Revealed: How Stress Reduces Immune System Strength

Worried about staying healthy? Want to improve your immune system strength? I'm about to reveal the one thing in particular you can do to keep your defenses strong...

Reduce stress.

Stress undermines your immune system in multiple ways, making it hard for your internal defense force to protect you adequately from the threats to your health all around you.

The American Medical Association reports that 80-85% of doctor visits can be traced back to stress.[1]

You may think viruses and other microbes make you sick.

But that's not necessarily the case. Sure, germs lead to an infection. But only if they outsmart your immune system, get inside of you and establish a foothold in your body.

And stress - more often than not - opens the door and lets them in. Here's how...

How Stress Slows Your Immune System Down

In 2004, researchers Suzanne Segerstrom and Gregory Miller, analyzed close to 300 studies examining stress' impact on the immune system. They found that small bouts of stress - like an exam or giving a speech - increased immune activity and sometimes shifted immune activity from one part of your immune system to another.

But chronic stress did something very different.

Chronic stress unequivocally drags your defenses down. [2]

See, your immune system is primed to respond to stress. On every immune cell lie specialized receptors for the stress hormones norpenephrine, epinephrine and cortisol.

When you're exposed to a short bout of stress, your body's fight or flight reaction kicks in. As part of getting ready for a fight, your body gets prepared for wounds and exposure to infections. So your immune system goes on high alert.

This immune response exposed short-lived stressful moments can be good. Some research indicates it may even help you fend off cancer.

But when stress is ongoing, things change.

As Dr. Yufang Shi, a researcher at the National Space Biomedical Research Institute explains, "Following periods of prolonged physical stress... white blood cells that fight disease, called lymphocytes, die at an increased rate and immune system organs like the thymus and spleen lose mass and begin to atrophy."[3]

Your immune system dwindles in both numbers and strength. In fact, stress is so potent, doctors use the stress hormone, cortisol, to tamp down an overactive immune system.

But stress doesn't just take out immune cells - it slows your immune response in another profound way...

Stress Handicaps Your Immune Response At The Genetic Level

Your immune system depends heavily on communication to be effective.

Too much stress may limit how effectively your immune system cells respond to immune signals by altering immune cells at the genetic level.

So while the signals may be there... and you may have immune cells roving around patrolling... the immune cells may not be listening to the signals and responding appropriately.

In one study published in Biological Psychiatry in 2007, researchers compared the immune reactions of people who were caregivers to family members with chronic illness to people who didn't have these responsibilities. The immune cells of people who were caregivers barely responded to signals that would ordinarily trigger a response.

When researchers looked a little deeper, they found something very disturbing.

The caregiver's immune cells had changed at the genetic level from those of non-caregivers.[4] This research indicated that the stress caregivers were experiencing may be changing how their immune system functioned at the genetic level, hampering their immune cells ability to respond to immune signals.

Reducing Stress Is A Powerful Immune Booster

Reduce the immune-destroyer stress and you give your body a fighting chance.

Stress destroys your best defense against illness - your immune system. Without this to protect you, anything can get you.

There are plenty of natural and effective immune allies out there. But if you don't tackle stress, you're losing half the battle no matter what you take.

By managing your life and making choices, you can reduce stress as well as relax and recharge. And by doing this, you give your body a powerful reinforcement against one of the biggest threats to your health.

Sources:

[1] Department of Public Health Education. Research page. University of North Carolina website.

[2] Segerstrom S et al. Psychological Stress and the Human Immune System: A Meta-Analytic Study of 30 Years of Inquiry. Psychol Bull. 2004 July; 130(4): 601-630.

[3] Hammit, L. Study identifies key player in the body's immune response to chronic stress. Press release from National Space Biomedical Research. September 2007.

[4] "A Functional Genomic Fingerprint of Chronic Stress in Humans: Blunted Glucocorticoid and Increased NF-κB Signaling" by Gregory E. Miller, Biological Psychiatry, Volume 64, Issue 4 (August 15, 2008).

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Super Charge Your Immune System

With the Cold and Flu season right around the corner - now is the time to Super Charge Your Immune System.

As the temperatures drop, we will be spending more and more time indoors. Whether it's the office, the gym, or a classroom, any enclosed, shared environment is like a giant petri dish full of potential to derail your health.

But there's good news! It's actually easier than you think to super charge your immune system with simple yet effective lifestyle techniques - in addition to washing your hands - that will actually cut your risk of colds in half! Let's take a look.

Exercise - some people love to exercise. Others do it because they want to get fit and look good for the holidays or a special vacation. Still others loathe any excess movement and respectfully refrain from working out. Think about which category you fall into. Now think about this: People who don't exercise regularly take twice as many sick days as those who do - and that's not because they're playing hooky! A yearlong study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center showed that 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day cut the risk of colds in half - and increased immunity over time. By the end of the study, exercisers were three times less likely to get sick.

Exercise can super charge your immune system and boost your resistance to viruses and infections by stimulating the release of immune cells into our bloodstream. These cells hunt down foreign invaders. You want to have a good amount of immune cells in circulation, so if there's an attack they can mobilize to the area.

You don't have to be an elite athlete, either. Research has found that walking briskly for 30 to 40 minutes five days a week lowered the number of colds people got by 40 percent!

Walking for 30 to 45 minutes most days of the week is just the right amount to boost health, improve fitness, reduce sick days and super charge your immune system. Of course, you can also maximize your resistance to colds, cancer and everything in between with a good Multi-Vitamin and Probiotic as well as targeted supplements like Vitamin D to keep your immune system strong and other kinds of moderate exercise. Moderate being the key word. Vigorous training exhausts more than your muscles; it can weaken your immune system as well. Marathon runners, for instance, are six times more likely to get sick after a race.

Another key element to super charge your immune system is to keep chronic stress under control. The effects of long-term stress on the immune system are many and may influence depression, infections, autoimmune diseases, heart disease and even some types of cancer. While it is not completely understood how, studies show that the more a person exercises, the more capable she is of handling psychological stress. Working out regularly also helps build self-esteem, which can make you feel more balanced and capable of handling life's challenges.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The information on this site is for information purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from a physician or other health care professional or any information contained in product labeling. You should consult a healthcare professional before starting any diet, supplement or exercise program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.

Valerie Martinez is the co-founder of "Women's Health Made Simple", your online virtual nutritionist for all things concerning natural health for women. Please visit http://womenshealthmadesimple.com for all your feminine health needs. Read our blog, watch our videos, look up your symptom or concern, and find HELP for your HEALTH today!

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