Suggestions on Boosting my Immune System???

[sun_flower]

Hello Vegan Friends,

I am in need of advise on how to boost my immune system.

I have a very low wbc and lymphocites. My rbc and iron, b12 etc are all ok, Cholesterol is very good.

I take lots of vitamins and have been Vegan for over a year. I have never felt better but am worried about the readings on my physical blood work.

Any suggestions?
Thanks
Katherine
Toronto, Canada

[Casey]

Hi Katherine,
I don't have any specific suggestions for boosting your white blood cell count, but I'm wondering if you've explored possible reasons why your count is low? Is your doctor concerned, what does he/she suggest? According to info I got from the NIH web site, normal levels are 4,500-10,000 white blood cells/mcl (cells per microliter). So for you, how low is "very low"? There are various conditions that can decrease your WBCs and also some drugs:
"Drugs that may decrease WBC counts include antibiotics, anticonvulsants, antihistamine, antithyroid drugs, arsenicals, barbiturates, chemotherapeutic agents, diuretics, and sulfonamides."

I'm not sure you can boost your immune system without addressing the underlying cause of your low WBCs (or without taking drugs designed to increase your WBCs). Just a thought.

Not that I think this applies to you but my mother-in-law was on chemotherapy that just decimated her WBCs and she'd end up in the hospital every 3 weeks for a blood transfusion. We had to wear masks, gloves, gowns because any infection could've killed her. Obviously very low WBCs can be very dangerous. But if you're feeling good and not constantly sick with various infections, maybe your immune system is functioning OK.

[sun_flower]

Thank you for the suggestions, I actually am sick a lot, and always have been. I just had a Hysterectomy for Endometriosis, Fibroids and PCO's. I have Fibromyalgia and Allergies, I have a breast lump that I have an appointment to have biopsied at the end of the month.

As a child I was sick with everything under the sun, measles, mumps, chicken pox, scarlet fever, you name it, later came a horrible case of Mono which caused high fevers and swollen glans, I went to under 100 lbs and lost all my hair. Then later during suffered miscarriage, then Shingles with my second child, then chronic broncitis, pneumonia and colds. My family is riddled with all kinds of cancer, from NHL to Prostrate, 3 have died of Colon cancer and one of Ovarian, One is battling Breast Cancer. I feel like my life is a ticking time bomb. Wow huh?

I am just getting over a bout of Flu which turned into pneumonia and that is actually the only thing I have had in a year except for the surgeries and it has been a year since I became Vegan. I have lost 45 lbs in the year and have 20 more to go but an taking a break for now.

I am on nothing right now, for the first time in my life no pain killers, no antibiotics, no nothing. So could it be a build up of the stuff on my immune system and perhaps with time and sticking to the Vegan lifestyle I will improve? I do feel better and more energy than ever!
Thanks for listening

Katherine

[Casey]

I’m so sorry to hear about all the problems you’ve had with your health – it would be so draining to have to deal with just one of them, never mind the cumulative effect of years of not feeling well. I guess it’s hard to say whether all of your illnesses and treatments decreased your WBCs or if a weak immune system led to your health problems. The main thing is that you’re feeling better now (and I’ve got my fingers crossed that the lump will turn out to be nothing to worry about).

Eating a well-balanced vegan diet can definitely improve the state of your immune system, so you’re already on the right track. Exercise and reducing stress – meditation, yoga, tai chi, etc – have also been shown to improve immune function. Sticking to unprocessed whole foods is the best way to eat and I’ve read that high-fat and high-protein diets can reduce white cell production, so there’s another reason why vegan is the way to go!

Studies have shown antioxidants to be particularly important in boosting the immune system. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables that are high in beta-carotene (spinach, winter squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, kale, etc) and Vitamin C (citrus fruits, cantaloupe, strawberries, broccoli, red bell peppers, etc). Vitamin E is also important (nuts, seeds, whole grains, wheat germ, olive oil, etc) and make sure that you’re getting enough zinc (beans, lentils, tofu, whole grains, wheat germ, nuts, seeds, etc). I think I also read that not getting enough B6 can weaken your immune system – whole grains, nutritional yeast, beans, lentils, soy products, seeds, green leafy vegetables, bananas, orange juice, etc. As always it’s best to get your nutrients from whole foods (there are so many as yet undiscovered/not quite understood benefits of the combination of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals in foods) and then fill in the gaps with a multi-vitamin (containing B12, of course).

I don’t know if any of that will make a significant difference if your WBCs are VERY low (maybe for something like that only a drug like Neupogen will work, but I really don’t know) – I do know that it definitely can’t hurt, it can only help and you’ll feel better. Apart from healthy eating, I never feel quite right if I don’t exercise - I even think some studies have shown that moderate exercise can improve your immune system even more than healthy eating, so imagine the impact of a good vegan diet AND regular exercise. And here’s an added benefit…a study in the “British Medical Journal found that regular aerobic exercise can produce substantial improvements in how fibromyalgia patients feel.”

So much of our health depends on eating nutritious foods, exercising, reducing stress and getting enough sleep – it seems so simple, so why is it so hard to do! Good luck, I hope you continue to feel good and energetic. :)