The So-Called Immune System
The phrase Immune System is a somewhat misleading phrase and it's kind of a pet peeve of mine. I've been known to bitch about it online:
From HBOT, Gangrene, Oxygen comment:
So cystic fibrosis causes a compromised immune system but, like, I spent a lot of years wondering "What does that even mean? Where is the immune system in my body? Which organs are they? How does CF make me so vulnerable to infection?"
And the answer is that "the immune system" doesn't really mean a specific set of organs like "the circulatory system" or "the digestive system" means a specific set of organs. It's just kind of a catch phrase for "how the body protects itself" and it's not really that well understood or explained exactly (how) that happens.
From How do you deal with chronic illness?:
Unlike, say, your circulatory system or digestive system, your immune system is not a separate set of distinct and readily identifiable organs with a specific and isolated function of "immunity." Your skin is part of your so-called immune system. Your gut is part of your so-called immune system. Your respiratory tract is part of your so-called immune system.
From Rethinking the science of skin:
As I noted a couple of days back, the so-called "immune system" is not a distinct, identifiable, separate set of organs and the skin's job of keeping out invaders makes it part of the immune system.
I will add that skin and gut tissue are both the exact same class of tissue: They are both epithelial tissue. So it should hardly be shocking that when one of your epithelial tissues has an issue, so does another.
From The Angler Fish Deleted Its Immune System...:
So while it's fascinating that this fish has apparently deleted some important pieces of its immune system, I don't think it is accurate to say "it deleted its immune system" (in its entirety) because the odds are good it still has many systems that help protect it from invading microbes, starting with some kind of skin/scales/hide and including some kind of digestive function.
It's a really interesting piece, but the immune system isn't any one thing. It's everything the body does to try to keep out invaders and white blood cells are just one part of that.
So here are a few of my thoughts on some of the major pieces of the so-called immune system as I understand them through the lens of my disorder:
When mucus works properly, it can firm up like cement to trap invaders so the body can send white blood cells to literally eat them. When it doesn't work properly -- as is the case with unmitigated CF -- it's much, much harder to combat infection because it can keep wandering around, running from your white blood cells instead of being trapped in one place waiting for them to arrive to do their job.
See also: Too Little Mucus (NSFW)
All that food you shovel in contains all kinds of god-knows-what and your body faces a big challenge in trying to get what it needs safely.
Fasting has a reputation for somewhat "mysteriously" helping all kinds of conditions. I think it's in part because not eating frees up those resources temporarily so the body can send white blood cells to handle other tasks.
It's like taking a system offline so maintenance can be done.
Also, in addition to digesting food, digestive enzymes can be used as an antiviral protocol if taken on an empty stomach. So if you fast, it should improve the body's ability to kill viral infections, a la the old saying Feed a fever, starve a cold.
Your bone marrow is the factory for those things and if it isn't getting the support it needs to create them, you have a big supply chain problem in terms of churning out the "troops" so to speak to create the army you need in a battle against invaders.
For people with CF an important detail is that bone marrow is fatty and we misprocess fats. When I was much, much sicker, I used to cure my excruciating jaw pain by eating up to 3/4 of a stick of butter as part of a butter sandwich.
I am no longer capable of eating that much butter in one sitting. I likely have more fat in my system than I have ever had before in my life and it helped me lose multiple dress sizes. I wasn't actually fat. I suffer chronic edema and it used to be vastly worse than it is currently.
A compromised circulatory system impacts hands, feet, ears and nose FIRST. Diabetics are at risk of needing one or both feet amputated because of this.
If your nose isn't getting enough blood supply, now you can assume your sinuses are in a weakened state and you will be prone to sinus infections and, worse, the sinuses are a first line of defense for your lungs. If your sinuses are compromised, more stuff will get into your lungs than should be there and you will be more prone to lung infections.
Additionally, the brainkind of pokes out into has a surprisingly direct connection to the sinuses so if your sinuses are a mess, you may be vulnerable to things happening to your brain.
See also my explanation of the lymphatic system.
If you can break up the biofilm, you can reverse antibiotic resistance. You do that by eating a more alkaline diet.
No, you probably can't just take strong antacids because if the stomach gets too alkaline, you can cease to be able to digest your food and begin throwing up. TLDR: Eat a salad regularly. Lettuce is good for you.
See also: Biofilm and Acidity
This is NOT intended to be a comprehensive list of "all" parts of the so-called immune system. In a nutshell, think of it like this: Your body is like a building and how secure it is from invaders depends in part on whether it is made of brick or wood, whether the doors are metal, glass or just screen doors, etc etc but all we talk about is whether or not the security cameras and alarm were working.
From HBOT, Gangrene, Oxygen comment:
So cystic fibrosis causes a compromised immune system but, like, I spent a lot of years wondering "What does that even mean? Where is the immune system in my body? Which organs are they? How does CF make me so vulnerable to infection?"
And the answer is that "the immune system" doesn't really mean a specific set of organs like "the circulatory system" or "the digestive system" means a specific set of organs. It's just kind of a catch phrase for "how the body protects itself" and it's not really that well understood or explained exactly (how) that happens.
From How do you deal with chronic illness?:
Unlike, say, your circulatory system or digestive system, your immune system is not a separate set of distinct and readily identifiable organs with a specific and isolated function of "immunity." Your skin is part of your so-called immune system. Your gut is part of your so-called immune system. Your respiratory tract is part of your so-called immune system.
From Rethinking the science of skin:
As I noted a couple of days back, the so-called "immune system" is not a distinct, identifiable, separate set of organs and the skin's job of keeping out invaders makes it part of the immune system.
I will add that skin and gut tissue are both the exact same class of tissue: They are both epithelial tissue. So it should hardly be shocking that when one of your epithelial tissues has an issue, so does another.
From The Angler Fish Deleted Its Immune System...:
So while it's fascinating that this fish has apparently deleted some important pieces of its immune system, I don't think it is accurate to say "it deleted its immune system" (in its entirety) because the odds are good it still has many systems that help protect it from invading microbes, starting with some kind of skin/scales/hide and including some kind of digestive function.
It's a really interesting piece, but the immune system isn't any one thing. It's everything the body does to try to keep out invaders and white blood cells are just one part of that.
So here are a few of my thoughts on some of the major pieces of the so-called immune system as I understand them through the lens of my disorder:
Skin
Your skin is a first line of defense against invaders and I have already written an entire post about Skin and CF. If your skin doesn't work right, you are likely vulnerable to catching infections you can't keep out, soaking up toxic substances from things you touch, etc.Mucus
Mucus coats the surface of your gut, your respiratory tract and the female reproductive tract. What all three of these have in common is they are entry points to the body for outside substances and the body needs some means to gatekeep what it allows in.When mucus works properly, it can firm up like cement to trap invaders so the body can send white blood cells to literally eat them. When it doesn't work properly -- as is the case with unmitigated CF -- it's much, much harder to combat infection because it can keep wandering around, running from your white blood cells instead of being trapped in one place waiting for them to arrive to do their job.
See also: Too Little Mucus (NSFW)
The Gut
The gut contains about seventy or eighty percent of your immune cells, like white blood cells. Most likely this is because eating multiple times per day is a huge burden on the body in terms of trying to successfully keep out invaders.All that food you shovel in contains all kinds of god-knows-what and your body faces a big challenge in trying to get what it needs safely.
Fasting has a reputation for somewhat "mysteriously" helping all kinds of conditions. I think it's in part because not eating frees up those resources temporarily so the body can send white blood cells to handle other tasks.
It's like taking a system offline so maintenance can be done.
Also, in addition to digesting food, digestive enzymes can be used as an antiviral protocol if taken on an empty stomach. So if you fast, it should improve the body's ability to kill viral infections, a la the old saying Feed a fever, starve a cold.
Bone Marrow
Bone marrow is where your body manufactures things like white blood cells. These are the cells which actively target infection and it's these cells that people tend to think of as "the immune system."Your bone marrow is the factory for those things and if it isn't getting the support it needs to create them, you have a big supply chain problem in terms of churning out the "troops" so to speak to create the army you need in a battle against invaders.
For people with CF an important detail is that bone marrow is fatty and we misprocess fats. When I was much, much sicker, I used to cure my excruciating jaw pain by eating up to 3/4 of a stick of butter as part of a butter sandwich.
I am no longer capable of eating that much butter in one sitting. I likely have more fat in my system than I have ever had before in my life and it helped me lose multiple dress sizes. I wasn't actually fat. I suffer chronic edema and it used to be vastly worse than it is currently.
Lungs
As noted in the very first comment I quoted at the start of this piece, HBOT gets used to force high levels of oxygen into the body as a means to kill gangrene. Ergo one can infer that oxygen is an important part of the immune system used to kill some kinds of invaders. So if your lungs are not right, you can assume you are vulnerable to anaerobic infections.Circulatory System
Your blood supply is the stream of life for your body. It brings oxygen and nutrients to all tissues and removes waste products. If anything is wrong with your blood, your immune system is compromised because your tissues will not be getting enough oxygen and nutrients and will not be getting adequate "trash service."A compromised circulatory system impacts hands, feet, ears and nose FIRST. Diabetics are at risk of needing one or both feet amputated because of this.
If your nose isn't getting enough blood supply, now you can assume your sinuses are in a weakened state and you will be prone to sinus infections and, worse, the sinuses are a first line of defense for your lungs. If your sinuses are compromised, more stuff will get into your lungs than should be there and you will be more prone to lung infections.
Additionally, the brain
See also my explanation of the lymphatic system.
pH Balance
In a nutshell, excess acidity of the tissues promotes inflammation and infection. Extreme acidity can be deadly and high acidity also fosters biofilm and biofilm causes antibiotic resistance in infection.If you can break up the biofilm, you can reverse antibiotic resistance. You do that by eating a more alkaline diet.
No, you probably can't just take strong antacids because if the stomach gets too alkaline, you can cease to be able to digest your food and begin throwing up. TLDR: Eat a salad regularly. Lettuce is good for you.
See also: Biofilm and Acidity
This is NOT intended to be a comprehensive list of "all" parts of the so-called immune system. In a nutshell, think of it like this: Your body is like a building and how secure it is from invaders depends in part on whether it is made of brick or wood, whether the doors are metal, glass or just screen doors, etc etc but all we talk about is whether or not the security cameras and alarm were working.
