Blood work is consistently unreliable in picking up low immunity.
That’s why you need to rely on yourself to catch low immune system signs early. But getting a flu is not the same as having weak defenses. Flu only means the body is trying hard to protect you from the germs.
Why you need a strong immune system
Strong immune system not only protects you against colds and flus, but also to keeps you away from chronic viral infections such as hepatitis, herpes, and stands guard against the biggest fear of all: cancers. So how could you tell that your system is low? Here are nine signs of low immune system
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Not everyone has the same signs of compromised health, but having at least one of the signs below should make you wonder about your body defenses.
Frequent colds – a sign of low immunity
If it happens that you catch colds frequently, are sensitive to cold and have frequent sore throat your immune system is likely compromised. Being sensitive to cold weather and catching cold frequently could be due to low body temperature. You can check your core temperature in the morning when still lying in bed under covers. A normal oral body temperature that supports strong immune system should not read below 36.3°C (97.3 °F).
Lower body temperature invites viruses. Rhinovirus, a common cold virus has the fastest replication rate at 33°C (91°F), so the lower your body temperature the more likely you are to become a host to the virus. Focusing on raising core temperature to boost immune system makes sense. Exercise is great for that. Every time you move body temperature goes up automatically boosting body defenses. But exercise is not the only way to boost temperature.
Few people know that foods can do that too. All foods have an energetic signature. Some are warm, some are cold and that despite whether the food is served hot of cold. To increase body temperature focus on eating energetically warm foods and remove cold foods from your menu.
Among warm foods are:
- garlic,
- ginger,
- cinnamon,
- oats,
- lamb,
- trout,
- coconut and
Among cold foods are:
- wheat,
- tomato,
- citrus,
- banana,
- yogurt, and
- cucumber.
Remember those solid energetic food rules, especially in winter, and especially if you are prone to cold.
Interestingly low body temperature frequently accompanies poor circulation, which can be detected as low blood pressure. Low blood pressure is very common, but discounted by health care practitioners as a non-lethal phenomenon.
If you chill easily and easily get colds you may unknowingly be a victim of low blood pressure. To know how to test and how to improve poor circulation get a must-read: The Guide to perfecting blood pressure.
Lacking fever – another sign of poor immune system
A strong body has power, power to kill viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells. That power comes from heat, called fever. A strong immune system should be able to raise core temperature high enough to create unfavorable environment for the invaders. Fever is a normal and a desirable response of the body in a fighting mode. Unfortunately many people do not understand fever benefits and fear it instead of working with it.
The best way to fight viruses and bacteria is not to suppress the fever, but allow it to work. The best way to keep strong immune system is to ALLOW it to work the way it has been designed to. The cardinal sign of low immune system is its inability to create fever when needed. If you haven`t had a fever for years despite infections… hmmm.
Skin signs – really low immune system
Can you spot low immune system by looking at the skin? Apparently you can. Actinic keratosis, these little brown rough skin patches showing up on the abdomen and back at the advnaced age are related to diminished devenses.
Actinic spots are a common phenomenon in people using immune suppressing drugs. But these skin marks should not be confused with liver spots, also called sun spots. Sun spots are flat. Actinic keratosis spots are raised and are loaded with viral particles.
If you just looked in the mirror and found a few of those it’s time to seriously consider supporting your body. But before you buy Echinacea or another highly-advertised product for boosting the immunity you should consider why you have poor immunity to begin with?
Unless you find and remove the underlying causes of the weak immune system do not expect a sudden change for the better. You will find great information on how to make a swift turnaround in “Ousting Sniffles“.
Hi, My last experience of fever was when I was still in 6th grade and I’m in 11th grade now. Is that bad?
Not necessarily, but highly unusual.
i had a neurological event almost 2 years ago that was described to me as GBS-like post-infectious neuritis( involving motor, sensory, and autonomic systems), and though most of my strength returned, i never fully recovered and now have chronic pain and frequent flare-ups that sometimes involve numbness, other times gait difficulties, or pain flares etc.
at this point my nerve pain is relatively well controlled with medications, but my muscles in my forearms and right leg especially are overly sensitive and become increasingly painful with use so even activities i used to enjoy like walking, dancing, reading, talking on phone, drawing and painting and other arts and crafts – even typing this info on computer – causes pain. this situation has turned my life upside down. instead of being excited about a family vacation, i dread the walking and pain that will come with the extra activity. i stopped working because of the combination of pain from activity, almost constant fatigue, and insecurity from the brain fog and memory problems.
the strange thing is all the imaging studies and blood work were essentially normal – no markers of infection, disease, or inflammation. onlyfound positive about 6 months after hospitalization for exposure to WNV(chronic not acute) and borderline high ANA, but i was told by current neurologist that my clinical picture does not fit with WNV. and rheumatologist said he thinks it’s strictly neurological. also. first bloodwork showed very low vitamin D, so have been taking supplements since. also, initial bloodwork showed elevated glucose and hgA1c indicating at risk of developing diabetes but tests post-hospital showed i am not diabetic.
also been getting sick a lot (even before this all happened) – colds, flus, GI difficulties – though rarely get a fever. and whenevr i have extra stress whether psycological or physical, like infection, i get flare of neuro symptoms. and my hearing has declined to the point they are recommending hearing aids. i feel like i’ve aged 30 years in the last 2 years and i’m afraid i’m on a downward spiral.
even though i had been overweight several years, prior to this event i remained exceptionally strong, flexible, and with great endurance. i’m still flexible and still stretch daily to help relieve pain, but can’t tolerate much activity beyond basic self care.
any ideas what could be going on? this is so frustrating and depressing and difficult to deal with!
any ideas/info/suggestions would be appreciated
yours
LR
Hi Leslie,
There may be several areas that don’t work. 1) if you are vitamin D deficient, then you are deficient in K, E, and A, because they come from the same sources. And if you are deficient in vitamins, what about minerals. So, look into your food sources, these may probably be overprocessed. That needs to change.
2) Being overweight, especially in the waist is a main indicator of failing health. If being overweight is concomitant with being nutrient deficient then we have high calorie, low nutrient diet. This will eventually have a toll on the body.
3) High carbohydrate diet leads to depletion of thiamine (B1), which is the most important nutrient for the nerve conduction. Make sure you have all the nerve nutrients in large supplies: B1, B3, B12. They may all be deficient.
4) Neuronal dysfunctions seldom produce changes in the blood, unless they are a result of a long-standing degenerative disease, which can be lab-tested. Blood test will not directly tell you why you have symptoms.
5) What caused the “neurological event”? Emotional shock, accident, vaccination, infection, drugs, or other? The etiology may be important.
6) Neurons are extremely sensitive to changes in (gut) flora and pesticides. Are you eating grains sprayed with glyphosate? Are you taking anti-inflammatory drugs or drugs that change gut flora? Is your water chlorinated? etc.
7) Is your environment supporting immune system? Do you sun bathe, stay outdoors, take shoes off, deep breathe or the opposite is true?
Muscles and immune system go together. Even if you feel you can’t do much beyond basic self care you need to force yourself to go outdoors, take shoes off, and wiggle your body for minimum one hour a day. It does not have to be all at once, but it needs to be done. Limp muscles produce limp immune system, so sitting around is the worse thing for the body.
If your immune system needs a boost, look into olive leaf LINK http://amzn.to/2hsRNRz It has anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties and is usually compatible with all medication. Olive leaf helped me and my patients many times.
Get better soon.
Hi, I am ( or thought I was ) a healthy active 54 yo. Last December I contracted a flu like virus which started will a sore throat but went on to be more chesty and with it had really bad headaches and a temperature, when I tried to take anything for the fever/headache I simply threw back the medicine. Eventually the symptoms went and I thought that was it but a month later the exact same thing happen – that was followed by another same symptom illness a month later and one 2 months later and as I write 3 mths down the line I am yet again suffering the exact same symptoms. I have been to the GP who was singularly unhelpful. Wondered if it is an immune related episode and what you can advise. Regards Vicki
Recurrent infections of the same nature only signifies that the body has not completed the infection-elimination cycle. This happens when the body does not have sufficient capacity for fighting the illness. The first thing I suggest doing is checking for vitamin A and D deficiency. In case you have no access to such tests, a short course of these vitamins may do wonders for the lungs (ask your MD if you can take those). Lungs and their surfactants rely heavily on fat-soluble vitamins. Unfortunately, popular low fat diets make things worse for the immune system. Look into your diet and if you can include organic butter and eggs. Also, don’t forget sunshine. It is a great immuno-booster.