How do I boost my immunity? What you can and cannot do

The short answer

"Boosting immunity" is not a treatment method and cannot take the place of one. The immune system does not have a volume dial you can turn up. What you can actually do is protect yourself from infection during the periods when you are vulnerable, and never take anything without telling your medical team.

The idea that immunity can be "boosted" comes from an oversimplification. It is made up of many types of cells, with different roles — some that start reactions and others that stop them.

A stronger reaction is not automatically a better one. Autoimmune diseases are exactly that: an immune system that is too active, attacking what it should not.

That is why, when someone promises you that a product "boosts your immunity," the promise does not have a clear medical meaning. No supplement has been shown to control a tumor this way.

Immunotherapy does use the immune system, but not in the way most people imagine.

Some treatments release very specific molecular brakes that were stopping immune cells from recognizing the tumor. Others arm cells taken from the patient. These are targeted interventions, given in hospital, with real side effects.

They have nothing to do with "boosting your immunity" through food or vitamins.

This is where the discussion becomes practical, and it genuinely matters.

After some treatment sessions, your white blood cell count drops for a few days. During that time your body defends itself less effectively, and an ordinary infection can turn serious quickly.

What helps during those days:

• washing your hands often, especially before meals;
• avoiding crowded places and people with colds;
• well-cooked food, and fruit and vegetables washed carefully;
• being careful with small cuts and with mouth hygiene;
• keeping a thermometer within reach.

A fever during a period of low immunity is not treated at home and is not something to wait out until morning. Call the number given by your clinic, or 112 if your condition changes suddenly.

On forums, questions about immunity almost always come with the name of a product attached.

The problem is not that all supplements are useless. The problem is that some can change how the body processes cancer treatment, and others can affect the liver.

The practical rule is simple: whatever you take, put it on a list and show the list. Including teas, vitamins, "natural" products, and anything recommended by someone who has been through this themselves.

Do not stop or add anything without telling your team. Not because it is forbidden, but because they cannot account for what they do not know about.

• On which days after a treatment session is my immunity lowest?
• At what temperature do I call, and at what number?
• What am I allowed to eat during those periods?
• Do the supplements I take conflict with treatment?
• Do I need any vaccine, and when is the right time?

Make a list of everything you take, including anything no one prescribed, and bring it to your next check-up. It is the single most useful thing you can do for your immunity.