Your immune system is one of the most critical, and most fascinating, aspects of the mind-body connection. For a long time, the ability of immune cells to attack invading disease organisms was considered purely physical, even though the mechanism was not completely understood. Normally, when your body is invaded by antigens (the bad guys), an alarm is sounded and your immune system gears up for a counterattack; unless something has happened that has weakened your chances of fighting the invaders off. Your immune system can be compromised because of a number of factors, such as not getting enough sleep, stress, poor diet, smoking, and obesity.
Taking a look at the things that can damage your immune system, you can see that it is easily within your power to find how to strengthen your defenses. None of the above negative factors are irreversible; you just have to make the effort to change your lifestyle to get your body functioning as it should once again.
You will definitely know that your immune system needs help when you keep coming down with colds, flu, or other illnesses. Feeling sick all the time is no fun, so start now on a program that will make you stronger and more resistant to antigens of all kinds.
So, outlier though he may be, researchers are intrigued by the mounting evidence showing that mindfulness has a positive impact on our immune system.
The Floating Brain: Our Best Defense
The immune system is one of the most critical purveyors of our physical wellness. It’s our defense system, our armed forces that work to protect us from foreign invaders like viruses or bacteria. It is so precisely designed that it can distinguish between harmful unwanted pathogens and our own healthy cells and tissue.
It is so wise that the immune system has even been referred to as our “floating brain,” aptly named for its ability to communicate with the brain through chemical messages that float around inside our body. This means that if our immune system is weakened, perhaps as a result of chronic stress or invading pathogens, our whole body system won’t operate as usual. When our immune system struggles, it’s like a welcome sign for infection and disease.
Mindfulness Meditation and Possible Mechanisms of Increased Immunity
It’s tempting to get carried away by the implications of the research suggesting that mindfulness can help improve immune functioning. However, the question still remains as to the exact mechanisms involved in the mindfulness-immune system connection.
A recent and groundbreaking looked at 20 randomized control trials examining the effects of mindfulness meditation on the immune system. In reviewing the research, the authors found that mindfulness meditation:
- Reduced markers of inflammation, high levels of which are often correlated with decreased immune functioning and disease.
- Increased signals to other cells telling them to destroy infections.
- Increased telomerase activity; telomerase help promote the stability of chromosomes and prevent their deterioration (telomerase deterioration leads to cancer number of CD-4 cells, which are the immune system’s helper cells that are involved in sending
- premature aging).and
- Decreased Stress, Increased Emotional Regulation:It has been confirmed through research that what we think and feel impacts our immune system via chemical messages from the brain. Therefore, stress, negative thinking styles, and certain emotional states can have a negative impact upon our immune system, creating an environment increasingly susceptible to disease.
- Activation of the Second Brain (the Gut):Mindfulness can boost immunity via the gut microbiota. As per a previous article I wrote here on Mindful, the human body is comprised of trillions of micro-organisms, most of which reside in the gut, which are called the gut microbiota. It turns out that the gut microbiota are key players in the development and maintenance of the immune system; the bacteria in the body that helps distinguish between intruder/foreign microbes vs. those that are endogenous.
- Targeted Brain/Immune System Communication: Another link between mindfulness and the immune system is mindfulness’s direct impact upon brain structures responsible for talking to the immune system. More specifically, research indicates that mindfulness meditation increases activity in the prefrontal cortex, right anterior insula, and right hippocampus, the areas of the brain acting as our immune system’s command center.
So, not only is bringing awareness to the body a great method to quiet the chatter in the mind and anchor us in presence, it can also help us stay physically healthy. Consciously choosing to bring more awareness to your physical self will build a better connection with your body and help you tune in with what it truly needs, whether that’s more sleep, healthier food or less time at the computer. This is a good thing to consider with cold and flu season quickly approaching. Your body is the only one you have. Take good care of it. Meditate more.
