a threat like COVID-19. You likely know avoiding gatherings, social distancing, washing hands, not shaking hands, not touching your face and wearing masks and personal protective gear are important.
But your body is designed to protect you from outside threats. Your immune system is a highly organized and mobile unit, designed to fight to protect you.
Unlike other parts of the body, the immune system is difficult to visualize. After all, you know what the heart looks like and where it beats. But your immune system is just that: a system. It involves a variety of cells and messages between them. Plus, its something that patrols your entire body.
Think about it as any kind of protect-and-defend system it just happens at a microscopic level. It goes through a very similar process as societal defense mechanisms.
And like the city police, state police, FBI, etc., there is a lot of redundancy built into the system, designed to help you. Your skin serves as the first, outer shield to your insides. Even protection for your ears thats what wax is for nose and lungs have filters and cilia that act like brooms, trying to make sure bad stuff from the outside stays outside.
Once inside, or against an inside renegade like a cancer cell, this defense system goes into action. Its what rushes in when you scrape yourself. When you have a cold or are sick from a virus, your immune cells recognize some nasty stuff causing problems and send in other immune cells to fight them. The result of that fight is what you see or feel coughing, runny nose, inflammation, fever and things of that sort.
You also might see it when you cut yourself or twist an ankle. Redness or swelling are a result of those immune cells identifying a problem and sending in cells to heal the area. Ultimately, its what heals you.
Yet when we talk about vibrant longevity, its not just about how your body handles the flu or a bum joint. Its much more about how your immune system handles the major threats that if not defeated, will kill you, like MERS, SARS, COVID-19 or a cancer. Strengthening your immune system is key for keeping you young inside.
It should be noted your immune system, after you turn about 50, loses some of its juice. It is less able to identify and attack invaders, which is the reason self-engineering your immune system is vital and you should do all you can to keep it in top shape.
Tips for self-engineering your immune system
Quality sleep: Poor sleep is associated with decreased immune function and decreased rate of vaccines working, for that very reason. That means not only getting at least 7 hours of sleep, but also making sure its quality sleep. Good sleep hygiene, meaning no screens in the bedroom and not eating for a few hours before sleep, is crucial to making sure you get rest. Getting great sleep for several days prior to a flu shot boosts its success in protecting for influenza viruses.
Manage stress: One of the major threats to your immune system is chronic stress, which causes a cascade of hormonal responses that weakens your immune function over time. And while were of the belief theres no such thing as total stress relief stress is simply a byproduct of living a fulfilling life we believe there are ways to self-engineer the effects that negative and chronic stress can have on the body. Of course stress management can take many shapes and forms, and you should engage in those activities that work for you, as long as theyre healthy a nightly assembly line of martinis does not qualify. Meditation, deep breathing, social connections by phone or video chat in this time of social distancing, and at least 10 other techniques have been shown to increase immune function.
Enjoy healthy food: Vegetables are natures best protective medicine theyre fortified with so many good-for-you compounds and nutrients. When it comes to preventing or fighting enemies of longevity, if theres one thing you can do to help reduce your risk, its to make a conscious effort to cover more of your plate with veggies and fruits. Make them great-tasting, and it helps to avoid red and processed meat, simple sugar, syrups and carbs that are not 100% whole grain. The best approach is to diversify your portfolio of fruits and vegetables think leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, berries and citrus fruits.
This will help improve the chances that all your micronutrients vitamins A, B, C and D, and minerals like zinc and selenium are covered. Its also a good idea to supplement with half a multivitamin-multimineral supplement twice a day (morning and night) to ensure all of your bases are covered. Taking it for several weeks prior to a flu shot is another way to boost the flu shots success in protecting you for influenza viruses.
Move, move, move: Any movement is great, but increasing progressively over time can boost immune functioning. Note, though, that over-exercising is associated with decreased immune function. Training by running continuously for more than two hours, or biking more than two hours continuously, would classify as over-exercising, as doing more than two hours of exercises continuously causes inflammation and depresses your immune system.
Cut out toxins: This includes vaping, smoking cigarettes and consuming too much alcohol.
Cover your cough.
Get vaccines.
Wash your hands.
Yes, you get to engineer your immune system so it can help you ward off the current headline threat, as well as the big longevity stopper cancer. Take the opportunity.
Dr. Michael Roizen writes about wellness for the Cleveland Jewish News. He is chief wellness officer and chair of the Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic.
See original here:
The immune system another contributor to increasing longevity, staying young inside - Cleveland Jewish News
- 5 Healthy Ways to Live a Longer, Happier Life, According to Blue Zone Communities - Verywell Mind - April 24th, 2025
- Walking Just 11 Minutes Each Day Could Add Years To Your Life, Says Study. Here's Why It Works. - Women's Health - April 24th, 2025
- Healthspan and longevity: The rise of the geroprotective supplements - NutraIngredients-USA.com - April 24th, 2025
- Longevity expert says one exercise can add three years to your life - Surrey Live - April 24th, 2025
- Want To Live To 100? Heres What The Blue Zones Are Doing Right - Plant Based News - April 24th, 2025
- Longevity: Discover Our Exclusive Hotels Focusing on Gentle Rejuvenation - Falstaff - April 24th, 2025
- In-cosmetics Global 2025: Barentz targets biohacking and longevity trends with innovative formulations - www.personalcareinsights.com - April 24th, 2025
- Fitness, mindset, and nutrition: Unlocking longevity after 60 [PODCAST] - KevinMD.com - April 24th, 2025
- Lanserhof: The Worlds Most Advanced Longevity Clinicand Why It Matters - stupidDOPE - April 24th, 2025
- Fiber, gut health and longevity: The week in Well+Being - The Washington Post - April 24th, 2025
- Viewpoint: Longevity and sirtuinsLeonard Guarantes Elysium is raking in a fortune promoting supplements that most scientists believe are next to... - April 24th, 2025
- Link between regenerative, functional, and longevity medicine | Bloom - WFLA - April 24th, 2025
- Abu Dhabi takes the HELM in longevity - Longevity.Technology - April 24th, 2025
- Family Guy: Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin Talk Longevity, Collaboration, and Doing it By Hand - Animation World Network - April 24th, 2025
- Want to Live Longer? A New Study Says Making This Easy Swap Could Help - Food & Wine - April 24th, 2025
- Timeline, the Leading Longevity Biotech Brand, Launches First-of-Its-Kind Gummy Powered by Mitopure - Business Wire - April 24th, 2025
- 'I'm a longevity expert - most 100-year-olds have eaten one type of carbohydrate their entire lives' - GB News - April 24th, 2025
- Whats the secret of the longevity of crocodile relatives? - futurity.org - April 24th, 2025
- This 99-Year-Old Lifts Every Day and Swears by One Surprising Meal - Men's Fitness - April 24th, 2025
- 5 health tips from the exclusive (and hardcore) German longevity retreat - MSN - April 24th, 2025
- I feel more alive than ever at 47 here's my 4-step routine - hellomagazine.com - April 14th, 2025
- Longevity Fitness: How to slow down aging and strategies to stay fit after middle age - Times of India - April 14th, 2025
- Living Longer and Better: The Rise of Longevity Clinics. But When Will They Be Accessible to Everyone? - Men's Health - April 14th, 2025
- Recent work suggests a connection between verbal factors and a longer lifespan. - Psychology Today - April 14th, 2025
- Aging In Place: Longevity In A Time Of Stress - CapeNews.net - April 14th, 2025
- Florida Wins National Title, a 101-Year-Olds Longevity Tips: What to Know TODAY - TODAY.com - April 14th, 2025
- Retirement could be bad for your health, says wellness expert: 'Powered by purpose' - Fox News - April 14th, 2025
- 101-Year-Old Nutrition Professor Shares 7 Tips For A Long Life - TODAY.com - April 14th, 2025
- Longevity and precision medicine driving the agenda at Abu Dhabi Global Health Week - PR Newswire - April 14th, 2025
- Sadhguru's 13 tips on right food habits that promote health and longevity - Times of India - April 14th, 2025
- Aging, regeneration and whole-body rejuvenation in long-lived planarians - Nature - April 14th, 2025
- Longevity expert says world's oldest people in Blue Zones 'never' drink this - Surrey Live - April 14th, 2025
- Technologies developed to clean up orbit and enhance satellite longevity - Space Daily - April 14th, 2025
- Longevity in theatre requires talent and skill and lucky timing - The Stage - April 14th, 2025
- FIBO 2025 opens with new longevity and wellness hall and conference - spaopportunities.com - April 14th, 2025
- What the Tech: Increasing your iPhone's longevity - KTBS - April 14th, 2025
- P90X trainer Tony Horton is in the best shape of his life at 66. Here are his top longevity tips. - Business Insider - April 14th, 2025
- This daily supplement can work wonders for longevity: Here's how to take it - Times of India - April 14th, 2025
- Is this longevity diet a magic pill for chronic diseases? Why Lancets planetary health diet can work for you - The Indian Express - April 14th, 2025
- Im a doctor why the French diet beats the Mediterranean diet for obesity, longevity and colon cancer - New York Post - April 14th, 2025
- So "Longevity Tea" Is A Thing & It's Easier To Make Than You'd Expect - MindBodyGreen - April 5th, 2025
- Longevity & Hospitality Summit: Transforming the future of hospitality - spaopportunities.com - April 5th, 2025
- Department of Health Abu Dhabi hosts inaugural Healthy Longevity Innovation Forum - MSN - April 5th, 2025
- Fat's surprising role in aging and longevity - WFTV - April 5th, 2025
- The creator of Kind Bars is now investing in longevity. Here's what his firm is betting on. - Business Insider - April 5th, 2025
- Try these moves tied to longevity and independence later in life - MSN - April 5th, 2025
- Longevity Beauty Brand Oneskin Launches Hair - The Business of Fashion - April 5th, 2025
- The science of brain longevity: The Magtein success story - NutraIngredients.com - April 5th, 2025
- Public invited to attend free conference on longevity: Focus Forward Long Live West Virginia - WV News - April 5th, 2025
- Dr Greger Reveals The 10 Blue Zones Food Guidelines To Lengthen Your Life - Plant Based News - April 5th, 2025
- NAD Supplements Promise to Improve Energy, Metabolism, and Longevity. Heres How Experts Recommend You Use Them - GQ - April 5th, 2025
- Longevity and Hyaluronic Acid, discover the novelties of LipoTrue at booth 1A80 - Cosmetics Business - April 5th, 2025
- The Longevity Superfood That Could Extend Your Life - Plant Based News - April 5th, 2025
- Nutritionist-approved 5 fruits that improve longevity and heart health - Times of India - April 5th, 2025
- Exclusive | 100-year-old NYC cabaret singer shares her secret to longevity: Everything about her is an inspiration - New York Post - April 5th, 2025
- The No. 1 Tip You Need To Live To 100, From A Longevity Expert - MindBodyGreen - April 5th, 2025
- I asked scientists about the best exercise for longevity - and they all said the same 3 workouts - Woman & Home - April 5th, 2025
- Longevity Is A Rich Man's Game. But What Does It Cost The Rest Of Us? - HuffPost UK - April 5th, 2025
- 'Fasting and the Longevity Revolution' Trailer Has Edward Norton Narrating Nutrition Doc - MovieWeb - April 5th, 2025
- The convergence of health, wealth and longevity Services - Deloitte - April 5th, 2025
- Longevity researcher shares secrets of the worlds blue zones - Fox News - March 19th, 2025
- Kyrgyzstan on the Threshold of an Aging Population: Government Develops Active Longevity Program - Times of Central Asia - March 19th, 2025
- Longevity dividend - Association of Health Care Journalists - March 19th, 2025
- Longevity: The cosmetics industry must rethink its approach to ageing - Premium beauty - March 19th, 2025
- Implantable biosensors get major longevity boost with coating technology that inhibits biofouling - Phys.org - March 19th, 2025
- Longevity vs. Metabolism: How Birds Cheat the Aging Process - SciTechDaily - March 19th, 2025
- Bon appetit, Cristiano Ronaldo! 'Unusual' dish behind 40-year-old's remarkable longevity - and where it can be bought - revealed - Goal.com - March 19th, 2025
- Secrets of the Greenland Sharks Longevity Revealed in New Study - The Brighter Side of News - March 19th, 2025
- Anthony Michael Hall Says Longevity Was Always His Goal As The Breakfast Club And Weird Science Turn 40 - Decider - March 19th, 2025
- LB Elandon Roberts' words on NFL longevity will have Raiders fans very excited to have him - Raiders Wire - March 19th, 2025
- Studies Undoubtedly Show This Vitamin Is Linked To LongevityHere's Why - mindbodygreen - March 19th, 2025
- 'Helps slow down ageing': Nutritionist names longevity foods that improve 'heart health and brain function' - GB News - March 19th, 2025
- Men With High-Quality Sperm May Have a Longer Life Expectancy - Everyday Health - March 19th, 2025
- Dr. Vonda Wright Shares the Longevity Habits Youre Not Thinking About (and That You Can Start Doing Today) - Maria Shriver's Sunday Paper - March 19th, 2025
- 99-Year-Old Dick Van Dyke Eats This Surprising Food Combo Every Day - Taste of Home - March 19th, 2025
- Climbing This Many Stairs A Week May Lead To A Longer Life - HuffPost UK - March 19th, 2025
- How to live longer: Supercentenarian who lived to 117 ate her go-to snack 3 times a day - GB News - March 19th, 2025
- Saudi Arabia Expands Regulatory Role To Shape The Future Of Health And Longevity - Citeline News & Insights - March 19th, 2025
- Crypto fans are obsessed with longevity and biohacking: Heres why - Cointelegraph - March 19th, 2025
- Unlocking the power of sleep: Longevity expert Dr Elie Abirached tells us how - Gulf Business - March 19th, 2025