Let's start to understand this with a very brief review of normal immune function.
The immune system is complex with many aspects. It is spread through the body but less active in some areas (inside joints, the brain and spinal cord) and concentrated in others (the intestines, neck, lungs and underarms). There are 2 main parts to immunity - the "Innate" and the "Humoral" systems. The innate immunity includes the white blood cells (phagocytes) you are probably familiar with, which can go to a site of invasion within a few hours and engulf and destroy invaders or toxins. It also includes some physical barriers like mucus and some chemical cytokines. The "humoral" or "adaptive" immunity is the more specific system that takes 4-5 days to react, and includes T-cells and B cells that produce specific antigens to a bacteria or sometimes a body tissue. This is the type of immunity that comes from getting an immunization or exposure to a virus or bacteria and usually lasts for years. It is also the type of immune reaction involved in allergies. The innate immune response is called to the site of possible invasion by "chemotaxis" or chemical signals. It uses controlled inflammation as one of the tools to destroy invaders. They include some "antigen presenting cells" that prime the adaptive immune response. Next time we will talk more about how this process can go wrong. It seems autoimmune problems are on the increase. They are caused by the "humoral immunity" part of the immune system attacking it's own body cells. Autoimmune problems include the majority of thyroid disease, colitis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory arthritis such as rheumantoid or lupus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and many other problems. Low or dysfunctional immunity also leads to chronic infections since we contact many pathogens in everyday life, but are usually able to eliminate them. This includes (in my opinion) Lyme disease, and certainly chronic yeast infection, parasites, and many antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In addition, in recent years most chronic disease such as heart disease, has been found to stem from chronic inflammation. Most inflammation in the body is generated by the immune system.
Many new drugs have come out in the last few years to treat various autoimmune problems. They all suppress the immune system and differ from the old standby cortisone in that they are more specific in the way they suppress it. This is why they all have cancer as a possible side effect - since cancer cells occur in all of us and we depend on our immune system to find and kill abnormal cells. Is there a natural way to help your immune system regain balance and effectiveness? Yes! The functional medicine approach can often improve these conditions, sometimes dramatically. Next time I will cover the basics of normal immune function so that you can evaluate how your system is working for yourself. In the following post, I will explain how the functional medicine approach works. In my fourth post, which will probably be the last in this immune system series, I will talk about a few cases where I have applied that approach and talk about the results my patients and I have achieved. Until next time! |
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