The Immune System

The immune system of the human body is certainly fascinating.  After all, we are constantly surrounded by things that could harm our health.  We are also surrounded by things that are helpful.  The immune system must be "smart enough" and "strong enough" to fight those things that would harm us, but also must be "flexible enough" to recognize those things that are beneficial to the body and allow them to enter the body without being attacked.

Since we are constantly surrounded by things that would harm us, it seems rather interesting that the approach of modern medicine is to simply prescribe an antibiotic or some other medicine to attack and kill the offending organism.  After all, if the organism itself is the problem, why don't we get sick more often--since we are constantly in contact with and surrounded by these organisms?  The reason that we get sick is that the immune system itself is weak; therefore, the approach that makes sense is to strengthen the body--its immune system in particular--and make it "normal", or less susceptible to the invader like it should be.  Although there is a time and place for antibiotics or similar substances for killing the invaders, the emphasis should be prevention and strengthening the immune system so that we do not get sick in the first place.  Several key immune system supporting vitamins are A, C, B6; along with the minerals magnesium, selenium, and zinc.

Common Concerns of the Immune System
Viruses, bacteria, fungus, cancer, fatigue, influenza (flu), AIDS, and stress.

Functions of the Immune System
The immune system is the body's defense against all kinds of invaders--germs, unfriendly bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.

How Does it Work?  (See Picture)
This system is quite different than others in the body in that it is not a collection of physical organs, such as the heart, arteries, veins, etc., in the circulatory system.  Instead, it is a system of complex interactions between various organs, structures, and substances.

The lymphatic system is a major part of the body's immune system.  Lymph fluid itself is blood serum that is leaked from the blood vessels into tissue spaces.  It collects toxins, waste, microbes, and debris that needs to be eliminated from the body.  It has its own circulation system, and the pumping action is provided by the spleen.  The spleen is located under the left ribs, opposite the liver.  It filters the large volume flow of blood through it, and produces some red blood cells as well as infection-fighting B-cells. As the lymph travels through the body and collects toxins and debris, it goes to lymph nodes, that act as filters (containing lymphocytes) to collect these unwanted substances for elimination through the liver, kidneys, and skin.  The tonsils and adenoids are lymph tissue that can be thought of as large lymph nodes.  The tonsils reside in the throat to guard the respiratory and digestive systems. Sometimes, the lymphatic system can get clogged or congested--preventing waste and debris from getting removed from the area surrounding the cell tissue.  This obviously presents problems, since good lymphatic drainage is vital to keeping the immune system healthy.  Targeted massaging seems to help mobilize the immune system.  Also Nature's Sunshine has developed a product called Lymphatic Drainage, which seems to help disperse lymphatic congestion, improve nutrient absorption, and enhance immune system function.  The lymph nodes themselves sometimes get swollen and inflamed when dealing with large amounts of toxins and debris--as is the case with tonsillitis.  Lymphomax is formulated to deal with these types of problems.  It contains mullein and lobelia help reduce swelling, as well as plantain and red root to help shrink swollen lymph tissue and promote drainage. Other products for lymph cleansing are Lymph Gland Cleanse IGS II and Lymph Gland Cleanse HIGS II.  These infection fighting combinations are similar except that HIGS II should be used by hypoglycemics instead of IGS II.  The IGS II contains golden seal, which can lower blood sugar levels.  Herbs such as ginseng, golden seal, and echinacea also support and cleanse the lymphatic system.  Regular exercise is also important.

The thymus gland, located behind the breast bone, is involved in making T-cells and helps in development of the immune system.  Although not much is known about this gland, it is vital to supplement our diets with nutrients that build and nourish this gland.  There seems to be evidence that zinc, in particular, is important to this gland--and many people are deficient in zinc as they grow older--which may help explain why elderly people are much more susceptible to disease.  T-cells (also called T-lymphocytes) plays a large role in cell-based immunity--protecting against fungi, viruses, bacteria, and yeast infections.  They mature in the thymus gland, and while there, learn to recognize what should be tolerated, and what should be destroyed.

Bone marrow is involved in the production of B-cells that produce antibodies for neutralizing foreign organisms.  It also produces white blood cells and immunoglobulins as well.  The B-cells have the ability to "remember" previous invaders so that it can manufacture new antibodies that worked when the body was previously attacked by that organism.  The marrow seems to significantly increase its activity when there is a mutating cell problem, such as cancer--as it also does during other times of disease.  It is interesting to note that tumor cells are always present in the body in small numbers; however, an healthy immune system will recognize and destroy them.  When a person develops cancer, the immune function has failed to recognize the malignant cells and allow them to reproduce.  

The most common condition of the immune system that we recognize is when it is fighting some sort of infection.  The product Ultimate Echinacea activates natural killer cells, T-lymphocytes, and macrophages.  Taken at the earliest sign of a cold or infection, it may help cut recovery time significantly.  Olive Leaf Extract strengthens the immune system against viral, fungal, and bacterial attacks, as well as supports normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels--having a profound effect on the cardiovascular system.  In general, we can split the types of infections up into bacterial, viral, and fungal. Bacteria are single-cell organisms.  As mentioned earlier, we are surrounded by them constantly, and we actually have about 400 species of them--mostly friendly--in our intestinal tract.  The basic purpose and activity of bacteria is to break down dead, damaged, and decaying materials.  When in the body, unfriendly bacteria release toxins--creating inflammation that damages tissue, in turn thus creating more food for the bacteria to feed on.  This creates a vicious cycle.  The herbal approach to dealing with bacteria then becomes two-fold--not just kill the bacteria, as modern medicine does with antibiotics, but also strengthen the body's tissue.  Take proper vitamins, minerals (Super Supplemental Vitamins & Minerals and/or Colloidal Minerals) and Food Enzymes (or Proactazyme) to activate the body. There are several herbal products that provide a natural antibiotic effect.  Garlic is well known for its anti-bacterial properties.  Nature's Sunshine High-Potency Garlic not only is very powerful (each tablet equals 1.2 cloves of fresh garlic), but also has a special chlorophyll coating that prevents belching and bad breath.  You may see other brands of garlic that advertised "deodorized"--however, these brands usually approach this problem by removing the ingredient that causes the offensive odor.  Unfortunately, this is the active ingredient in the garlic!  High-Potency Garlic can be used with ALJ to fight pneumonia-type conditions due to their effects on bacteria and the respiratory system.  Colloidal Silver is a very effective anti-microbial that inactivates the enzyme responsible for the multiplication of bacteria, fungi, and viruses.  The NSP Colloidal Silver provides 5 parts per million of silver--and amount that allows it to stay usable in solution. Viruses are not living organisms, and have no capability in themselves of reproducing or growing.  Instead, they are pieces of DNA or RNA that have been embedded in protein.  It causes its damage by being absorbed by the cell and affecting its behavior.  The infected cell can reproduce, making more infected cells containing the DNA pieces.  Eventually, the infected cells will die and burst--releasing more infected pieces of DNA.  The body uses a substance called interferon to protect itself when it can.  Interferon is a protein that forms when cells are exposed to viruses, and uninfected cells will become immune to the virus when exposed to interferon. Chronic viral infections are recurring infections that hang around in the blood and flare up when the immune system is weakened.  A common example is herpes.  VS-C (also available as a liquid) is a Chinese formula that was actually developed to treat conditions of this sort.  Being a powerful blood detoxifier, it reduces the incidence of infection.  Another good anti-viral is Una de Gato.  The formula from Nature's Sunshine combines it with Astragalus and Echinacea. Acute viral infections are illnesses like the cold and flu.  The approach is to take herbs that tend to accelerate the body's ability to expel the virus.  During seasons of infection, they also can be taken as prevention.  Elderberry seems to inhibit viruses from penetrating cells, and is a nice remedy for colds.  It includes Echinacea and royal jelly, and is also available in a chewable children's tablet.  The rhino virus (virus that causes cold) enters the body through the mouth and nose.  Zinc, if it is present, binds with the rhino virus and makes it inactive.  Zinc Lozenges can be used in the mouth for this purpose. Fungi can wreak a lot of havoc in the body--drastically affecting the immune system, producing toxins that go throughout the body, affecting mood, and other effects.  It seems that several conditions, such as asthma and depression, often respond to anti-fungal treatments.  As with many other things, this condition is usually related to problems in the intestine.  A lack of friendly bacteria in the colon--caused by stress, antibiotics, high sugar diets, high fat diets, and other things--will create an imbalance, allowing invasive behavior of the fungus.  Too often, prescriptions are given to address symptoms like fungal nails, without ever addressing the intestine.  Probiotic Eleven is a product with eleven different strains of friendly bacteria that can be used to fight unfriendly bacteria and fungi.   Pau d'Arco is a tree from the rain forests in South America that is commonly used against conditions of unwanted growth--including yeast, fungi, and tumors.  It contains the chemical lapachol, which is thought to provide immune system support.  Colloidal Silver, as discussed with bacteria, inhibits the multiplication of yeast and fungi.  Yeast/Fungal Detox is a detoxification product that inhibits the growth of yeast and fungi.

Often the immune system is in a condition of general weakness--caused by many things, such as stress, diet, drugs, lack of exercise, etc.  The product Trigger Immune is an excellent immune system support product, containing astragalus and ganoderma.  Nature's Immune Stimulator contains beta glucans, which are the correct sugars needed for the immune system to work.  The immune system is made of many glcyo-proteins, which will not work unless attached to the correct carbohydrates--beta glucans.  In fact, the "wrong sugars" suppress the immune system.  A can of a typical soft drink can suppress 90% of the white blood cells in the immune system for up to 5 hours!  Again, Una de Gato, with its tonic and immune-fortifying properties can be an excellent choice as well.

Free radicals are active atoms that bounce around in the body looking for a cell to react with and attach itself to.  This kind of reaction damages the cells similarly to the way that rust affects metal.  We call the rust-metal interaction oxidation.  This same process happens to cells that these free radicals react with, causing damage, deterioration, and many different illnesses and ailments.  Antioxidants are substances that stop or slow this damage.  There are several vitamins and minerals that are antioxidant in nature--such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and selenium.  However, there are also many other herbal products that have antioxidant properties.  Some antioxidants are fat-soluble, and others are water-soluble.  Super Antioxidant contains several antioxidant substances--tocotrienols, lycopene, and alpha lipoic acid.  Alpha Lipoic Acid is often called the "universal antioxidant" because of its ability to be both fat and water soluble--allowing it to cross all cell boundaries, including the brain.  High-Potency Grapine contains high dosages of proanthocyadins from both grape seed extract and white pine, and can be used very safely in high or low dosages.  Perhaps the most powerful antioxidant on the market today is Thai-Go mangosteen juice, a combination of xanthones from mangosteen along with a very broad profile of many others.

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