The ultimate immunity guide
The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of immune health. But there are a lot of myths and misunderstandings out there - so what really helps support your immune system? We’ve scoured the research and asked the experts…
THE EXPERTS
DR JENNA MACCIOCHI is an immunologist, lecturer at Sussex University and author of Immunity: The Science of Staying Well (Harper Non Fiction, £13.49).
DR CHRIS ETHERIDGE is a leading medical herbalist and Chair of the British Herbal Medicine Association.
DR ALAN WATKINS is an immunologist and lecturer in neuroscience and psychological medicine.
Most of us don’t give our immune system much thought unless we’re feeling run down. But this doesn’t change the fact that it’s working constantly to protect us from invaders of all kinds. Your immune system is actually a network of organs, including the spleen and lymph nodes, cells, proteins and tissues throughout your body. Its job is to be vigilant for foreign invaders - such as viruses or bacteria - and attack any it detects, as well as removing dead tissue from the body. So how do you keep it in prime condition?
IMMUNE MYTHS - BUSTED!
MYTH YOU CAN ‘BOOST’ YOUR IMMUNITY
FACT ‘You can’t, really, and nor should you - if your immune system overshoots, it can be damaging, as we see with autoimmunity and allergies,’ says Dr Jenna Macciochi. ‘The immune system is actually very complex and works hard all the time to tolerate the harmless things we shouldn’t react to in our environment, as well as targeting germs. So I prefer to talk about balancing it.’