The Body’s
Bio-defenses
The immune system is the body’s
bio-defense. Immune function involves a complex cascade of events involving intelligent communications between all tissues of the body. Alterations of the balance of the immune function are responsible for the cause or progression of many common diseases including: cancer, chronic inflammatory disorders, arthritis and specific auto-immune disease. People talk about boosting immune function but most often they really mean balancing immune function.
A Simple Overview of Immune Function:
White cells in the body of various types aggregate to form lymphatic tissues which are the pivotal structures of the immune system. A complex series of chemical messengers are shared among cells involved in immune defense and normal cells. Antibody production by specific types of white cells is responsible for clearing the tissue fluids of harmful intruders, e.g. antigens or microorganisms.
The bio-defenses within the immune system are not simple in their structure or function. Elaborate mechanisms of bio-defense are present in entry sites into the body including the nasal passages, throat and entire gastrointestinal tract.
Understanding the complexity of the body structure and functions involved in immunity is a difficult task for even the most knowledgeable health caregiver. The complexity of the cascade of events that occur during immune functions makes it highly unlikely that any single agent be it food or a drug or a dietary supplement will have an efficient effect on balancing or promoting immune function.
Recommendations for single dietary supplements to “boost” immunity are somewhat misguided. “Boosting” certain aspects of the complex events in immune-related diseases may, on occasion, be more harmful than good. The additive benefits and
versatile nature of many different natural agents that can work on different aspects of
immune events are quite desirable in dietary supplement formulations.
Self-Reliance for Self-Management of Immune Function:
Many people are seeking natural substances that will help to deliver optimal immune function in the body and control unwanted inflammatory responses.
Modern research on remedies of natural origin has pointed to a number of remedies of natural origin that have complex actions on immune function and actions at many different sites in the overall cascade of immune events.
Again, I stress that using more than one natural agent that works on different aspects of immune function is the optimal approach.
This has led to the use of synergistic formulations of dietary supplements where many different dietary supplements are combined to get a more global and complete overall effect on immunity. The word “synergy” means that each natural component in a dietary supplement may have an added benefit when mixed together.