Our immune system can be broken down into three major areas; the complement system, phagocytes, and lymphocytes. Each category is responsible for protecting us in different ways.

The first line of defense in your body is the complement system. The complement system is made up of proteins that are always travelling through your blood. They quickly attack bacteria and other invaders. The complement proteins essentially mark intruders so that other immune system cells can recognize them and attack. They cause inflammation, kill some invaders, and send out signals to the other cells so that they know to come take care of the problem.

Keeping your complement system healthy is essential for your immune system. Disruptions in this system can cause chronic inflammation and disease. It only takes 3-4 weeks of not getting enough vitamins to depress the complement system. While almost all vitamins are necessary for proper function, a good balance of B vitamins is most important. Eating refined sugars, like those found in processed foods, can quickly deplete your body of B vitamins and inhibit your immune system from creating antibodies. Even worse, refined sugars can actually shrink the thymus, which is the organ responsible for your immune response.

Phagocytes are white blood cells activated by the complement system. They eat up damaged, dead, or infected cells. They can handle large invaders, such as parasites, and send signals to the thymus that there is an invader. Phagocytes can eat up large amounts of invading bacteria, viruses and infections.

Phagocytes also require a good balance of B vitamins, but additionally benefit from vitamin A and antioxidants. Antioxidants, like vitamin E, vitamin C, and coenzyme Q10, suppress viral replications and take a lot of the stress off of your white blood cells. Vitamin A aids in white blood cell production. Adequate amounts of protein in your diet to replace the white blood cells that you lose.

The last type of immunity cells are called lymphocytes. Lymphocytes originate in the bone marrow and require adequate amounts of vitamin D to function. When activated, lymphocytes attack invaders, damaged, and dead cells through the lymphatic system. They produce antibodies and memory cells that remember how to fight specific viruses and intruders. Lymphocytes help you become immune to certain viruses after you’ve caught them so that the next time they invade, your body will immediately eradicate them.

Many vitamins and supplements can help to boost immunity and keep your immune system running strong, but none so much as vitamin C. Vitamin C is necessary for all levels of immunity to work. It cleans out free radicals that interfere with the production and maturation of all types of immunity cells and proteins. Our bodies do not produce vitamin C, and therefore it must be taken every day.

Talk with your doctor before you buy vitamins. The best vitamin C comes in a powdered form and is buffered to reduce acidity. Remember to avoid sugar, as it only takes about an hour to interfere with your immune system. Suppression of immunity can last up to five hours after a single soda. Take care of your immune system and enjoy a healthy life!

About the Author: Phil Le Breton, the owner at Wholesale Nutrition, has a strong interest in helping people achieve greater brain and body health with vitamins and supplements. Wholesale Nutrition has the best vitamin C powder on the market (C-Salts). Visit http://www.nutri.com to buy vitamins or buy supplements of the highest quality.

Selenium helps to regulate thyroid hormones and also supports the immune system. It helps to create antioxidants that clear out and protect cells from free radicals. Selenium deficiency is thought to trigger viruses into attacking and reproducing. Studies are being done to test the theory that selenium deficiency is the trigger for the HIV virus (among others) to switch from dormant into active status. It is believed that viruses switch into action when they need to visit more cells in search for more selenium. It is also believed that appropriate selenium levels slow down the HIV virus replication process.

Selenium is critical for thyroid hormone metabolism. It is part of the enzyme necessary for conversion of T4 hormone into the active form T3. Low selenium levels can lead to thyroid damage and hypothyroidism. However, high levels can do the same thing. Therefore, if you have thyroid issues, it is extremely important to monitor your thyroid function along with your dietary intake of selenium. A skilled physician or nutritionist will help you adjust and determine the right dosage of vitamins and supplements required for your thyroid to function at its best level.

We get selenium from whole grains, some seafood, most meats, and nuts. The amount of selenium we get from grains and nuts depends on the selenium content of the soil that they were grown in. The content of selenium in meat depends on the amount present in the plants that the animals fed on. Levels of selenium in soil vary so much from region to region that it is very hard to tell how much we are actually getting.

Brazil nuts have an unusually high amount of selenium, as much as eight hundred times the daily requirement per ounce. If you do eat Brazil nuts, do so in moderation and watch for side effects of having too much selenium in your diet. Hair loss, horizontal white streaking or blotching of the fingernails, garlic breath, gastrointestinal disturbance, fatigue, irritability, and flushing of the face are signs of too much selenium.

The anti-viral, antioxidant and antibiotic properties of selenium make it useful for maintaining a healthy immune system and is thought to help prevent heart disease and certain cancers. Depletions can occur when you have gastrointestinal problems that cause selenium not to be absorbed. Selenium is also destroyed in foods that are processed or refined. This can lead to autoimmune problems and thyroid problems.

Talk with your doctor if you plan on supplementing with selenium before you buy vitamins. A vitamins and supplements regimen should be discussed with a health care professional familiar with your health history and current medications to avoid drug interactions or unwanted side effects.

About the Author: Phil Le Breton is owner at Wholesale Nutrition. He has a strong interest in helping people achieve greater brain and body health with vitamins and supplements. Wholesale Nutrition has the best vitamin C Powder on the market (C-Salts). Visit http://www.nutri.com to buy vitamins or buy supplements of the highest quality.