Immunosuppression

The most sophisticated part of our immune response is affected the worst. This is the adaptive immune system which releases different classes of lymphocytes, including T cells and B cells, to help identify and contain foreign bodies.

Stress will affect the formation of new lymphocytes and their release into our circulation. Meanwhile, the emergence of mass levels of stress steroid hormones (glucocorticoids) will inhibit the release of key messengers such as interleukins and interferons, which help the lymphocytes do their job of raising infectious alarm.

These glucocorticoids will also take existing lymphocytes out of circulation. The thymus, which is key to our adaptive immunity, will shrink as a consequence of their continued presence.

And it’s not just the steroid hormones that cause all the mischief. Beta-endorphin and CRH hormone, which are released when the “fight or flight” response is activated, can also compromise immunity even when glucocorticoid levels are low.

If you suppress immune function for long periods or on a frequent basis, you are much more likely to fall victim to an infectious disease. And you will find it much harder to fight it off once you have it.

Being stressed means you are three times more likely to get the common cold – as detected by the Common Colds Unit in Wiltshire – and being chronically stressed makes you far more susceptible still.

Beeja meditation breaks the cycle of chronic stress patterning by giving the body the deep rest it needs to restore and reboot.

It reduces the frequency and intensity of the stress response by calming down the nervous system and the activity of the amygdala. By doing this, meditation prevents the immune system from being thrown into destabilising cycles of hyperactivation and suppression.

Our levels of lymphocytes, interleukins and interferons become more harmonised with a healthy mode of operation, as do our beta-endorphin and CRH levels, which may otherwise be causing us problems.

The thymus will be more protected from shrinkage, and our innate immune system will be free to operate at its best.

Meditation is the win win way to protect ourselves from infections; it not only boosts our immune system but makes us feel way less stressed and happier too. And if we ever do push it too hard, it is a brilliant tool for speeding up our recovery and getting ourselves back on top.