Using Food as a Stress Reducer Food selection can prove to be an important tool for reducing the symptoms of stress. A poor diet may play a major role in causing stress, and optimal nutrition is an important facet of stress management. It is very difficult to relieve stress symptoms entirely when adequate nutritional support is lacking. A comprehensive nutritional program can help stabilize and calm your bird, and promote optimum function of its immune system and digestive tract. Reducing the stress in your bird's life through dietary measures may be simpler than you think.
Stress affects the immune system in a number of ways.
First of all, the immune system is made up of white blood cells, called B cells and T cells. B cells produce antibodies that aid in the attack of bacterial or viral infections. T cells are responsible for cellular immunity against a variety of illness and disease, such as fungi, parasites, viruses and cancer. Stress can cause many types of disease, since there is a link between emotional and physical illness. Oftentimes, illness follows an extremely stressful event when opportunistic infections may arise from a weakened or failing immune system.