Low defences: symptoms and remedies

If you have been feeling more pronounced fatigue than usual for some time now, it may be a symptom that your defence levels are not as high as they should be. In this case, we encourage you to continue reading these lines, as there are many remedies and new habits you can implement in your daily life to help you improve.

Human beings have a protective shield against viruses and other bacteria that can affect our bodies. This protection is our immune system, which is why we must pay attention to it and help it to always maintain optimal levels that allow us to always be in the best state of health.

There are different reasons why, at certain times in our lives, we may show symptoms that our defences are low. Some of them maybe not eating a healthy diet, being exposed to different temperature changes or suffering from some kind of illness that affects this part of our organism.

When this happens, our immune system is not able to defend itself against external factors that weaken it, causing our physical health to decline and our defences to be weakened.

To ensure that our immune system remains in an optimal state, we must ensure that we give it the vitamins, minerals and nutrients it needs at all times. One of the most beneficial of these is silica. Here we answer your questions about whether your immune system is weakened, and how you can help it to function better:

How can I tell if my immune system is low?

Unless we get tested, we cannot accurately measure how our body’s defences are doing. We can know these levels thanks to the Clinical Intestinal Microbiome, an analysis that presents detailed information about the micro-organisms that perform vital functions such as nutrition and are present in our gut.

Thanks to this test, it is possible to determine whether we are suffering from dysbiosis or, in other words, an imbalance in the intestinal flora. Some of the causes are the intake of antibiotics, hormones or contraceptive pills, chemotherapy, artificial sweeteners, excess fat or sugar, stress or alcohol.

When we start to show physical symptoms such as vulnerability to any infection, especially those affecting the respiratory system, it can be a clear sign that our defences are low.

These are some of the symptoms that your immune system is not working as well as it should:

• Shingles. These annoying diseases appear when our immune system is not strong. These lesions can appear anywhere, but when they appear due to a lowered immune system, the most common places are the mouth or lips.
• Colds are very frequent and difficult to cure. When your defences are not as strong as they should be, it is very easy to catch any disease circulating in the environment. The slightest contact makes you catch colds much more frequently.
• Hair loss. Although this symptomatology often refers to other problems such as stress, if you are experiencing infrequent hair loss, your defences may need a little help.
• Frequent fatigue. If you feel tired when doing activities that require little physical exertion, it is a sign that your immune system is not working as well as it should.
• Disorientation or dizziness. If you lose track of time or space for a few seconds, this may be a symptom of low defences. This is not a very common symptom, although if it happens, it may be accompanied by nosebleeds.
• Healing problems. When your body takes longer than usual to heal small wounds, this is another sign that your defences are low.

What is the best vitamin to boost the immune system?

If you have experienced any of the symptoms described above, you may need to boost your immune system. Fortunately, we can remedy this naturally and quickly solve the problems that this may be causing us.

One of the main supplements that can help us do this is organic silica. If this important mineral is lacking in our body we can experience a drop in our defences, so incorporating it healthily and naturally into your daily routine will be a great help.

Probiotics also play a key role in maintaining a healthy immune system. Thanks to them you can keep your defences up in a natural way.

Here are the most important vitamins to help your body improve its defences:

Vitamin C: boost your collagen levels

Vitamin C is our body’s main ally in preventing infections or germs in the nose, intestines and lungs. It helps to synthesise collagen naturally and keeps our defences at the right levels.

The most important sources of vitamin C are berries, peppers and spinach. Thanks to these foods you will increase the production of white blood cells, enzymes and antibodies, which will be of great help in boosting your immune system’s defences.

Vitamin A: generates antibodies

This vitamin is very suitable for boosting your immune system’s defences. Thanks to it, you can increase your defences and generate antibodies to prevent future diseases or infectious conditions.

You can ingest this generous vitamin in the form of dairy products, broccoli, eggs or kale. All of these will help increase the creation of lymphocytes in your body, helping to improve your health.

Vitamin E: supports your lymphocytes

Vitamin E is one of the most important antioxidants our body has to strengthen our cell walls. Thanks to them, T-lymphocytes act as defenders of our immune system, also helping to reduce inflammation.

A balanced intake of vitamin E will make us notice the changes in our body instantly. This vitamin can be found in nuts, seeds and cold-pressed vegetable oils, so it is easy to incorporate it into your daily routine.

Vitamin B2: for your red blood cells

Thanks to this vitamin we can keep our red blood cells at healthy levels. They are responsible for our immune system functioning properly. Thanks to its antioxidant effect, it also acts against the symptoms of ageing.

Foods that provide the reddest blood cells include lean meats, eggs and green vegetables such as lettuce and chard.

Vitamin D: one of the most important vitamins

This vitamin is one of the most important for supporting our immune system. Thanks to it, we can keep our T lymphocytes ready to defend ourselves against infection. They are also responsible for regulating the production of cytokines, which are responsible for controlling the activity of the immune system.

In our diet, we can incorporate this vitamin in the form of eggs, fish or oil. But we can also get it by adding 10 minutes of sun exposure to our daily routine.

Vitamin B6: produces immune cells

Vitamin B6 can be found in potatoes, bananas, sprouts, meat, fish and tofu. It regulates the production of immune cells and increases the number of antibodies.

Vitamin B9: from folic acid

This vitamin B9 is a very important source of health for the body as it acts against ageing. It is responsible for activating the production of T-lymphocytes, which diminish over time.

Vitamin B9 can be found in eggs, melons and apricots.

Our immune system is our body’s most important protective shield against external aggressions. Thanks to it, we can maintain our health at 100%. To do this, we must always keep our levels of nutrients and vitamins high, which are what help our defences.