It’s no secret that your immune system is one of the most important parts of your body. Without a working immune system, you are vulnerable to every single bug, bacteria, and virus that you come across over the course of the day. This is particularly dangerous if you work with children, the elderly, or others who come into frequent contact with illness.
However, there are many ways that you can strengthen your immune system and make sure that it can face whatever challenges you throw its way. Recent research in the field of immunity has uncovered a new way for even those with the most challenged immune systems to recover.
Challenges Your Immune System Faces
Your immune system is a lot like a muscle. In order to stay strong, you have to exercise it. This means regularly introducing it to bugs and illnesses that it can fight off with a little work. This happens naturally, simply by interacting with people, so it isn’t something you have to work at.
However, like a muscle, the immune system can get overworked. If your immune system is constantly being bombarded by illnesses or disease that overwhelm it, it gets weaker and weaker. As a result, it becomes more susceptible to illnesses that other people might otherwise be able to overcome.
The remedy you are about to learn about allows you to hit the reset button on your immune system, strengthen your body, and enjoy the natural immunity your body gives you.
The Secret to Regenerating Your Immune System
The most recent research on immune regeneration comes from the University of Southern California. To study immunity regeneration, they looked at patients who are going through chemotherapy to treat cancer. As you may know, this is one of the most vulnerable immune states someone can be in, since chemotherapy weakens the body’s natural defenses against disease.
Folk wisdom says that you have to feed the body to heal it. However, this latest research says the complete opposite. Researchers found that fasting for 72 hours kept the immune system from getting weaker as a result of chemotherapy. In addition, fasting actually encouraged the immune system to renew itself and regenerate.
The results from this study have been replicated both in mice and in human clinical trials. Researchers are hopeful that it can be applied to humans across the board, not just those are undergoing chemotherapy.
Those who advocate fasting for health allows the body to focus on rest and healing, which is what it needs to be doing after illness. If your body has to focus on digestion and fighting off bugs that might come into your body via your food, it takes longer to heal and regenerate. Simply put, rest is the priority at this stage of recovery.
If you want to apply this knowledge to your own life, keep in mind that these results refer to intermittent fasting. This means not fasting for any longer than 72 hours at a time. During that time, you can rely on water and clear liquids to sustain your body and encourage healing.
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-of-fasting-that-will-surprise-you.html
