Immune suport

It is that time of the year again. Cold and Flu season is upon us. While many Americans are scrambling to get their flu shots, others like me are looking to natural medicine to carry them thru the winter months. We are constantly exposed to the hype of getting our flu shot.

Is it worth it? It depends on your opinion. My opinion as a Pharmacist and Doctor of Natural Medicine is NO! I believe that only sick people get sick. This may sound like a bold statement, but if you are following my 4-Pillars of Great Health (and are already in good health) I believe you won’t get sick this cold and flu season. Yes, I do get sick, but it is only after I have let my guard down and not followed my own preaching.

In the past, I have written about how to keep your immune systems healthy. (For that archived article go to http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/content/en/dave_foreman/four_pillars.jsp) This time around, I though it might be better to explain how the immune system works and who the players really are. You don’t go to a ball game or the theater without getting a program and you shouldn’t play doctor without understanding what you are really impacting.

In a nutshell, we are born with the ability to keep our bodies free from disease-causing invaders. This is best known as immunity and is played out by our immune system.  The immune system, like any sports team has different players for different aspects of the game. In baseball we have pitchers, catchers, infielders, outfielders, managers etc. With the immune system, we have different players too. It is also a vast network of tissues, organs, cells and chemicals. Our bone marrow, thymus gland, tonsils (why have them removed?), lymph nodes, lymphocytes (white blood cells) phagocytes, natural killer cells, antibodies and interferon all play the game we call immunity.

There are two types of immunity protecting our body: innate and adaptive. Innate immunity exists at birth and gives us our first line of defense against disease. The skin, mucus secretions, and the acidity of the stomach are examples of innate immunity. These all act as barriers to keep unwanted pathogens away.  Adaptive immunity is our second line of defense. We acquire this immunity as we go thru life. The adaptive immune system remembers foes from the past and is therefore ready to defeat them when exposed to them again. This is why people usually get the measles only once, although they may be repeatedly exposed to the disease. Unfortunately some invaders like viruses can mutate and therefore we constantly have to fight them off again and again.

The components of the Immune system and how they know to act against bacteria, viruses, parasites and abnormal cells is still unknown. What we do know is that without a properly functioning immune system, a wide variety of health challenges can occur such as; cancer, HIV, allergies, asthma, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, cold sores, bacterial and viral infections, Digestive health issues, thyroid, yeast infections and a some skin conditions.

Supplementation is critical to maintaining a proper functioning and strong immune system. I prefer to divide supplements for immune health into two categories; Support (safe to take for extended periods of time) and Stimulate (used at first onset of symptoms and used for up to 2 weeks). Stimulating supplements often trigger an increase in production or activity of certain immune cells. An example of this is Echinacea. Echinacea is thought to support the immune system by increasing the production and activity of white blood cells (lymphocytes and macrophages). Echinacea may also increase the production of interferon (an important part of the body’s response to viral infections). Supportive supplements usually provide the immune system with helpful tools or nutrients, allowing the body to function optimally. An example of this is WGP 3-6 (beta-glucan). This supplement provides a key compound used by the immune system to ready your immune cells (macrophages) for action. When the immune system comes in contact with a foreign invader, it will then be ready to act.

The following are my recommendations for each category. These should be use along with my 4-Pillars of Great health to assure they will be effective.

Immune Stimulating (short term use)