Let’s face it; this fall’s cold and flu season is shaping up to be a real challenge. Almost every patient I see expresses concern about the health of their immune systems and the ability to withstand the challenges ahead.
So in this time of unprecedented concern about the global pandemic of COVID-19, you’ll be happy to know that you don’t have to be a sitting duck, just waiting to get sick.
You’re in possession of a highly trained, internal defense team that is working 24/7 to protect you from foreign invaders. Since biology class was so long ago, let’s do a quick review to orient you to how your immune system works and what you can do to support it.
And just a note: you don’t need to understand all this for it to work! It’s actively working inside you constantly without your conscious awareness. So just relax and read on to familiarize yourself with these amazingly intricate systems that are working to protect and defend you.
Think of your body as your homeland and your immune system as your country’s military force.
Scattered throughout the land is a complex network of defenders: organs, tissues, glands and specialized cells (and their chemical messengers), which work as a team to protect you from foreign invaders like bacteria, viruses, parasites, pollens, toxins and allergens.
Your immune system has 3 main branches, starting with a set of barriers. When foreign invaders breach these barriers, the next two branches of immune system swing into action.
Your Protective Barriers:
Like a fortress around your home, the first line of defense against invaders is your skin. It’s beautifully designed to protect against moisture, cold, the sun and an endless array of germs and other toxins. Beneath our outer skin Iies our “inner skin”, which is comprised of the vast mucosal surfaces (like the inside of your mouth) of the respiratory and digestive tract. These mucosal surfaces are the front line of the battle, the border between the outside world and your inner world. 70% of your immune system is clustered around the gut, so maintaining the health of these barriers is essential to keep microbes from penetrating and gaining entrance to the tissues deep inside.
The Innate Immune System
The next branch of our immune system is called the “innate” immune system. The innate immune system includes a squad of white blood cells (WBCs), like neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes and macrophages that respond in seconds to fight infection.
The innate immune system is born from the bone marrow, which you can think of as “boot camp”. It’s in boot camp that these infantry soldiers receive their basic training. From the bone marrow, the white blood cells migrate through the blood and lymph to damaged tissue to do their protective work. The innate immune response is fast, but not specific.
The function of the innate immune system tends to decline with age, poor nutrition, stress, insufficient rest and chronic disease.
The Adaptive (or Acquired) Immune System
This branch of the immune system is slower to respond because it is acquiring information from the innate immune system and the pathogens it meets, so it can develop a very specific response. This Adaptive Immune system has two main branches, T cells and B cells, which are like generals and special op forces that have received highly specialized training.
T CELLS are trained in the thymus gland (hence the name T cells) to target, destroy and remember their enemies. T cells then become part of a fleet of cytotoxic T-cells, T-helper cells, T-reg cells and T-memory cells, each with very specific duties. The T cells then share the info with the B cells.
B CELLS are trained in the bone marrow (hence the name B cells) to produce antibodies in response to foreign invaders. Viruses, bacteria, pollens and allergens carry a protein on their surface (an antigen) that B cells recognize and create an antibody to match that antigen. An antibody fits onto an antigen like a key fits into a lock. Once bound, the antigen-antibody complex is targeted for destruction by other white blood cells that come and devour it, like a Pac Man engulfs its enemy.
When the immune system has successfully produced an effective immune response to the invader, the host (that’s us) is said to be immune. Success!
Unfortunately, we’ve been living in a manner that sets the stage for a weakened and disordered immune response. Our modern lifestyle weakens our innate immune response and throws the adaptive immune system into overdrive. So instead of creating a balanced response, the adaptive immune system fans the smoldering embers, producing a life-threatening, excessive immune response producing the cytokine storm.
The analogy of a storm perfectly captures the loss of control of the immune system as an overwhelming inflammatory response spirals out of control, similar to that which occurs in septic shock. It is this underlying elevated level of chronic inflammation that is the fire at the core of chronic disease, and sets the stage for a more aggressive immune response that can be life threatening.
Building a vibrant immune system is your best defense against pathogens.
It turns out that the way we eat and live plays an important role in the function of a balanced immune system. Next week, we’ll take a closer look at why this virus has hit Americans so hard.
Meanwhile, save the date of September 29th!
In a few short weeks, my digital course, THE HEALTHY IMMUNE RESET begins. I’m creating this 5-week, online program with YOU in mind: I’ll share more about how your immune system works, plus I’m filming some fun and delicious cooking videos that feature an array of immune supportive foods. I’ll share recipes and more vital info to help you with the best diet, nutrients, herbs and lifestyle shifts to support your immune response. I hope you can join me!
In health,
Dr. Sally
Since I wrote this article, so much has changed and it hasn't been good news. So, I want you to take control by boosting your health and immunity with a few simple switches that include nutrient-dense recipes and better immune-supporting food choices. Join me now for my new online, self-paced course, The Good Food Way to Power Up Your Immune System that includes videos of my best healing recipes, step-by-step cooking classes, strategies, and lifestyle changes all designed to help you thrive during these unprecedented times.
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