Healthy Living
5 Steps to a Healthier Immune System
Photo by: CN Digital Studio
YOUR SKIN: Like a full-body dry suit, your largest organ acts as a barrier against allergens and infectious organisms. In fact, researchers at Harvard University determined that the epidermis and dermis of a healthy person's skin is filled with 20 billion disease-fighting T cells-twice the number found in your bloodstream. Every time you have a skin infection, such as a foot fungus, T cells travel there to fight it off. Once they settle in, they stay long-term. "Over the years, you build up immunity, reducing the severity of recurrences or flare-ups," says researcher Rachael A. Clark, M.D., of the Harvard Skin Disease Research Center. Protect it: An easy way to give your outer layer some loving? Lotion up! "Keeping your skin moisturized helps prevent cracks, which make it easy for bacteria and viruses to get into the bloodstream," Dr. Clark says. Apply lotion within two minutes of bathing for optimum protection.Build a hardier sickness-defense system by maximing every safeguard you've got, from head to toe.
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