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Issue date: Jan 9, 2000
In this article:
 How your body fights attack
Why your nose runs
Your body's best line of defense
Dr. Mitchell explains the immune system
8 steps to peak immunity
Don't show for work when sick!
Quiz: Cold and flu facts
Checklist: Cold or flu?
The future of colds
Garlic, yogurt and chicken soup for wellness
Make
your immune system invincible
USA WEEKEND's health expert gives the 8 steps to
peak health this winter -- and the rest of your life.
By Tedd Mitchell, M.D.
 F
YOU'RE LIKE most people, you probably don't even think about your
immune system -- until you get sick. The human immune system is
an elegant, effective tool for protecting us from environmental
marauders. When it's functioning normally, it helps defend your
body from things you're never even aware of. When functioning abnormally,
it can lead to annoying or even deadly illnesses.
To truly stay well, it's important to understand how disease attacks
your body, and how your immune system defends itself. It's a finely calibrated system. An overactive immune
system can lead to allergies, because the body's defenses overreact
to environmental substances that are not actually dangerous. Or
it can cause arthritis, because it misidentifies the body's own
tissues, such as joints, as foreign and attacks them. (Medicines
to treat allergies and rheumatological conditions such as arthritis
often are designed to suppress the immune system.) An underactive
immune system, which can be caused by everything from excessive
exercise to chemotherapy to aging, makes you vulnerable to getting
sick -- often.
Although some things that affect the immune system are out of
your control, you can focus on three basic areas to keep illness
at bay. Stress, diet and activity are the three pillars of the immune
system.
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Dr. Mitchell's
8-step immunity program
1. Limit your
exposure to germs and viruses
Avoid spending too much time with family, friends and co-workers
who have signs or symptoms of colds, flu or a bacterial respiratory
infection. Because most bacterial infections and viruses are transmitted
by droplets (sneezing, touching, rubbing the eyes and nose, and
so forth), the less you're around sick people, the less likely you
are to catch their bugs. Obviously, contact with sick people can't
be completely avoided, especially within families.
TIP Wash your hands. Scrub them thoroughly with soap and
warm water before all meals and after encountering sick folks. Antibacterial
soap isn't necessary; regular soap is just as effective at peeling
off the oils on skin that may contain germs. Try to avoid touching
your face: The mucous membranes there -- your nose, eyes and mouth
-- are easy entry points for germs and viruses.
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2. Exercise
regularly
Some exercise physiologists believe regular moderate activity enhances
the immune system (thus reducing your susceptibility to infection),
while intense exercise actually suppresses the immune-system response.
(Studies of marathon runners show a significant increase in respiratory
infections at the height of their training, indicating that their
immune systems aren't functioning at full capacity.) Although the
controversy about the detrimental effects of heavy exercise is ongoing,
there's solid evidence that regular, moderate activity does boost
immunity.
When you exercise regularly, you raise your core body temperature,
which works to "pasteurize" your blood by killing off any germs
that may be there. Some researchers theorize this also may kill
off random cancer cells, which would explain why regular exercisers
are less likely to develop cancer.
TIP Get some form of aerobic exercise five (yes, five!)
days a week -- at least 30 minutes each time. A good rule of thumb
if you're sick: If your symptoms are in the neck or above (for instance,
a head cold or sore throat), go ahead and exercise. If you develop
symptoms below the neck (in your chest), don't exercise until you're
better.
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3. Listen to
your body
Because immunity seems to drop when you're short on sleep or overtraining,
pay attention to excessive muscle soreness or fatigue, and subpar
exercise performance.
TIP Take a one-week break from hard exercise every two to
three months to let your body recover and recharge. (You won't lose
any gains in such a short time.)
4. Eat better.
Before the advent of modern medicine, a sound diet
was the best defense against disease. As more and more medications
were developed in the 20th century, we lost our focus on nutrition.
More recently, a significant amount of research has been redirected
toward the important effects of the six primary classes of nutrients
(vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, carbohydrates and water) on
the body. It is extraordinarily important to follow a good nutritional
program. Among exercisers, particularly those trying to lose weight,
it's common to take in too few calories. The combination of overworking
and undereating can place stress on your body and its immune system.
TIP Most people require about 10 calories per pound of body
weight per day. If you go over that amount, you'll probably gain
weight. If you fall too far short, you set yourself up for immune-system
problems.
5. Take nutrition
supplements
Studies show that certain vitamin supplements, taken with a well-balanced
diet, may significantly reduce the frequency and duration of upper-respiratory
infections. One proven helper: extra vitamin C.
TIP Take 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily. There's evidence
that certain other supplements, including zinc (a trace mineral)
and echinacea (an herbal supplement), may reduce the duration and
severity of an upper-respiratory infection when taken at the onset
of illness. Appropriate dosages vary from brand to brand, but don't
take echinacea longer than eight weeks at a stretch.
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6. Don't overuse
antibiotics
When antibiotics are used again and again, new generations of bacteria
change their internal architecture to become resistant to those
antibiotics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently
launched a major campaign, "Preventing Emerging Infectious Diseases:
A Strategy for the 21st Century," to educate physicians and patients
about the overuse of antibiotics. The CDC estimates that half of
the 100 million antibiotic courses prescribed each year are unnecessary.
Antibiotics work only on bacteria, not on cold and flu viruses.
Last year, the deaths of four children were attributed to a "supergerm,"
a methicillin-resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus. Since 1974,
the CDC reports, the ability of staph to resist common antibiotics
such as penicillin has jumped from 2% to 50%.
TIP When you're sick, wait a few days before asking your
doctor for antibiotics. Most respiratory infections are caused by
viruses. To treat a cold or the flu, first try over-the-counter
cold and flu remedies containing decongestants, fever reducers or
antihistamines. If your symptoms last longer than the normal course
of colds (3-4 days) or the flu (7-10 days), see a doctor. Note:
Two new non-antibiotic drugs on the market (Tamiflu and Relenza)
can cut flu symptoms significantly if taken within the first two
days. The drugs also work for prevention, and the FDA is expected
to approve that use within a year.
7. Get immunized
It makes sense to get a flu shot each fall. (Flu season extends
into the spring, so it's not too late to get a shot now.) Influenza
is still responsible for several thousand deaths every year in the
United States, and beefing up your own immune system annually can
trim your chances of developing this nasty bug. Don't worry: The
way vaccinations are formulated now, you won't "get the flu" by
getting the shot.
TIP Get a flu shot even if you're not in a "high-risk" group
(those over age 65, pregnant women, or those whose immunity has
been compromised by cancer treatments or HIV). Just this season,
health officials shifted from targeting only those most at risk
to marketing the shot to younger people.
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8. Battle stress
Managing everyday stress is a crucial factor in keeping the immune
system in fighting shape. In addition to the effects stress has
on certain physical reactions (higher blood pressure, higher heart
rate and greater blood flow), it also can overwork the immune system.
Stress generates increased amounts of cortisol, a stress hormone,
which can reduce white blood cells' effectiveness in battling bugs.
Hectic work, home, school or social schedules add to our chronic
stress. Emotional stress caused by family illnesses, divorce, bereavement
and so forth also can affect the immune system.
Even if you believe you manage stress well emotionally, your body
may be screaming for help. Sleep disturbances, migraine headaches,
diminished sex drive, diarrhea, back pain, heartburn and changes
in appetite are just a few physical symptoms of chronic stress.
As medical science increasingly acknowledges the detrimental effects
of stress on the immune system, physicians and researchers are paying
more attention to the role stress may play in a wide variety of
illnesses, including heart disease, cancer and autoimmune disorders
such as lupus.
TIP If you're overstressed, take a three-day weekend or,
if you can, an impromptu vacation. Even a night out helps to de-stress
and give your immune system needed rest and relaxation. Also:
- Set realistic goals for yourself at work and home.
- Build a strong support system of friends.
- Balance your work and personal life. (Know when to be serious
and when to laugh.)
- Shift from being self-centered to others-centered.
- Learn to slow down.
- Don't hold grudges.
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2 common foods
that boost immunity
Jean Carper, a noted nutrition expert, best-selling author and
USA WEEKEND contributing editor, has reported in the magazine's
Eat Smart column:
In a year-long test, subjects who ate 3/4 cup of yogurt daily
had 25% fewer colds than non-yogurt eaters, according to a researcher
at the University of California, Davis. He found that eating 2 cups
of yogurt a day for four months spurred a fourfold increase in the
body's production of gamma interferon, which helps fight infection.
The protection lasted for two months after the yogurt-eating ended.
Garlic kills viruses responsible for colds and the flu, according
to tests by a microbiologist at Brigham Young University. Eat garlic
when you feel a sore throat coming on and you may not even get sick.
(Eat garlic when you're stuffed up, too: It acts as a decongestant.)
Other studies suggest garlic revs up immune functioning by stimulating
infection-fighting T-cells.
Lab-tested chicken soups to calm a cold
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