Can you really 'boost' immune system with pills: Things everyone should know

What you should know

Evidence-based medical professionals assert that "boosting" the immune system is simply impossible. The body's defense system is highly complex and multifaceted. Its components, depending on various factors, are interconnected at levels that medicine does not fully comprehend yet.

Therefore, influencing the immune system is challenging.

Do immunomodulators and immune boosters work?

In most cases - no. These drugs mostly lack proven effectiveness and, at best, do not harm the body.

"However, they will certainly make your wallet lighter since they are often expensive. The recommended courses of taking them are also long-term," say doctors.

Are there medications that affect the immune system?

These are specialized drugs prescribed to individuals with congenital or acquired immunodeficiencies, oncological diseases, autoimmune processes, and so on.

Such medications modulate, i.e., in some way alter the action of a person's immune system—strengthening or weakening it. These drugs affect specific factors of immunity.

This refers to serious, clinically diagnosed conditions where a person has disruptions or deficiencies in specific defense mechanisms.

Other factors that can affect immunity

• Chronic stress

• Lack of sleep and disrupted daily routines

• Persistent fatigue, especially from intellectual work

• Sedentary lifestyle

• Regular exposure to cold

• Vitamin deficiency

• Concurrent chronic illnesses

How to support the body's defense function

Experts state that the immune system can largely self-regulate.

However, if the body's resources are spent inefficiently on survival during stress, excessive fatigue, improper nutrition, and lack of physical activity, there may be insufficient resources left to maintain immunity.

To enhance the body's resistance, create favorable conditions:

• Ensure adequate sleep

• Avoid stress

• Maintain a balanced diet

• Stay active and engage in physical activity

• Get sufficient rest

Taking additional vitamins is generally not recommended, except for vitamin D. In most cases, you can obtain the necessary substances from food.

This material is for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis or self-treatment. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate information about symptoms, causes, and methods of detecting diseases. RBС-Ukraine is not responsible for any diagnoses that readers may make based on materials from the resource. We do not recommend self-treatment and advise consulting a doctor in case of any health concerns.