Is something suppressing my immune system?

[Justin Gross]

Last night I came down with food poisoning. It is the third time this year that I've been sick. It's kind of ridiculuous. I crossfit 5-6 days a week and while I'm not a zoner, I eat a diet consisting of lean meat, vegetables (mostly frozen) and whole grains. My buddies are trying to convince me to take vitamin supplements but I'm always skeptical of people trying to take my money with the only evidence of benefits being the subjective 'I feel better when I take them.'

Maybe it sounds kind of vague but I'm really frustrated and could really use your help.

[Steven Low]

How's your sleep?

[Aileen Reid]

How do you know its food poisoning? I doubt immunity has much to do with that. Maybe your cooking! :-) Is it viral gastro perhaps?

I had a bad year last year - due to my partner changing jobs and bringing many new germs home. Then I took LSL and so far so good.

[Justin Gross]

I sleep 8 a night.

I was just thinking about something that may be contributing; I have a full time job, two part time jobs, am studying to take the ACE pt certification April 14, and am in the process of opening a business. This in addition to XF, feeding myself (another full time job) and a couple other personal things. All this is good stuff that I I'm interested in and enjoy, but it is a lot of stuff and on some level I must be stressing out, which may be contributing.

What's LSL?

[Tim Luby]

How about the help of a physician? I don't know that you should read too much into it. Maybe you've just got a case of bad luck.

[Fred Paepke]

Justin,

Read the "Weak Immune System" thread here in "Health and Medical Issues". Some of us have had similar problems. IMHO it's stress. I was sick 6 times (three of them with food poisoning like symptoms) between September and December last year and in January I was forced to make the decision to either quit CrossFitting or stop my weekly allergy injections. I chose to stop the injections and I've only been sick once (so far) this year <knock on wood>.

That said, before starting again earlier this week I haven't CrossFitted since January because I opted to follow a 12 week Starting Strength program instead; so I may be in for a rude awakening in the next few weeks.

-Fred.

[Aileen Reid]

Long Service Leave.

Sounds like you're overdoing it! You're not invincible you know! :-)

[Justin Shipley]

i would suggest it's stress, too. or rather the anxiety brought on by stress. i suffered the same symptoms far too often for my liking and after years of attacking it from the angles of nutrition, contamination, infection etc, i now am free of gastro intestinal complaints due to just chilling out, thinking positive, laughing more and avoiding stressful situations. good luck!

[Corrinne Haskins]

after a very serious case of tonsillitis as a child where the infection went uncorrected for 1.5 years and then a bout of mono as a teenager my immune system was compromised regardless of sleep and working out and diet.

I got about 10 colds a year.

I finally got acupuncture regularly for about 5 months and began supplementing with more vitamin c, e, and a good multi. The problem seems to have abated where I can actually kick a cold if I catch it soon enough using airborne and goldenseal and don't work out for 3 or 4 days.