Tag: immune system

The Common Cold!

The Common Cold!

The Common Cold! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND   Today we will be talking about something everyone knows about and that topic is the common cold! Having a cold is probably one thing that both children and adults understand. But what cause’s a cold? Well when 

The Wonders of Black Seed

The Wonders of Black Seed

The Wonders of Black Seed Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND   I am very excited to start this conversation on black seed. Black Seed is an amazing nutrient for our respiratory system. Invite health has a unique formula which includes Black Seed, Cordyceps and Rosemary Extract. 

Immunity Hx: The Super Immune Supplement

Immunity Hx: The Super Immune Supplement

Immunity Hx

Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND

 

I wanted to do my product highlight on what I consider to be the cornerstone of immune heath. In fact Immune is in its very name, Immunity Hx! Immunity Hx is a combination of vitamin C, vitamin D3 and Zinc! Immunity Hx has 500 mg of vitamin C, 2000 IUs (50mcg) of vitamin D3 and 30mg of zinc. Each of these nutrients has numerous studies showing how they can benefit our immunity.

Let’s start with vitamin C. Vitamin C is called an essential nutrient because it is a key nutrient for different pathways in our body yet our body is unable to make it.  In other words we must get vitamin c in either our diet or in supplement form.  In fact in western populations studies have found that vitamin c deficiency is common and in fact is the fourth leading nutrient deficiency in the US. Vitamin C deficiency may be caused by poor diet, drug or tobacco use, alcohol use, various chronic disease and even by pollution. There are four aspects of our immune system that are positively affected by vitamin C. These are the epithelial barriers, phagocytes, lymphocytes and inflammatory mediators.  Please see the attached Table for all the ways vitamin c affects these parts of the immune system. (1)

Table 1

Role of vitamin C in immune defense.

Immune System Function of Vitamin C Refs.
Epithelial barriers Enhances collagen synthesis and stabilization [30,31,32,33,34,35]
Protects against ROS-induced damage 1 [36,37,38,39,40]
Enhances keratinocyte differentiation and lipid synthesis [41,42,43,44,45]
Enhances fibroblast proliferation and migration [46,47]
Shortens time to wound healing in patients [48,49]
Phagocytes (neutrophils, macrophages) Acts as an antioxidant/electron donor [50,51,52,53]
Enhances motility/chemotaxis [54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63]
Enhances phagocytosis and ROS generation [64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71]
Enhances microbial killing [54,55,57,58,70,72]
Facilitates apoptosis and clearance [71,73,74]
Decreases necrosis/NETosis [73,75]
B- and T-lymphocytes Enhances differentiation and proliferation [62,63,76,77,78,79,80,81,82]
Enhances antibody levels [78,83,84,85]
Inflammatory mediators Modulates cytokine production [75,77,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94]
Decreases histamine levels [56,61,95,96,97,98,99,100,101]

Open in a separate window

1 ROS, reactive oxygen species; NET, neutrophil extracellular trap. Note that many of these studies comprised marginal or deficient vitamin C status at baseline. Supplementation in situations of adequate vitamin C status may not have comparable effects.

Vitamin C has been found in studies to help fight different viral infections. (2) Other studies have found that vitamin C can cut the length of a cold in half. Additionally other studies have found vitamin C can help to prevent pneumonia. Studies have even found that vitamin C can help with tetanus. (3)

The next nutrient in Immunity Hx is vitamin D3. While most people think of D3 as just being for bone health there really is much more that D3 does for our health. Studies have indicated that having low vitamin D can increase the risk of infections. Vitamin D3 is interesting because unlike vitamin C it can be made by the body. (4) However, in my clinical experience reading over blood work I have found many people to have lower than optimum D levels that would suggest they would benefit from a D3 supplement. A number of studies have found an association between low levels of D3 and higher rates of infections such as the flu, vaginosis and HIV. (4) In one study vitamin D supplementation was found to decrease rates of seasonal influenza in school children. (5) Studies looking how vitamin D3 works have found that vitamin D3 is able to stimulate antimicrobial genes to activate. Thus vitamin D works to stimulate antimicrobial proteins and helps the body to fight off infections. (6) Overall vitamin D is an important supplement for our overall immunity. (4)

The last nutrient in Immunity Hx is zinc. Several studies have found that using zinc within 24 hours of catching a cold can decrease the length and severity of the cold symptoms. (7) Zinc like vitamin C is considered to be an essential nutrient for our health. Zinc deficiency like vitamin C is more common than we would expect and in fact it appears that as many as up to 2 billion people in the developing world may have a zinc deficiency. (8) Zinc deficiency has been found to affect multiple parts of the immune system. When zinc is deficient there’s parts of the immune system that are comprised and we become vulnerable to disease. (9) Overall studies have concluded that zinc is essential for our immune system to work to prevent illness. (1)

Overall the studies on vitamins C, D and zinc have one major thing to say. And that is these nutrients are all important for building our immune system and thus they all help us fight pathogens. Personally I like the Immunity Hx because it contains all 3 important nutrients in 1 supplement!

Our next blog will be something you may have heard of, Asthma!

Sources:

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5707683/
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9925039/
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5409678/
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3166406/
  5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20219962/
  6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15322146/
  7. https://www.bouldermedicalcenter.com/elderberry-zinc-and-the-fight-against-viruses/
  8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2277319/
  9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9701160/
  10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5748737/

 

RSV- Respiratory Syncytial Virus

RSV- Respiratory Syncytial Virus

RSV- Respiratory Syncytial Virus Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND   I wanted to begin our series on respiratory health by talking about something that has been all over the news lately. And that is RSV. But what exactly is RSV? RSV stands for Respiratory Syncytial Virus. 

IMMUNITY MULTI: THE MUST HAVE WINTER MULTI-VITAMIN

IMMUNITY MULTI: THE MUST HAVE WINTER MULTI-VITAMIN

IMMUNITY MULTI: THE MUST HAVE WINTER MULTIVITAMIN By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT    As kids growing up, most of us took a daily multi, probably chewable. We looked forward to taking these every morning before heading off to school, many of us picking our 

The Immune System made easy!, Part 1, Invite Health Blog

The Immune System made easy!, Part 1, Invite Health Blog

Written by: Dr.Claire Arcidiacono, ND
For further questions or concerns email me at carcidiacono@invitehealth.com†
Chronic infections are a topic I find particularly important because they are related to so many different chronic and acute health concerns. When we speak of chronic infections it is important to understand how the immune system works. To start with, there are 2 main components of the immune system. These are the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system. (1) These however are not the first line of defense against pathogens. Before I delve into the interesting world of the innate vs the adaptive immune response, I’d like to mention several “barriers “that are in place to help protect us from pathogens or as I like to say, “bad guys”. †
The first defense against infections is actually our skin. The skin is not only a physical covering that protects us from infections but also an active part of our body that secretes antimicrobial peptides. (2) There are also antibacterial enzymes in our bodily secretions such as saliva, tears, breast milk, vaginal secretions and even our stomach. (3) As I mentioned in my series on digestive health, gastric stomach acid helps to kill any pathogens that may enter through food. (4) Good bacteria also help to prevent an overgrowth of bad bacteria in a few ways including competing for space and resources. (5) Physically our body responds to the presence of pathogens by coughing and sneezing. Both tears and urine help to “wash” away any irritants in the pathway.  † (6)
After a pathogen breeches our physical barriers, they trigger a response from our innate immune system.  The innate response is immediate and strong; however, it is not specific to the particular pathogen that you were exposed to. This part of the immune system does not have a “memory”. The innate immune cells include what are called white blood cells. These cells can find pathogens and eliminate them, most commonly by contact or by engulfing them. These innate leukocytes or WBC include macrophages, neutrophils and dendritic cells. Other WBC that are important in the innate immune system include the lymphoid cells, mast cells, eosinophilic cells, basophils and natural killer cells. † (7)
What exactly do these cells do to help us fight infections? Let’s break it down, shall we? †
The Neutrophils as well as the Macrophages travel in the blood stream to fight off pathogens. Neutrophils are usually the first to arrive at the location of infections or inflammation. (8)  Please see the attached picture of a Neutrophil. † (9)
                                                                                                                                       
Macrophages are interesting because while they can and do act in the innate immune system to help protect the body they also act as antigen presenting cells that activate or “turn on” the adaptive immune system. (10) Please see the picture! † (11)
                                                                                                                                       
Dendritic cells are in places such as the skin, nose, lungs, stomach, and the intestines. What is interesting about these areas is that they are all openings in the body. In other words the outside world interacts with the inside of our body. These cells are considered to be a link between the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system. This is because one of their important jobs is to present antigens to the T cells which are an important part of the adaptive immune system. (12) Please see the attached picture. † (13)
                                                                                                                                         
The granulocytes are cells that have particles in them that are called granules and these granules that are inside of them are released as the cells do their job. WBC of this type are the mast cells, basophils and the eosinophils. Mast cells are usually seen in connective tissue and mucus membranes and help to regulate the inflammatory response. † (14) Please see the attached mast cell. (15)
Basophils and eosinophils in contrast do not contain these granules and in fact are closely related to neutrophils and secrete different chemicals that fight parasites. Unfortunately, they also have a role in allergies. (16) Please see the attached Eosinophilic cell.  † (17)
                                                                                                                                       
Lastly the Natural killer cells are part of the innate immune system which helps to get rid of compromised host cells for example those that have developed cancer. (18) Please see the attached picture.  † (19)
                                                                                                                                       
After the innate immune system is triggered, the pathogens can trigger the adaptive immune system. In our next blog I will review the cells of the adaptive immune system. I will also do a quick walk through of the immune system as its world work its way through an infection. †
REFERENCES
1. Litman GW, Cannon JP, Dishaw LJ (November 2005). “Reconstructing immune phylogeny: new perspectives”. Nature Reviews. Immunology. 5 (11): 866–79. doi:10.1038/nri1712. PMC 3683834. PMID 16261174.
2. Agerberth B, Gudmundsson GH (2006). “Host antimicrobial defence peptides in human disease”. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology. 306: 67–90. doi:10.1007/3-540-29916-5_3. ISBN 978-3-540-29915-8. PMID 16909918.
3. Boyton RJ, Openshaw PJ (2002). “Pulmonary defences to acute respiratory infection”. British Medical Bulletin. 61 (1): 1–12. doi:10.1093/bmb/61.1.1. PMID 11997295.
4. Smith JL (2003). “The role of gastric acid in preventing foodborne disease and how bacteria overcome acid conditions”. J Food Prot. 66 (7): 1292–1303. doi:10.4315/0362-028X-66.7.1292. PMID 12870767.
5. Gorbach SL (February 1990). “Lactic acid bacteria and human health”. Annals of Medicine. 22 (1): 37–41. doi:10.3109/07853899009147239. PMID 2109988.
6. Boyton RJ, Openshaw PJ (2002). “Pulmonary defences to acute respiratory infection”. British Medical Bulletin. 61 (1): 1–12. doi:10.1093/bmb/61.1.1. PMID 11997295.
7. Kumar H, Kawai T, Akira S (February 2011). “Pathogen recognition by the innate immune system”. International Reviews of Immunology. 30 (1): 16–34. doi:10.3109/08830185.2010.529976. PMID 21235323. S2CID 42000671.
8. Actor J (2012). Elsevier’s Integrated Review Immunology and Microbiology (Second ed.). doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-07447-6.00002-8.
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutrophil#/media/File:Neutrophils.jpg
10. Mills CD (2012). “M1 and M2 Macrophages: Oracles of Health and Disease”. Critical Reviews in Immunology. 32 (6): 463–488. doi:10.1615/CritRevImmunol.v32.i6.10. PMID 23428224.
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrophage#/media/File:Giemsa_Stain_Macrophage_Illustration.png
12. Monga I, Kaur K, Dhanda S (March 2022). “Revisiting hematopoiesis: applications of the bulk and single-cell transcriptomics dissecting transcriptional heterogeneity in hematopoietic stem cells”. Briefings in Functional Genomics. 21 (3): 159–176. doi:10.1093/bfgp/elac002. PMID 35265979.
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendritic_cell#/media/File:Dendritic_cell_revealed.jpg
14. Krishnaswamy, Ajitawi & Chi 2006, pp. 13–34.
15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mast_cell#/media/File:Mast_cell.png
16. Uhm TG, Kim BS, Chung IY (March 2012). “Eosinophil development, regulation of eosinophil-specific genes, and role of eosinophils in the pathogenesis of asthma”. Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research. 4 (2): 68–79. doi:10.4168/aair.2012.4.2.68. PMC 3283796. PMID 22379601.
17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eosinophil#/media/File:Blausen_0352_Eosinophil_(crop).png
18. Sompayrac 2019, pp. 1–4.
19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_killer_cell#/media/File:Human_Natural_Killer_Cell_(29120480442).jpg