Positive Health Online

In a very simplistic analogy, the immune system can be likened to the Armed Forces. Ever vigilant and ready to detect and eliminate anything not labelled as 'self'. The immune system comprises organs (spleen, thymus, tonsils, adenoids, appendix) and many different types of cells with different job descriptions, a bit like the Army, Navy and Airforce - different units but all on the same side, for example, T-cells associated with the Thymus gland and B-cells associated with the Bone marrow. These cells, in order to carry out their functions correctly, must be 'fighting fit', in the best of health and carry the necessary equipment for the job in hand, which must be clearly defined. This I would call immune efficiency.


This innately superb protection mechanism can become inefficient and not up to scratch, or become over-zealous and confused, turning on cells with a 'self' label (auto-immune conditions). This is an abnormal condition; something causes this confusion. A matter for great concern is when cells are invaded with toxic materials, and the cell and the toxins, as a unit, are labelled 'non-self'. Can you imagine what type of Armed Forces we would have if the individuals were fat, ill, poisoned, unfit, lacking in energy, undernourished, discouraged and ill equipped, etc? Well, that is just what our immune system cells are like if we are dehydrated, poisoned, malnourished (even though over-fed), drugged, injured, emotionally toxic or confused etc. (at a cellular level), and what if the enemy were not clearly defined? This is what I would call immune deficiency.

No one has perfect parents, nutrition or environment, and so immune deficiency is present in all human beings to some degree. The individual determinants are on the scale of small to life threatening, even AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome); however there are so very many contributory factors involved that accurate labelling is virtually impossible in every instance. Labels are usually confined to a particular symptomatic aspect rather than causes of that aspect.[1]

For the purpose of this simplistic analogy, all wholesome, nutritious food and drink would be classed as 'acceptable as self', so although technically a carrot, for instance, is not part of 'self', it is acceptable to become 'part of self' and is regarded as 'self' by the immune system within its natural environment (the gut), until broken down into useable parts which can be transported elsewhere. Things which would damage metabolism, or damage in any way, are regarded as 'non-self' and the immune system is roused to action against it. When the initial function of identifying 'self'' from 'non-self' is triggered, the enemy, being identified, is then recorded for future reference, and eliminated by cells appropriate for the task. During this identification and dispatch of troops phase, there might or might not be what is regarded as an 'infection' or illness but is the body's attempts at detoxification. Once something is 'registered as alien', the immune system has immediate access to such registrations, in order to eliminate the invader without further investigation. This is  'immunity'.

Immunity is not only against the specific invader, but tied up with over-all efficiency and cellular elimination efficiency. This aspect is now coming to light as the statistics are being gathered on vaccinated and non-vaccinated children. One such piece of information shows a higher rate of leukaemia in children who have been vaccinated and deprived of the experience of natural exposure to 'normal' childhood illnesses, e.g. measles. Vaccinated children 'contract', for example, atypical measles with strong, unusual and more dangerous side effects and have a higher rate of leukaemia later. This also applies to higher rates of childhood diabetes, asthma, Crohn's and other conditions like the learning difficulty spectrum and migraine.[2-7] The effects of vaccination on immune and nutritional status is an area ripe for study as they are intimately linked.

The thymus gland is a vital part of the immune system with its maximum activation prior to puberty. Its function is diminished by over half within a day or so after an infant's first vaccination during the time it is most needed to process and mature lymphocytes T-cells (used in anti-body production).[7] Other vital parts of the immune system, tonsils, adenoids, appendices, (and sometimes the spleen) are regarded as non-essential organs when they become congested and often surgically removed lowering potential immune efficiency.

Immunity and detoxification, although both being superb protection mechanisms, are different in nature; the confusion seems to be because they can both appear to have the same outcome in 'symptoms'. Immunity can cause detoxification to occur. When body tissue becomes toxic, natural body defences 'clean up the garbage' using as the work-force, organisms which are labelled 'pathogenic' whilst they are active. Bacteria live on toxic organic matter and this is why they are present during a state of dis-ease, or clean-up where the 'garbage' level becomes disruptive to adequate bodily function. When the toxic matter has been cleared away (or lowered), the work-force is reduced in number and reverts to its 'non-pathogenic' phase.

Can flies and rats cause garbage? No. Just the same with bacteria. They accumulate at the site of the cellular 'garbage' for a purpose. If there is insufficient toxic tissue to be disruptive, there is no 'clean-up crisis' bacterial action. Toxic tissue level causes bacterial action, not the other way round. Robert Koch's (a contemporary of Louis Pasteur) Postulates  which define bacterial relationship to disease, prove that the above is the case and that the 'germ theory' proposed by Pasteur does not hold water as it stands.

Koch postulates that:

1. Specific bacteria must be found in every case of the disease;
2. The specific organism must not be found in absence of the disease;
3. The specific organism must be capable of living outside of living tissues;
4. The specific organism must cause the disease when introduced.

Very careful thought to the above points clearly questions the understanding we have of the germ theory. Pasteur himself realized that it was not correct before his death and stated that the "terrain is everything" (terrain referring to body tissue). Even conventional science and medicine recognizes this, despite clinging to error, and they compromise by stating that those who are 'susceptible' to germs are overcome by them. It must be whatever causes 'susceptibility' then, which is the cause of illness, rather than the germs.

Because human beings are individual, immune efficiency will be manifest in different ways. There are broad generalities but individuality must not be over-looked. Our heritage of degenerative factors is also individual, based on the limited gene pool of the people group[8] we belong to. It has been demonstrated that where this gene pool is expanded by integration with peoples of other groups, that genetic potential (which would include immune status) is enhanced. Our inherited and acquired 'software' will register our weak areas and these will be the first areas of defect in immune efficiency.

There is a cause for every effect. This health principle is a most important one to understand. Immune deficiency is just a simple way of saying that our defences are not functioning efficiently. If not, why not? We were all designed for basic efficiency within life-span parameters.

If the immune system is efficient, then something caused efficiency.
If the immune system is deficient, then something caused deficiency.

When we can identify causes of immune deficiency, reversal of those causes promotes return to immune efficiency. Some primary factors involved in suppression of the immune system (and which are all large issues in their own right) are:

1. Chronic dehydration (lack of water intake and uptake);
2. Lack of unrefined sun-dried sea salt;
3. Physical toxins (e.g. mercury, chemicals, fluoride);
4. Emotional toxins (e.g. anger, depression, default negative thought patterns);
5. Incomplete digestion (e.g. lack of HCl, enzymes, gut bacteria);
6. Nutritional deficiencies (primary or secondary);
7. Nutritional toxicities (e.g. refined white sugar and processed salt);
8. Disrupted pH balance;
9. Unhealthy and unnatural life style (e.g. sleep deprivation);
10. Any of the above can be inherited or acquired or combination of both.

Negative emotions impact the immune system just as physical toxins do. We inherit our initial lot in life and make our own unique metabolic pathways which are a compilation of anatomy, physiology and emotions. These are not separate entities but all one. Each cell is a mini-world of the whole. (Wrong infant feeding and its emotional counterpart of lack of love, are no small considerations here.)

The immune system impacts every cell. When we say that we are feeling down, every cell feels down. Feeling down might manifest in a certain body area but the 'down feeling' is registered universally. This reaction is subconscious and a person can be unaware of being depressed, for example, but the immune system will still register depression. We inherit from both parents and are born with a relatively small but important amount of input from our experience in the uterus. All the rest comes from post-birth learning. We take for granted as 'true' the things we experience. Our experiences are our own 'truth' and not necessarily reality.

We will battle with the difference between 'personal truth' and reality
for the rest of our lives or until we address the issues involved.

Much research has concluded that emotions affect the immune system. Many cancers typically manifest after a period of trauma/stress/depression. Part of the immune system's function is to deal with immature cancer cells. It would appear that negative emotions diminish the ability of the immune system to be able to cope adequately whilst in a toxic emotional state.

The psyche is very much tied up with dehydration, toxicity and nutritional status and vice versa, and when dealing with immune deficiency, one needs to address the correction of all aspects, in conjunction with work on relevant emotional issues. Many nutritional supplements, herbal, homeopathic and flower remedies are geared towards enhancing mood and emotional attitudes with the aim of dealing with issues instead of being 'beaten' by them. This is constructive work which will bring immune function benefits.

Only with resolution of key issues, both physical and emotional, can it be appreciated just how much energy was sapped and unavailable in avoiding them.

Notes

1. For example, if pathogenic microbes were rendered unidentifiable by anti-biotics (i.e. become cell-wall deficient organisms) with the consequent abortion of a detoxification episode, then an 'I don't know' label of 'virus infection' might be rendered instead of toxicity (being the cause of the detoxification episode in the first place). If the label of 'virus infection' were accepted, then the cause of toxicity would not even be considered or looked for. This would leave the toxic state in situ and cause an overall accumulation of work for the immune system. (AIDS label - there is much to say on this but not within the scope of an article.)
2. www.generationrescue.org/science/science
3. www.whale.to/vaccine/acute_leukemia.html
4. www.whale.to/a/leukemia.html
5. www.whale.to/d/amalgam1.html
6. www.whale.to/b/hoax1.html
7. www.vaccineriskawareness.com/Your-Immune-System-How-It-Works-And-How-Vaccines-Damage-It
8. People groups are referred to and not races because there is only one race, the human race, but many factions within that race which I refer to as people groups.