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What Keeps Humans Immune

A salmonella bacterium (upper right) detected by epithelial cells in the digestive tract.
David Goulding/Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
A salmonella bacterium (upper right) detected by epithelial cells in the digestive tract.

How often have you heard that a green juice, or a vitamin or even a yoga pose can “boost” your immune system?

Even if those claims are dubious, journalist Matt Richtel says we’re thinking about the immune system all wrong. The key is balancing it, not boosting it.

He says the best way to keep the immune system in balance is through a good diet and sleep, as well as living a healthy lifestyle.

Watch more here:

— matt richtel (@mrichtel) March 6, 2019

What do we know about the systems that keep us healthy? And what is still left to discover?

Richtel’s new book, “An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives,” tackles those questions and more. We speak to him and answer your questions about the mysteries of the immune system.

Produced by Paige Osburn.

GUESTS

Matt Richtel, Journalist, The New York Times; author, “An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System.” @mrichtel

For more, visit https://the1a.org.

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