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What
is the Immune System?
The
immune system is the collective army of a trillion
white blood cells, bone marrow, antibodies, cytokines
and the thymus gland that help to identify and
destroy the millions of microbes (i.e. bacteria,
viruses, parasites, fungi) that penetrate our
bodies every day, and the thousands of our own
cells that have become genetically abnormal or
cancerous. In fact, the immune system is considered
every bit as complex as our nervous system, and
is not only able to produce a matching antibody
for every one of the millions of different infective
agents, but is able to remember how to produce
these agents decades later. Key to immune function
is the activity of the white blood cells, such
as NK, T and B cells, which form the backbone
of the immune system.
How
does Immune System strength determine health?
The
strength of our immune system determines our body's
ability to resist infection and the growth of
abnormal (cancerous) cells. If it is below its
optimum level, we are much more prone to illness,
both from infections and cncers. Without an immune
system at all, we would not survive very long
in the outside world (children born without an
immune system have to be kept in an artificial
environment or “bubble”).
If
our immune system is maintained at optimum level,
our incidence of disease is less, and we are less
likely to develop abnormal cell growths. Also,
when we do become ill or have a physical injury,
a healthy immune system can ensure the fastest
possible recovery. In some serious cases, for
example with cancer, immune system strength can
literally mean the difference between life and
death. Without a healthy immune system, the body
and mind languish in a state of ill health, greatly
prolonging the journey back to vitality.
A
good indicator of the level of our immune system
is how energized or alive we feel. If we feel
low or weak, our immune system is probably low
and weak. We are intuitively aware of this which
is why we use expressions such as being "below
par", "feeling low" or being "under
the weather" when we are feeling unwell.
Usually we try to compensate for these “low” feelings
by drinking more caffeinated drinks, eating more
sugar and watching action movies — anything that
gives us a chemical “buzz”. Whilst this might
give temporary relief, it is a dangerous long-term
solution as we will find ourselves having to take
more and more of these quick fixes just to maintain
normal functioning energy. That is why, for example,
so many of us NEED that cup of coffee in the morning
to get going — our systems have been conditioned
by an unhealthy lifestyle to tick over too slowly.
So a strong immune system not only determines
how healthy our bodies are, but our mental state
as well.
It
is of fundamental importance to both body and
mind, therefore, for everyone to maintain optimum
immune system health.
How
does the Immune System become weak?
There
are several factors that reduce the strength of
the immune system:
1)
Poor nutrition: the modern diet is depleted
of many of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants
and other nutritive factors that are essential
to the body to maintain a healthy immune system.
Supermarket fruit is often picked green before
the nutrients have a chance to develop; the vegetables
are often grown in depleted soils (if the soil
is depleted anything that grows in it is obviously
does not have the full range of nutrients); and
the meat comes from cattle that not only eat a
depleted diet, but are often injected with hormones
and steroids. Food that isn't fresh is often processed
to prolong shelf life - great for the supermarket
shelf life but maybe not the best thing for optimum
health. The immune system NEEDS optimum nutrition
in our diets in order to function well. If just
a few vitamins or minerals vital to its processes
are not available in adequate amounts, our immune
system will be compromised.
2)
A polluted environment: as our environment
becomes more polluted, our bodies have to cope
with a greater "toxic load". This comes
into the body through the food we eat, our lungs
and our skin, and also from over exposure to sunlight
and electrical equipment. When the toxic load
rises, the immune system has to work harder to
identify and detoxify these pollutants — lowering
its efficiency. Some toxins and chemicals can
even cause abnormalities in cell growth and reproduction,
leading to the development of cancer cells. These
are occurring every day, not only through the
action of certain environmental pollutants, but
also through occasional mistakes being make in
normal cellular division. It is the immune system's
job to destroy these abnormal cells before they
have a chance to proliferate, but if the load
is too great, its neutralisation ability is severely
strained.
3)
Stress: when we are stressed, evolution has
designed our bodies to get ready for action (fight
or flight) by diverting all resources to the muscles.
Bodily functions considered unnecessary in an
emergency situation are temporarily closed down
such as digestion, repair mechanisms and immune
function. Whilst this was fine during most of
human history, when stress invariably involved
a danger such as a lion that would quickly pass,
modern living often involves situations in which
we are chronically stressed, and this means that
our repair mechanisms and immune response are
continually impaired. This can be greatly compounded
by lack of sufficient sleep -- the main chance
the body has to repair and recover. Over time
stress and lack of sleep degrade our system making
us prone to disease and premature ageing.
4)
Drugs: both medicinal and recreational drugs
can substantially lower the immune system. For
example, antibiotics destroy the healthy bacteria
in our stomachs which are essential for healthy
digestion. Immune system depletion is also an
unfortunate side-effect of some of today's modern
treatments (for example in chemotherapy and radiotherapy)
which can decimate immune resilience. Whilst powerful
medicines might be necessary for short-term survival,
the long-term view must include the healing of
the body's natural defence systems.
What
can we do to strengthen the immune system?
The
best way to strengthen the immune system is to
minimise as much as possible these four factors:
1)
Get Better Nutrition: To increase our nutritional
intake we need to choose the healthiest food we
can find, preferably organic and local-grown fruits
and vegetables. Drink plenty of clean water (and
that does not mean tap water with fluoride and/or
chlorine!). Also avoid anti-nutrients that end
up actually using the body's nutrient store to
metabolize it, rather than contributing to this
store in the first place. Such anti-nutrients
are sugar, white bread, white rice, alcohol (over
a very moderate amount), chocolate (sugar content),
biscuits, soda drinks, fast-food and dairy products
(milk is not the best thing for health… despite
all those advertisements by the milk marketing
companies). It is also a complete fallacy that
a well-balanced diet can give our bodies sufficient
nutrients to function optimally. In fact, anybody
who advises not only displays his or her nutritional
ignorance, but actually damages public health.
It is imperative to add food supplements to the
diet, especially antioxidants which help to neutralize
free radical attack and cellular damage. Everyone
is advised to make sure they are getting adequate
Vitamin C (at least 1000mg a day), Vitamin B-complex
(all the B vitamins are very important so choose
a strong one), Vitamin A (15000IU), Vitamin E
(200IUs), Selenium (100mcg), Zinc (20mg) and magnesium
(100mg). One can also try herbs such as Echinacea
and Cat's Claw. These giving the body a helping
hand to deal with an environment very different
from the one in which humankind has evolved for
millions of years.
2)
Minimise Pollutants: Eat organic food and
don't smoke. There are doctors around who will
not even take on a patient if they refuse to stop
smoking as this is a sure sign that they don't
really want health. It is imperative to drink
plenty of clean water (at least 1.5 litres a day)
so that we are able to flush our bodies of toxins
that have accumulated. (Occasional fasts and colonic
irrigation can also help to detoxify the body
and therefore increase immune health.) The sun
and other sources of electromagnetic radiation
are also factors that use up much of the bodies
immune resources and so should be minimized (a
little bit of sunlight is actually strengthening
for the immune system… but only a small amount).
Don't sit too close to the television or the computer
monitor (or get a flat screen if you can afford
it). It goes without saying that drugs of any
kind are a serious pollutant to the body and so
these should be minimized whenever possible (see
4).
3)
Reduce Stress: It is amazing what a holiday
can do for the immune system! It is important,
therefore, to pace ourselves in life as much as
possible. Stress really isn't worth the higher
exam grade or the money bonus because it sets
in motion a terrible habit that will cause us
serious health problems in the future. There are
so many stories of people with serious health
conditions that miraculously melted away when
they started to let go and relax. We can help
this relaxation process by getting enough sleep
(at least 7 hours for most of us), choosing not
to be around situations that make us angry, depressed
and frustrated, and doing gentle to moderate exercise,
the short term exertion of which paradoxically
helps us to relax. We might also consider such
activities as meditation, prayer, Tai Chi or yoga
as a means to increase our relaxation levels and
the feeling that we are in control of life — the
feeling of being a victim in life, of being out
of control, can be very stressful. (Remember however
that strenuous exercise such as long-distance
running, cycling etc. should be avoided as it
tends to last too long, reducing immune health).
4)
Minimise Drugs: If there is a natural product
we can take instead of the drug your doctor wants
to prescribe us, we should take the natural one
(provided our doctor is in agreement… if he or
she doesn't like the idea of you taking responsibility
for your own health, you are with the wrong doctor).
Doctors today are very busy and tend to focus
almost entirely on fast-to-prescribe drug remedies
(“magic bullets”) to everyday complaints. Few
know very much about nutrition or alternative
remedies so you might have to challenge your doctor
— not a pleasant thing to do but certainly good
for your health! Always choose lifestyle changes
if you can, and use medical drugs, whenever possible,
as a last resort (especially drugs such as antibiotics).
As for recreation drugs, minimize these as much
as possible, and when you must take them, make
sure you get plenty of rest both before and after
and also up the supplements to help to compensate
for their immune-lowering effect.
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