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A Convenient Truth

By Sarah Hagerty

Our bodies’ polar caps may not be melting and our rainforests aren’t diminishing. But each of us has our own natural environment that faces as many threats as the earth’s…and we call it our immune system.

The human body is an amazing, complex machine. You need only watch an episode of Fox TV’s hit show, House M.D., to know how many things can go wrong with it. What’s really impressive is how many things go right. From the intricate electrical impulses in our brains to the 26 bones in each foot, we are a marvel of engineering…as our immune systems continually illustrate.

How It Works

Our immune system is a body-wide network of cells, tissues and organs—collectively known as lymphoid organs—that defends us against foreign invaders: bacteria, viruses, and other substances. According to the National Cancer Institute, at the heart of the immune response “is the ability to distinguish between ‘self’ and ‘non-self.’ Every cell in your body carries the same set of distinctive surface proteins that distinguish you as self. Non-self substances capable of triggering an immune response are known as antigens.”



Major players in this complex group of organs and cells (according to the National Cancer Institute) include:

• Bone Marrow—the soft tissue in the hollow center of bones, is the 
ultimate source of all blood cells, including immune cells.

• The Thymus—an organ that lies behind the breastbone; lymphocytes 
(a type of white blood cell) known as T lymphocytes, or just T cells, 
mature there.

•  Lymph Node—an organ consisting of many types of cells, and part of 
the lymphatic system. Lymph nodes are found throughout the body, 
act as filters or traps for foreign particles and contain white blood cells.

• Lymphatic Vessels—A network that connects the organs of your immune 
system with one another and with other organs in your body.
• The Spleen—A flattened organ on the upper left abdomen, which, like the 
lymph nodes, contains specialized compartments where immune cells gather
and confront antigens.
• In addition to these organs, clumps of lymphoid tissues are found in many
parts of the body, especially in the linings of the digestive tract and the airways
of the lungs. These tissues include the tonsils, adenoids, and appendix. 


What Can Happen When It Doesn’t Work

When the immune system cannot do its job, the results can be very serious. The National Institutes of Health considers the following conditions to be disorders of the immune system: allergies, asthma, and autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, Guillian-Barre syndrome, lupus, myasthenia gravis, and rheumatoid arthritis. There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases, and some have similar symptoms. Finding the correct diagnosis can be frustrating and stressful.

How to Strengthen the Immune System

There are hundreds of products and procedures that claim to boost the immune system. The medical community, however, seems to agree that a common-sense, taking-care-of-the-basics approach is most effect. Dr. Woodson Merrell, director of Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York and the author of The Source: Unleash Your Natural Energy, Power Up Your Health and Feel 10 Years Younger, states: “The most important thing you can do for your immune system is to achieve lifestyle balance and adopt the fundamentals of healthy living.” 



Diet plays a major part in our health. Good nutrition is at the beginning, middle and end of many health issues. Rather than relying on pills and supplements, researchers believe that eating real food is the best defense against illness. Breastcancer.org, a Pennsylvania-based non-profit support group, backs up this real-food theory and raises an interesting point: “Experts agree that vitamins and other important nutrients are best eaten in whole foods rather than swallowed as processed supplements. Whole foods may contain many other valuable components that we currently know little about.”

What are the best real foods to eat to boost our immune systems? Cruciferous vegetables make just about every expert’s list. This group includes broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and turnips. No real surprise that orange juice, spinach and other leafy greens, fish rish in omega-3 fatty acids, tea, and yogurt are highly touted as well…but did you know that blueberries, raisins, and pumpkin are also believed to improve immune function? My favorites among recommended foods, however, are mushrooms, garlic, onions, oregano and red bell peppers. Research strongly suggests these foods aid the immune system. Anyone want to order a pizza?

How to Weaken the Immune System

As you bypass the supplements aisle and head over to produce and seafood, don’t take any detours to the candy or bakery sections. A 2005 study revealed a potentially disturbing finding: Obesity may affect the immune response. Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine found that obese mice were 10 times as likely to die when infected with the influenza virus as the normal mice. In the study, four percent of the normal mice died; 40 percent of the obese mice died. Though it is unclear exactly what causes obesity to affect the immune response, antiviral cytokines, important in the control of initial viral spread, were significantly lower in obese mice. “Numerous marked alterations seen in the mice’s immune response suggest that the growing obese population is at increased risk for immune dysfunction,” asserted Dr. Melinda A. Beck, associate professor of pediatrics at UNC School of Medicine. 

Emotional stress and its physical manifestations seem to be at the center of many health problems these days. And the ignition point may just be the immune system. If you google “stress and the immune system” you come up more than three million responses. There is even a scientific specialty, pyschoneuroimmunology, dedicated to the study and treatment of the effects of stress and other emotional states on the immune system. The real pioneering work on the subject was preformed by psycologist Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, Ph.D., and immunologist Ronald Glaser, Ph.D., of Ohio State University College of Medicine. Intrigued by animal studies that linked stress and infection, the researchers began their own study using medical students. According to the American Pyschological Association, Glaser and Kiecolt-Glaser’s 1982 to 1992 study revealed, among other things, that the students’ immunity wentdown each year during the stressful three-day exam period. Test takers had fewer natural killer cells. Their findings opened the doors for nearly 300 additional studies. The results are conclusive: Stress seriously affects the immune system. What isn’t as clear is exactly why and how. Until more in known on that subject, breathe deeply, exercise, laugh a lot…and get a good night’s sleep.



In December 2008, Stanford University reported that its research with fruit flies revealed that the immune system battles invading bacteria hardest at night and least during the day. The findings, reported at the American Society for Cell Biology’s annual meeting, back up what humankind has known for most of our existence: Sleep really is restorative. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends seven to eight hours a night. It is obviously time well spent.

An Environment in Balance

Just as we only have one planet, we only have one body…and both need to be taken care of responsibly. Going “green” with our internal eco-systems seems a much easier task than fixing the earth’s environmental issues. How lucky we are to have, within our control, the means to measureably improve our health and well being. We don’t need to involve the EPA. There are no mandatory emission standards for us. All we have to do is follow a routine of sensible eating habits, exercise, stress reduction and a good night’s sleep. Who cares about green? This plan will keep you in the pink.

This material is simply a discussion of current trends, information, and practices. Please seek the advice of your doctor before making any changes in your diet or beginning any new practices.

Tags: health April 2009

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