Factors that weaken the immune system

Risk factors that weaken the immune system include food supplements, spices and even hot climates, according to a list in the book, Aids and Beyond, by Michio Kushi. You can view an adapted version of the list by clicking here.

This article, which explains some of the less obvious risk factors, was originally published in The Good Life issue #2, 1995. The original article was titled...

Supplements, spices, sex, summer... Why are they un-safe?

The risk factors for Aids and the New Epidemics listed here, adapted from Michio Kushi’s book, Aids and Beyond, are mostly obvious. But a few may seem surprising.

Note that these are higher risk factors only “if excessive”. It does not mean that your risk getting Aids and other infectious diseases if you eat a bit of meat, take an occasional course of antibiotics or live in a hot climate.

But excessive amounts of these factors, or many of them combined, will definitely weaken your immune system considerably. Then you have a good chance of succumbing to Aids and other bacterial or viral diseases.

Let's look at some of the surprising factors that can weaken the immune system:

Poultry is widely regarded as healthy meat, since it is white meat, not red. White meat has less fat and cholesterol. But it is still meat and too much meat in the diet is not healthy.

Moreover, modern poultry tend to be loaded with antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals which are harmful to health, especially to the immune system. In this respect, they are often worse than red meat.

Yogurt can help boost immunity because they contain friendly bacteria which keep harmful bacteria in check. Certain groups of people who are known for their longevity, like the Hunzas of Pakistan whose life span typically exceed 100, eat yogurt regularly.

But they eat only very small amounts of yogurt, not by the tub as a fun food. Also, the yogurt they eat is plain and naturally produced. It comes from the milk of cows that have been raised naturally – and that milk is raw, not pasteurised or unnaturally processed in other ways.

This is very different from the commercially produced yogurt and yogurt ice cream that is loaded with sugar, colouring, flouvoring, etc... along with antibiotics, hormones and pecticides commonly found in milk. Moreover, most commercial yogurt does not have much friendly bacteria left.

Tropical fruits are not suitable for people in temperate and colder climates. But for those living in the tropics, there may be problems if we take too much, especially if we have a yin (soft, weak) condition.

Tropical fruits are very high in sugar (fructose, or fruit sugar, and glucose). Sugar weakens the blood and the immune system, making us more prone to bacteria and virus attack.

Tropical vegetables are, likewise, okay in the tropics but unsuitable for people in temperate climates. They, too, are weakening when eaten in excess. Avoid especially those that are very soft and / or slimy, like tomatoes, eggplant and lady’s fingers.

Spices, herbs and other pungent, aromatic foods can be powerful, natural antibiotics. Garlic, for example, can destroy even bacteria that are resistant to drugs. These foods are medicinal. So we should take them like medicines – only in small amounts.

Food supplements are like medicines as well. Vitamin C, for instance, is well known for warding off colds and flu’s. But does vitamin C actually strengthen the immune system? This is questionable.

When we take food supplements like vitamin C regularly, and especially when we take unnaturally large amounts, we become dependent on them. Then we lose our ability to use the vitamins found in natural foods.

Vitamins work against bacteria and viruses partly because they are strong acid-forming. These micro-organisms thrive in a mild acidic environment and will die in strong acid.

A more effective way of fighting bacteria, however, is to take more alkaline-forming foods: vegetables and salty foods. Such foods support the immune system because the body envionment of a healthy person needs to be slightly alkaline. Click here to learn more about acid and alkaline balance.

Sexual activity, if excessive, is weakening especially for men as men lose protein and minerals during ejaculation. They also lose their store of qi, or vital energy and this will have an impact on the immune system. Aids patients tend to be those who indulge excessively in sex.

Spring and summer are times when people are most prone to bacteria attack, since bacteria flourish in warm, humid conditions. Also, the tropics have more variety of life forms, including more bacteria and viruses.

Living in a warm, humid tropical climate is not a problem if we keep healthy. But if you immunity is already very weak – for example, if you had an organ transplant and you are taking drugs to suppress the immune system – you may want to move consider moving to a temperate climate.