Stress And Immunity
School is definitely in session for a lot of us, also work and jobs and whatnot for the older crowd, so I think a post on how stress affects our immune system is needed! I decided to go with a "provide all the information you can" technique so you all can pick and choose what best can help you strengthen immunity and reduce stress :)
Are you stressed?
* Feeling angry, irritable or easily frustrated
* Feeling overwhelmed
* Change in eating habits
* Problems concentrating
* Feeling nervous or anxious
* Trouble sleeping
* Problems with memory
* Feeling burned out from work
* Feeling that you can’t overcome difficulties in your life
* Having trouble functioning in your job or personal life
If you’re having any of these symptoms, you may be feeling stressed. If you feel overwhelmed, unable to cope and feel as though your stress is affecting how you function every day, it could be something more, like depression or anxiety.
Don’t let it go unchecked. Contact your health care provider.
How Stress Effects The Immune System
* Chronic stress can raise cortisol levels and weaken our immune system and make us more susceptible to colds and the flu, as well as more serious health problems like heart disease, diabetes and other diseases.
* Chronically elevated cortisol levels contribute to the accumulation of abdominal fat and make it very difficult to get rid of it. The immune system is suppressed and the individual becomes more susceptible to infections, both minor and major.
* When we’re under stress, health may suffer because we don’t always make other healthy lifestyle choices like getting enough sleep, exercise and healthy food in our diet, which also makes us more likely to become ill.
The Biology Of It
* Cortisol is elevated in response to stress. The adrenal glands are not particular, any kind of stress will do. The stress can be physical, environmental, chemical or imaginary. The human brain is hard wired with automatic responses to protect the body from harm
* The hormone cortisol is produced in the adrenal cortex in response to adrenal cortical stimulating hormone (ACTH) produced in the pituitary gland. Cortisol plays an important role in regulating blood sugar, energy production, inflammation, the immune system and healing.
If you have too little cortisol, you may suffer from fatigue, chronic fatigue, exhaustion and a disease of the endocrine system called Addison's disease. If your adrenal glands are producing too much cortisol, you may develop conditions such as weight gain, especially around the abdomen, depressed immune function with all of the consequences, accelerated aging and stomach ulcers.
How Can I Reduce Stress?
* Certain techniques, like journaling, yoga and even laughter have all been found to increase immunity. Each individual should explore and find the stress reduction techniques that work best for themselves. Meditation, physical activities, attitude changes etc. are also good paths to explore. By practicing stress-reducing activities, you can keep your body from going into chronic stress mode, maintaining increased health and wellness.
* Gadgets have been created to relieve stress and tension in the body.
* Rest. This may sound obvious but it must be managed and scheduled as a deliberate strategy, choice and course of action. Otherwise it gets forgotten in the busyness of life.
* A low glycemic diet is important. Sugar handling stress increases cortisol levels. Elevated cortisol, in turn, aggravates the sugar handling situation contributing to the development of high insulin levels and ultimately diabetes.
* Nutritional supplementation is very valuable in restoring normal cortisol levels and lowering stress. One of the best known and most effective ways to lower excess cortisol levels is with the nutrient Phosphatidylserine (PS). Phosphatidylserine is believed to facilitate the repair of the cortisol receptors in the hypothalamus. The cortisol receptors get damaged by high cortisol levels reducing the ability of the hypothalamus to sense and correct high cortisone levels, and because Phosphatidylserine helps repair the feedback control apparatus, it is useful in correcting both high and low cortisol levels.
* Maintain a supportive network. Social support boosts immunity and helps you manage stress in your life, both of which will keep you healthier. By keeping several healthy relationships in your life, you’ll have friends to help you through the difficult times and increase your enjoyment of the good times, helping everyone stay healthy and enjoy life more.
* Stay organized and maintain balance in your life. Keep your home uncluttered. Become proficient at saying no to requests that aren’t in line with your priorities. Staying organized and balanced will help you keep from overtaxing yourself, and can help reduce the level of stress you experience in your life, helping you stay healthier in the long run.
How can I strengthen my immune system?
* While it is difficult to enhance a normal functioning immune system, there are things that you can do to protect and strengthen your immune system during periods of illness or in the face of chronic disease. The three areas that are most important in protecting and bolstering the immune system are diet and nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction.
* Antioxidants are vitamins and minerals, found in foods and available as supplements, that remove harmful oxidants from the bloodstream. Oxidants, also known as free radicals, are the toxic byproducts our bodies make when we turn food into energy.
Nutrients and micronutrients
* Marginal nutrient deficiencies in the diet can also weaken the immune system. Marginal deficiency is a state of gradual vitamin loss that can lead to a general lack of well being and impairment of certain biochemical reactions. Marginal deficiencies of micronutrients (nutrients required only in a small amount) do not cause obvious symptoms of disease, but they can affect your mental abilities, your coping abilities, and your body's ability to resist disease and infection.
* The typical American diet is often deficient in a variety of nutrients including calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C. Furthermore, the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for many nutrients might be well below what is needed to optimally protect the immune system. For this reason, vitamin and mineral supplements are used to protect us against micronutrient deficiencies.
* Supplementing your diet with a balanced multivitamin is essential. To do this, you should add beta carotene in a dose of 25,000 international units (IU) twice per day. In addition, vitamin C in doses of at least 500 to 1000 mg a day is recommended. Why these vitamins? Beta carotene is one of the most potent nutrients and can protect the body from oxidative stress. Populations that have diets high in beta carotene have a lower incidence of certain forms of cancer.
* Take Vitamin C and drink plenty of water. This increases proper functioning of your immune system and helps you fight disease more easily. Vitamin C is an extraordinarily important antioxidant. While many studies have shown that daily ingestion of vitamin C does little to protect you from the common cold, it can reduce the severity of colds. Furthermore, there are several controlled studies performed in populations of people working under heavy stress that have shown a profound protective effect of vitamin C in terms of common colds and pneumonia.
Foods.
* You can further modify your diet by eating less saturated fat and animal protein (particularly red meat), by limiting dairy products (particularly those with fat), by modifying your use of oils and fats, and by eating more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. As an added benefit, you will be following a diet that is also good for your cardiovascular system.
* Try eliminating red meat from your diet or, if necessary, eat it no more than once every 10 days. Also eliminate or reduce your intake of fried meats. Try to replace the meats in your diet with servings of fish, particularly oily fish such as salmon. Salmon contains a rich form of an oil known as omega-3 fatty acids, which has natural anti-inflammatory properties.
* Use only olive oil in your cooking. Olive oil is rich in mono-saturated fats. All other oils, with the possible exception of canola oil, have unfavorable types of fats for the immune system. Avoid excessive use of margarine. Though most margarines are unsaturated in their fat content they are artificially prepared and the long-term effects of their use are not known. Try to minimize the use of all fats, but wherever possible use olive oil in cooking and for dressing salads.
* Eat more fruits and vegetables. Green leafy vegetables such as broccoli are very rich in antioxidants. Add several servings a week to your diet. Do not overcook them and think of creative ways to prepare them. Add more servings of other fruits and vegetables to your diet, as they are rich sources of antioxidants as well.
* Add fiber to your diet. Fiber can be found in many types of whole grains. If you are going to add rice, which is healthy, try to add brown rice. Brans and cereals are also helpful, but avoid those with any form of artificial sugar.
Exercise and immunity
* Even more so than nutrition, exercise has the capacity to protect and even enhance the immune response. Experimental studies have shown that a regular exercise program of brisk walking can bolster many defenses of the immune system, including the antibody response and the natural killer (T cell) response.
* Fortunately, the intensity and duration of exercise needed to support the immune system is less than that needed to provide the best cardiovascular training. Thus, even relatively low levels of aerobic exercise can protect your immune system. Twenty to 30 minutes of brisk walking five days per week is an ideal training program for maintaining a healthy immune response.
* Exercise can also improve your mental wellness. Regular aerobic exercise can help relieve mild to moderate degrees of depression and anxiety. It is not clear whether exercise boosts the immune system directly or works through a link with the brain and nervous system.
Don't Forget!
* Wash your hands, do it frequently, and especially before meals. This will keep germs from being passed to your face, so your immune system won't even have to worry about fighting them. You can also use antibacterial hand lotion to serve the same purpose when you're out and about.
* Avoid People Who Are Sick. If members of your family, friends, or fellow students are ill, in addition to washing your hands and avoiding direct contact, it's a good idea to spray disinfectant spray on all door handles, light switches, phones and other areas of the house that are touched often and may contain germs.
--
Sources:
Diet, Exercise, Stress and the Immune System
Stress and Cortisol
Stress Management As A Cure For The Common Cold?
Stress: Know the Signs
Suggested Readings:
* Simone C. Cancer and Nutrition. Garden City, New York: Avery Press; 1992.
* Wyle A. Eight Weeks to Optimum Health. New York: Alfred A. Knopf: 1997.
Selected articles on exercise, nutrition and stress:
* Calabrese Leonard H: Exercise, immunity and infection. Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 1996:166-176.
* Hemial H: Vitamin C and common cold incidence. A review of studies with subjects under heavy physical stress. International Journal of Sports Medicine. 1996: Vol 17, p 379-383
Are you stressed?
* Feeling angry, irritable or easily frustrated
* Feeling overwhelmed
* Change in eating habits
* Problems concentrating
* Feeling nervous or anxious
* Trouble sleeping
* Problems with memory
* Feeling burned out from work
* Feeling that you can’t overcome difficulties in your life
* Having trouble functioning in your job or personal life
If you’re having any of these symptoms, you may be feeling stressed. If you feel overwhelmed, unable to cope and feel as though your stress is affecting how you function every day, it could be something more, like depression or anxiety.
Don’t let it go unchecked. Contact your health care provider.
How Stress Effects The Immune System
* Chronic stress can raise cortisol levels and weaken our immune system and make us more susceptible to colds and the flu, as well as more serious health problems like heart disease, diabetes and other diseases.
* Chronically elevated cortisol levels contribute to the accumulation of abdominal fat and make it very difficult to get rid of it. The immune system is suppressed and the individual becomes more susceptible to infections, both minor and major.
* When we’re under stress, health may suffer because we don’t always make other healthy lifestyle choices like getting enough sleep, exercise and healthy food in our diet, which also makes us more likely to become ill.
The Biology Of It
* Cortisol is elevated in response to stress. The adrenal glands are not particular, any kind of stress will do. The stress can be physical, environmental, chemical or imaginary. The human brain is hard wired with automatic responses to protect the body from harm
* The hormone cortisol is produced in the adrenal cortex in response to adrenal cortical stimulating hormone (ACTH) produced in the pituitary gland. Cortisol plays an important role in regulating blood sugar, energy production, inflammation, the immune system and healing.
If you have too little cortisol, you may suffer from fatigue, chronic fatigue, exhaustion and a disease of the endocrine system called Addison's disease. If your adrenal glands are producing too much cortisol, you may develop conditions such as weight gain, especially around the abdomen, depressed immune function with all of the consequences, accelerated aging and stomach ulcers.
How Can I Reduce Stress?
* Certain techniques, like journaling, yoga and even laughter have all been found to increase immunity. Each individual should explore and find the stress reduction techniques that work best for themselves. Meditation, physical activities, attitude changes etc. are also good paths to explore. By practicing stress-reducing activities, you can keep your body from going into chronic stress mode, maintaining increased health and wellness.
* Gadgets have been created to relieve stress and tension in the body.
* Rest. This may sound obvious but it must be managed and scheduled as a deliberate strategy, choice and course of action. Otherwise it gets forgotten in the busyness of life.
* A low glycemic diet is important. Sugar handling stress increases cortisol levels. Elevated cortisol, in turn, aggravates the sugar handling situation contributing to the development of high insulin levels and ultimately diabetes.
* Nutritional supplementation is very valuable in restoring normal cortisol levels and lowering stress. One of the best known and most effective ways to lower excess cortisol levels is with the nutrient Phosphatidylserine (PS). Phosphatidylserine is believed to facilitate the repair of the cortisol receptors in the hypothalamus. The cortisol receptors get damaged by high cortisol levels reducing the ability of the hypothalamus to sense and correct high cortisone levels, and because Phosphatidylserine helps repair the feedback control apparatus, it is useful in correcting both high and low cortisol levels.
* Maintain a supportive network. Social support boosts immunity and helps you manage stress in your life, both of which will keep you healthier. By keeping several healthy relationships in your life, you’ll have friends to help you through the difficult times and increase your enjoyment of the good times, helping everyone stay healthy and enjoy life more.
* Stay organized and maintain balance in your life. Keep your home uncluttered. Become proficient at saying no to requests that aren’t in line with your priorities. Staying organized and balanced will help you keep from overtaxing yourself, and can help reduce the level of stress you experience in your life, helping you stay healthier in the long run.
How can I strengthen my immune system?
* While it is difficult to enhance a normal functioning immune system, there are things that you can do to protect and strengthen your immune system during periods of illness or in the face of chronic disease. The three areas that are most important in protecting and bolstering the immune system are diet and nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction.
* Antioxidants are vitamins and minerals, found in foods and available as supplements, that remove harmful oxidants from the bloodstream. Oxidants, also known as free radicals, are the toxic byproducts our bodies make when we turn food into energy.
Nutrients and micronutrients
* Marginal nutrient deficiencies in the diet can also weaken the immune system. Marginal deficiency is a state of gradual vitamin loss that can lead to a general lack of well being and impairment of certain biochemical reactions. Marginal deficiencies of micronutrients (nutrients required only in a small amount) do not cause obvious symptoms of disease, but they can affect your mental abilities, your coping abilities, and your body's ability to resist disease and infection.
* The typical American diet is often deficient in a variety of nutrients including calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C. Furthermore, the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for many nutrients might be well below what is needed to optimally protect the immune system. For this reason, vitamin and mineral supplements are used to protect us against micronutrient deficiencies.
* Supplementing your diet with a balanced multivitamin is essential. To do this, you should add beta carotene in a dose of 25,000 international units (IU) twice per day. In addition, vitamin C in doses of at least 500 to 1000 mg a day is recommended. Why these vitamins? Beta carotene is one of the most potent nutrients and can protect the body from oxidative stress. Populations that have diets high in beta carotene have a lower incidence of certain forms of cancer.
* Take Vitamin C and drink plenty of water. This increases proper functioning of your immune system and helps you fight disease more easily. Vitamin C is an extraordinarily important antioxidant. While many studies have shown that daily ingestion of vitamin C does little to protect you from the common cold, it can reduce the severity of colds. Furthermore, there are several controlled studies performed in populations of people working under heavy stress that have shown a profound protective effect of vitamin C in terms of common colds and pneumonia.
Foods.
* You can further modify your diet by eating less saturated fat and animal protein (particularly red meat), by limiting dairy products (particularly those with fat), by modifying your use of oils and fats, and by eating more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. As an added benefit, you will be following a diet that is also good for your cardiovascular system.
* Try eliminating red meat from your diet or, if necessary, eat it no more than once every 10 days. Also eliminate or reduce your intake of fried meats. Try to replace the meats in your diet with servings of fish, particularly oily fish such as salmon. Salmon contains a rich form of an oil known as omega-3 fatty acids, which has natural anti-inflammatory properties.
* Use only olive oil in your cooking. Olive oil is rich in mono-saturated fats. All other oils, with the possible exception of canola oil, have unfavorable types of fats for the immune system. Avoid excessive use of margarine. Though most margarines are unsaturated in their fat content they are artificially prepared and the long-term effects of their use are not known. Try to minimize the use of all fats, but wherever possible use olive oil in cooking and for dressing salads.
* Eat more fruits and vegetables. Green leafy vegetables such as broccoli are very rich in antioxidants. Add several servings a week to your diet. Do not overcook them and think of creative ways to prepare them. Add more servings of other fruits and vegetables to your diet, as they are rich sources of antioxidants as well.
* Add fiber to your diet. Fiber can be found in many types of whole grains. If you are going to add rice, which is healthy, try to add brown rice. Brans and cereals are also helpful, but avoid those with any form of artificial sugar.
Exercise and immunity
* Even more so than nutrition, exercise has the capacity to protect and even enhance the immune response. Experimental studies have shown that a regular exercise program of brisk walking can bolster many defenses of the immune system, including the antibody response and the natural killer (T cell) response.
* Fortunately, the intensity and duration of exercise needed to support the immune system is less than that needed to provide the best cardiovascular training. Thus, even relatively low levels of aerobic exercise can protect your immune system. Twenty to 30 minutes of brisk walking five days per week is an ideal training program for maintaining a healthy immune response.
* Exercise can also improve your mental wellness. Regular aerobic exercise can help relieve mild to moderate degrees of depression and anxiety. It is not clear whether exercise boosts the immune system directly or works through a link with the brain and nervous system.
Don't Forget!
* Wash your hands, do it frequently, and especially before meals. This will keep germs from being passed to your face, so your immune system won't even have to worry about fighting them. You can also use antibacterial hand lotion to serve the same purpose when you're out and about.
* Avoid People Who Are Sick. If members of your family, friends, or fellow students are ill, in addition to washing your hands and avoiding direct contact, it's a good idea to spray disinfectant spray on all door handles, light switches, phones and other areas of the house that are touched often and may contain germs.
--
Sources:
Diet, Exercise, Stress and the Immune System
Stress and Cortisol
Stress Management As A Cure For The Common Cold?
Stress: Know the Signs
Suggested Readings:
* Simone C. Cancer and Nutrition. Garden City, New York: Avery Press; 1992.
* Wyle A. Eight Weeks to Optimum Health. New York: Alfred A. Knopf: 1997.
Selected articles on exercise, nutrition and stress:
* Calabrese Leonard H: Exercise, immunity and infection. Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 1996:166-176.
* Hemial H: Vitamin C and common cold incidence. A review of studies with subjects under heavy physical stress. International Journal of Sports Medicine. 1996: Vol 17, p 379-383