The Best Offense is a Good Defense: Strengthening Your Immune System With Steven Horne, RH(AHG), CCII Offense versus Defense When it comes to staying healthy most people use offensive strategies That is, they go on the attack to try to kill microbes Keeping the body s own defenses strong is a strategy they never consider If You Want to Avoid Illness This Winter, Start by Building Your Natural Defenses 1
Is Killing Germs the Only Answer? FACT: Microbes are everywhere and it is impossible (and undesirable) to try to kill them all FACT: A healthy body is not a good breeding ground for infectious microbes it only becomes so when tissues are damaged or weakened FACT: Microbes called probiotics are part of your natural immune system FACT: Antibiotics and chemical disinfectants lead to the development of resistant organisms and overuse may weaken your body s natural defenses If we succeeded in killing all infectious microbes in the world we would probably kill every living thing on the planet, including ourselves Problems with Antibiotics Antibiotics are antibacterial and have no effect on viruses, fungus or parasites, which means they are ineffective for: All viral infections like colds and flu Most respiratory problems like chronic sinus infections and bronchitis Most cases of otitis media (earaches) Candida and other yeast infections Antibiotics kill friendly bacteria which can allow yeast and infectious bacteria to proliferate, Overuse of antibiotics creates antibiotic resistant bacteria 2
Bacteria Develop Resistance to Antibiotics Bacteria develop a tolerance for antibiotics This leads to the development of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria A similar thing can happen with chemical disinfectants This antibiotic resistance is making some diseases previously believed to be conquered reappear Tuberculosis, gonorrhea, malaria and childhood ear infections are more difficult to treat than they were a few decades ago Antibiotics Have Their Place Antibiotics shouldn t be shunned altogether They can and do save lives in situations where serious illness, weakened immunity or post-surgical infection exist It s just that they tend to be overused for common, self-limited illnesses where natural remedies may be more effective Antibacterial Soaps A 2005 FDA report concluded that there is no added benefit to antibacterial soaps over regular soap and water. AMA took an official stance against adding antimicrobials to consumer products in 2000 Antibacterial soaps contribute to the development of resistant bacteria. 3
Microbes Are Very Clever Some strains produce spores that allow them to survive in extreme conditions They swap genes, construct biofilm, and erect scaffolding to protect them from virtually anything we throw at them No wonder health experts call them superbugs Terrain versus Microbe Since the discovery of microbes there has been an ongoing debate about microbes and disease The germ theory says that microbes are the direct cause of disease The biological terrain theory says that germs only invade weakened tissue, rather than being the direct cause of disease The Biological Terrain Theory Rudolf Virchow, a contemporary of Pasteur, maintained that the health of body cells depended on their chemical make-up, and this chemical make-up depended in turn upon the kind of food eaten by the individual. If I could live my life over again, stated Virchow, I would devote it to proving that germs seek their natural habitat diseased tissue rather than being the cause of diseased tissue: e.g. mosquitoes seek stagnant water, but do not cause the pool to become stagnant. From Food is Your Best Medicine by Henry G. Bieler, M.D., pg. 40 4
Edward Shook on Microbes They will show you illustrations of minute living organisms... which are found in sputum, or pus taken from diseased tissues or secretions. Probably, at first sight, you are astonished; then you wonder Can this be true? Yes, it must be true. There they are! Right in the pus, plain as can be. How awful that such creatures can live and destroy our bodies without our knowledge until too late. Surely these doctors have discovered the truth. They are right. The germs must be killed. But wait a minute before you jump to such a conclusion. We find the fly on garbage which is composed of decaying organic matter. Is he, the fly, the cause of the garbage, or does the garbage breed the fly? We find the white maggot in decaying flesh. Was he (the maggot) the cause of death? And what are these creatures doing there? They are eating, consuming, doing away with decaying matter... From the Advanced Treatise in Herbology Your Immune System is the Hero Every day you are exposed to billions of microbes These microbes cause you no harm because your body is naturally resistant to them You catch an infection when that resistance is compromised So let s learn how this important system works Parts of the Immune System Protective Surfaces Skin - 2 sq. meters Mucus Membranes 400 sq. meters HCl Friendly flora Innate Immunity Inflammatory responses White Blood Cells Macrophages Neutrophils Natural Killer Cells Complement proteins Adaptive Immunity White blood cells B-Cells T-Cells Antibodies (Immunoglobulins) IgG IgA IgM IgE IgD Cell-mediated immunity 5
Protective Surfaces The skin and mucus membranes form protective barriers against infection We all know that basic sanitation is essential to good health Improved sanitation is largely responsible for the huge decline in deaths from infection disease during the last century Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) The HCl of the stomach is a critical part of immune defense The acid of the stomach not only breaks down proteins and helps with mineral absorption, it also kills harmful microbes Unfortunately, many people develop low stomach acid as they age Intestinal Biofilm Our intestinal tract contains over 100 trillion microbes Many of these microbes live in a biofilm that coats the intestinal tract, forming a protective barrier to infection and toxins The metabolic activity of these microbes rivals the liver This friendly flora is a critical part of our immune system 6
What is Biofilm? A collection of one or more species of microbes encased in a self-produced matrix of exopolysaccharides that is permanently attached to a surface Photo of biofilm from water sample CDC website Establishing a Natural Gut Biofilm Microbes from the vaginal canal may be swallowed during birth Nursing also contributes to biofilm formation The immune system transports bacteria from the mother s intestines to the breast milk to introduce these microbes to infants Microbes from the child s environment add to biofilm development Harmful Influences on Gut Flora Childhood factors C-Sections Bottle feeding Over sanitized environments Disruptive influences Antibiotics NSAIDs Birth control pills Chlorine Chemotherapy Glycophosphates And other chemicals and drugs 7
Innate Immunity Most of the immune function is found in the innate immune system This is the second line of immune defense in the body s protective system Most of what we call natural immunity arises from the innate immune system Macrophages The big eaters of the immune system Primarily found in mucus membranes and skin Act like the body s border patrol, recognizing invaders and signaling other parts of the immune system for help Have three states of activity Resting, where they act as cellular garbage collectors Primed, when a breech is detected macrophages upregulate to start looking for invading organisms Hyperactivation, when microbes are found they become highly active and send messages to activate other parts of the immune system Neutrophilis Back-up assistance for the innate immune system, the swat team Short lived white blood cells that stay in the circulatory system until they are called into action in damaged areas In the blood stream they are inactive Inflammatory responses trigger them to enter tissues where they start destroying potential enemies Pus is mainly neutrophilis 8
Natural Killer Cells (NK Cells) Are also on call in the blood, spleen and liver They move into tissues when they receive signals from other immune cells They destroy cells by convincing them to commit suicide preprogrammed cell death or apoptosis Receive kill or don t kill signals from cells, which determine which cells should be destroyed They destroy Tumors Virus infected cells Bacteria Parasites Fungi Adaptive Immune System The adaptive immune system learns who the enemy is from the innate immune system The innate immune system encounters common pathogens in everyday life, which helps it learn what to be on alert for The innate immune system collects information about incoming pathogens and helps formulate a plan for the adaptive immune system to follow The adaptive immune system uses antibodies to tag cells for destruction B-Cells Produce antibodies to tag cells for destruction 100 million different kinds of white blood cells that can be stimulated to tag cells with specific characteristics for destruction Serves as the back up for the innate immune system and is regulated by signals from it Type os antibodies IgG most abundant type IgA involved in mucosal (innate) immunity IgD found on membranes of B-cells IgE responds to allergens and parasites IgM found on membranes of B-cells 9
T-Cells When T-cells encounter the proper antigen, they start cloning themselves Killer T-Cells make contact with antigen bearing cells and trigger them to commit apoptosis T-Cells also receive regulating signals from the innate immune system They destroy: Cancer cells Viral infected cells How a Vaccine Works A vaccine presents a challenge to the adaptive immune system, which reacts by creating antibodies Vaccines by-pass the first and second line of immune defense and rely on the this third line of immune defense, adaptive immunity It is important to recognize that it is the immune system responding to the vaccine that creates immunity, not the vaccine itself Immunity Requires Nutrition Immune activity requires nutrients like: Vitamin C Vitamin D3 Vitamin A Zinc Selenium Essential fatty acids Antioxidants Without these nutrients, the immune system may not function properly In addition, toxins such as mercury can interfere with immune function 10
Mind-Body Connection Stress reduces immune responses, so children who are under stress are more likely to get sick I ve also discovered that self-esteem enhances immunity Raising children in love, without violence is also critical to immunity Take a Break! Now back to Steven Horne Herbal JEDI 33 11
Enhancing Immunity Naturally Probiotic Supplements Probiotic supplements can also help to restore the intestinal biofilm NSP Supplements include: Probiotic Eleven NutriBiome Eleven Elevated NutriBiome Bacillus Coagulans Sunshine Heroes Probiotic Power Elderberry D3fense Ingredients: Vitamin D3 2,000IU Elderberry fruit extract Echinacea aerial parts Willow bark extract Royal jelly Olive leaf extract 12
Immune Stimulator Ingredients: Beta glucans 200mg Arabinogalactan 100mg Colostrum Cordyceps mycelia Reishi mushroom mycelia Maitake whole mushroom Solstic Immune Ingredients: Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 400mg Vitamin D3 2200IU Zinc (acetate) 5mg Potassium (bicarbonate) 105mg Elderberry fruit extract Beta-glucans Echinacea root concentrate Arabinogalactan Korean ginseng root extract, SCFOS (short-chain fructooligosaccharides) Fruit extracts and flavorings VS-C Ingredients: Dandelion whole plant Purslane top Indigo leaf and root Thlaspi whole plant Bupleurum root Typhonium rhizome Scute root Cinnamon twig Licorice root Ginseng root 13
Silver Shield Ingredients: Pure colloidal silver with Aqua Sol technology Uses ultra-fine particles of silver colloids for maximum bioavailability Non-toxic (does not accumulate in the kidneys or cause heavy metal contamination) Does not destroy beneficial bacteria in the colon Can be used internally, topically, as a throat spray, as eye drops, etc. Gel can be applied directly to wounds 14