In my last blogs, I explained carbohydrate feasting and its role in suppressing the immune system and in creating a myriad of other health problems, i.e., fatigue and blood sugar imbalances. In this current report, I want to explore how to build a healthy and strong immune system. This is an especially timely topic as we are entering the annual flu season. In the next two blogs, look for a special 8-Step Self-Care Program that details helpful tips on how to improve and maintain a health immune system.
All of us want to stay healthy. Yet, most of us don’t understand how to maintain our health and to avoid illness. The immune system is your body’s way of defending itself against invasion by foreign substances produced by the body such as cancer cells.
When a foreign substance (virus, bacteria, etc.) enters your body, one of two types of immune reactions takes place (sometimes both reactions happen). The preferred reaction is called cell-mediated immunity in which T cells are released into your blood supply. T cells are made in your bone marrow and mature in your thymus gland. These T cell are scavengers that circulate throughout the body and destroy the invaders. They do so by directly attacking and digesting the foreign material.
The other kind of immune reaction is called B cell or antibody-mediated immunity. B cells are made in the bone marrow and create antibodies (specialized proteins) that attach themselves to the invading substances. In this way, the bad cells are flagged so that your body’s scavenger cells can identify and destroy them. The attachment of antibodies to invading substances creates a new combination called a circulating immune complex. In this situation, the antibodies simply serve as markers.
The problem with antibody-mediated immunity is that the foreign substances that have been so marked (circulating immune complexes) can travel through the blood and lymphatic system and bind to organs and other tissues such as bone, cartilage, liver, muscle, eye and brain. When the scavenger cells attack the foreign bodies, they can sometimes destroy the healthy tissue to which the foreign substances have attached themselves. This is the basis of auto-immune diseases and reactions to vaccines.
For this reason, cell-mediated immunity is always the preferred response. You want the bad cells to be destroyed by an immediate and direct process, rather than a slower and more indirect one. In this latter case, the bad cells undergo a two step elimination process. First, they are marked by antibodies and then and only then are they destroyed.
I'll have more for you in my next segment. In the meantime, if you feel that you would like to chat with me about your health, then please give me a call at (510) 652-2302. We can talk about the ways in which I can help you regain your energy and stamina.
Dr. Larry Gertler, M.Ed. D.C., is a nationally known holistic chiropractor and teacher. He is available for in-office visits and telephone consultations (for California residents only). For more information, please call (510) 652-2302 or visit his website at www.drgertler.org.
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