The Truth About... Boosting Your Immune System

[helvella]

Program which could be of interest to some here.

Please note: I am not endorsing it in any way as I have not seen it. But there is a specific Covid-19 reason that I think it might be worth a watch. See the second quote. Other than that, I do continually wonder about the advice to boost our immune systems - for those with autoimmune diseases.

Maybe I am completely wrong, but I suspect some could do with their immune systems being damped down a touch.

The Truth About...

Boosting Your Immune System

You can't feel it or see it. You can't take its pulse or its temperature. But out of sight and out of mind, your immune system is working to protect you from infectious bacteria, viruses, injuries and a host of other nasties.

Due to the coronavirus, the health market has exploded with products promising to boost, support or supercharge our flagging natural defences. But which of these so-called miracle products, superfoods and supplements should we be spending our cash on, and which really have the science to back up their claims?

Now, as Dr Ronx Ikharia finds out, new science is revealing that the human body’s most extraordinary structure – a complex fighting system powered by five litres of blood and lymph – has the capacity to be supercharged and improved if we have the science know-how to do it.

This is the definitive guide, not only to defending yourself against Covid-19, but also boosting your strength for when the cold and flu season is upon us.

BBC1

06 January 2021

59 minutes

bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000r0hx

People who receive the Covid-19 vaccine should abstain from drinking before and after having the jab, an expert in immunology has advised. This is because drinking booze can alter the way the immune system works.

As part of a new BBC documentary, The Truth About Boosting Your Immune System, which airs on January 6, emergency medicine specialist Dr Ronx Ikharia took blood samples before and after drinking three glasses of Prosecco. She found the quantity of alcohol was enough to reduce the levels of white lymphocyte cells in the blood by half.

This is a problem, because such cells are crucial in fighting off attacks to your body from viruses and other pathogens. If they are reduced or damaged by alcohol consumption, this can weaken the immune response.

Professor Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist from the University of Manchester, told the show: “You need to have your immune system working tip-top to have a good response to the vaccine, so if you’re drinking the night before, or shortly afterwards, that’s not going to help.”

huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/...

[greygoose]

Three glasses of Prosecco??? Good heavens! I'd be under the table singing Nelly Dean, not heading off to get a vaccine. lol

[Lotika in reply to greygoose]

Ha ha! I’d be asking for the 4th!

[Ernest2]

Many thanks for that reminder, looks definitely worth a watch.

And a very Happy New Year to all!

Best wishes,

Ernest

[humanbean]

As someone who hasn't had a cold lasting longer than a day, or a day and a half maximum in years I think my immune system is working very well.

I can't remember where I read it but I did read recently, in connection with Covid-19, that people with revved up immune systems are more likely to develop lots of cytokines which may be responsible for people being more likely to die or have Long Covid. Whether or not there is any truth in that - I dunno, guv.

[userotc in reply to humanbean]

Yes I read that but believe it must be misleading as otherwise that could mean that strong immune systems are bad in the fight against viruses which doesn't sound right to me. It doesn't explain why youngsters overwhelmingly cope with covid, flu etc better than oldies.

One of the reported, key benefits of vitamin D is in suppressing cytokine storms so that may explain at least some of it. But, at least here in the UK, we probably will never know as Hancock won't accept any of it (don't tell him we read overseas-generated results on the web!).

I'm sure he'll be tuning into this on BBC though...or maybe not as he continues (~9 months in and counting) to fight fires cos he doesnt believe in natural treatment and prefers to tell us to hide and await drugs.

[humanbean in reply to userotc]

There was a virus that was killing young people about ten years ago - can't remember which one - which created "cytokine storms" in the young. They were dying, but older people, with their less efficient immune systems, were surviving.

So, having a super-efficient immune system isn't always a good thing, but seems to depend on the particular virus and how it attacks the body.

But the immune system continues to puzzle me. My immune system seems to shrug off colds very easily now. But I had a normal number of colds in my childhood and early adulthood, and they lasted as long as they did for other people. But I simply don 't believe that my immune system is better in my old age than it was when I was young, so my understanding obviously has massive gaps.

[userotc in reply to humanbean]

Maybe the 2005 and/or 2006 events in the link below are the ones you meant? A strong immune system is not really a revved up one so we might both have a point. My gut feeling is still that vitamin D plays a role but I agree it is likely to be more complex...and that we certainly won't answer it on here. Maybe tomorrow night on BBC1?

newscientist.com/term/cytok...

[shaws]

Thanks for posting helvella as many thousands wouldn't think that alcohol could interfere with the uptake of the Vaccine.

[Alanna012]

Sounds really interesting!

I don't know if it's wise to 'rev up' or 'supercharge' one's immune system if suffering from an autoimmune disease. I was taking Echinacea and something with bees pollen - can't remember what it's called - in a misguided attempt to boost what I then thought was the result of a flagging immune system (chronic sinusitis) all that happened was massively ramped up hypo symptoms. This was before I knew I had hashis. And I believe in treating some autoimmune illnesses like Sjorgren's they try to suppress the immune system.

It would be good to know if these products are helpful or not or recommended and if they work. I do take Zinc which is meant to help regulate the immune system. Thanks for posting.