The immune system is not a single system, but a complex set of processes that involve multiple body systems, including the digestive system, lymphatic system, circulatory system, skin system and more. These systems are roughly divided into three parts: the protective surfaces of the body (the skin and mucus membranes which create mechanical barriers), and the cell-mediated immune responses, including the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system. 

The adaptive immune system consists of two kinds of white blood cells: B-Cells and T-Cells. It also has antibodies which are used to tag specific cells for destruction. The adaptive immune system resides primarily in the blood and lymph and protects you against specific microbes. This is the part of the immune system a vaccine is supposed to stimulate to cause you to develop immunity. The thymus helps to program these immune cells.  

The thymus gland is a specialized, butterfly-shaped organ of the human immune system.  It’s located in the center of the chest under the breastbone. It is one of the most important glands in the body, because it helps to regulate the immune system. The primary function of the thymus gland is to produce and process lymphocytes or T-Cells. Lymphocytes are white blood cells that protect the body by producing antibodies that stop the invasion of foreign agents, bacteria and viruses. They also prevent the growth of abnormal cells - like cancer. The thymus gland is very active in children, as it helps develop the immune system. In some cases, the thymus gland may become underactive, leaving the person more prone to infections and diseases.

The bulk of the typical everyday diet is dead food; it has no nutritional benefits to the body. In fact, humans are the only creatures on God’s earth who see fit to alter food before we eat it, killing the enzymes and many of the nutrients in the process. If the food we buy at the supermarket has not already had the life processed out of it, we ensure its “deadness” by the way we prepare it for the table. We bake, barbecue, broil, char, fricassee, fry, microwave, sauté, scald, simmer, stew, toast, or otherwise kill the live enzymes in most of our food before we invest in our bodies with it. What kind of investment we make in our bodies is determined on the quality of the food we take in. Over an extended period of time, the returns of bad food investments leave our health accounts bankrupt. The body has an amazing ability to sustain life even on the “junkiest” of diets. Simply sustaining life is a far cry from producing vibrant health, and the older we get the more we need to support our immune system.

Like any fighting force, the immune system army marches on its stomach. Healthy immune system warriors need good, REAL nutritional food. Organic food, fruits vegetables, foods that provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber are important to the overall health of the individual. The majority of carbohydrates should come from complex carbohydrates (starches) and naturally occurring sugars, rather than processed or refined sugars, which do not have the vitamins or minerals.  Refined sugars are often called "empty calorie food" because they have little to no nutritional value. If you’re going to eat meat make sure it’s grass-fed beef, free range chickens and wild caught fish all cooked at a temperature below 120 degrees, so as not to kill the enzymes. Scientists have long recognized that people who live in poverty and are malnourished are more vulnerable to infectious diseases. Being lazy with your diet also fits this category.

 

Real food is the best way to improve your immune system. If you do not like vegetables or you are not a fruit eater, then try fruit and vegetable smoothies. You need to supplement your diet. As mentioned last month, you cannot get your everyday nutritional requirements from your everyday food, even if you are organic. Today’s soil has been farmed for hundreds of years; it does not have the minerals in it today as it did in the past. Most Americans are mineral deficient. You need to supplement.

We do not know what lies ahead of us in relation to COVID-19, however what we do know is if we are improving our immune system by eating properly and supplementing correctly, exercising, practicing social distancing, wearing a mask and gloves when we need to go out, we are doing the best we can possibly do for ourselves, our neighbors and our fellow Americans. 

Stay Healthy, Stay Home

Dr. D Rodger ND, MBA
Publisher