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Healing the Weakened Immune System
by Dr. John F. Maras, MD, DO
(founder of Nu-Gen Nutrition, Inc. and www.CancerChoices.com)

Modern conventional medicine battles disease directly by means of drugs, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and other modalities. Maintaining a properly functioning immune system can only attain true health. It is the immune system that fights off disease- causing microorganisms, and that engineers the healing process. The immune system is the key to fighting off every kind of insult to the body, from that little shaving nick to the myriad of viruses that seem to abound these days. Even the aging process may be more closely related to the functioning of the immune system than to the passage of time.

Weakening of the immune system results in increased susceptibility to virtually every type of illness. Some common signs of impaired immune function include fatigue, listlessness, repeated infections, inflammation, allergic reactions, slow wound healing, chronic diarrhea, and infections that represent an overgrowth of some normally present organism, such as oral thrush, systemic candidiasis, or vaginal yeast infections. It is estimated that healthy adults in our society have an average of two colds a year. Persons who have significantly more colds and infectious illnesses than that are likely to have some problem with immune function. By understanding some of the basic elements of the immune system and how they work, plus the overall role the immune system plays in your health, you can take responsibility for your own health.

In its simplest terms, the task of the immune system is to identify those things that are "self" (that naturally belong in the body) and those that are "nonself" (foreign or otherwise harmful material), and then to neutralize or destroy that which is nonself. The immune system is unlike other bodily systems in that it is not a group of physical structures but a system of complex interactions involving many different organs, structures, and substances. Among them white blood cells, bone marrow, the lymphatic vessels and organs, specialized cells found in various body tissues, and specialized substances, called serum factors, that are present in the blood. Ideally, all of these components work together to protect the body against infection and disease.

The human immune system is functional at birth, but it does not yet function well. In large part this is because immunity is something that develops as the system matures and the body learns to defend itself against different foreign invaders, termed antigens. The immune system has the ability to learn to identify, and then to remember specific antigens that have been encountered. It does this through two basic means, known as cell-mediated immunity and humoral immunity.

In cell-mediated immunity, white blood cells called T lymphocytes identify and then destroy cancerous cells, viruses, and microorganisms like bacteria and fungi. The T lymphocytes, or T cells, mature in the thymus gland (hence the "T" designation). This is where they learn to recognize what is "self," and therefore should be tolerated, and what is "nonself," and therefore should be destroyed. The thymus, a small gland located behind the top of the breastbone, is a major gland of the immune system. In the thymus, each T cell is programmed to identify one particular type of invading enemy. Not all prospective T cells make a successful passage through the thymus. Those whose programming is imperfect (for instance, those that mistakenly identify "self" as "nonself") are eliminated. The ones that do make it are released into the bloodstream to search out and destroy antigens that correspond to their programming. They attack the antigens in part through the secretion of proteins called cytokines. Interferon is one of the better known types of cytokines.

Humoral immunity involves the production of antibodies. These are not cells, but special proteins whose chemical structures are formed to match the surfaces of specific antigens. When they encounter their specific antigens, antibodies either damage the invasive cells or alert the white blood cells to attack. The antibodies are produced by another group of white blood cells, the B lymphocytes, which are manufactured by and mature in the bone marrow. When a B lymphocyte is presented with a particular antigen, it engineers an antibody to match it and stores a blueprint of the invader so that it can initiate the production of antibodies in case of a subsequent exposure, even if a long period of time elapses in between. For this system to work, each B cell must come into existence prepared to produce an almost infinite variety of different antibodies, so that it can match whatever antigen it is presented with. This is made possible by a mechanism known as "jumping genes." Inside the B cells, the genes that determine the chemical structure of the protein to be produced can be shuffled around and linked up in an astronomical number of different combinations. As a result, any B cell is capable of producing an antibody molecule to match virtually any foreign invader. It is the phenomenon of humoral immunity that makes immunization possible.

Because of their crucial role in all aspects of immunity, both cell-mediated and humoral, white blood cells are considered the body's first line of defense. White blood cells are larger than red blood cells. In addition, they can move independently in the bloodstream and are able to pass through the cell walls. This enables them to travel quickly to the site of an injury or infection. There are different categories of white blood cells, each of which performs a specific function. These include:

Granulocytes. There are three types of granulocytes:

1. Neutrophils, the most abundant type of white blood cell, whose function is to ingest and destroy microorganisms such as bacteria.
2. Eosinophils, which ingest and destroy antigen-antibody combinations (formed when antibodies intercept antigens) and also moderate hypersensitive (allergic) reactions by secreting an enzyme that breaks down histamine. High levels of eosinophils in the blood are often present in individuals with allergic disorders, presumably because the body is attempting to tame the allergic reaction.
3. Basophils, which secrete compounds such as heparin or histamine in response to contact with antigens.

Lymphocytes. The lymphocytes are responsible for the development of specific immunities. Three important types of lymphocytes are T cells, B cells and NK cells:

1. T cells undergo maturation in the thymus gland and play a major role in cell-mediated immunity.
2. B cells mature in the bone marrow and are responsible for the production of antibodies.
3. NK (natural killer) cells destroy body cells that have become infected or become cancerous.

Monocytes. The largest cells in the blood, monocytes act as the "garbage collectors" of the body. They engulf and digest foreign particles as well as damaged or aging cells, including tumor cells. After spending about twenty-four hours circulating in the bloodstream, most monocytes enter the tissues and perform similar functions there. At this point, they are known as macrophages.

Another important component of immunity is the lymphatic system. This is a system of organs (including the spleen, the thymus, the tonsils, and the lymph nodes) and fluid, called lymph, that circulates through the lymphatic vessels in the body and also bathes the body's cells. The lymphatic system provides a kind of continuous cleansing that operates at the cellular level. It is through the lymphatic system that fluid from the spaces between cells is drained, taking with it waste products, toxins, and other debris from the tissues. The lymph flows through the lymph nodes, where the macrophages filter out the undesirables, and from it there returns to the venous circulation.

Marvelous as it is, the immune system can work as it should only if it is cared for properly. This means getting all the right nutrients and providing the right environment, plus avoiding those things that tend to depress immunity. Many elements of the environment we live in today compromise our immune systems' defensive abilities. The chemicals in the household cleaners we use; the overuse of antibiotics and other drugs; the antibiotics, pesticides, and myriad additives present in the foods we eat; and exposure to environmental pollutants all place a strain on the immune system. Another factor that adversely affects the immune system is stress. Stress results in a sequence of biochemical events that ultimately suppresses the normal activity of white blood cells and places undue demands on the endocrine system, as well as depleting the body of needed nutrients. The result is impaired healing ability and lowered defense against infection.

Proper immune function is an intricate balancing act. While inadequate immunity predisposes one to infectious illness of every type, it is also possible to become ill as a result of an immune response that is too strong or directed at an inappropriate target. Many different disorders, including allergies, lupus, pernicious anemia, rheumatic heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and, possibly, diabetes, have been linked to inappropriate immune system activity. Consequently, they are known as autoimmune, or "self-attacking-self," disorders.

While much is known about the functioning of the immune system, much more remains to be learned; only in the past ten to fifteen years have many facets of it begun to be studied and understood by physicians and researchers. The field of immunology (the study of the immune system) is one of the fastest growing fields in medicine today.