According to science, immunity is the balanced state of multicellular organisms having adequate biological defenses to fight infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion, while having adequate tolerance to avoid allergy, and autoimmune diseases.  In simple words - the immune system protects the body against disease or other potentially damaging foreign bodies. When functioning properly, the immune system identifies and attacks a variety of threats, including viruses, bacteria and parasites, while distinguishing them from the body's own healthy tissue.

Humans have three types of immunity — innate, adaptive, and passive:

     All in all, your immune system makes a momentous showing of safeguarding you against ailment causing microorganisms.  But the immune system requires a long time to create and needs assistance from antibodies. Yet, once in a while it falls flat: A germ attacks effectively and makes you debilitated.  

Important factors that affect our immune system.

 Diet and your immune system:

The immune system army marches on its stomach. A healthy immune system requires good and daily nourishment. Scientists in various studies have recognized that people who live in poverty or are malnourished are at higher risk of developing infectious diseases. Micronutrients such as zinc, selenium, iron, copper, β-carotene, vitamins A, C, and E, and folic acid can influence several components of innate immunity. But it is not always that we can ensure that we are getting our daily doses of the said micro-nutrients. So, what should we do in such a scenario? Have a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables specifically home made to avoid getting any kind of infection especially in these times of pandemic and the upcoming rains. Completely avoid unhygienic ally prepared food from random joints, junk food or outside foods where we are unaware of the process of handling and preparation of food. Also, taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement may bring other health benefits.

But taking mega doses of a single vitamin, for eg. Vitamin c, will not help as more is not necessarily better.

Improve immunity with herbs and supplements?

When you walk into a store you will find bottles of immune booster drinks, pills and herbal preparations that claim to be immune boosting products like ayurvedic immunity boosters that claim to "support immunity" or most powerful immune boosting herbs. Although some preparations have been found to have some effect on the immune function, thus far there is no evidence that they actually bolster immunity to the point where you are better protected against infection and disease. Demonstrating whether an herb — or any substance can enhance immunity is, as yet, a highly complicated matter. Scientists for example, do not know, whether an herb that seems to raise the levels of antibodies in the blood is actually doing anything beneficial for overall immunity.

Stress and immune function

A wide variety of maladies, including stomach upset, hives, and even heart disease, are linked to the effects of emotional stress as modern medicine has come to appreciate the closely linked relationship of mind and body. Despite the challenges, scientists have been studying the relationship between stress and immune function since long. But one thing that is for sure, stress is difficult to define. What may be a super stressful situation for one person might not be the same for another. When someone says that a particular situation is stressful, it is difficult for them to measure as to how much stress they feel, and difficult for the scientist to know if a person's subjective impression of the amount of stress is accurate. Some scientists are investigating whether ongoing stress takes a toll on the immune system. As of now the scientist can only measure things, such as the number of times the heart beats each minute. Most scientists try to study more constant and frequent stressors known as chronic stress, such as that caused by relationships with family, friends, and co-workers or challenges to perform well at one's work.

Immune system and age

While some people age healthily, our immune response capability becomes reduced, this in turn contributes to more infections. Elderly are more likely to contract and die from infectious. The ongoing respiratory infections like; influenza,  COVID - 19 and particularly pneumonia are a leading cause of death in people over 65 worldwide. A decrease in safe reaction to infections has been demonstrated by older people's response to vaccines.  For instance, investigations of flu antibodies have indicated that for individuals over age 65, the immunization is less compelling contrasted with kids (over age 2). In any case, in spite of the decrease in adequacy, immunizations for flu and S. pneumoniae have fundamentally brought down the paces of disorder and demise in more established individuals when contrasted and no inoculation. 

There gives off an impression of being an association among nourishment and lower immunity in the elderly. More seasoned individuals will in general eat less and frequently have fewer assortments in their eating regimens. Thus, a type of lack of healthy sustenance which is basic even in rich nations is known as "micronutrient deficiency." Micronutrient deficiency, in which a person is deficient in some essential vitamins and trace minerals that are obtained from or supplemented by diet, can happen in the elderly.  Older people should discuss about taking dietary supplements with their doctor.

So what can you do to boost your immune system?

Boosting ones immunity is enticing, however the capacity to do so has demonstrated slippery for a few reasons. The immune system is precisely that — a system, not a solitary substance. To work well, it requires parity and agreement. There is still a lot of that scientists don't think about the complexities and interconnectedness of the insusceptible reaction. For the present, there are no deductively demonstrated direct connections among way of life and upgraded immune function.

In any case, that doesn't mean the impacts of way of life on the insusceptible framework aren't interesting and shouldn't be examined. Specialists are investigating the impacts of diet, work out, age, mental pressure, and other factors on the immune response, both in animals and in humans. In the meantime, general healthy-living strategies are a good way to start giving your immune system the upper hand.

Following general health guidelines is the step you can take toward naturally keeping your immune system strong and healthy. Topping the list is tochoose a healthy lifestyle. Your body, including your immune system, functions better when protected from environmental hazards and bolstered by healthy-living strategies such as these:

Have a positive mind & thoughts –avoid a lot of negativity by constantly following the news.

Try to minimize unwanted stress - Listen to the news; be aware of the happenings around due to COVID – 19 but do not panic because of it. Stay home; take care of yourself & your family.

Breathe well. Do minimum 5 deep breathing exercises after waking up – this will help in relieving the stress by boosting your lungs with oxygen first thing in the morning.

Do not smoke and if you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation.

Have a healthy diet - a diet high in fruits and vegetables and avoid unhygienic, junk or outside foods.

Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight.

Get adequate sleep - Do not have screen times during sleep. Switch off for the day 1 - 2 hours before you retire to bed for a sound sleep.

Take steps to avoid infection, such as washing your hands frequently, keeping the utensils clean, maintain hygiene in and around your home and cook all your meals thoroughly.

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