Maintaining a strong and balanced immune system has always been critical to humanity’s survival and success, but never more so than today. We live in a world in which our God-given dominance has been increasingly compromised. The nutrients in our soil have been largely stripped away and replaced with synthetic chemical isolates. Our genetically modified food supply has been contaminated with pesticides, antibiotics and hormones. Here, in what is supposed to be the most modern and advanced of all civilizations, we have abandoned the healthy foods provided by our creator for the convenience of fast food and “manufactured” or processed foods. Unlike any generation before us, our bodies are constantly bombarded with chronic low-level chemical toxicity, electromagnetic and radiological exposures, and systematic poisoning from pharmaceutical and other government-subsidized industries.
The stress factor
Living in the information age with seamless accessibility to and from a virtually limitless circle of people and influences greatly increases our stress level and further compromises immunity. The constant and instant demands of our lives leave us with no downtime, and all too often little time or energy left for our most important relationships. The cumulative effects of our chronic exposure to stress are too numerous to calculate. Adrenal exhaustion and thyroid suppression for starters… no wonder America is sick and tired of being sick and tired!
What can we do?
Faced with these various challenges, what can we do to bolster our natural defenses and strengthen our cellular energy systems? As individuals, our daily choices determine the degree to which we avoid some of these exposures. We can reject the standard American diet of processed and fast foods that is responsible for the US leading the world in degenerative diseases. We can reject the voracious and inextinguishable disease industry that now dominates our economy and return to our creator’s plan and provision for our livelihood and vitality. That means fresh fruits and vegetables (organic when possible), whole grains, nuts, seeds, greens, and quality animal foods (organic or grass-fed meat, wild-caught fish, and organic dairy and poultry). . Of course, some of our exposures are hidden and therefore unavoidable. Various supplements may be helpful in increasing essential nutrients and partially offsetting unnecessary exposures by:
- Promotion of detoxification pathways
- Supporting digestion and assimilation
- Control of inflammation
- Strengthening and balancing immunity
Essential flora: essential for life
Some nutrients are essential for health; none more than probiotics. The importance of beneficial bacteria in the gut has finally come to general awareness, but unfortunately, most of the products that are mass marketed today (they seem to be everywhere now) lack the potency and/or the coverage to have an appreciable impact.
The gastrointestinal tract contains the vast majority of our immune cells, and it is there that the ongoing battle for our health is won or lost. Therefore, anyone who wants to maximize their health and minimize their risk of disease should take a broad-spectrum (12-15 strains), high-potency (at least 25 billion live cells per serving) probiotic that contains all the essential flora.
Wake up your scam!
The thymus gland is located just below the breastbone. Often referred to as the “immunity master gland,” it is large in infants and children and atrophies as we age. The thymus seeds the body with immature T cells, the white blood cells responsible for cell-mediated immunity. This gland secretes special chemicals called cytokines (ie interferon, interleukins) that influence the specialization and migration of T lymphocytes throughout the body. The thymus also releases hormones that regulate immune function. These thymic hormones help immune cells to mature, “programming” them to recognize tissues as their own or as invaders. Recognizing the enemy is the first and probably the most important step in the immune response.
As we age, the thymus shrinks as its function shifts from producing immune cells to regulating the immune response. Lower levels of the thymic hormone in the blood are associated with depressed immunity and are typical of the elderly, people with chronic infections, autoimmune disorders, cancer and AIDS patients. The thymus is extremely susceptible to oxidative and free radical damage caused by stress, radiation, poor diet, infection, and chronic disease. People who have undergone radiation, chemotherapy, or other immunosuppressive treatments also often have a low-functioning thymus. Whatever the cause, depressed immunity can lead to increased frequency and severity of colds, fatigue, allergies, or the onset of opportunistic infections.
Glandular therapy: similar cells help similar cells
Glandular Hormone Replacement Therapy is an ancient form of medicine that harnesses the wisdom our Creator placed in all things. It is based on the use of glandular substances and animal organs to enhance the function of the corresponding organs and glands of the human body. Modern medicine replaces the thyroid gland with thyroid hormone, the adrenal gland with cortisone, the pancreatic gland with insulin, and the ovaries with estrogen and progesterone.
However, doctors have not routinely replaced the thymus gland. As your thymus shrinks and weakens with age, the most effective and direct way to stimulate it is by consuming thymus tissue. The calf thymus has long been considered a delicacy, known throughout the world as “sweetbreads”, but cooking it destroys many of the beneficial properties of the gland. Much more effective is to ingest raw and freeze-dried thymus extract, which leaves the thymic factors intact.
The best offense is a good defense!
There are many ways to boost natural immunity and promote cellular vitality, but none is more profound than building a solid foundation with probiotics and thymus gland support. In my next article, we’ll discuss some natural medicines that should be in every medicine cabinet to prepare for various microbial threats, but a strong line of defense is more necessary to survive and thrive in these challenging times.