IMMUNE SUPPORT vs IMMUNE REJUVENATION

I listened to a very interesting podcast discussion this morning between Dr. Mark Hyman, head of the Functional Medicine department at the Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Jefferey Bland, who started the Institute of Functional Medicine in 1991and was very actively involved in learning about and treating HIV when it was first coming onto the scene in the 1980’s.

Here is the link to the podcast   https://overcast.fm/+NNZYhG-9I

Below is a summary. 

Although supporting a healthy immune system and minimizing additional inflammation in our bodies is crucial, we should also remember that our immune cells are constantly forming and our immune system can rejuvenate. If your immune system is not functioning optimally, do you want to continue supporting that or have your immune system rejuvenate, starting from scratch with healthier cells?

It all goes back to our Bone Marrow. 

All of the cells floating around in your blood as well as those involved in inflammation and immune response in our tissues are derived from hematopoietic stem cells, cells which can be turned into ANYTHING our body needs. These cells sit there in the bone marrow, not designated for any particular purpose, and then get called upon to fill in any gaps in our immune defences that are needed. So if you are depleted, whether it is nutritionally depleted, sleep depleted, overstressed or overloaded with toxins, the immune cells which come out of your bone marrow come out imprinted with what is going on in your body. The cytokine storm is a manifestation of an already stressed body with immune cells predisposed to over-reaction. There is a reason that it is seen mostly in people with any chronic disease, such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, any autoimmune disease but also, simply being overweight and obese, which puts a stress on the body in many ways. Although many of these conditions are diseases of excess, there are some deficiencies which also contribute.

What is rejuvenation? Every 10 seconds, our bone marrow produces 1 million new white blood cells, 23 million red blood cells and 50 million new platelets, the ones responsible for proper blood clotting. Older cells floating around in your body, imprinted with your present life experiences, are ones you want to get rid of and replace with fresh, healthier cells. 

Immunophenotyping is an evolving field of study looking at how specific immune cells get imprinted with specific messages to become what they are. Their phenotype. Genotypes are the genes. Phenotypes are the expression of the genes, how a cell works, looks and acts. To solve those answers, one could try to re-learn everything or simply study those cultures and populations where people don’t have chronic diseases or frequent infections. One could simply look to the “Blue Zones” (check out the book by Dan Buettner), areas in the world where today, people routinely live well into their 90’s and even 100’s, healthy, mentaly clear and with limited chronic diseases. These are all places that did not have immediate access to modern medicine or antibiotics and still did great. What did they do? They were, among other things, sleeping well, moving a lot, managing stress and eating certain diets. Although 4 out of 5 Blue Zones eat some animal products, they constitute 5-10% of their diet, which mostly consists of unprocessed fruits, vegetables, beans and nuts and seeds. The group that did the best however was 100% vegan and they are in Loma Linda, California. ALL of them had one food in common though, beans! 

The most important component we can benefit from in plants are the PHYTOCHEMICALS. These compounds are basically the immune defence mechanisms (their immune system) of plants and there are 1000’s of them. They are generated when the plants are under stress. When a plant is stressed, it can’t run away. They have developed complex compounds to defend themselves.

So what are the best foods to eat? Which plants have the most valuable phytonutrients? Dr. Bland goes into a discussion about one plant in particular, Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat, an ancient grain which comes from China. I suspect he sells a supplement which concentrates one of the active compounds, 2-Hydroxybenzylamine (2-HOBA, also known as salicylamine). This ancient, non-gluten-containing grain, has 100x the phytochemical density of any other plant food. It is a self pollinator, unlike standard buckwheat and in fact most other plants. There are over 100 different phytochemicals that tartary buckwheat generates. It lives, self pollinating, in a very hostile environment in China, where drought, freezing temperatures and poor soil conditions are common, free of all chemicals, and it’s been around for 1000’s of years. It has genes which detoxifies aluminum from the soil. It has built-in detoxification mechanisms. 

We evolved in concert with all the plants and animals around. This is called co-evolution. An example of how reliant we are the world around us is vitamin C. Humans and Guinea Pigs are not able to generate vitamin C. All other animals can. We probably used to but because we can get it abundantly from the environment, we probably bred this ability out of the human gene pool.

The orchestration of all the different phytochemicals from all the different plants we eat, plays a unique role in how our bodies get rid of the older, damaged immune cells and stimulate production of the newer, healthier cells, produced in a healthier environment. Autophagy is a term which describes digestion of our own cells in a process that accomplishes just that. Older, damaged cells are “auto” consumed and this process is stimulated by phytochemicals. It is a natural process which is hampered by inflammation in the body and stimulated by healthier lifestyle habits, particularly a diet rich in plant phytochemicals. This is not an “anti-viral” effect. It is an “immune-rejuvenating” effect, allowing the healthier immune system to fight off infection better, rather than respond to an overwhelming infection or inflammation. 

The bottom line is that the dietary pattern which has the most positive impact on human health is one which focuses on a varied, whole-food, plant-based diet. The factor which supports the healthiest gut flora, where 80% of our immune function is located, is the variety of plants you consume. Not animal products, all of which are pro-inflammatory, especially in the amounts most people consume. 

I heard something the other day and it is worth mentioning. Food can either heal disease or act as a slow poison. You can continue to eat pro-inflammatory foods like processed food, added sugars and animal products. Or you can consume foods which improve health and support decreasing inflammation and rejuvenating your immune system like fruits and vegetables. The big ones are:

• Fruit, all of them. Eat a varied mount. The big players are berries, apples, citrus like oranges but anything is great. The sugar in fruit, assuming the fruit is whole, is not an issue. I am diabetic and eat a ton of fruit.
• Greens. Eat as many as you can, as often as you can. I eat them for breakfast with my morning oatmeal. The big players are kale, spinach, chard and my favorite, dandelion greens, which has 10x the antioxidants of the next most potent green, spinach.
• Cruciferous vegetables. Especially broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower.
• Nuts and seeds. Keep them raw and unsalted but don’t overdo it. 1 handful has 18ish grams of fat. Better fat, but the more you eat, the more fat you consume. And FAT, not sugar, is what causes insulin resistance, the precursor to pre-diabetes and diabetes, one of the main health issues complicating Covid-19.
• All other veggies are great. Eat many, many different types and eat them often.
• If you choose to eat animal products, keep them clean, not factory-farmed, free range, wild caght and NOT factory farmed.
  

In addition to diet, all the other things are important:

• Move as much as you can.
• Manage stress as best as you can.
• Sleep as well as you can.
• Stay connected with friends and loved ones as much as you can.

Stay safe and be well. 

AC 😎✌️🌱❤🐖🏃🏻🧘🏻‍♂️🌎