By Linda Carlson CNWC
I feel its important to understand how vital our immune system plays in our health and just how it bad we can suppress it from doing
its job..
BUT FIRST: a few words on Nutrients - so that we understand their importance in the matter of the immune system.
There are 40 nutrients the body must have and they cannot be made (in) the body. All 40 work together much like gas
and oil work in a car. Without any one, might result in the underproduction of hundreds of essential compounds. What are they?
And where do you get these nutrients from?
What are they? 15 vitamins, 14 minerals, 10 amino acids and essential fatty acids..
Where do you get them if the body doesn't make them? Answer: FROM WHAT YOU EAT & supplements....
This makes it easier to understand that if you eat mostly processed foods you are NOT getting what the body needs to function
properly. This includes the immune system which cannot fight off illness and disease...
The immune system is a network of tissue, glands and organs tissues that protects the body from foreign substances. These
substances include bacteria,, viruses, infection-causing parasites and pathogens.
So what is a foreign substance? Besides the above mentioned - anything we put into our body that is not natural is a foreign
substance. The huge majority of our foods are processed and filled with toxins, genetically altered & man made chemicals. These
are all foreign substances. If you take drugs, from a simple aspirin to prescription medication, they are all foreign substances to our
body.
No human would live very long without the immune system... The human body is under near constant attack from pathogens,
or disease-carrying parasites. There are two levels of protection, the nonspecific and the specific defenses. The nonspecific
defenses, including the skin and mucous membranes, serve as a first line of defensive for preventing pathogens from entering the
body. The specific defenses are activated when these micro-organisms get past the nonspecific defenses and invade the body.
To add to the near or constant attack from pathogens and parasites is the constant bombarding of toxins and chemicals that our put
into our bodies every day. Thus causing our immune system to always be on overload.
Usually, the immune system is extremely effective in performing its work of defending the body from the normal things it is expected
to defend such as the pathogens and parasites. However, in this day and age our immune systems run on overload all of the time
due to all the extra work we burden it with in the forms of toxins and chemicals. And - sometimes an error occurs in this highly
complex system, and it can lead to terrible mistakes. The result can be an allergic reaction, which can be as simple as
a case of the sniffles and as serious as a fatal condition. Or the error can manifest as an Autoimmune Disorder, such as
lupus, in which the body rejects its own constituents as foreign invaders.
One example is the tonsils which filters out potentially harmful bacteria that might enter the body via the nose and mouth. Many
people have their tonsils removed so this harmful bacteria has a much greater chance of getting in..
For the immune system to respond effectively, several conditions must be in place, including the proper interaction of
non-specific and specific defenses.In the case of autoimmune disorder - the nonspecific defenses on the skin do not identify the
antigen (a substance capable of stimulating an immune response or reaction) that is attacking or potentially attacking the body;
instead, these defenses simply react to the presence of what it identifies as something foreign. Allergies are one example of an
immune system gone awry.
The reasons why the immune system becomes dysfunctional are not well understood, but most researchers agree that a
combination of genetic, environmental, and hormonal factors plays into autoimmunity. They also speculate that certain mechanisms
may trigger it. Example: cells of the body may be altered in some way, by drugs, infection, toxins, chemicals or some other
environmental factor.
Personally, I agree with that last sentence. It makes perfect sense that with so many toxins and chemicals being put into our bodies
that the immune system, which is always working on overload, will eventually get jammed up much like any well oiled machine will do
when pushed to the limit. Then it simply cannot work properly.
Some other examples of auto-immune disorder: lupus, rheumatoid arthritis,anemia, pernicious anemia, and type 1 diabetes.
Unfortunately people who contract RA, anemia, diabetes etc... seem to isolate it as an illness without understanding
how its all connected.. The immune system gets jammed up and many health issues follow.. If we have learned
something about this connected-ness we might then think about the 1st problem and how to treat it. Instead, with no
knowledge of how it all works together we are treated for the symptoms of the illness that has developed due to a
disorder of the immune system.. The immune system isn't treated ---- the illness is.
This is the reason we don't get better from the illness. The root of the problem is never really addressed. So we end up on drugs
for illness that is caused by a troubled immune system.. IF we come up with Rheumatoid arthritis is it suggested that we change our
diet? Is it suggested that we address it with the addition of much needed minerals and vitamins? Is it even explained to us that our
immune system is probably the cause of the RA? The answers are most likely no, no and no.. Instead we are given drugs and
as always, the symptoms of our condition is treated but the cause is not addressed and nothing ever gets fixed.
You might be one who wishes to actually DO something about the problem of an overloaded immune system before you join the
ranks of millions who suffer needlessly.. If so - here are some suggestions:
Just a few --Dietary changes that may be helpful
Sugar sucks. In short - sugar interferes with the white blood cells from destroying bacteria.
Alcohol intake, including single episodes of moderate consumption, interferes with a wide variety of immune defenses.
Excessive intake of total dietary fat impairs immune response, but some types of fat may be beneficial. Like monounsaturated
fats, found in olive oil, appear to have no detrimental effect on the immune system.
Omega-3 fatty acids havae been shown to improve immune function and reduce infections. However, diets high in omega-6 fatty
acids have suppressed immunity. Keep the Omega 3's UP and Omega 6's DOWN.
Lifestyle changes that may be helpful
Both excessive thinness and obesity are associated with impaired immune responses. Obesity increases the risk of infection.
However, these effects may not occur with mild to moderate obesity in otherwise healthy people. The detrimental effects of both
excess weight and weight-loss diets appear to be offset when people regularly perform aerobic exercise.
The effects of exercise on immune function depend on many factors, including frequency and intensity of exercise. Regular
moderate physical activity has positive effects, at least on some measures of immunity, and has been shown to reduce risk of upper
respiratory infection. However, very intense and prolonged exercise, such as running a marathon or overtraining, can, in the short
term, actually increase the risk of developing infections.
Nutritional supplements that may be helpful
People who take a good milti vitamin/mineral supplement have better immune function and reduced infection rates. Trace
minerals may be the most important micronutrients for enhancing immunity and preventing infections.
The thymus gland is responsible for many immune system functions. Children and adults with a history of recurrent respiratory-tract
infections have found reduced numbers of recurrent infections with the right supplementation.
Please visit my Recommendation page and feel free to contact me anytime.. I offer FREE Supplement advice
and plans for anyone..
EMAIL ME
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