Flu season is coming: are you ready? Boost your immunity

It's the season for more frequent illnesses. Cold, drizzly weather and little sunshine are associated with conditions such as sore throats, colds and flu.

An infectious disease that is responsible for many of the difficulties is the flu. It is known professionally as influenza and is often associated with many complications. The respiratory system is particularly affected.

The influenza virus spreads through the air, often by coughing or sneezing. We are talking about a so-called droplet infection, which spreads very well in a group of people or in closed spaces. This virus has the ability to mutate and recombine. Thanks to this property, it can change its properties over time after it has infected a cell.

Historically, the most famous flu epidemics are the Spanish flu, the Asian flu and the Hong Kong flu. More people have succumbed to the Spanish flu than during the First World War.

The most common complications of influenza are inflammation:

• bronchial
• middle ear.
• sinusitis
• Lungs

Read more in the article.

Flu and flu season

The season when various illnesses and colds thrive occurs especially in the winter months. Flu epidemics always occur 6 months after the period of maximum sun exposure.

People move outdoors less during the winter months. They spend most of their time indoors. They are in closer contact with each other, which facilitates the spread of many disease-causing micro-organisms. Another negative factor is that cold environments weaken a person's immunity.

If you are overwhelmed by the flu, do not go to work or school. Treat the illness properly at home. You will help yourself and not put others at risk of spreading the disease.

Each hemisphere has a different winter season. That's why the World Health Organization supports the production of two flu vaccines each year. One for the southern hemisphere, one for the northern hemisphere.

In the northern hemisphere, the flu season runs from October to the end of April. In the southern hemisphere, the flu season usually runs from May to the end of October.

How to strengthen the immune system before the next wave of the new coronavirus?

What is immunity

Immunity is the ability of a living organism to react and defend itself against a disease agent, a poison or a certain substance. An important part of it is the lymphatic system. In the body, it forms a system similar to the vascular system.

However, it is not the blood that flows through the lymphatic system, but the lymph. This, together with the lymph nodes, lymphatic organs and white blood cells, contributes significantly to the body's immune response.

The lymph nodes act as filters in the body. That's why they are often swollen in disease. They are scattered along the lymphatic vessels throughout the body.

We know about innate and acquired immunity. Acquired immunity is created, for example, by vaccination. Successful defence against infections is considered a natural method of strengthening immunity.

Read also our magazine article about common diseases of our preschoolers.

How to boost immunity

You can also defend yourself against flu or other illnesses, not only during flu season, by strengthening your immunity. You should build this up over the long term. It is a good idea to make the principles for strengthening your immunity a permanent part of your life. This is the only way to achieve a really strong immunity in your body.

Immunity can turn against your own body and paradoxically harm it with its protective mechanisms. We are talking about allergies, asthma or various other autoimmune diseases.

Increase your vitamin intake

All vitamins are important for the body's immunity. The best way to supplement the entire vitamin complex is to eat enough fruit, vegetables and cereals.

If your diet is varied enough, you are probably getting the necessary amounts of these important substances. Even so, there are situations when your vitamin intake needs to be increased.

These include:

• various diseases
• long-term use of medicines, contraceptives
• stress
• pregnancy, breastfeeding
• physical strain, sports
• winter period
• flu season

There are fewer natural sources of vitamins in the winter. Therefore, especially in winter, make sure you get enough vitamin C.

Eat a healthy diet

Sweet foods suppress the production of cells needed for the immune system. This is mainly due to white sugar, which inhibits the production of immune cells and their function. Therefore, it is better to limit it.

A varied and balanced diet should include vitamins, minerals, fibre, but also probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids.

Read about their importance for our health in our magazine articles:

• Probiotics - bacteria needed for our health
• How much do we need every day?
• Our body needs omega-3 fatty acids. Do we get enough of them?

Do we get enough omega-3 fats?

Healthy exercise and sport have inherent benefits for strengthening the immune system. Some studies show that exercise reduces the risk of even diseases such as breast or prostate cancer.

Movement gets the vascular and lymphatic systems moving and stimulates the blood vessels. Regular exercise also gets rid of excess fat, which also greatly affects immunity.

Read also interesting articles.

How to keep yourself healthy

It is widely known that hardening up improves immunity. This will support your immune system, but also boost your overall physical fitness and vitality.

You don't have to jump into a frozen lake right away. Showering in cold water, taking a sauna or playing sports in cold weather are also considered hardening.

However, there are rules to hardening. To make sure you benefit from it, follow certain guidelines. Read more in our article.

Sunshine and fresh air

Being out in the fresh air is good for your body and mind. Regular walks will give you new energy, burn excess calories and strengthen your body.

The sun's rays will give you plenty of vitamin D. This is produced in the skin by the sun's rays. It is important for bones, muscles, immunity and many other systems in the body. It is even anti-carcinogenic, in part by preventing cancer cells from dividing.

Read more about this important vitamin and its other sources in the article.

Fresh air will boost immunity. Prefer walking outdoors to the enclosed spaces of shopping malls and you will avoid the many disease-causing micro-organisms.

Lots of sleep, less stress

Lack of sleep, like stress, increases the body's levels of cortisol. This hormone is also known as the stress hormone. It is a good servant but a bad master. In large quantities, it weakens immune function.

Do what you enjoy. Relax and smile. The psyche has a huge impact on immunity and the whole body.

Antioxidants to strengthen the body

Due to various metabolic processes, so-called free radicals are formed in our body. These are small particles that have a negative effect on human health.

They attack and damage the membranes of cells. Their negative effect is magnified especially by a poor lifestyle or a bad environment.

In the context of cell damage, inflammatory processes occur. The immune system fights against this inflammation and it remains weakened.

As protection against free radicals, there are substances called antioxidants. They neutralise the radicals themselves and protect cell structures. Antioxidants can be divided into natural and synthetic (man-made).

Natural antioxidants are preferred for their absolute harmlessness.

Natural antioxidants found in food include vitamins A, E, C, the nutrient selenium and organic dyes (carotenoids).

Green tea is also a powerful antioxidant. It has been used in Chinese medicine for several millennia. Not only does it protect cells, but it also promotes fat burning and increases energy levels.

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Some foods beneficial in strengthening the body:

• Cabbage
• broccoli
• lettuce
• spinach
• arugula
• celery
• zucchini
• garlic
• carrots
• peas
• tomatoes
• lemon
• banana
• avocado

Food supplements

The various immunity-boosting products should only be a kind of insurance or supplement. No artificial product can replace a varied and balanced diet.

While vitamins in pills work in isolation, those in fruit or vegetables work in complex with other natural ingredients. They are thus more effective, easier to absorb and can be used more efficiently by the body.

Avoid flu and colds

The flu and the common cold are best spread by droplet infection. Sneezing, coughing and sniffling spread germs through the air and through objects. Therefore, when the flu is raging around, follow certain guidelines.

Avoid enclosed areas with large numbers of people

Enclosed spaces with large concentrations of people are ideal for the spread of various diseases. The risk increases especially if such spaces are poorly ventilated. Examples include shopping malls, shops, cinemas, theatres, stadiums and so on.

Therefore, try to avoid such establishments during the flu season. Spend only the necessary time in shops and take more walks in the fresh air.

Make sure you wash your hands thoroughly

Contagion can also spread through contaminated objects. In public places, this can be door handles, shopping baskets and the like. In the home, it can be door handles or taps.

Handshaking is also a potential route for spreading the disease. Therefore, think about washing your hands thoroughly and frequently. Use warm water and soap, or use disinfectant gel. Wash your hands not only when you come back from outside, but also when you sneeze or cough.

Ventilate and clean regularly

Ideally, you should ventilate by opening the window wide for a few minutes. Do this several times a day to change the air in the room.

The flu virus can survive in dust, at room temperature, for several days. So, as well as regular ventilation, keep clean. Use a damp cloth when cleaning. Disinfectant wipes are also useful, for example, to wipe down door handles or other frequently touched objects.

Flu vaccination

One way to fight flu is to get vaccinated. The World Health Organisation determines the composition of the vaccine each year. However, it only contains the most likely strains of the virus.

Therefore, the flu vaccine may not be 100% effective. In addition, because of the virus' high ability to mutate, the vaccine is only effective for about one year.

After vaccination, the body builds up a protective level of antibodies. This takes about nine to 14 days. Protection lasts for about six months.