The human body is an intelligent mechanism that skillfully controls and organizes the effective operation of all its systems. A good immune system is the key to health and prosperity. It protects us from harmful bacteria and viruses. On average, all people are born with approximately the same immune indicators (with the exception of diseases associated with immunodeficiency). The so—called weakened immunity is not a disease, but the result of our wrong actions. Let’s try to figure out what habits can cripple our health?
1. Pessimistic attitude
It’s hard to believe, but the performance of the immune system depends on our way of thinking. Psychologists say that mental and physical health are closely interrelated. Negative thoughts and lack of self-confidence make us less resistant to stress and various diseases. People who are used to exaggerating colors tend to get sick more often than those who look at the world through rose-colored glasses.
Tip: Do your best to become an optimist. To begin with, force yourself to look for positive sides in situations. Try to believe that the glass is still half full. A positive attitude will improve the quality of your life and improve your physical and moral condition.
2. Drug abuse
Today, from TV screens and newspaper pages, there is an active promotion of strengthening immunity due to the «instant» action of medicines. And many people tend to take such serious preventive measures in order to protect themselves from diseases. Indeed, some modern medicines are really able to stimulate the immune system and put us on our feet as soon as possible. But at what cost… The constant use of immunomodulators and antibiotics for and without severely wears out the immune system. At first, with their help, you feel «like a cucumber», and later you become helpless against a banal cold. Moreover, fans of «magic» pills should not lose sight of the fact that all medications have an impressive list of side effects.
Tip: Do not become victims of advertising and do not self-medicate. This is especially true of antibiotics. Taking them can do more harm than good. Antibiotics kill both pathogenic and beneficial bacteria. Restoring flora after their «attack» can sometimes be difficult. And they significantly undermine the work of their own immunity — under their influence, the body’s defenses do not have time to react quickly to pathogenic bacteria. As a result, you may soon get sick again.
3. Refusal of cold drinks
Many people with chronic throat diseases or problems with the gastrointestinal tract completely exclude any cold drinks from their diet. But in vain. After a few months of consuming only warm liquid, the body becomes extremely sensitive to low temperatures and loses the ability to cope with hypothermia. As a result, you catch colds much more often.
Tip: Don’t be afraid of cold drinks. Drinking cold water hardens the body. Just do not overdo it and get used to cold drinks gradually: first add one, then several ice cubes to a drink at room temperature. After a week of regular workouts, start drinking water from the refrigerator in small sips.
Many centenarians drink cold spring water (or melted from glaciers) on an empty stomach. It is cold water that triggers cleansing processes in the body, removing toxins. But warm drink, on the contrary, is quickly absorbed into the intestine, reducing fermentation and blocking the process of getting rid of toxins. There is an opinion that in addition to the «big cleaning», the use of cold water helps to reduce weight. To heat it up to body temperature, the body needs energy, which it draws from extra calories.
4. Non-compliance with personal hygiene
From early childhood, we were taught to wash our hands as often as possible and, alas, with the help of a coronavirus infection, they sort of taught us. Washing your hands after returning home from the street has finally become the norm. And this, in fact, is very good, because hand washing is the best (and easiest) way to prevent various diseases: helminthiasis (parasitic infections), dysentery, viral hepatitis A (Botkin’s disease) and many others. Let’s hope that this useful habit will stay with us forever, even when Covid is defeated.
Tip: Wash your hands every time before eating and after returning home from the street. And no matter how long you have been out of the house, there are disproportionately more germs outside (especially in public areas). Just do not overdo it, so that your cleanliness does not turn into an obsession. It is not necessary, for example, to wash your hands with antibacterial agents every time. It is simply impossible to kill all microbes, and even for a long time. But you will certainly be able to reduce the natural barrier properties of the skin and dry out its stratum corneum with such excessive diligence.
The main habitat of pathogenic microorganisms that pose a threat to our health are meat products, money, kitchen towels and rags, as well as house keys, mobile phones and a computer keyboard.
5. Sleep in the stuffiness
To increase the body’s resistance, immunologists advise sleeping in a cool and well-ventilated room. For a healthy sleep, the air temperature in the bedroom should be 16-20 ° C, and the humidity should be about 50%. An increase in temperature leads to excessive dryness of the air. Such a negative microclimate irritates the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx and makes us vulnerable to colds.
