The BodyÂ’s Biodefenses
The immune system is the bodyÂ’s biodefense. Immune function involves a complex cascade of events involving intelligent communications between all tissues of the body. Alterations of the balance of the immune function are responsible for the cause or progression of many common diseases including: cancer, chronic inflammatory disorders, arthritis and specific auto-immune disease. People talk about boosting immune function but most often they really mean balancing immune function.
A Simple Overview of Immune Function
White cells in the body of various types aggregate to form lymphatic tissues which are the pivotal structures of the immune system. A complex series of chemical messengers are shared among cells involved in immune defense and normal cells. Antibody production by specific types of white cells is responsible for clearing the tissue fluids of harmful intruders, e.g. antigens or microorganisms.
The biodefenses within the immune system are not simple in their structure or function. Elaborate mechanisms of biodefense are present in entry sites into the body including the nasal passages, throat and entire gastrointestinal tract.
Understanding the complexity of the body structure and functions involved in immunity is a difficult task for even the most knowledgeable health caregiver. The complexity of the cascade of events that occur during immune functions makes it highly unlikely that any single agent be it food or a drug or a dietary supplement will have an efficient effect on balancing or promoting immune function.
Recommendations for single dietary supplements to Â“boostÂ” immunity are somewhat misguided. Â“BoostingÂ” certain aspects of the complex events in immune-related diseases may, on occasion, be more harmful than good. The additive benefits and versatile nature of many different natural agents that can work on different aspects of immune events are quite desirable in dietary supplement formulations.
Self-Reliance for Self-Management of Immune Function
Many people are seeking natural substances that will help to deliver optimal immune function in the body and control unwanted inflammatory responses. Modern research on remedies of natural origin has pointed to a number of remedies of natural origin that have complex actions on immune function and actions at many different sites in the overall cascade of immune events. Again, I stress that using more than one natural agent that works on different aspects of immune function is the optimal approach. This has led to the use of synergistic formulations of dietary supplements where many different dietary supplements are combined to get a more global and complete overall effect on immunity. The word Â“synergyÂ” means that each natural component in a dietary supplement may have an added benefit when mixed together.
Advanced Supplement Formulations for Immune Support
Single-agent approaches with one herb or nutrient possess disadvantages and limitations. For example, sterolins or mushroom extracts are valuable immune stimulators but they have focused and limited effects on only certain aspects of immune function. There is a way of producing a dietary supplement that combines nutrients, herbals and botanicals for a greater effect and potential benefit on immunity. Table 1 is a list of dietary supplements that can be used in combination to stimulate immune function in a reasonably global manner. Such combinations do not rely upon an isolated component of the immune cascade.
Table 1: A list of nutrients, herbs and botanicals with good scientific agreement of nutritional benefits for immune function.
|Active Hexose Correlate Compound (AHCC)
Any natural agent that exerts an antioxidant function can be potentially valuable in promoting healthy immune function, because oxidative stress (free-radical damage) to components of the immune system is a common reason for disordered immunity. In particular, the following antioxidants are of great value for immune well-being, including: Vitamin C, zinc, green tea, turmeric, grapeseed extract and antioxidants found in a variety of herbs and botanicals (Table 1).
Botanical agents with specific immune-enhancing power include several species of mushrooms, plant sources of beta glucan, various types of Echinacea and the potent and versatile herb Andrographis paniculata (AP). Recent research implies that AP may be a very powerful stimulator of immune function by its specific actions on chemical signals in certain cells, and it has anti-cancer and anti-viral properties.
A Very Important Message
Recent research links excessive intake of simple sugars in the diet with depressed immunity in both the short and long term. Who would have thought that AmericaÂ’s love affair with sweet foods would open the door for chronic disease in a manner that has been unsurpassed in medical history? Seventy million Americans have the metabolic syndrome or Syndrome X, which is the combination of obesity, high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol as a consequence of insulin resistance.
Simple sugar intake in the diet is promoting the development of Syndrome X. Syndrome X is the most important public health initiative facing Western society, and the dietary supplement industry has still not waken up to the importance of Syndrome X as a death and disability risk from all causes of disease. The risk of Syndrome X is humungous.
While Syndrome X has components that people can identify with cardiovascular disease, Syndrome X also causes liver disease, cancer and diminished immune function. Syndrome X is a forerunner to the development of maturity onset diabetes mellitus. People with diabetes or Syndrome X may present themselves with the consequences of diminished immune function. Early signs of diabetes in many people include recurrent infections, e.g. yeast, Candida. The reduction of refined sugar in the diet may be a simple intervention to help restore balance to the immune system. The far-reaching health consequences of Syndrome X have resulted in a redefinition of Syndrome X as Â“Syndrome X, Y and ZÂ….Â”
I believe that nutritional support for immune function must be multifaceted and formulations of dietary supplements that contain several different natural ingredients are the optimal way to provide nutritional support for immune function.
Holt S, Miracle Herbs, Carol Publishing, Secaucus, NJ, 1998
Holt S, Combat Syndrome X, Y and ZÂ…, Wellness Publishing, Newark, NJ, 2002
Reavley N, Vitamins etc., Bookman Press, Australia 1998
By Stephen Holt, MD, MRCP (UK), FRCP (C), FACP, FACG, FACN, FACAM
Mwili Biodefenses Mfumo wa kinga ni mwili biodefense. Kazi ya kinga inahusisha mfululizo tata wa matukio yanayohusisha mawasiliano ya akili kati ya tishu zote za mwili. Mabadiliko ya usawa wa mfumo wa kinga ni wajibu kwa sababu au maendeleo ya magonjwa mengi ya kawaida ikiwa ni pamoja na: kansa, ugonjwa wa uvimbe wa kudumu, ugonjwa wa viungo na ugonjwa maalum wa autoimmune. Watu wengi wanasema kuwa hii ni njia ya kuongeza nguvu ya kinga, lakini kwa kweli inamaanisha kuboresha nguvu ya kinga. Kwa mfano, kwa mfano, chembe nyeupe za mwili za aina mbalimbali huungana na kuunda tishu za lymphatic ambazo ni miundo muhimu ya mfumo wa kinga. Mfululizo tata wa vitu vya kemikali hutumiwa na chembe zinazohusika katika ulinzi wa kinga na chembe za kawaida. Antibody zinazozalishwa na aina maalum ya chembe nyeupe ni wajibu wa kusafisha tishu umajimaji wa uvamizi hatari. Antigen au microorganisms Vifaa vya kujilinda katika mfumo wa kinga si sahili katika muundo au kazi yao. Utaratibu wa kina wa ulinzi wa kibiolojia upo katika maeneo ya kuingia mwilini ikiwa ni pamoja na njia za pua, koo na njia nzima ya tumbo. Kuelewa utata wa muundo wa mwili na kazi zinazohusika katika kinga ni kazi ngumu hata kwa mtoa huduma wa afya mwenye ujuzi zaidi. Kwa sababu ya utata wa matukio yanayotokea wakati wa utendaji wa kinga, ni vigumu sana kwamba dawa yoyote, iwe ni chakula au dawa, itakuwa na athari ya ufanisi katika kusawazisha au kukuza utendaji wa kinga. Mapendekezo ya virutubisho vya chakula kimoja ili "kuongeza" kinga ni ya kupotosha. "Kuongeza" mambo fulani ya matukio tata katika magonjwa yanayohusiana na mfumo wa kinga ya mwili huenda, pindi kwa pindi, ikawa yenye kudhuru zaidi kuliko kufaidi. Faida za nyongeza na asili ya kila aina ya viungo vya asili vinavyoweza kufanya kazi katika mambo tofauti ya matukio ya kinga ni ya kutamaniwa sana katika muundo wa ziada ya lishe. Kujiamini kwa Usimamizi wa Wenyewe wa Kazi ya Kinga Watu wengi wanatafuta vitu vya asili ambavyo vinaweza kusaidia kutoa kazi bora ya kinga katika mwili na kudhibiti majibu ya uvimbe yasiyotakiwa. Utafiti wa kisasa juu ya dawa za asili umeonyesha idadi ya dawa za asili ambazo zina athari ngumu juu ya kazi ya kinga na hatua katika maeneo mengi tofauti katika mtiririko wa jumla wa matukio ya kinga. Kwa mara nyingine tena, tunapaswa kukazia kwamba kutumia zaidi ya moja ya asili ya wakala kwamba kazi juu ya mambo tofauti ya mfumo wa kinga ni mbinu bora. Hii imesababisha matumizi ya synergistic formula ya virutubisho vya chakula ambapo virutubisho vingi tofauti vya chakula vinaunganishwa ili kupata athari ya jumla ya jumla na kamili juu ya kinga. Neno "synergy" linamaanisha kwamba kila kipengele cha asili katika kiboreshaji cha chakula kinaweza kuwa na faida ya ziada linapochanganywa pamoja. Advanced Supplement Formulations for Immune Support Njia za wakala mmoja na mimea moja au virutubisho vina hasara na mipaka. Kwa mfano, sterolini au vichwa vya uyoga ni stimulators thamani kinga lakini wana lengo na athari ndogo juu ya mambo fulani tu ya kazi kinga. Kuna njia ya kuzalisha nyongeza ya lishe ambayo inachanganya virutubisho, mimea na mimea kwa athari kubwa na faida ya uwezekano juu ya kinga. Orodha ya viungo vya chakula vinavyoweza kutumika pamoja ili kuchochea mfumo wa kinga kwa njia ya jumla. Mchanganyiko huo hautegemei sehemu moja ya mfumo wa kinga. Orodha ya virutubisho, mimea na mimea na makubaliano mazuri ya kisayansi ya faida za lishe kwa kazi ya kinga. Hexane-Co-Related Compound (AHCC) - Ni kemikali ya asili ambayo ina kazi ya antioxidant ambayo inaweza kuwa na thamani katika kukuza utendaji wa kinga, kwa sababu mkazo wa oxidative (madhara ya free-radical) kwa vipengele vya mfumo wa kinga ni sababu ya kawaida ya kinga ya kuambukizwa. Kwa mfano, antioxidants zifuatazo ni muhimu kwa afya ya kinga: vitamini C, zinki, chai ya kijani, turmeric, mchanganyiko wa mbegu za zabibu na antioxidants zinazopatikana katika mimea mbalimbali na mimea. "Kama vile, ""mimea ya kuimarisha kinga"" ni pamoja na aina kadhaa za uyoga, vyanzo vya mimea ya beta-glucan, aina mbalimbali za Echinacea na mimea yenye nguvu na ya kila aina ya Andrographis paniculata (AP)." Utafiti wa hivi karibuni unaonyesha kwamba AP inaweza kuwa kichocheo chenye nguvu sana cha kazi ya kinga kwa vitendo vyake maalum kwenye ishara za kemikali katika seli fulani, na ina mali ya kupambana na saratani na virusi. Utafiti wa hivi karibuni unaunganisha ulaji wa ziada wa sukari rahisi katika chakula na kinga iliyopunguzwa kwa muda mfupi na mrefu. Ni nani angeweza kufikiri kwamba upendo wa Marekani kwa vyakula vitamu ungefungua mlango kwa magonjwa ya muda mrefu kwa njia ambayo haijawahi kufikiwa katika historia ya matibabu? Watu milioni 70 wana ugonjwa wa Metabolic Syndrome (Syndrome X) ambao ni mchanganyiko wa ugonjwa wa kunenepa kupita kiasi, shinikizo la damu la juu, na cholesterol ya juu ya damu kama matokeo ya upinzani wa insulini. Kula sukari tu katika chakula huchochea ukuzi wa Ugonjwa wa X. "Syndrome X ni ""mtazamo muhimu zaidi wa afya ya umma unaokabili jamii ya Magharibi,"" na sekta ya virutubisho vya lishe bado haijaamka kwa umuhimu wa ""Syndrome X"" kama hatari ya kifo na ulemavu kutokana na sababu zote za ugonjwa." Hatari ya kupatwa na ugonjwa wa X ni kubwa sana. Ingawa ugonjwa wa X una sehemu ambazo watu wanaweza kutambua na ugonjwa wa moyo, ugonjwa wa X pia husababisha ugonjwa wa ini, kansa na kupungua kwa mfumo wa kinga. Ugonjwa wa X ni kiashiria cha kuanzishwa kwa ugonjwa wa kisukari wakati wa ukomavu. Watu wenye kisukari au Ugonjwa wa X wanaweza kujitokeza na matokeo ya kupungua kwa utendaji wa kinga. Dalili za mapema za ugonjwa wa kisukari kwa watu wengi ni pamoja na maambukizo ya mara kwa mara, kwa mfano: Kichocheo cha Candida Kupunguza sukari iliyotengenezwa katika chakula chao kunaweza kuwa hatua rahisi ya kusaidia kurudisha usawaziko katika mfumo wa kinga. "Mafaa ya afya ya Syndrome X yametokana na ufafanuzi mpya wa Syndrome X kama ""Syndrome X, Y na Z."" ""Ninaamini kwamba msaada wa lishe kwa kazi ya kinga lazima uwe na pande nyingi na uundaji wa virutubisho vya lishe ambavyo vina viungo kadhaa tofauti vya asili ni njia ya kutoa msaada wa lishe kwa kazi bora ya kinga." "Halford, M. ""Mimi"" (Mimi) ni mchungaji wa ""Mimi"" (Mimi) na ""Mimi"" (Mimi) ni mchungaji wa ""Mimi"" (Mimi) na ""Mimi"" (Mimi) ni mchungaji wa ""Mimi"" (Mimi) na ""Mimi"" (Mimi) ni mchungaji wa ""Mimi"" (Mimi) na ""Mimi"" ni mchungaji wa ""Mimi"" (Mimi) na ""Mimi"" ni mchungaji wa ""Mimi"" (Mimi) na ""Mimi"" ni mchungaji wa ""Mimi"" (Mimi")."