Monty Soungpradith Open Image Studio
Coughing, sneezing, itching your nose – germs are nasty and literally everywhere. With the colder season on the horizon, taking care of our immune systems (and our kids) is important.
The immune system is the body’s natural defense that helps fight infections; from the common cold to cancer. It’s made up of antibodies, white blood cells, chemicals, proteins and body parts.
Since the immune system is the military of the body, it faces plenty of attacks. Family medicine physician Dr. Troy Fate with Mount Carmel Medical Group shares the facts about immune-boosting foods, the germiest places, non-vaccinators and more.
Does working out help your immune system? According to Fate, when heart rates rise and sweating starts, the increase in body temperature helps ward off infection and increases resistance to germs.
True or False?
Have you ever scrolled through Facebook or a news app and seen something that says, “Eat this food every day and your immune system will fight off every infection”? Truth be told, those articles may speak some truth.
According to Fate, foods such as acai berries and broccoli are high in antioxidants – a substance such as vitamin C or E that removes potentially damaging oxidizing agents in living organisms – and help build up the immune system. However, Fate debunks the antioxidant qualities of some of these miracle foods, such as ginger.
“(Immune-boosting foods) do work,” Fate says. “Food like garlic and turmeric have an antioxidating affect, and also have stimulating effects on immune cells. Ginger has an anti-nausea effect.”
Products like Emergen-C are beneficial when the common cold strikes because vitamin C is necessary for the growth and repair of all body tissue. But if you’re not wanting the bitter taste of Emergen-C, try this super quick acai berry smoothie recipe, courtesy of Dad with a Pan.
Coconut Berry Acai Smoothie
Ingredients
2 packets acai berries
1 cup fresh strawberries
½ cup blueberries
3 cups coconut water
Instructions
Place all ingredients in blender. Blend for 30-45 seconds until preferred consistency. Pour and enjoy!
Germy Germs and Vaccinations
To some degree, humans need exposure to germs to help build their immune systems – and that’s what vaccinations provide.
“When we vaccinate, we exposure our body to particles of proteins that are related to a virus or bacteria and then we can fight those infections better because of that vaccination,” Fate says.
In the age of vaccinators versus non-vaccinators, knowing what to do for yourself or your child may be confusing. Fate recommends talking with your family doctor regardless of your thoughts on vaccinations.
“I try not to cast judgement (on non-vaccinators) because these are very concerned parents,” Fate says. “But for the benefit of our society, if we can get 90 percent vaccinated, then the 10 percent who aren’t vaccinated will be protected; that’s called herd immunity, and that’s what the CDC recommends.”
As for germs, Fate lists some of the germiest areas and objects we interact with daily.
- Restaurant menus can contain 185,000 germs per square-centimeter, while public toilets have about 500-1,000 germs per square-centimeter.
- Fate says despite swimming pools using chemicals, they’re actually quite germy. According to NBC News, the cryptosporidium germ can resist chlorine disinfectant and is a leading cause for sicknesses linked to pools.
- Researchers at the University of Arizona found that in a sample of 85 random shopping carts, 50 percent carried E. coli and 72 percent contained coliform bacteria, which harbors fecal matter.
But don’t worry! The reason we have an immune system and modern medicine is so we can fight off these harmful and nasty germs.
“Hand sanitizer kills germs and virus, whereas soap and water washes (germs) off – but I hope people know that hand sanitizer doesn’t do anything for visibly dirty hands,” says Fate.
The Future is Now
When a person consumes something they’re allergic to, their immune system basically goes to war trying to defend its territory. Within the past few years, though, doctors and scientist have introduced a revolutionary pill that can help people with severe allergies.
“It essentially tricks the body to think these (allergies) are no longer foreign,” Fate says. “So, over time, if they take this pill continuously, it would essentially desensitize the body to having an allergic reaction, which is pretty cool.”
Lydia Freudenberg is an editor. Feedback welcome at lfreudenberg@cityscenemediagroup.com.
