Do You Have A Weak Immune System?
It is that time of year again that we are more aware of our immune system and how weak or strong it may be.
Having experienced what we have all gone through over the last few years, it will come as no surprise that our immune health may not be as strong as we would like. There certainly are some mixed views on how to support our immune resilience and I am very much in the camp of supporting our immune health naturally.
Naturopaths have always said that disease is not just about the seed (the bacteria) but the soil (or the microbial terrain - the environment in our body). You can read a bit more about what I mean by this in my blog How to reset the environment in your body to rebalance and heal. It is vitally important to ensure that your terrain is healthy and strong. But put simply if a pathogen has entered the body and the terrain gives it an environment to thrive then it is much harder work for the body to recover and heal.
An over acidic environment in the body supports the growth of bad bacteria in our gut. A diet that is acidic will contribute to this. Eating too much dairy, meat, gluten, sugar and processed foods which are all acidic, will contribute to an acidic environment in the body. Dehydration and stress can also make us more acidic. Having a plant-focused diet helps to keep us more naturally alkaline as most plants are alkaline.
You may be surprised to know that our immune system gains some of its strength from being exposed to pathogens over time and building up its own natural immunity. Having had the amount of time we have had in lockdowns, not travelling so much and social distancing, our immune system is weakened due to the lack of exposure to pathogens and building up our own natural antibodies.
Our immune system has not had the experience to build up its own protective mechanisms. We must all take into consideration the latest concerns and findings for those who chose to take the covid vaccine, which show that the vaccine creates an innate immune suppression in the body (Pubmed article and National library of medicine articile ) which makes the vaccinated individual more susceptible to all kinds of infections and chronic diseases, particularly to heart health. We are now seeing a rise in hospitalisations of patients with infections. Over the last few years we have also seen a rise in antibiotic resistance - (Gov.uk, Lancet article) leaving us much more vulnerable if we do not take action ourselves in supporting our own immune resilience.
I feel that our immune system is incredibly powerful and supporting it in the right way can put us in a really strong position to heal and recover ourselves.
Our bodies are always working for us and our immune system - a natural inbuilt protective mechanism can fight off infections when it is strong and well supported. Our immune system is actually quite complex. It is a system comprised of many cells, organs, proteins and tissues that goes throughout our whole body, from our skin, through our mouth, our lungs, digestive system and our blood.
70% of our immune cells are actually housed within the gut lining. And there are an estimated 20 billion T cells or killer cells in our skin which is a far greater number than in our blood. Even our saliva and tears contain anti-bacterial enzymes that help reduce the risk of infection. We have hairs in our nose and mucosal lining of our lungs that will try and trap foreign particles and make us sneeze or cough it up. And if we don’t manage to quickly remove it, then Antimicrobial peptides are also secreted. More T cells are within the linings of the lungs and specialised white blood cells are able to engulf and destroy foreign particles in the lungs. The acid in the stomach can kill most microbes and if it doesn’t, then the mucous lining in the digestive tract also contains antibodies. If a pathogen gets into the blood stream then white blood cells move through our blood and launch an immune attack.
Our spleen and lymph nodes play a part in filtering and clearing pathogens as well as making specific antibodies and lymphocytes.
It does make you realise what an amazing defence system is in place, yet still pathogens can get past these defences.
If the virus cells enter the body and has an opportunity to attach to a host cell then they inject their genetic material into the cell, where it can replicate and produce more viruses which, then break free and go on to infect other cells. If the environment of the body enables this action to take place, where multiple cells are infected and the environment encourages growth and spread, then that is when the virus can take hold and we become ill.
If we suffer with IBS symptoms then it is likely that the microbiome (the good and bad bacteria in our gut) is compromised and inflammation can occur in the lining of the gut which could allow pathogens to be passed back into the blood stream (this is known as a leaky gut).
As I mentioned, 70% of our immune cells are located within the gut. And about 100 trillion bacteria, both good and bad, live inside our digestive system - we call this the microbiome. These bacteria in the large bowel make it difficult for other pathogens to settle and will activate more T killer cells, and other specialised cells which all work in destroying pathogens.
The lymphatic system is an important part of the immune system and its primary function is to transport lymph fluid which contains the infection-fighting white blood cells. So it’s essential for us to have a healthy digestive system as well as an efficient lymphatic system in order to help us fight off pathogenic attacks.
So how do we know if we have a weak immune system?
Do you have a chronic disease or autoimmune condition?
These are obvious signs of a weakened immune system. But having recovered my own immune health from an autoimmune disease, I feel very passionately that we can rebalance and heal ourselves by supporting our health in a holistic and natural way. Unfortunately, once your immune system has been triggered in an autoimmune dysfunctional way, then you are more prone to further immune disorders. I often describe my immune health as a bit of a drama queen, but I have learnt to recognise, and I teach my clients to recognise, when the immune system starts to show the cracks and how to help it gain strength and rebalance again. This takes some commitment but it is very empowering.
Do you suffer with IBS or digestive health issues?
As I mentioned, any digestive issues are an indication that the microbiome is compromised and there is not enough good bacteria to support that defence system. If you suffer with constipation, then there is too much toxicity sitting in the colon for too long which encourages bad bacteria to thrive. Chronic digestive symptoms could well be due to a pathogen in the body that the body has not been able to kill off and shift itself due to a poor immune system. Do you suffer from thrush infections, fungal nail or skin infections, including dandruff? This will be an indication that there is candida overgrowth which would suggest a lack of healthy microbial species, which have been over dominated by the fungal cells and not been allowed to flourish. When we have a healthy gut - we have an immune system that is tolerant to a lot of things. So supporting gut health will support your immune health.
Are you prone to catching every cold or bug that goes around the office or your community?
Do you take a long time to recover from a bout of sickness? Do you find it difficult to ‘bounce back easily’?
Do you feel overwhelmed or chronically exhausted?
Do you suffer from recurring infections (ear infections, throat infections and also I am seeing a lot of recurring UTIs in my clinic too)?
Have you had to take a number of courses of antibiotics in recent years?
This unfortunately not only kills off any bad bacteria but also kills off good bacteria, which is your defence against pathogens and play a huge part in your immune resilience. This clearing of good bacteria is damaging to your gut microbiome and gives an opportunity for other bad bacteria or other microbial cells to proliferate.
Do you have chronic inflammation in the body?
Inflammation is a sign the body is under stress in some way. The body will produce inflammation, as a protective mechanism as a natural response to something; whether it is a physical impact, from a fall for example, or an inflammatory response due to a pathogen. Usually the body can recover from an inflammatory attack but long term inflammation is a sign the body has gone into a pro-inflammatory response which is a sign of a dysfunctional immune system.
Are you slow to heal - do you have any skin issues or poor wound healing?
This also is a sign of a weakened immune system. The skin always gives us a good indication of what is happening inside the body.
The most important thing to remember is that the body will always want to rebalance and heal but sometimes it needs help in doing so.
There have been many studies proving that you can quite quickly change the environment in your body, switching the shift from pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory by making changes to your diet and lifestyle. This is the empowering message I want to pass on to you, you are the master of your own health and yes, genetically we may have our weaknesses but that doesn’t mean we have to give up the fight.
According to Professor Tim Spector, Epidemiologist from King’s College London and scientific founder of ZOE: “ For the first time ever, we have identified two clear sets of microbial species that are consistently associated with healthy metabolic markers and responses after eating (“good” bugs) and unhealthy responses to food, poorer heart health markers, and weight (“bad” bugs). Surprisingly, the microbiome has a greater association with these markers than other factors, such as genetics. This is exciting because it suggests that we have more control over our health and weight than we think, and are not prisoners of our genes!”
We can take charge of our health and improve it dramatically and quite quickly by some very simple and fundamental self-care techniques.
By changing what we put on our plate, in our bowl, in our cup and how we take care of our sleep, our mental and emotional health and basically be a little bit kinder to ourselves.
And that is when healing and immune resilience will really happen.
In my next article in my immune series, coming soon, I go through what might be in your lifestyle that may be contributing to a weakened immune resilience.
And my last blog in my immune series will be about how we can support our immune resilience naturally and again that blog will be uploaded soon. So do come back and revisit or keep an eye on my instagram for the announcement.
If you would like like 1-to-1 support in resetting your immune system then you can book in a series of consultations here. Or if you think your gut microbiome needs resetting you could also consider my online course The Natural Gut Reset.