Immunity boosting symptoms

There is no such thing as "specific symptoms of improved immunity" in clinical medicine. The various so-called "signs" you see on the Internet are either related to the overall improvement of the body's condition, or are the normal response of the immune system against pathogens. Many are even "pseudo-symptoms" fabricated by merchants, which cannot be used as a basis for judging changes in immunity.

The most widely circulated misunderstanding is that "not catching a cold for a long time = immunity becomes stronger." This is really not true. When the epidemic was at its worst two years ago, I stayed on the line for more than three months. I wore an N95 all the time when I went out. Not to mention catching a cold, I rarely even sneezed. But then I got caught in the first wave after the epidemic was released. You can’t say that my immunity had improved by leaps and bounds in the previous three months, and then plummeted on the day of the release, right? The essence is that the probability of exposure to pathogens has changed, and it has no direct relationship with the level of immunity.

Of course, there are indeed some manifestations related to the improvement of immune function, but they are not specific and must be considered in combination with the long-term status. For example, practitioners of functional medicine usually regard "faster wound healing, reduced frequency of seasonal allergy attacks, and reduced unexplained fatigue" as references for improving immune status. However, the mainstream clinical attitude is very clear: these symptoms are also strongly related to sleep, metabolism, and emotion, and cannot be directly equated with improved immunity. After all, if you sleep for 8 hours in a row for half a month, even if your immunity does not change, your fatigue will be reduced. You can’t just say that you have a good night’s sleep to directly boost your immunity, right?

What is even more important to be wary of is the "detoxification reaction" advocated by many businesses. It is said that low-grade fever, acne breakouts, and joint pain after eating their products are because the immune system has been activated to detoxify. This is pure nonsense. Last year, I picked up a 19-year-old girl who took Internet celebrity "immunity pills" for half a month. Her face broke out with cystic acne and she continued to have a low-grade fever of about 37.5 degrees. The seller told her that this was an "improvement reaction of increased immunity" and asked her to eat more. Fortunately, her mother took her to the hospital for a checkup. The result was mild liver function damage and abnormally elevated immune globulin. If she continued to eat it, she would have serious problems.

Speaking of which, the logic of judging immune status in different fields is quite different. In traditional Chinese medicine, there is actually no concept of "immunity", which corresponds to "righteousness". "Stable appetite, regular defecation, moist complexion, and not afraid of cold" are regarded as manifestations of sufficient righteousness, which is what everyone understands as a good immune status. However, Chinese medicine pays more attention to "balance" and does not advocate "improving immunity" at all. Excessive righteousness will lead to internal heat and internal heat. To put it bluntly, immunity is like the security guard in your community. Under normal conditions, it can stop outside thieves and will not accidentally injure the owners who come in and out. If the security guard is too aggressive and even beats relatives and delivery boys who come to visit, it is an overactive immune system, which can easily induce autoimmune diseases such as urticaria, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus erythematosus, which is not a good thing at all.

The advice I usually give to consultants is never to let them compare blindly with the symptom list on the Internet. If you really want to know how your immune status is, there are two most reliable methods: either go to the hospital to draw a tube of blood and check the immunoglobulins, lymphocyte subgroups, and complement indicators. If the values ​​are within the normal range, there is no problem, and there is no need to blindly supplement.； Or observe your overall condition for 3-6 consecutive months. For example, you have been infected with the flu every time before, and now you are fine if someone around you catches a cold. It used to take a week for a small cut to heal, but now it scabs away in three or four days, and you rarely feel too tired to move at all. Then there is a high probability that your immune status is more stable than before.

There is really no need to worry about whether there are "symptoms of increased immunity". Eat well, sleep for 7 hours a day, and take some time to move every week. It will be more effective than how many health supplements you take. If you really have unexplained low-grade fever, rash, or recurring fatigue, don't believe in any improvement reactions. It's better to go to the hospital as soon as possible.