How do you know if you have strong immunity? Having experienced a couple of very challenging years, many of us may be questioning our lifestyle and paying more attention to how we can improve our health. Immunity has become one of the most important biomarkers that we need to think about.
When it comes to strengthening our immunity and improving our health it is easy to list many things that could be done, and the list can quickly become overwhelming. Of course, if you follow my articles then you’ll know that I always look for a natural approach for healing and strengthening the body, as well as the mind. We must think about the body as a whole rather than thinking of it just as many individual parts. You may see that some people don’t put much attention into getting exercise or eating healthily and yet they never seem to get sick, so you might question the importance of it. However, there are so many things that can affect us that may not be clear to see, for example, sleep disturbance, joint pain, digestion problems and many more. Many people live without paying much attention to their health and lifestyle, so how do we know whether we are healthy and helping our body to improve immunity so that it can fight off any attacks?
Actually, with a simple blood test, you can learn how strong your immune system is and what you might need to pay attention to. The immune system is crucial for survival. Disturbing our immune function via malnutrition, stress, inactivity and exposure to the chemicals that are around us can affect our health. Immune markers give a variety of indications for the level of health, some of the most important markers include white blood cells, c-reactive protein, globulin, vitamin D, CD4, and HgA1c.
White blood cells (WBC) or leukocytes protect us against infections and disease by fighting bacteria, viruses, and other foreign invaders. A low WBC count can mean that your body does not have the resources to fight against infections properly. A high WBC count, on the other hand, may mean that your body is currently in the process of fighting an infection or that there is inflammation in the body.
Your c-reactive protein (CRP) levels can tell whether your immune system is in the process of fighting an infection and also if you are experiencing any form of chronic inflammation, an important marker for your metabolic health. The liver makes CRP in response to trauma, inflammation, and infection, and the CRP then binds the damaged tissue or invading microbes and tags them so that the immune system (white blood cells) can recognize them and clear them away.
A regular CRP test is ordered for people with symptoms of a serious bacterial infection or inflammatory diseases. It measures CRP in the range from 10 to 1,000 mg/L. However, the hs-CRP test is much more sensitive and measures CRP in the range from 0.5 to 10 mg/L. This sensitivity allows the detection of slightly elevated CRP levels that would otherwise go unnoticed. A lack of sleep, stress, smoking, an unhealthy diet, and nutrient deficiency have all been associated with higher CRP levels. hs-CRP is a good predictor of a future risk of heart disease. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) used to be tested more often, before the hs-CRP tests became available. Doctors still use it to track the progress of specific diseases.
Globulin levels, sometimes called the gamma gap, are a measure of proteins in the blood, including alpha, beta, and gamma globulins. They can help your doctor diagnose a viral or bacterial infection, inflammatory disorder, or autoimmune disease. This is because the increased production of antibodies corresponds to an increase in gamma globulins, which can signal disease. It is not just elevated levels that serve as a signal for disease though, low levels can also indicate a health issue that your doctor could work with you on.
Vitamin D is known to play a role in bone health, but it also plays a very important role in the immune system. A deficiency could increase the risk of developing a bacterial and viral infection. Yes, we can get vitamin D through exposure to the sun, and through our diet, however, many people are deficient for a variety of reasons.
CD4 cells, also known as T cells, are white blood cells that fight infection and play an important role in your immune system. A CD4 count is often used to check the health of the immune system in people infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). HIV attacks and destroys CD4 cells, and when too many are lost the immune system will have trouble fighting off infections.
Finally, a HgA1c test shows your three-month average blood sugar levels. Consistently high blood sugar levels can cause hyperglycemia, give the body stress, and have a significant effect on overall immunity in many different ways.
It would be great if we all knew our values for all of these tests, and we could act accordingly, but of course, measurable immunological biomarkers can be expensive to get and complicated to understand. However, you can go a long way to reprograming your body simply by consuming or if necessary supplementing with vitamins A, C, E, B2, B6, B12, magnesium, folate, zinc, iron/ferritin and selenium. These all play significant and important roles in the immune system. Phytochemicals, probiotics and omega 3’s can also help improve immunity balance and resilience. And of course, living peacefully and consciously will always support and improve your overall health.
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Ayda Ersoy is a nutritionist (Dip.C.N., Dip.S.N.); master trainer (CPT ACE, NCSF, CanfitPro); registered yoga teacher; founder, Health Angel Nutrition, Fitness and Wellness; and founder, SMS (Stability, Mobility Strength) Intuitive Training System.
