Due to the pandemic, we have lowered immunity. This could be fatal. How to improve it?

Months of isolation protected against the COVID-19 virus. Unfortunately, this resulted in a weakening of the immune system, which in turn will lead to an increase in infections with other pathogens. And expect many different infections of the respiratory system. This spring, let’s take care of immunity. Check how.

1. The coronavirus pandemic made our immune system lowered
2. The body does not give us any signals that our immunity is deteriorated
3. What to do when we return to normal after lockdowns? How to strengthen immunity?
4. First of all, we must not forget about physical activity. What else do you need to remember?
5. Check your health. Just answer these questions
6. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

The pandemic has worsened our immunity

– Wearing masks saved us from COVID-19, but also from other pathogens transmitted by droplets. You have to remember that diseases that have always been with us, ranging from flu to colds caused by adenoviruses or RSV, are the result of infection with droplet-borne pathogens. Last year, it is clearly visible in Polish statistics, the statistics of the WHO and the Robert Koch Institute that the number of flu infections was lower. Of course, we owe it to the distance and masks – says prof. Andrzej M. Fal, specialist in internal diseases and allergology, head of the Department of Allergology, Lung Diseases and Internal Diseases at the Hospital of the Ministry of Interior and Administration in Warsaw in an interview with PAP.

According to prof. The consequences of covid isolation and the resulting reduced readiness of the immune system were already visible in the summer of 2021.

“We went on vacation, took off our masks, and suddenly it turned out that the RSV virus, which usually attacks children from October to April, started infecting in the summer,” he said.

For a year, the activity of the immune system was lowered, so sudden, intense contact for children with RSV, and for the elderly with adenoviruses and coronaviruses other than SARS-CoV-2, will be associated with an increase in the number of cases. We have been observing such a phenomenon for the last two years – noted prof. Halyard.

Also prof. dr hab. n.med. Aneta Nitsch-Osuch, a specialist in epidemiology, paediatrics and public health, Head of the Department of Social Medicine and Public Health of the Medical University of Warsaw, emphasizes that RSV infections are seasonal in nature. We observe an increased incidence every year, in the fall and winter season, usually from November to the end of April. However, we had a lockdown last year. – Nurseries and kindergartens were closed for a long time. This means that in the past season, many children have not encountered the RSV virus. This year, therefore, there are more of them susceptible to infection and, as a result, we are seeing an increase in the number of infections – she added.

The body is not giving any prior signals

Professor Fal reminded that infection with any of the aforementioned seasonal pathogens does not give permanent immunity. But also the body does not give any signals of decreased immunity. It acts retroactively, i.e. when necessary, as a defense against the pathogen present in our environment.

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– In everyday life, the immune system only controls what is going on around it and no action is required from it. Therefore, when observing a given population, we should note a decrease in immune functions only when we observe an increase in the number of cases on a macro scale, or on a micro scale, when instead of one or two light infections in a child per year, there are several of them – emphasized Prof. Halyard.

What else are the consequences of isolation?

– We suffered less from infectious diseases of the respiratory system, but not only. An example is measles, which is also a drip-borne disease and has decreased significantly during the pandemic. And yet, before the COVID-19 pandemic, we had alarming spikes in the incidence of measles in Europe. It looked very menacing and suddenly disappeared. Of course, there is a reason. The reasons are masks and covid lockdown – added prof. Halyard.

How to improve our immunity?

Prof. Fal pointed out that no studies assessing current immunity against common infections will be meaningful. Immunity after a particular infection does not leave or we do not test the level of specific antibodies, as in the case of SARS-CoV-2, when we can determine them and determine if we are immune.

“For other pathogens, we never studied antibodies, and colds moved in waves through society. Vaccines for most common pathogens were absent and immunity testing was not needed. Therefore, I would also advise you to use common sense now. For many generations, we used a healthy and balanced diet, hygiene rules – even when we did not know that thanks to this we improve our immunity. That is why I think that it is worth returning to these patterns – added prof. Halyard.

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Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski, head of the Intestinal Microbiota Research and Transplantation Center at the Prevention and Rehabilitation Center in Warsaw, believes that it is not only isolation that may contribute to the decline in immunity. Many people leading an unhealthy lifestyle: eating junk food, avoiding physical activity in the fresh air, spending many hours in closed and poorly ventilated overheated rooms, may have various vitamin deficiencies that are worth supplementing. However, it should be done in consultation with the doctor and under the control of the level of vitamins in the blood – said Dr. Grzesiowski.

Ask for example about the preparation Borelyma for resistance of Herbal Monasterium, which you can buy at Medonet Market at a favorable price. We also recommend Propolis Ultra for resistance Propolia BeeYes, available in a package containing up to 120 capsules. Check out the other Immunity Supplements available on the website.

But we must also remember that the body’s immunity is a very complicated mechanism and supplementation is not supported by scientific evidence. That is why it is so important to use common sense in the proverbial “swallowing pills”. As Dr. Grzesiowski recalls, you always have to do it after consulting a doctor. And the term improved immunity, advertised with various specifics, is very imprecise.

How does the immune system work?

The main function of the multi-level immune system is not only to destroy all kinds of microbes that are dangerous to our health, but also to create tolerance to those microbes without which we could not live.

The immune system also protects the integrity and quality of our tissues by removing defective cells resulting from errors and mutations occurring during the regeneration of our own tissues.

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Man is born with a so-called primary immune system (otherwise known as innate), which is based on antibodies received by the placenta from the mother and cells that react non-specifically with many antigens. The immune system is also a complex system of anti-infectious barriers, e.g. in the form of skin, mucous membranes and body fluids containing many antiviral or antibacterial substances.

To strengthen immunity, it is worth using herbal preparations, eg Herbal Monasterium Cistus Juice available on Medonet Market in a 500 ml bottle or in a set of three such bottles.

What lowers immunity?

We can work to reduce immunity ourselves. Experts point out several factors, primarily related to lifestyle, that should be avoided. These include:

1. Incorrect diet and its effects (including malnutrition, avitaminosis, and obesity)
2. Chronic sleep deprivation
3. Lack of regular, moderate physical activity 
4. Excessive and prolonged alcohol consumption
5. Smoking tobacco 
6. Taking drugs

How to strengthen immunity?

So what to do when we return to normal after lockdowns? First of all, let’s use common sense. We must be aware that when we are in large clusters of people, we may be exposed to various infections.

Remember about physical activity, which stimulates the production of white blood cells and stimulates the activity of lymphocytes responsible for protecting the body against infections. What else?

1. let’s harden the body, that is, despite the bad weather, don’t give up on walks,
2. let’s get enough sleep, because our body needs sleep to regenerate,
3. let’s air the rooms in which we have to stay for a long time,
4. do not dry the mucous membranes with excessive heating,
5. let’s eat healthy, that is, enrich the diet, vegetables and fruits.

To strengthen the immune system, order BOLLERIOCAPS for immunity – the Herbapol dietary supplement in Krakow, available in a package containing 30 capsules.

Author: Katarzyna Walterska-Leśniak, PAP.

Read also:

1. We cannot build immunity in one day. How to take care of the immune system? [WE EXPLAIN]
2. Nine diseases that reduce immunity
3. Diet to strengthen immunity – what should you eat to strengthen the body?