• Question: what is classified as a healthy imune system and how do you get a healthy imune system?

    Asked by treesgrowtall to Michael on 24 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Michael Loughlin

      Michael Loughlin answered on 24 Jun 2010:

      Tricky to know what counts as a healthy system…one with no deficiencies I would guess. One where all the aspects are working .
      I am one of those people who includes weird stuff like skin and stomach acid as part of the immune system, and i do beleive they are because between then they kill a huge amount of bacteria each year.

      So I think if you have an immune system that does not allow general bacteriua that would not normally cuase disease in then it would be healthy..
      IOts one way to determine severity of an HIV infection is a reduction in T cell count OR getting ill with various otherwise harmless bacteria…
      But then with bacteria changing and becoming less/more pathoegenic (disease casuing) its tricky
      good question!!!

      as for a healthy immune system ..well you need contact with bacteria to prime it , you need good colonic bacteria to protect invading organisms, eat well and be healthy generally.
      in fact laughter has been shown to perhaps have an affect on the immune system

      http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/45/2/182?view=long&pmid=16319105

      bit of a complcated one but there are lots of social/psychological reasons why patients who are happier might improve from illness but alos it seems some affect on the immune system of just being happy

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