Immunity Myths & Facts
- Shantay Davies-Balch
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
As we head into the holidays and continue to navigate the sick season, we want you to have information to stay as healthy as possible! There are a lot of ideas and misconceptions around building your immunity to avoid getting sick. In this blog, we are dispelling some common myths and offering evidence-based facts to help you better understand what does and does not strengthen your immune system.
What is the immune system?
The immune system is made up of various organs, tissues, and cells with the common goal of defending your health by keeping germs (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and single-celled organisms called protozoa) from entering your body! It works hard to protect you from many things that can make people sick, identifying and neutralizing toxins, foreign objects, and abnormal cells that can cause disease.
The immune system includes your skin, lymph nodes, bone marrow, tonsils, the lining of your gut, white blood cells, and more! For example, your skin acts to protect you as a physical barrier, and white blood cells work internally to spot and attack germs that find their way in.
While genetics play a big role in how strong our immune system is, our environment and social determinants of health also play a huge role in its development. Our diet, environmental exposures, and stress levels are just some of the things that can weaken or strengthen our immune system over time.
But what can you do to strengthen this system? Let’s get into the myths and facts!
First things first: Here are evidence-based, healthy lifestyle tips for a well-balanced immune system:
Well-balanced diet
Getting enough sleep
Alcohol in moderation, if at all
Quit smoking
Minimizing stress
Exercise
Maintaining a healthy weight
Regularly see your provider for health screenings
Being up to date on recommended vaccines
Myths:
“Being too clean is not good. I need to expose my immune system to things to get it stronger”
In recent decades, people have observed increases in allergic and autoimmune diseases, particularly in children who seemingly were not exposed to germs and infections, resulting in developing weak immune systems. This has become known as the Hygiene Hypothesis. As of right now, there is little evidence to suggest that this hypothesis is true.
There are many factors that contribute to the development of allergies and autoimmune diseases including diet, lifestyle, genetics, and more. What we do know is that hand washing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are effective ways to prevent getting sick from germs in the environment.
“Taking extra Vitamin C and Zinc will boost my immune system”
Vitamin C and Zinc are commonly suggested as ways to “boost your immune system” when you are sick so that you can recover faster. While this may help reduce the severity of symptoms and how long you are sick for, especially for those who were deficient in Vitamin C and Zinc, there is still inconclusive evidence as to whether it actually works and whether taking more than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) is helpful. High doses of minerals and vitamins can also be harmful to the body, causing diarrhea, stomach cramps, and tissue damage in some.
For example, Emergen-C contains 1000mg of Vitamin C, which is well above the RDA for adults. The recommended daily amount of Vitamin C is 90mg for men, 75mg for women, and 85mg for pregnant women. The daily upper limit of Vitamin C for adults is 2000mg. Of note, the RDA for Zinc is 11mg for men, 8mg for women, 11mg for pregnant women, and 12mg for breastfeeding women. A healthy balance and moderation is key!
“Essential oils will boost my immune system.”
While there are studies showing evidence of some essential oils providing immune support, most of those studies are done on animals or cells – not on people. This makes it hard to generalize and prove those findings onto people.
Because there is limited, high-quality data, it is recommended to speak with your provider prior to usage. Current data is inconclusive as to whether essential oils can prevent infections, “boost immunity”, or are even safe for consumption. More studies are needed to determine long-term safety and clinical efficacy of essential oils.
Remember, there is a lot of grey area when it comes to regulation of essential oils on the market. When using essential oils, it is important to seek high-quality products and to follow safety guidelines to prevent harmful side effects and toxicity.
“Vaccines are not safe.”
Vaccines are held to very high standards and are considered safe. The diseases we get vaccinated against carry severe risk for morbidity and mortality, which is why staying up to date on recommended vaccines is so important for your protection.
Vaccines imitate germs by containing a weakened version of or a piece of the germ it is designed to protect you from. That piece is just enough information for your body to learn how to make antibodies or the tools it needs to protect against that germ, but not enough to get a full-blown infection.
All vaccines go through a careful and long approval process to ensure that they are effective and safe.
Check out this resource put together by the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) to read through the evidence showing that vaccines are safe and effective: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/immunizations/Pages/vaccine-studies-examine-the-evidence.aspx
“You don’t need to get vaccinated; it is better for our immune system to get sick naturally.”
Vaccination works by introducing pieces of germs in a controlled manner to trigger a targeted immune response in your body. The immune response may sometimes result in symptoms such as a fever, aches, or sneezing. These are all signs that your immune system is working – not that you are getting sick! This immune response is just enough to produce the immunologic memory your body needs to defend it from future infections from those same germs without getting sick. When we get sick from someone who is already infected or get sick “naturally”, the germs are not introduced in a controlled manner, and you don’t have any control over the severity. Depending on the infection, underlying conditions, and other factors, this could mean mild symptoms for some but for others it could be life-threatening. It can be safer and less risky to get vaccinated than going natural.
“I only need to get a vaccine once.”
Depending on the type of vaccine, a booster or another dose may be needed to stay up to date and keep your body protected. While some vaccines have waning protection over time, others require frequent updated doses because of the virus’ ability to mutate rapidly.
For example, the flu virus has lots of variations and mutates quickly, which is why there is an updated flu shot every year. Examples of other vaccines that require periodic boosters include COVID-19, Tdap or DTap, meningococcal, pneumococcal, and HepB.
People who may need more frequent vaccine boosters include older adults (>65 years old), immunocompromised people, people with chronic conditions, pregnant people, those working in healthcare or with occupational exposure, people living in crowded spaces, and those who are traveling to endemic areas.
There are several different types of vaccines. A list of some include:
Live-attenuated: These are weakened versions of the virus which are designed to not cause the full-blown disease. Examples include the chickenpox, MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), and smallpox vaccines.
Toxoid: These vaccines are designed to protect against the toxin that some bacteria make that can make us very sick. Example: Diphtheria, tetanus (DTaP, Tdap)
Subunit: These vaccines use only a piece of the germ such as a protein, a sugar, or the capsid (shell). Examples include the shingles, pneumococcal, meningococcal, and HPV vaccines.
mRNA: These vaccines contain mRNA which is a type of genetic material, similar to DNA. The mRNA provides a blueprint for our cells to make viral proteins, which trigger an immune response so that we are protected by any future infections. Currently, the only mRNA vaccine available is the COVID-19 vaccine.
“I need my immune system to be as strong as it can be”
While we want our immune system to be strong enough to fight off germs, having an immune system that is too strong is also possible and can be just as bad as an immune system that is too weak. Immune systems that are too strong or overactive can attack non-harmful things including dust, food, and even your own body! This is how allergies and autoimmune diseases such as Lupus, Type I diabetes, and multiple sclerosis work. Autoimmune diseases are associated with cardiovascular disease and may have other impacts on your health. Speak with your provider if you are concerned about how your immune system is working.
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