Low Immunity: How Do I Know If I Have It?

Your immune system exists to protect your body from infection. For people with low or weakened immunity, it’s harder for their body to fight off viruses and bacteria, and they can be more prone to developing infections, often with more severe symptoms than a person with a strong immune response. When your immune system is weakened, it is also more difficult for your body to respond appropriately to seasonal and environmental allergens, and, in some cases, immunodeficiency can make you more at risk for developing allergies and infections. Here’s how to tell if you may have low immunity, and how your immunology specialist can help bring you some relief.

Top Signs & Symptoms Of Low Immunity

During certain times of year, symptoms of cold, flu or allergies are just more common due to circulating viruses, germs and allergens. But, if you’re feeling sick, fatigued or plagued by nagging symptoms that don’t seem to have a direct cause, you may be suffering from a weakened immune system. Here are some of the top signs and symptoms that may indicate you have low immunity.

1. Perpetual Cold or Allergy Symptoms
Most people will contract 2-3 colds a year and it can take up to 10 days to fully recover from your cold symptoms. For people with low immunity, cold or allergy symptoms can seem to linger for much longer, or never seem to truly resolve. These symptoms include:

• Itchy, stuffy and/or runny nose
• Itchy, watery eyes
• Aches and pains
• Fatigue
• Sneezing

2. Frequent Sinus, Ear and Respiratory Infections
While ear and sinus infections can be common, you shouldn’t be suffering from them every other month. If you find you’re picking up antibiotic prescriptions more than twice a year, you may be suffering from low immunity. If you’re experiencing these conditions more than normal, reach out to your specialist, as you may need to resolve underlying conditions to ease the burden on your immune system. Above average infection rates per year are:

• More than 2 courses of antibiotics 
• 3+ bacterial sinus infections or chronic sinusitis
• 2+ cases of pneumonia
• 4+ ear infections

3. GI Issues

It may seem unrelated, but 70% of your immune system is actually located in your digestive tract! So, if you are experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms like pain, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, or changes in appetite, you may have a lower population of “good” bacteria in your gut. This can lead to low immunity, putting you at a higher risk of contracting a virus – and of generally living with increased inflammation. A gastro-intestinal specialist can help you determine if your immune system could benefit from supplementation for your digestive tract, as well as determine the underlying conditions that may be contributing to your symptoms.

4. Stress & Fatigue

Between a pandemic, school closures, changes at work and everything you already had going in your life – why would you be stressed? Even in times that are a bit more precedented than these, our lives can be filled with stress, which can have a devastating impact on our immune systems. Long-term stress weakens our immune system’s ability to respond by lowering the number of white blood cells that help us to fight off infection. It also makes it difficult to relax and recharge, leading to increased feelings of fatigue. Even if you feel you’re getting enough rest, if you still feel exhausted and overwhelmed, it’s time to talk to an allergist or immunology specialist to get yourself back on track.

5. You’re A Slow-Healer
If it seems like your papercut, burn or scrape should have healed by now, it may be a sign your body isn’t able to generate the healthy immune cells needed for speedy wound recovery and skin regeneration. This can result in lingering wounds and slow-healing, which leave you open to infection. 

Let’s Boost Your Immune System

From diet, exercise, sleep and good hygiene, there are many behavioral and lifestyle changes that can help give you a boost, but none of them will make a big difference if you have unresolved immune problems and are not addressing the triggering causes.

At Family Allergy Asthma Clinic, we take a proactive, scientific evidence-based approach to provide accurate diagnosis, early intervention and evidence-based treatments that are designed to find and resolve the underlying conditions that can weaken our immune systems. If you’re ready to get to the root cause of your symptoms and live