Immunity As Superpower: An Introduction
In this Superpower Series, I'll be discussing hormonal, nutritional, behavioral, and herbal methods of super-powering our immune systems.
"What's your superpower?" My friends and I would ask that of each other when I was a kid… which somehow devolved into demanding whose father was the oldest, whatever that was suppose to prove. (For what it’s worth, I could control the weather, like Storm,.) And as the COVID-19 disruption evolves and we struggle with uncertainty and risk, one thing that remains absolutely true is that all of us — at any age — have a superpower we can no longer ignore: a Healthy Immune System.
Many people don’t realize how truly complex and amazing the immune system is, including how extensively it coordinates with the rest of the body with fantastic nuance and balance. It’s like the body’s army, police force, media service, disposal system, repair and maintenance department, library network, morale and welfare network, and education system all in one.
Furthermore, far from a single organ, it has numerous divisions to handle the different tasks and cells which regularly hop from department to department depending on the body’s needs. When even one part of the system is damaged, or suppressed as in the case of HIV infection, physiologic disaster ensues, often with lethal consequences.
Sick Behavior
With such a powerful system, why do we fear infection? Well, one reason is that it causes general misery, even if only for a short time. The immune system causes the brain to incite “sickness behavior,” which includes fatigue, aches and pains, loss of appetite, poor concentration, disrupted sleep, irritability, and disinterest in social activities. It is no coincidence that these are also symptoms of depression.
For decades, scientists have used sickness behavior as a model for depression, and numerous studies have shown how various kinds of infections and/ or immune reactions can cause depressive symptoms in both humans and other lab animals. A recent PubMed search of depression and the immune system yielded over four million articles on the subject.
So, yes, it’s depressing to be sick. And disruptive to work. And relationships. And life in general. However: when we consider that humans are inherently social and part of a complex ecosystem of living beings — including pathogenic microbes like bacteria, parasites, and, you guessed it, viruses — perhaps we can speculate that maybe a certain amount of non-lethal infection is actually helpful.
For example, scientists in the field of evolutionary medicine point out that infections make us better adapted to our environment. Given that humans are arguably the most adaptive animal species on earth and that we have undoubtedly been shaped by infection throughout time, perhaps there is a point to that argument. Much like predator and prey, perhaps we both are constantly co-evolving to outwit the other, forcing the emergence of new traits and strengths.
Village of the Damned
As I mentioned in Social Distancing: What It Isn't Good For, approximately 8% of the human genome is made up of viral DNA, underlining the contribution infections have made to our identity as a species. Our immune systems vary widely among different populations, which keeps the entire species from being vulnerable to a single superbug. Ie, our strength lies in diversity.
The case of a Eyam, a small town in Great Britain, is illustrative. The brave members of this village, estimated to contain between 365 and 800 inhabitants and led by the vicar, William Pompesson, made an unusual decision when faced with an outbreak of Bubonic Plague in the mid-1660s. He recognized that the plague was being spread when exposed villagers (who didn’t yet show symptoms) fled elsewhere at the first sign of infection in their town and therefore proposed that the townspeople of Eyam stay put. They — the entirety of the village — voluntarily agreed, and although their town suffered the massive loss of 260 citizens, a much higher mortality rate than many other towns, they likely saved the lives of thousands with their courageous decision.
Centuries later, we have discovered that those in Eyam who survived carry a particular gene (CCR5-Delta 32) that, when homozygous, confers immunity to HIV. The identification of this gene led to better therapeutics for AIDS patients and new insights into the immune system as a whole.
It is important to note that these positive scientific discoveries were only realized because the heroic villagers quarantined themselves inside the town with the infected. Unlike our current practice of social distancing, and without a shred of personal protective equipment, they did not cut themselves off from one another. There are numerous stories of how they attempted to care for one another, risking their own lives in the process. Pompesson’s own 27-year-old wife died at after caring for the ill; he also contracted the illness but survived.
The Long Game
This is not to suggest that we should abandon the infected to the natural course of their illness, presuming some genetic advantage to be uncovered in the distant future. Few are preaching “survival of the fittest.” History tells us, however, that it is possible for our current adversities to lead to future benefits which we can’t appreciate in the moment. It’s always hardest to know what we don’t know, and only the wisest have the humility to respect the iceberg of knowledge that lies beneath the surface.
There are clear and valid reasons we don’t want to get sick, but perhaps we should remember it's not the end of humanity if we do.
Of course, the loss of a unique and unrepeatable life is a tragedy worth avoiding at all costs. However, there are many ways of doing this that go beyond restricting ourselves from exposure to the COVID-19 virus (or any virus for that matter).
What is apparent from the current data, incomplete though they are, is that most fatalities occur in the very young, the elderly, and/ or those struggling with other health conditions. Whether we become infected or not, therefore, it is likely that we can protect ourselves from fatality by strengthening our immune system.
The immune system is a complicated machine with multiple interlocking and moving parts. This gives us the advantage of having multiple ways to help ourselves, with a likely synergistic result the more we do. Some people may be only able to add one or two interventions, while others may implement five or six. Whatever we do, a stronger immune system may save our lives and is likely to have additional benefits that we hadn’t even expected.
In the next several posts, I will discuss some common ways to pump our immune systems into the superpower they were meant to be.
Hormonal Help: Cortisol and Adrenaline, Thyroid Hormone, Oxytocin
Necessary Nutrients: Vitamins (A, D, E, B6, B9, B12), Minerals (Zinc, Iron, Copper, Iodine, Selenium, Magnesium), Essential fatty acids (Omega-3s and -6s), Amino Acids, WATER!!
Beneficial Behaviors: Sleep, Exercise, Sunlight, Diet, Cleaning, Stress moderation, Love
Herbal Assistance: Probiotics, Andrographis, Astragalus, Echinacea, Elderberry, Garlic, Ginger, Green Tea, Oregano, Tulsi (Holy Basil)
