The Importance of Selenium to Our Immune System

When I was diagnosed with Grave's disease, I was looking for natural nutrients to help support my immune system so I did not become run down with viral and bacterial infections frequently. If you have an autoimmune disease like mine, you know the immune system is weak and needs all the help it can get. One of the best natural nutrients that I use to help keep my immune system healthy is selenium.

What is Selenium?

For those of you who have no idea what selenium I am going to tell you. Selenium is a mineral the body needs to support the immune system so it can defend itself from illnesses naturally. The best way to get selenium into the diet is by eating fruits and vegetables grown in organic nutrient dense soils. You can also find selenium in wild caught ocean fish, and in free-range birds that are fed organic foods.

Organic Whole Foods That Contain Selenium

Some of the best organic whole foods to eat to help get selenium into your daily diet are roasted nuts, barley, flounder, broccoli, haddock, asparagus, chicken, oranges, seeds, shellfish, liver, caviar, pork, turkey, cod, beef, whole wheat, oatmeal, amaranth leaves, artichokes, cottage cheeses, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, whole grain rice, lentils and kidneys. I know some of these whole foods do not sound delicious, but they are nourishing to the immune system. I personally enjoy getting selenium into my diet by eating baked haddock with a side of wild rice and steamed asparagus. On some occasions, I will even have tuna sandwiches for lunch with leafy green spinach on top. You may find that eating whole grain rice and chicken is a better meal for you to eat to help get selenium into your diet.

Selenium Supplements

Selenium supplements come in the form of tablets or by intravenous therapy provided by the doctor in low dosages. You can also find small amounts of selenium in over the counter vitamin supplements as well that support your overall health. However, precaution should be taken when using selenium supplements because there could be serious side effects such as brittle nails, hair loss, digestive discomforts and hypertension when you take high dosages. The body really only needs between 50 and 200 micrograms of selenium each day, otherwise dosages higher than that will be toxic to the body. I personally do not take selenium supplements because I feel I can get plenty of it from organic whole foods.

Side Effects of Selenium

Like I mentioned above in the last paragraph too much selenium could cause hair loss, brittle nails, sulfur smelling breath, digestive discomforts, muscle weakness, tremors, heart complications, respiratory difficulties, allergic reactions, sore throat and skin irritations. I know when I was sick with a cold I was taking an immune boost supplement that contained selenium in it and I ended up with too much selenium in my body and my hair did begin to come out and my skin did become red with a burning sensation. With all that being said, when selenium is taken in the proper amounts it is helpful to the immune system. It is best to talk to a doctor to find out if you need to add selenium to your diet to help improve your health.