Meet The Guardian Of Your Health, Meet The Immune System
The immune system is a highly complex and vital network of the human organism, it is the central pillar of health. It functions as the body’s natural defence mechanism against harmful pathogens, pollutants and mutated cells. Various organs, cell types and proteins are involved in the processes directed at defending the organism from external and internal disruptors and thus maintaining its integrity.
How Does The Immune System Work?
The main task of the immune system is to protect us from foreign, harmful pathogens and substances and thus to maintain our health. To do this, it must initiate appropriate reactions and resolve them adequately to prevent itself from damaging body-own tissue. On the one hand, it must recognise pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites, neutralise them and remove them from the organism. At the same time, it must protect us from harmful environmental influences while maintaining tolerance towards beneficial substances. In addition, it must keep an eye out for the body’s own cells that undergo pathological changes and fight them in time (mutated, malignant cancer cells).
The individual components of the immune system are constantly exchanging information through immune messengers called cytokines. These proteins are produced to enable communication between the cells involved in the immune response and to coordinate interactions between the various immunocompetent cells.
Cytokines signal the activation and multiplication of immune cells to fight pathogens and can act as pro- or anti-inflammatory agents, depending on the context.
The Immune Response: Innate & Adaptive Immunity
The immune system consists of two major subsystems: innate and adaptive immunity. These do not act separately, but complement each other in a tight interaction to carry out effective immune reactions.
Innate Immunity
It is transmitted from birth and provides immediate, non-specific protection against harmful pathogens. It includes physical barriers such as the skin and mucous membranes, as well as dendritic cells, macrophages and Natural Killer cells (NK), which rapidly detect and destroy invading pathogens without the need for prior exposure. Innate immunity is therefore vital in preventing infections and diseases from spreading throughout the body.
Adaptive Immunity
It comes into play when innate immunity is insufficient. It has an immune memory, which enables it to increase its effectiveness each time it encounters pathogens, with a targeted and specific response. It is made up in particular of T and B lymphocytes, which modulate their response on contact with different pathogens and according to their life experience.
When Does Disease Occur?
As long as the immune system works smoothly and fulfills its functions properly and efficiently, it runs unnoticed. However, if the immune system is weakened (immunodeficiency) and cannot fight particularly aggressive or unknown pathogens appropriately, or if it overreacts (hypersensitivity) or misidentifies harmful pathogens (autoimmunity), disease-related symptoms appear.
Autoimmunity: When the Immune System Turns Against Itself
An intact immune system can distinguish between body-own and foreign substances. Therefore, it does not act against the body’s own cells. However, disorders in the immune system can lead to the body’s own cells being mistakenly classified as foreign or harmful. Then the defence reaction is directed against the body’s own healthy tissue. This is known as autoimmunity.
Immunodeficiency: A Weakness in The Body’s Defences
Health is based on a strong and well-functioning immune system. However, the body’s own defence system is a complex system involving various organs, cells and messenger substances.
If it runs out of balance due to various factors (malnutrition, chronic stress, heavy metals, toxins, etc.) and can no longer effectively fight pathogens, diseases can develop and spread. This is also referred to as immune imbalance.
Modern lifestyle involves many risk factors that can put a strain on the body and weaken its defence system. The good news is that we can do a lot to optimise our body’s defences and thus contribute to our health by taking into account the following external and internal factors:
Physical Activity
Physical Activity
Most of the diseases of our time, such as obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases or osteoporosis, among others, are closely linked to a sedentary life. Multiple studies show that physical activity, when moderate and periodic, reinforces the immune system, has an anti-inflammatory effect and reduces the risk of infections. Therefore, daily exercise can offer very positive effects for the body and promote the proper functioning of the immune response. However, when physical exercise is intense, it exerts an immunosuppressive effect and promotes the increase of proinflammatory mediators.
Nutrition
Nutrition
Intolerances to gluten and lactose, or allergies to milk proteins are increasingly common among those who follow a Western diet. With the rise of industrialised foods, our feeding habits have radically changed in a few years. This new lifestyle has obvious effects on the immune response, promoting inflammation and increasing intestinal permeability. Analyzing the patient’s nutritional status and implementing dietary measures can perfectly complement an individualised treatment plan.
Enviroment
Enviroment
Our body is in constant interaction with the environment around us. Every day we are exposed to environmental pollutants, allergens, toxic substances, etc., that threaten the proper functioning of the immune response and/or behave as endocrine disruptors. Similarly, electromagnetic waves or UV radiation are examples of environmental factors with a strong influence on the immune system, but also on energy metabolism, that can cause different disorders or diseases in patients. Performing an in-depth medical history or specific analysis that allow these factors to be detected can be decisive when implementing a therapeutic strategy.
Genetics
Genetics
The functioning of the immune system is greatly influenced by our genetic heritage. It has been proved that some people are genetically more susceptible to suffer certain disorders of the immune response, immunodeficiencies, food intolerances, etc. The molecules of our body in charge of identifying pathogens and foreign elements are called HLA molecules, (HLA stands for English Human Leukocyte Antigen) and they have an enormous genetic variability among individuals. Some of these variants predispose to certain chronic infections, autoimmune diseases, intolerances and/or food allergies. In micro-immunotherapy, the identification of the HLA genes, or HLA typing, can be a useful tool to confirm a diagnosis or guide the patient’s treatment.
Emotional state
Emotional state
Our mood and humor, as well as our social, personal and professional environment have a strong influence on health. In a society dominated by stress, it is not surprising that the number of chronic diseases, such as depression or cancer, increases among the population. Stress, especially when it becomes chronic, can indeed favor a decrease in natural defenses and accelerate aging processes. In-depth analysis of the patient’s medical history and granting an active attention during medical visits can be key to understanding the influence of psychology in the development of the illness and to better guide the treatment. Likewise, micro-immunotherapy, as an immune support, can help the patient face with current requirements and strengthen the effectiveness of the immune system.
Pathogens
Pathogens
Antibodies are molecules produced by the immune system in response, among others, to the presence of pathogens. An increase in their levels may reveal a first contact with the infectious agent, a dysfunction of the immune response at a given time or a genetic predisposition against infections. Serologies are diagnostic tools that allow to assess blood levels. Doctors who use micro-immunotherapy use them frequently to confirm the presence of viruses such as herpes simplex, varicella-zoster, papilloma, Epstein-Barr, cytomegalovirus, or bacteria such as Chlamydia, among others. These can lead to or perpetuate both acute disorders and chronic diseases, such as multiple sclerosis or chronic fatigue.
Supporting and Regulating Your Immune System: Micro-immunotherapy
Micro-immunotherapy in daily practice
Micro-immunotherapy supports and modulates the immune system through low doses of various immune mediators, such as cytokines, interferons and interleukins. These substances also circulate naturally in the body and are used by the immune system itself to coordinate the defence mechanisms. Micro-immunotherapy uses these messenger substances in various compositions and concentrations to stimulate certain immune reactions or, in the case of excessive reactions, to dampen them, training the immune system back to its natural optimum.
The immune system at the heart of diagnosis
In addition to a comprehensive anamnesis and a physical examination that determine individual risk factors and resources, different laboratory tests are available to assess the state of the immune system as well as its responsiveness. Some of them are briefly outlined below:
- Differential blood test: a global examination of the cellular proportion of leukocytes (white blood cells)
- Lymphocyte typing: precise assessment of the cellular immune status
- Protein profile and inflammation profile: evaluation of the degree of inflammation and nutrient supply of the patient
- Serologies: provide evidence of infections caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites, as well as viral reactivations
- HLA-typing: assessment of the relative risk for specific autoimmune diseases, allergies, and chronic infections.
The immune system at the heart of treatment
A suitable personalised treatment plan can be elaborated taking into account the diagnostic results of the patient, within this treatment plan, micro-immunotherapy can play an important role as an immunoregulatory treatment. The aim is to sustainably optimise the host defence against internal and external factors and restore balance in the organism.
It must be emphasised, however, that micro-immunotherapy does not intend to replace the immune system, nor to force it in any particular direction. Rather, it transfers information in a gentle and subtle manner, in order to promote the immune system’s ability to self-regulate.
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