Immune System

Unfortunately, our immune system may not always function properly due to poor nutrition, emotional or physical stress, environmental toxins, genetics, over use of drugs, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and lack of exercise. Some common symptoms of a weak immune system may include: fatigue, allergies, frequent recurring infections (for example from the cold virus, herpes virus, parasites or candida), painful joints and muscles, and skin conditions.

An unbalanced immune system can be either under-active or overactive. An under-active immune system is unable to fight off infection and degenerative diseases. An overactive immune system could eventually start attacking our body’s own tissues and may lead to autoimmune diseases like lupus, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

So what can we do to create an optimal immune system? First we can provide our bodies with a good foundation of all essential nutrients. A comprehensive multivitamin will provide key vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential fatty acids to support a healthy and strong immune system. Dimethylglycine has also been shown to support a healthy immune system as well as modulate an overactive immune response.

Cells of the Immune System and What They Do:

• Helper T-Cell: Secretes specialized factors that activate other white blood cells to fight off infection.
• Suppressor T-Cell: Specialized T-cell that directly slows down or suppresses activity of other T cells.
• Natural Killer T-Cell: Directly kills certain tumor cells, viral-infected cells and some parasites.
• B Cells (or B Lymphocytes): Produce antibodies in response to foreign proteins of bacteria, viruses and tumor cells.
  
• Granulocytes or Polymorphonuclear (PMN) Leukocytes: Remove bacteria and parasites from the body by engulfing them and/or degrading with their powerful enzymes.
• Macrophages: Scavengers that pick up and ingest foreign materials and present specific protein markers (antigens) to other cells of the immune system (i.e. B cells and T cells).
• Dendritic Cells: Capture foreign materials (antigen) and bring it to the thymus, lymph nodes or spleen where the immune response is initiated.

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