11 Fascinating Things a Lymie Needs to Know About the Immune System

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The immune system is complicated, intricate, and essential to overall health. Chronic Lyme attacks the immune system, making it weaker, and Lymies more susceptible to diseases fighting their way in. 

Understanding a few quirks about the immune system and ways to strengthen it may be the key to accelerating healing. To help you, we have compiled 11 fascinating facts you may not know about the immune system.

Why the Immune System is Essential for Health

We are exposed to thousands of bacteria, viruses, and fungi every day. Without a strong and healthy immune system, the body is left vulnerable. All other systems of the body rely on the immune system for protection and cannot function properly when the immune system fails.

For Chronic Lymies, the immune system is simultaneously our weakness and our army. Antibiotics have failed us, and our bodies continue to be ravaged by this terrible disease. Our knight in shining armor, the immune system, has been fighting this fight for a long time. The immune system is tired, worn down, and weak. To give our bodies a chance to beat Lyme, we must do everything in our power to strengthen our weakened immune system. 

The Appendix is Thought to be a Member of the Immune System

Did you know that scientists have recently discovered a reason for the appendix?

For a long time, the appendix was thought to be a useless vestigial organ that had no purpose or benefit. The only thing these little guys were known for was going septic and causing a need for emergency surgery. 

Recently, scientists have discovered that the appendix might have a purpose after all.

Special cells known as innate lymphoid cells and symbiotic bacteria are stored within the appendix. Oftentimes, after dealing with disease, the gut is depleted of all necessary good bacteria that keeps the digestive system going. The appendix is thought to release good bacteria at this time to replenish the digestive system, and get your health back on track. 

Feelings of Sociability may be Affected by the Immune System

According to researchers at the Virginia School of Medicine, the immune system has a pretty large effect on how friendly you feel. The Interferon Gamma, a substance that helps the immune system fight off harmful intruders, has been linked to social behavior. When the immune system is working well, this substance sends signals to the prefrontal cortex to encourage social behavior. 

When it is not performing well, this substance acts as a brake to the prefrontal cortex, discouraging social behavior. So, if you are feeling like staying inside and skipping plans with friends, it might be because your immune system is feeling low today.  

Who knew our bodies were already naturally social distancing?

What Causes an Immune System to be Weak?

Many things can cause a weak immune system. Illness, allergies, medicines, stress, anxiety, and more can force your immune system to work too hard and stretch too thin, leaving gaps in your defenses. 

Understanding how to mend these gaps in your armor can help your immune system get back to what it needs to focus on most: dealing with Lyme. 

Lack of Sleep can be a Major Issue

In order to function properly, the body needs to be getting enough sleep. Infection-fighting cells and antibodies are reduced during periods of poor sleep. The trouble with Lymies is, many of us suffer from insomnia and poor sleeping patterns. This makes recovering from Lyme even harder, and turns into a vicious, draining cycle. 

Finding a supplement to help you fall asleep naturally and effectively can greatly improve immune system health. Try looking for supplements with ingredients like L-Theanine, Gamma-Aminobutyric acid, Valerian Root, Melatonin, and 5-HTP. Many have also found CBD to be highly effective in preparing the body for sleep, mitigating pain, and helping with inflammation. Dealing with these symptoms may help you fall asleep. 

Allergies can Overload the Immune System 

Allergens can take up precious attention from the immune system. Instead of focusing on bacteria and virus invaders, the immune system can sometimes become fixated on allergens that are quite harmless. 

This malfunction of the immune system is why allergic reactions can be so severe. The immune system truly believes it is under attack, and it will go to the lengths it feels necessary to fight back. This behavior can result in anything from a mild itching of the eyes, to a closing of the throat, or even passing out. 

Causing these reactions takes precious energy and attention away from Lyme and other invading microbes. Lyme is a tricky bacteria to kill, and if the full attention of the immune system isn’t on Lyme, it will continue to wreak havoc on the body. 

If you experience seasonal allergies, consider finding a natural supplement to help lesson your symptoms. A few natural ingredients that you may want to be on the lookout for are: Quercetin, Nettle Extract, Greater Burdock root, and Spirulina. These potent ingredients are proven to help the body deal with allergens better, and will take some of the burden off of your immune system. 

Stress can Negatively Affect the Immune System

Stress releases a hormone called cortisol. Too much of this hormone can cause your immune system to decrease in health. 

On top of that, stress and anxiety can keep you up at night, which we’ve already established harms the immune system. 

Take time to do something that relieves stress, whether that be mindful meditation, dancing, listening to music, or any other mental health practice. 

Some Lymies have also found that CBD can help relieve anxiety and stress in a natural way. 

Lyme affects the mind as well as the body, and the mental symptoms of Lyme can be just as debilitating as the physical ones. Not only will relieving stress help the immune system, but it will also help you. 

Environmental Toxicity can Weaken the Immune System

When toxicity invades the body, it is the immune system that must fight back against it. This takes resources away from fighting Lyme, and puts them towards fighting toxins. Environmental toxicity is not something that can be avoided, no matter how many known toxic chemicals you try to avoid. The only way to truly cleanse the body of toxins is by participating in an effective and comprehensive full-body detox regimen. 

Symptoms can Mean that Your Immune System is Working

Some symptoms that we usually associate with disease can actually be reactions of the immune system. For example, a fever is the immune system’s attempt to kill off a virus, not the result of the actual virus. 

Ever heard of the herxheimer reaction? Within the Lyme community, it is often referred to as herxing. During this reaction, the body experiences painful symptoms that are caused by the dying off of bacteria and viruses. When these microbes die, they release endotoxins and free radicals into the body that start wreaking havoc; causing pain and inflammation. 

While this pain is a sign that things are getting better, there are ways to mitigate it. 

Taking a natural detoxifying agent like Zeolite can help remove those endotoxins faster. Zeolite grabs toxins throughout the body and flushes them out through the urine. Look for an Advanced Cellular Zeolite that can operate at the cellular level. 

Your Immune System can Attack Itself

An autoimmune disease is a disorder where the immune system becomes hyperactive, and begins attacking normal healthy cells rather than foreign invaders. A few examples of autoimmune diseases include: 

  • Type 1 diabetes
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Lupus
  • and many more. 

Some scientists believe that Lyme belongs in that list too. We can’t know for sure until more professionals look into this, but the symptoms seem awfully familiar. 

Statistics Show that More Women Have Autoimmune Diseases than Men

Did you know that 78% of people diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder are women? Because of the subtle differences between the male and female immune systems, females are much more likely to develop autoimmune disorders. 

Detoxing can Help Unburden the Immune System

Toxins distract the immune system just as allergens do, but they are much more harmful in the long run. Environmental toxicity has been linked to many diseases, even cancer. With toxins to deal with, there is no way the immune system can be running at full capacity. 

Toxins can also interrupt nutrient absorption. Think about your cells as that cute baby toy we can all remember that had different shapes on every side, and only the right shaped block could make it through the right hole. Different nutrients act as different shapes that fit perfectly into their assigned places. Some toxins are similar shapes to nutrients, and they try to cram themselves into nutrient holes. When toxins do this, they block nutrients from being absorbed. No matter how many supplements you take or vegetables you eat, they won’t be properly absorbed if they are blocked by toxicity. 

A great example of this is mercury and magnesium. These two substances utilize the same place in the cell, and their prevalence in the body has a direct correlation. If you are experiencing mercury toxicity, you are also experiencing magnesium deficiency. 

In order for your body to absorb nutrients that will aid the immune system and overall health, you first have to detox the entire body at the cellular level. This will free up designated stations that are meant for nutrients, and allow your body to absorb and heal as it should. 

Supplements to Help with Detox

Supplements that we suggest to help with detox are: 200 parts per million colloidal silver, Zeolite, and Glutathione. 

Silver at 200 ppm has been shown to kill borrelia, as well as remove toxic heavy metals from the body. 

Zeolite has been shown to remove toxins at the cellular level, as well as increase lymphocyte production. 

Glutathione is the master antioxidant. It neutralizes free-radicals that dying bacteria release (to help with the herxing reaction), and it replenishes glutathione in the immune system so that it can continue to fight. 

This potent combination should be highly effective, and easily absorbed by the body.

Chronic Lyme is hard, almost impossible to overcome. But we cannot give up. It is up to us to give our bodies the best fighting chance they have, and the only way to do that is to strengthen the immune system. Stay vigilant, spread awareness, take care of yourself, and never forget: we are stronger together.