When it comes to natural immunity, have you ever wondered why many people feel healthier overall in the summer or why their natural immunity seems to weaken in the winter?
Since dealing with the pandemic, there has been a lot of talk about immunity – immune systems and their differences have influenced how some people exposed to COVID-19 contract the disease with acute symptoms, while others with strong natural immunity did not. even knew they got it.
But there’s something else going on with our bodies even when there isn’t a global pandemic going on – seasonal immunity. Have you ever wondered why people with arthritis seem to have a worse situation during the winter when it’s cold? Or why do many people feel healthier in the summer or their natural immunity seems to weaken in the winter?
“Summer immunity is our tendency to be healthier during the summer season,” says Elliot Reimers, NASM, MS (C), CISSN, CNC certified nutrition coach in Eugene, Ore. “It’s because more fruits and vegetables are available, and we eat more of them. By eating foods rich in nutrients, it is easier to really [get] recommended daily amounts of vitamins and minerals. Summer is also when we are more active and exercise a lot.
In the spring and summer, however, some people have acute reactions to pollen, ranging from sneezing and watery eyes to headaches and throat irritation. This happens because the immune system detects pollen as a threat and begins to work in overdrive to counter it. Our immune system releases histamine and it causes all of these reactions.
Differences in natural immunity
Why do some people suffer from allergies in the spring and summer while others don’t sniffle? “Everyone’s immunity is different,” says Reimers. “It can also come with age. Adults tend to have stronger immunity, but older people may have a weaker immune response. Respiratory diseases, migraines and autoimmune diseases are some of the conditions that worsen in summer, made worse by rising temperatures.
A group of researchers from the University of Cambridge published in 2015 the results of a study they conducted to determine how genes may also play a role in seasonal well-being and summer immunity. Through the study, “Generalized seasonal gene expression reveals annual differences in human immunity and physiology,” they wanted to know more about the following:
“Various biological processes show seasonal variations in humans, including those with important immunological roles, such as vitamin D metabolism. Loss of skin pigmentation when humans migrated out of Africa to More temperate and colder areas to increase sunlight-induced vitamin D production is a major example of the evolutionary adaptation of humans to different environments. Still, it’s unclear how the seasons might have a larger impact on the underlying molecular details of human physiology. With this in mind, we hypothesized that the anti-inflammatory circadian transcription factor, ARNTL (BMAL1), would show seasonal differences in gene expression, because daylight drives circadian rhythms in mammals. Tissue-specific molecular clocks control a wide range of cellular processes, influencing the immune response. “
Genetics and immunity
Regarding the immune system, they found the following: “Surprisingly, we found ∼23% of the genome (5,136 unique genes out of 22,822 genes tested) to show significant seasonal differences in expression overall. of BABYDIET data. Among the seasonal genes, two distinct antiphasic patterns of gene expression were evident: 2,311 genes (2,922 unique probes) had increased expression in summer (defined as June, July and August, mean change = 1.2572) while 2 826 genes (3,436 unique probes) were upregulated in winter (defined as December, January, February, mean fold change = 1.3150), demonstrating that different transcriptional landscapes are present in the peripheral immune system during different seasons.
Chiropractic care to boost immunity
Reimers adds, “Chiropractic adjustments can help improve blood circulation and relieve the body of pain and stress, which helps strengthen the immune system. “
“Chiropractic care is more than the relief and management of neck and back pain,” adds David Tannenbaum, DC, of Tannenbaum Chiropractic in Beverly Hills, Calif. “Regular chiropractic care and adjustments promote spinal health, restore joint function and support the system. By improving the function and mobility of your spine and your body, you can actually strengthen your immune system … Your immune system can suffer from this compression of the nerve pathways, weakening your body’s natural mechanisms to fight against disease. As a result, studies have shown that chiropractic care designed to relieve stress, pain, and spinal misalignment improves nerve function and can potentially boost your immune system by 200%.
Resources
https://titlestand.com/ebook/html/10105500#page/36
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms8000