Let’s begin with a high level overview of our immune system.
Our immune system has two main divisions – the innate system, and the adaptive system. The innate immune system responds immediately to the presence of an antigen (piece of a pathogen) is non-specific and doesn’t require a prior memory. This includes our barriers (skin & mucous membranes) and a number of cells that have specific functions to identify, kill infected cells, and stimulate a more widespread response as needed. The adaptive immune system is slower to respond, is highly specific and holds memories to prior experiences with particular antigens.
Before we get into the nuts and bolts of the cells and and processes that regulate our immune response, we need to appreciate a few basic relationships – to the ecosystem as a whole, the microbiome and the virome.
Historically, language around the immune system has been military like – wars, battles, attacks, and invasions. Louis Pasteur introduced germ theory in 1861, and it has been the prevailing theory of disease for the past 160 years. The basic premise of germ theory is that a pathogen (bacteria, fungi, parasite or virus) causes disease. Pasteurs lesser known contemporary, Bechamps developed the foundations of terrain theory – which many consider to be in conflict with germ theory. In Bechamps terrain theory, the health or state of the person determines a response to a pathogen. If you ask me, they are both right – and it’s all about balance. We have been at war with microbes, when in fact, we are literally covered with them (inside and out).
Over the past few decades, we have come to understand that we are more microbial than we are human cells, numerically speaking. We call this tiny world of microbes our microbiome. It interfaces with our immune system in countless ways and supports our capacity to adapt to the world around us. The virome is the world of viruses that exist in our ecosystem. They are tiny packets of genomic material – they are not living organisms. There are more viruses in the air, the soil and our oceans than there are stars in our universe. We are in constant dialogue with the genomic information of the virome, which has been a hugely important variable in our development as humans. We are not at war with viruses, we are in relationship to them – and have been since the beginning of our species.
This is an important place to start since it literally shifts our paradigm and our perspective of the natural world, and our place in it.
Today we are in an epic dance with SARS-cov-2 that has dramatically changed how we live around the world. Scientists are publishing new information at a record pace, and we are learning more about our relationship with the virome, and the adaptations it demands. We have learned who is vulnerable, how it transmits and the particular receptor through which it enters the cells (ACE-2). Coronaviruses are a family, with many similar properties to one another. Our previous interaction with coronaviruses is remembered by our t-cells, which in dialogue with other immune cells mobilizes our immune system to respond. This is one of the reasons why so many people are asymptomatic or have minimal symptoms. Thankfully, critical care doctors and scientists have collaborated to quickly develop new treatments and establish more effective ways to support those that are severely challenged to adapt.
So, how do you support your immune system to allow a healthy relationship with the virome, and the capacity to adapt.
Back to the basics.
Being hydrated, well rested and well nourished are the foundations of good health. Find ways to connect with people, be active outside in fresh air, cultivate love and joy everyday. These have significant, and well documented impacts on our health and well-being.
Support your microbiome with time in nature, and by avoiding or minimizing your exposure to chemicals – in your food, water, air and environment. Chemicals have a cumulative and significant impact on our microbiome and barrier systems in our body. Our barriers are our first line of support that keep us in balance with microbes and viruses. Our skin and our mucosal membranes – especially in the respiratory and digestive systems are harmed by chemical exposures.
Eating probiotic foods every day increases the diversity and flora of your gut microbiome, naturally. Fermented foods are rich in bacteria (ie. kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, miso). A tablespoon per day, of ideally different sources is a great seed for your gut health. There are some people who fall into a category of gut health that cannot tolerate fermented foods, because of a problem with their methylation pathways. Always listen to your body’s response to changes you make, and follow up with your primary care provider if you discover a problem.
Soak up the sun when you can. Vitamin D levels in our blood are one of the most important predictors of our immune response – and the sun is the most natural way to get it. Vitamin D helps to activate a particular group of our immune cells, which clean up and get rid of infected cells and stimulate other important responses. Supplementing with vitamin D can become an important approach, particularly in our climate in the winter. According to recent research, a blood level of more than 30ng/ml (75 nmol/L) is associated with significant reduction in serious or fatal Covid-19 infection. A target level of 40 ng/ml is ideal and achieved through daily or intermittent supplementation. The best approach for you is what matters and should be a discussion you have with your primary care provider as soon as possible – too little is a problem, and so is too much. Dr. David Anderson and Dr. David Grimes have been on a mission throughout this pandemic to bring several decades of research perspectives on vitamin D to the world, in an effort to reduce the negative outcomes of Covid-19. They published a book in July (Vitamin D Deficiency and Covid-19), several articles and have participated in many interviews. A quick google search and you will have more resources than you could ever imagine on vitamin D, from a current expert source.
We will dive deeper into the specifics of vitamins and minerals that support healthy immune function next week, as we take a look at the nuts and bolts of the innate immune system.
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