Tag Archives: immune system

Our Relationship with Micro-organisms

The number of micro-organisms living within the average human adult body are estimated to outnumber human cells ten to one. They are found anywhere in and on our bodies but are most concentrated in the digestive system, the gut flora. This gut flora has a dynamic and continuous effect on our immune system.

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In order to understand how changes in normal bacterial populations affect us or are affected by disease we must consider lifestyle, nutrition, personal hygiene, exposure to stress, pollution and the environment we live in. Just as the human mind allows a person to develop a concept of intellectual self, the immune system provides a concept of the biological self.

Exposure to bacteria and/or viruses and our reaction to these invaders or their transmutations will depend on the health of our microbial environment and our mental, emotional state. Microbes in our gut are connected to our well-being and are the biggest defenders of our health.

Virus Invasion

A singe virus can hijack a healthy cell and transform it into a virus factory, making thousands of copies of itself in a couple of hours. The cell then bursts allowing the copies to infect other healthy cells and start the process all over.

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The body fights back by launching a self-sacrificing counter attack: molecules (cytokines) and T-cells designed to kill the hijacked cells before the virus does.

These defenses come with a cost. Most of the symptoms we attribute for instance to the common cold or flu virus are actually the result of the body’s defense maneuvers. After an exposure to the cold or flu virus, the steps taken once infected will determine whether the symptoms will be mild and temporary, or one will become moderately to seriously ill for days or weeks.

For example, fever occurs when cytokines tell the brain to raise to raise the body’s temperature, which helps the immune system to fight the enemies. The clash between a viral infection and the body’s immune defenses is one of nature’s most dramatic conflicts, an all-out battle with cells of the lungs, stomach or sinuses as innocent casualties. In most cases, the immune system wins, successfully vanquishing the virus after three or four days of misery like fever, coughs and aches.

A Healthy Baby

A Healthy Baby

Doctors have long known that infants who are breast-fed contract fewer infections than those who are given formula. Humans are born extremely immature, with the major organs and immune system not fully developed. For its survival the infant depends on an extraordinary well-adapted evolutionary strategy shared by all mammals, breast-feeding. But what does milk contain that makes it so essential for the newborn and how does it provide immunity, nutrition and a source for optimal growth?

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Human milk is a very complex living fluid which includes proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, cells and other biologically important components. These milk components interact with each other and their environment (the infants gut) with the final result being that breast-milk feeds and protects the newborn.

Most physicians presumed that breast-fed children fared better simply because milk supplied directly from the breast is free of bacteria. Yet even infants who receive sterilized formula suffer from more meningitis and infection in the gut, ear, respiratory tract and urinary tract. All newborns receive some coverage in advance of birth. During pregnancy the mother passes antibodies to her fetus through the placenta. These proteins and the added protection of breast-milk circulate in the infant’s blood for weeks to months after birth and because the mother makes antibodies to pathogens in her environment, the baby receives the protection it most needs against infectious agents it is most likely to encounter in the first few weeks of life.

It protects the infants against infection until they can protect themselves. Once foods other than breast-milk are introduced, the established microbes are ready to adapt and utilize the nutrients from a new source and should be able to maintain a healthy balance.

Given the importance of beneficial bacteria for a healthy baby it is essential that the mother’s health is ensured, preferably before pregnancy. A healthy mother is more likely to deliver a healthy baby.    Read more…