What Are Infections?
Infections are nothing but a disruption caused in the normal functioning of the bodily systems by a foreign microorganism (originating from outside). The microorganism lives, reproduces, and colonizes a person's body. When they disrupt the body's organs, they cannot work optimally, leading to reduced capacity, which is termed as illness. These pathogenic microorganisms are contagious and reproduce swiftly. Examples of microorganisms include bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
What Is the Immune System?
The intricate network of organs, cells, and proteins that make up the immune system fights infection (microbes). Memory cells are two different subtypes of white blood cells (B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes) that the immune system uses to keep a log of every pathogen it has ever eliminated. If the microbe enters the body again, it will be immediately recognized and destroyed before it has a chance to grow and make everyone sick.
Because so many distinct viruses or strains of the same virus can cause some infections, such as the flu and the common cold, it is necessary to fight off these illnesses repeatedly. Individuals do not develop immunity to other viruses if they acquire a cold or the flu from one of them.
Do All Microorganisms Cause Disease?
There are many types of microorganisms, and all are not disease-causing. Some are beneficial too. Some are essential for digestion and metabolism. The digestive system, especially the intestines, is host to trillions of microorganisms that aid in the digestion of the food that is eaten. There are probiotic drugs that help in increasing the number of gastric flora (gut microorganisms). Some types of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa do cause disease and are not supposed to be present in the body.
Does the Presence of Disease-Causing Microorganisms Mean Infection?
Many a time, disease-causing organisms are just present in the body without causing disease. Such a presence is known as 'asymptomatic.' They are just present without causing any harm. Therefore, their presence only will not amount to an infection or a disease. After some time, they go away on their own, or in some cases, they stay in the body for a very long time, sometimes for years, without causing disease.
Why Do Microorganisms Cause Disease in Some People and Not in All?
Here the role of the immune system comes in. If the immune system is strong, it means the immunity or capability of fighting disease-causing microorganisms is strong. People with strong immunity do not fall sick even if disease-causing organisms enter the body.
On the other hand, people with weak immunity, or with a weak defense system tend to get infected and fall sick with the same microorganism.
How to Develop a Strong Immunity?
1. Maintain Total Good Health:
It is far preferable to prevent infectious diseases than to become ill and then attempt to get better. To prevent infections and to keep immunity strong, one needs to keep overall health in good condition. It means if a person already has some disease, it becomes easier to get another disease. It could be an infectious or noninfectious disease. Even if one has a non-infective disease, such as diabetes (type 1 or 2), high BP (blood pressure), high cholesterol, hypothyroidism, digestive problems, weak liver, or any other lifestyle-related disorder, they become prone to get infections.
Lifestyle-related diseases or chronic diseases (diseases that last for a long time) make immunity very weak. The body spends a lot of energy repairing itself due to damage caused by these diseases. Such people with chronic diseases also catch infections very easily, be it seasonal flu, common cold, cough, fever, digestive infections, etc. Therefore, it is important to keep total health in good condition to have protection against infections, including COVID-19.
2) Take a Healthy and Natural Diet:
Food is the most powerful medicine. If individuals eat the right kind of food, they will not develop chronic diseases, and their risk of catching infectious diseases also will be very low. Eating the right food involves:
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Avoiding processed food that is purchased in ready-to-eat form. It includes fast food, packed food, and snacks. These foods are manufactured in factories and are without any nutritional value. They should be less than 10 % of the daily diet.
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using healthy cooking methods and limiting overcooking. Refined oil and processed paste usage should be kept to a minimum. As much as feasible, use raw and filtered oil, as well as fresh ingredients.
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One must include all food groups to get balanced nutrition, including fresh seasonal fruits, vegetables, pulses, lentils, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Eating a variety of foods in each group helps in getting a unique nutritional mix from each food item and helps in keeping harmful microorganisms away.
3) Staying Connected with Nature:
The human body is an extension of nature. People are healthier the more connected they are to nature. A typical urban lifestyle is devoid of fresh air, sunlight, and greenery. One must try to get exposure to all the natural elements daily. Going for a walk, breathing in the fresh air, and sunlight, and staying close to plants and trees help maintain strong immunity.
4) Physical Activity:
The human body is not designed to lie on a bed and sit on a chair for long periods. It must remain physically active for at least eight hours a day. But in the modern-day city lifestyle, this rarely happens. Work is mostly desk-based which involves plenty of sitting and very less moving. In such a scenario, it becomes easier to get infectious diseases. To make up for this, one must exercise at least 30 minutes per day for at least five days a week. Pathogens do not survive when there is sufficient oxygen in the body cells. Therefore one must include aerobics, cardio, and breathing exercises (Pranayama) in their workout schedule.
5) Positivity:
The human mind has a strong influence on the body. Keeping a positive mindset with energizing and elevated thoughts goes a long way in keeping a strong immunity. One must always have a feeling of gratitude toward everyone. One must train the mind to stay away from weak and negative thoughts such as anger, frustration, jealousy, resentment, guilt, sadness, anxiety, loneliness, worthlessness, etc. As these thoughts sap body energy and release harmful chemicals in the body, which weakens the immune system.
With these lifestyle strategies, not only is the risk of getting infectious diseases minimized, but one can avoid lifestyle-related chronic diseases as well.
Conclusion:
Immunity is the body's protection mechanism against invading organisms. Taking care of oneself will aid in improving one's immune system defense. With the above-mentioned lifestyle strategies, not only is the risk of getting infectious diseases minimized, but one can avoid lifestyle-related chronic diseases as well.
