Fitness training for the immune system

Interview with our naturopathic doctor Peter-Hansen Volkmann

Who is even considered susceptible to infection? And how many infections are normal?

People are considered susceptible to infection if they suffer from infections conspicuously often. The duration and severity also play a role.

In the past, it was said: "Flu lasts two weeks with a doctor and 14 days without!" A "normal" infection should not last longer than two weeks, even without treatment, and the symptoms usually subside significantly after just a few days. If colds regularly last longer, are more severe, are treated with antibiotics or occur repeatedly, you should take a closer look at your immune system and do something for your defences if necessary.

In your experience, what are the main causes of a weak immune system?

When people are susceptible to infections, various triggers usually come together. In my holistic view, the most important factors are nutrition, environmental toxins and a disturbed gut microbiome. Our lifestyle also plays a major role. Prolonged stress has been proven to weaken our immune system. Draughts, on the other hand, are overestimated as a cause of "colds".

Not to be underestimated are dwelling toxins, e.g. from laminate flooring and vinyl wallpaper. In affected patients, I have repeatedly observed that their immune system was more easily overloaded.

In addition, there are plasticisers, e.g. due to storage in "practical" plastic containers, food additives and pesticide residues in conventional foods. I am thinking in particular of flavourings, which, as derivatives of ether compounds, have a negative effect on the immune system via nerve metabolism. Another example is glyphosate, which acts as an antibiotic and kills a number of common intestinal bacteria (3, 4).

This brings us to the intestine, which is home to around 80% of all immune cells and whose health is largely dependent on a natural, healthy organic diet and environment. If our gut microbiome gets out of balance, it leads to localised irritation of the mucous membranes.

Irritated mucous membranes are unable to produce the appropriate enzymes for digestion locally and release them into the digestive mash. What is not digested locally cannot be absorbed. The result is leaky gut.

Wanted substances can now enter the body through a "leaky" intestinal mucosa and lead to chronic inflammation of both the liver and neighbouring tissues. If fewer and fewer nutrients are absorbed from a diseased gut, our immune system automatically suffers too. This can then manifest itself as allergies or a weak immune system.

What advice would you give to people who suffer from recurring infections and want to support their immune system in a natural way?

The basis of our health is a healthy gut - and this is clearly ensured by organic fresh food, which you can supplement with vitamins, minerals and trace elements as required.

If you want to stay healthy, you should definitely take care of your gut and gut flora. After all, gut care is always also immune system care. The be-all and end-all is a "gut-healthy" diet, which means

As a naturopathic doctor, I'm a friend of the unfortunately somewhat forgotten order therapy, which also benefits our immune system. This includes:

• Sufficient sleep - at least 7 to 8 hours per night
• Less television, especially no Wi-Fi or television in the sleeping area one hour before sleep
• Regulated meals at the family table where possible
• Regular phases of relaxation
• moderate exercise such as walks in the forest or cycling - competitive sports, on the other hand, weaken the immune system 
• fresh air - e.g. as part of gardening. If you don't have your own garden, there may be an open gardening community in your neighbourhood.

If you want to do even more for your immune system, you can go to the sauna every one to two weeks during the winter months. You can boost your immune system all year round with Kneipp showers and contrast showers.

From the point of view of herbal medicine, camomile, caraway, fennel, aniseed, turmeric and pepper are suitable for the gastrointestinal tract and liver, while arnica and echinacea are particularly suitable for the immune system. The latter can be used prophylactically from time to time over a few weeks. With echinacea, please take the recommended breaks and observe any contraindications.

10 tips for the immune system

1. Kneipp showers, alternating showers & sauna
2. Reduce exposure (smoking, alcohol, indoor and environmental toxins)
3. Sufficient sleep, relaxation, autogenic training, yoga, the Five Tibetans, etc. 
4. Basic food - e.g. with jacket potatoes, linseed oil, natural quark with fresh herbs, alkaline potato soup 
5. Exercise in the fresh air, breathing training such as the experiential breath 
6. At least 2 litres of pure water per day
7. Intestinal care & symbiosis control (gut-healthy diet, pre/probiotic foods)
8. Natural fresh and dried spices, avoid conventional blends
9. Medicinal plants (arnica, artichoke, basil, mugwort, nettle, echinacea, dandelion, lemon balm, oregano, peppermint, etc.) 
10. Micronutrients (folic acid, vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, iron, selenium, zinc) 

What is your personal recipe for a robust immune system? What do you do for your own defence system?

Our family eats 100% organic food. Much of it comes from our garden and the organic company premises of hypo-A. 

For me, food is much more than just food intake: it is a constant source of joie de vivre! Tasty, naturally flavoured dishes that make both the gut and the soul happy. Perhaps accompanied by an enjoyable glass of organic wine or yeast wheat as a B vitamin and mucous membrane care for the gut.

My personal recipe for a strong defence also includes walks in the woods and on the beach, my "secret" passion, spending time with people and animals such as our chickens, gardening, and a long-lasting, happy marriage.

In your opinion, which micronutrients are particularly important for the immune system? An exciting connection. Can you tell us more about it?

For me, the most important immune nutrients are clearly zinc, vitamin C and D. But folic acid, vitamins A, B6, B12 and selenium are also important for a healthy immune system (5).

With constant infections, you should always think about vitamin D too. After all, according to the Robert Koch Institute, only 38.4% of adults in Germany have an adequate supply of vitamin D. The situation becomes particularly critical in winter, when we draw on our vitamin D reserves and colds are at their peak. (6)

Another important point for me is oxidative stress. Infections, chronic inflammation or a weakened immune system lead to an increase in free radicals in the body, which put a strain on our cells and our defences. This makes a good supply of cell-protecting antioxidants such as vitamins B2, C, E, manganese, selenium and zinc (7) all the more important. As the body can neither produce nor store water-soluble vitamins itself, they must be supplied regularly with food.

For me, the mucous membranes are also a central pillar in the defence against pathogens such as rhinoviruses. Whether nose, mouth, lungs or intestines: all of these mucous membranes are connected in terms of developmental history and can influence each other. At the same time, as a contact surface to the "outside world", they are the first major barrier in the defence against viruses and bacteria. This makes healthy mucous membranes all the more important - and they need vitamins A, B2, B3 and biotin (8) in particular.

The entry point for many infections is the nasopharynx. We can also protect it relatively elegantly with a self-mixed "nasal spray", e.g. with Emser salt or, as described in my literature, with acerola powder and zinc in boiled water.

Gern. During the development of the embryo, the mucous membranes of the respiratory and digestive tracts emerge from the inner cotyledon, the so-called entoderm. This connection seems to last a lifetime. Many of you will be familiar with this from small children who react to a cold with stomach ache. Another example is problems with the sinuses, which are often a co-reaction of disturbed mucous membranes in the intestines. The same applies to the middle ear.

This is also one reason why, for example, it makes sense to relieve the bowels, eat less and eat more easily digestible food when you have a flu-like cough, as in ancient Greece.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the relationship between the intestines and lungs has been known for thousands of years. There, the large intestine is considered a partner organ of the lungs. A connection that we can now also understand from a scientific perspective thanks to the findings of modern microbiome research and the gut-brain axis.

It is therefore worth keeping the whole person in mind at all times and always including the gut in the case of infections.

Sources and notes

(1) www.dgkj.de/eltern/dgkj-elterninformationen/elterninfo-infekte/ (accessed on 18 January 2023)
(2) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=cockroach+and+health+risk
(3) patents.google.com/patent/US7771736B2/en (retrieved on 18 January 2023)
(4) Volkmann P-H: Gut healthy - human healthy! Quite simply! VBN-Verlag, 2nd ed. 2019
(5) Folate, vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, selenium and zinc contribute to the normal function of the immune system.
(6) Rabenberg M, Mensink GBM: Vitamin D status in Germany  Journal of Health Monitoring 1(2): 36-42 DOI 10.17886/RKI-GBE-2016-036, 2016
(7) Vitamins B2, C, E, manganese, selenium and zinc help to protect the cells from oxidative stress.
(8) Biotin, vitamins A, B2 and B3 contribute to the maintenance of normal mucous membranes .