Is it true that immunity is falling in the spring and it needs to be raised?

It is common that the immunity falls in the winter-spring period, because of this, a person more often suffers from SARS. Therefore, immunity must be raised by taking various immunomodulators, as well as using folk remedies. We decided to check whether such an idea of ​​our immune system is true from a scientific point of view.

On the request "how to raise immunity" Google issues more than 1.5 million results. The network is advised accept Vitamins - like by individuals, and in composition multivitamin complexes, drink courses substancescalled immunomodulators, regularly There is onions, garlic, drink tea with honey, use folk medicines, such as mumiyo, cleanse the body from slag, toxins and parasites And populate The intestines are useful bacteria.

Immunity called The body's ability to recognize “its” and “alien”, remove potentially dangerous foreign substances and cells of pathogenic bacteria and viruses from the body, as well as its own modified tumor cells. Immunity is congenital and acquired. The work of congenital immunity is ensured by phagocytic cells (for example, neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages), congenital lymphoid cells (for example, natural cells, NK) and polymorphic leukocytes. The functioning of the acquired immunity is responsible for T cells and B cells. Also, the organs of the immune system include red bone marrow, thymus, or thymus gland, spleen and lymph nodes. The work of immunity can be compared with the police: he supports the rule of law in the body, monitors violators, leads the base of their photobots, and, if necessary, retains criminals and isolates them.

In the work of immunity there are three large groups of problems: allergies, autoimmune diseases and immunodeficiency. Allergy It occurs when immunity takes a harmless protein (for example, from the pollen of birch or from an orange) for a dangerous pathogen and begins to react excessively to it. At autoimmune diseases Instead of pathogens, immunity attacks its healthy cells. Such diseases include autoimmune thyroiditis, polyneuritis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, secondary thrombotic thrombocytopenic purple (Moshkovich Disease) and Hudpascher syndrome. 

Immunodeficiency are primary and secondary. Primary -a group of hereditary diseases (for example, Di Georgie syndrome, Viscott Syndrome-Aldrich, hyper-Ige syndrome or bald lymphocytes syndrome). All of them predetermined Genetically and manifest from infancy or early childhood and cannot arise just like that, from a change in the seasons. Secondary Immunodeficiency occurs against the background of severe diseases (HIV infection, diabetes mellitus), adverse environmental effects (for example, ionizing radiation), immunosuppressive effects of certain drugs (for chemotherapy, radiation therapy, preparation for transplantation or after it). At the same time, therapy in secondary immunodeficiency is focused on the treatment or compensation of the factor in the development of immunodeficiency, and not on raising immunity itself. Moreover, secondary immunodeficiency characterized Not so much frequent colds as severe bacterial infections requiring hospitalization (for example, pneumonia), fungal lesions of the mouth, eye and gastrointestinal tract and the formation of purulent ulcers on the skin. 

The likelihood of getting acute response or influenza depends on completely other factors than the “power of immunity”. Basic defining factors, will a person get sick or not after contact with the pathogen - the contrast of the virus itself (The number r - characteristics of the virus itself, in no way related to immunity), the number of viral particles that came into the body when contacting, as well as the presence or absence of acquired immunity to the virus. The last factor plays a key role. Whatever the shock dose of the most contagious virus (for example, chickenpox) was received by a person whose immunity is already familiar with him (as a result of the disease or vaccination), he is most likely He will not get sick. The fact that someone more often than the rest is sick of colds, testifies, most likely, not about the fact that his immunity has fallen, but that this person did not contact with these strains of the virus earlier. As well as the increase in the incidence of influenza in the autumn-winter period, first of all, it does not occur because people massively falls immunity, but because the virus It spreads better In cold and dry air.

Finally, we will deal with various means that are actively advertising to increase immunity. Unreasonable technique of vitamins is not only useless, but can also be Dangerous. In particular, the main folk defender from a cold is vitamin C, according to Kokrainsky review (the key source of information in the field of evidence -based medicine), “had no effect on the incidence of colds in the ordinary population, which is based on 29 comparisons from clinical trials that have involved 11,306 participants.” Slag does not exist, and our liver and kidneys perfectly cope with the removal of toxins. Onions, garlic, lemon, honey and other food products Not shown No effect for the prevention of colds. Data confirming the therapeutic effect of mumiyo, in modern evidence -based medicine Also not.

As for immunomodulators, such a class of drugs really exists. They are also called immunostimulants. First of all, interferon refers to. Within the framework of evidence -based medicine Apply In injection form in chronic hepatitis B and C, acute hepatitis C, HIV infection and some oncological diseases. No No evidence effectiveness drops, ointments, sprays and other forms of introduction of small doses of interferon for prevention flu and colds, as well as to increase immunity. An erroneous group of immunomodulators includes such drugs registered in Russia as Imodon, Broncho-Munal, Polyoxidonium, Arbidol, Anaferon, Viferon, Kagocel, Ingavirin, Ergoferon. None of them No Clinically proven effectiveness, demonstrated in randomized placebo-controlled research, spent Based on serious and independent medical institutions. In addition, part of these drugs Homeopathic, that is False scientific And obviously non -working. It's funny that, for example, Kagocel in one research showed less effectiveness in the prevention of colds than Ergoferon, despite the fact that the second is, in principle, a homeopathician, that is, does not contain any active substance.

About drugs positioned as immunomodulators, Specked Famous pediatrician Evgeny Komarovsky: “But strengthen immunity? No, generally impossible. This is such a semi -scientific, I would even say, a charlatan fairy tale that allows you to sell medicines in a huge amount to increase immunity, but the essence of these drugs - all drugs to increase immunity - is only one: they very much strengthen the well -being of those who produce them, sells, advertises and so on. ”

Epidemiologist and President of the Society of Evidence Medicine Professor Vasily Vlasov Turns Attention to the fact that “the very concept of decreasing immunity and the possibility of increasing it is an ugly simplification of knowledge about a complex immunity system. None of the immunity stimulants like Levamisol, Timalin, Amixin - there are many of them in the Russian market - has no convincing evidence of usefulness, unless, of course, to consider the benefit of the manufacturer’s profit. ” Agree With him, Alexander Hadzhidis, the main clinical pharmacologist of St. Petersburg: “Immunity is dark and mysterious matter. What is its activation? New B- and T cells are formed, they receive new competencies and begin to fight with a virus or microbe. But when we are talking about a five-seven-day intake of an immunomodulating drug (for this period, the course of treatment is calculated), we understand that the cells in such a short time simply could not react to the virus and start working as manufacturers of the drugs describe, this time is not enough to develop an effective clone of specialized immune cells. At the same time, five to seven days is the period for which the body itself is able to cope with the virus and lead it out of the body. ”

Settling the intestines with useful bacteria for the prevention of colds is also an ungrateful lesson. American researcher Sherwood Gorbach Calculatedthat all bacteria used with food either die from hydrochloric acid in the stomach during digestion, or remain in the body for no more than one or two days. Convincing data The fact that probiotics are effective for the prevention or treatment of colds, as well as for immunostimulation, today also does not.

Thus, immunity is a complex multicomponent mechanism that does not fall in itself when changing the seasons. Various diseases of the immunity are well known to doctors and have clear treatment protocols. At the same time, in the methods of treatment there is no mention of folk remedies, or the excretion of toxins and slag, nor lactobacilli and probiotics, nor various pharmaceuticals that impersonate drugs. Most of these substances either do not contain any active substance, or have not shown their effectiveness for the prevention and treatment of seasonal colds.

Not true

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Is it true that vitamin C helps to cure colds?
2. Is it true that the body needs to arrange detox in order to remove toxins?