Natural Immune Enhancers

Medicine’s primary defence against bacterial infections includes antibiotic drugs. One of the main weaknesses of these drugs is that bacteria are becoming quite proficient at finding ways to defeat them. As bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics, the drugs commonly used to kill them may lose their effectiveness partly or completely. Antibiotic resistance, as this ability is called, has been a growing threat.

Antibiotic resistance has arisen largely as a result of the misuse of these powerful drugs. When the dose used is too small or the courses of treatment too short, resistant organisms are more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass their resistance on to their offspring and also to other unrelated bacteria. At best, these drugs can function only as adjuncts to the body’s inborn immune defences, which must always be the last stronghold against any bacterial onslaught. As demonstrated by AIDS and other immune deficiency diseases, in the absence of an effective immune response, even the most powerful antibiotics are ultimately inadequate.

Your only real defence against a superbug is your immune system. Functioning optimally, the immune system can handle most bacterial infections easily, provided the numbers of bacteria are not overwhelmingly large. But if your immune system is subpar (due to illness, age, poor nutrition, or other factors), bacteria, including superbug species, will find it far easier to proliferate and overwhelm the body’s defences.

The Ideal Antibiotic
The ideal antibiotic should not only kill bacteria, but also promote optimal immune function. Effective as today’s antibiotics are, they do only part of the job. Because inadequate dosing and inconsistent use of these drugs is a major cause of antibiotic resistance, they are appropriate only for treating ongoing infections. They cannot and should not be used for preventing disease on a chronic basis. Furthermore, antibiotics kill only bacteria, and are useless against infections caused by viruses, fungi, parasites, and worms. An alternative, and in many cases preferable choice is a combination of naturalantibiotics, combined with various immune stimulants.

Olive Leaf Extract
Olive leaf extract is a potent anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal supplement that has been shown to be effective at boosting the immune response and aiding the body in defending against infections. Two components of olive leaf extract, oleuropein and calcium elenolate, have been shown to be particularly effective at inactivating the viruses that cause colds and flu.

In the late 1960s, researchers from the Upjohn Company discovered that the components of olive leaf extract exhibited powerful antibacterial and antiviral effects. Calcium elenolate, an antimicrobial fraction of olive leaf proved to be lethal to every virus the researchers tested it against. Further research demonstrated that other components of olive leaf extract are toxic to a wide range of bacteria, protozoa, yeasts, parasites and fungi. Most impressively, olive leaf extract was found to effectively inhibit Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria notorious for its ability to mutate against antibiotics and responsible for many hospital-acquired infections. Olive leaf extract is a proven antimicrobial substance that is safe for preventive and daily consumption. Olive leaf extracts safety and efficacy has been demonstrated by hundreds of clinicians around the country who have used olive leaf extract to treat their patients with remarkable results.

Vitamin A
Vitamin A is one of the best documented nutrients for supporting immune function. A deficiency in vitamin A is known to reduce resistance to infection by lowering neutrophil phagocytosis, cell-mediated immunity, humoral response and interleukin II production. Recent research has found a strong link between vitamin A intake and upper respiratory infections.

One 1996 study of newborn infants recorded substantial decreases in upper respiratory infection in newborns given 50,000 IU of vitamin A versus a placebo. Researchers concluded that neonatal vitamin A supplementation reduces infant mortality rates, as well as lessens the severity of respiratory infection. A second study linking vitamin A intake and respiratory infection followed 28,000 children between six months and six years of age. Higher intake of vitamin A was strongly associated with fewer upper respiratory infections, lessened incidence of diarrhoea and a reduction in cough and fever. Of notice, there was a significant positive association with vitamin A intake and the lowered incidence of cough alone, a sign of a healthy respiratory epithelium.

Vitamin C
It is well known that vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, and this protective activity is now proving vital in recovery from infection. A number of studies have found that, during infection, there is a marked decrease in vitamin C levels in plasma and white blood cells. The concentration of vitamin C in phagocytes and lymphocytes is over 10 times greater than in plasma, and low intake of vitamin C has been shown to decrease phagocytic activity in animal models.

Other studies have shown that higher vitamin C concentration increases the proliferative responses of T lymphocytes in vitro. Vitamin C has also been reported to induce the production of interferon in cell culture, and one study has found a correlation between natural killer cell activity and vitamin C concentration in leukocytes. Under in vitro conditions, vitamin C has been found to inactivate viruses and bacteria. In human studies doses higher than 100 grams per day have been used for severe bacterial and viral infections.

In a recent study, Italian researchers found that two grams per day of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) was effective in restoring bronchial responsiveness in hospital workers suffering from upper respiratory infections. The authors suggest that ascorbic acid can effectively re-establish the redux state in inflamed airways and may prove beneficial for treatment of coughs during upper respiratory infection.

Vitamin E
Vitamin E is the major protective antioxidant for cell membranes, the dynamic matrices on and in which most of the body’s metabolic activity occurs. Just as vitamin E protects serum lipoproteins and regulates prostaglandin balance, new research suggests that vitamin E supplementation may enhance phagocytosis, cell-mediated immunity, humoral immunity, and reduce the effects of stress on the immune response.

A related study on age and immune response involved 47 subjects, aged 61 to 79 years. Researchers reported that those receiving a supplement containing vitamin E and other micronutrients showed a significant increase in immune response. Specifically, an increase in CD57 natural killer cells, T cells and T cell subsets. Conversely, in the placebo group there was a decrease in T cells, CD4 cells and the CD4:CD8 ratio. Researchers concluded that nutritional intervention provided an effective approach for delaying the overall decline in immune function noted with increasing age.

Selenium
Selenium plays a vital role in immune support. A deficiency of selenium results in depressed immune function, whereas selenium supplementation augments and restores proper immune system function. Selenium helps with the development of all white blood cells. In one study, individuals with normal selenium blood concentrations received 200 micrograms per day. This alone resulted in a 118% increase in the ability of lymphocytes to kill tumour cells and an 82.3% increase in the activity of a white blood cell known as a natural killer cell because of its powerful ability to kill cancer cells and microorganisms.

Garlic
During a widespread plague in early 18th century Marseilles, France, 4 condemned criminals recruited to bury the dead were noted to be immune to the deadly infection. What was their secret? They had been drinking a concoction of garlic soaked in wine that came to be known as vinaigre des quatre voleurs (four thieves’ vinegar) and is still available in France. Garlic as a means of warding off infection and other medical uses has been practiced since the dawn of civilization. Records of its use date back more than 5,000 years in India, 3,000 years in China, and 1,500 years in Egypt.

Garlic and its active ingredient allicin have broad-spectrum activity against many types of bacteria, viruses, worms, and fungi. Low doses of garlic are particularly lethal to such bacteria species as Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Brucella, Vibrio, Salmonella, and many others. Some studies have shown that garlic can inhibit the growth of bacteria that have developed resistance to one or more conventional antibiotic drugs. In addition to its bactericidal effects, garlic has also been shown to boost immune function. Garlic’s antimicrobial activity was noted by Pasteur in 19th century France and used by Dr. Albert Schweitzer to treat amoebic dysentery in Africa earlier in this century. It was also used as an antiseptic for preventing gangrene during World Wars I and II.

Lactobacillus Rhamnosus GG
Although most people think of blood cells as powering the immune system, the gut is actually the body’s largest immune organ. Research has demonstrated that certain probiotic bacteria can influence the human intestinal cells’ production of secretory IgA and intestinal mucus, both of which serve as an immunological envelope stopping harmful organisms from entering the body through the bowel wall.

When we are born our gastrointestinal tracts are sterile, but throughout the first year of life, they become populated with bacteria. During that time, the environment in which we live and the nutrients we consume influence the types of bacteria our bodies recognize as "normal" and this then directs how our immune system develops. Consequently, from the moment we are born, our intestinal tracts play a vital role in how we will ultimately cope with the dangerous bacteria and viruses our bodies are exposed to daily.

The hygiene hypothesis, a relatively new notion in the world of medicine, proposes that a lack of adequate immune system exposure early in life is in part related to the increasing incidence of asthma and various allergic disorders. This observation grew from the fact that researchers recognized that children in daycares and those born in less sanitary environments had a much lower incidence of allergic conditions. There’s even some indication that exposure to abnormal gut bacteria for the first year of life may be associated with irritable bowel syndrome as an adult.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG has been studied extensively for its immune-enhancing properties. LGG can influence immune responses both specifically by stimulating antibody production and non-specifically by enhancing phagocytosis, one of the processes by which the body destroys foreign invaders. LGG also modifies production of cytokines, proteins important in the immune response.

In a double-blind, crossover study, researchers investigated whether LGG could affect the immune system in dairy-hypersensitive adults and healthy adults not sensitive to dairy. Both dairy-sensitive and dairy-non-sensitive subjects were given either milk alone or milk with LGG. When the dairy-sensitive subjects were given milk without the probiotic, the milk-induced an inflammatory response. However, LGG eliminated this inflammatory response in the milk-sensitive subjects to a significant degree. Moreover, in the healthy subjects, in whom milk did not trigger an inflammatory response, the LGG stimulated the immune system.

Studies also have investigated LGG’s ability to improve the efficacy of various vaccines. One group of researchers set out to study whether and how LGG affects the immune response following a booster polio vaccination as well as how LGG influences infections outside of the gastrointestinal tract in healthy adults. In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 64 volunteers consumed either milk without a probiotic or milk with LGG or Lactobacillus acidophilus for five weeks. In the second week of the study, subjects were vaccinated against polio.

In subjects given the probiotics, there was an increase in poliovirus neutralizing antibodies. In probiotic-treated subjects, there was also an increase in the immunoglobulins specific to poliovirus. The maximum increase for immunoglobulins was up to 4-times higher in subjects who consumed the probiotics compared to those who consumed the placebo. A similar study done in children also demonstrated an improved response to rotavirus vaccine when the children were concurrently receiving LGG.

According to the researchers, "Probiotics induce an immunologic response that may provide enhanced systemic protection of cells from virus infections by increasing production of virus neutralizing antibodies."

New science has found that LGG can affect the immune system in a variety of populations, and that it can affect the health of parts of the body that are far removed from the intestinal tract. Building on past studies that looked at probiotics’ ability to reduce intestinal inflammation in children with cystic fibrosis, researchers in Italy conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. The trial included 19 children with cystic fibrosis who received LGG in oral rehydration solution for 6 months and then shifted to a plain oral rehydration solution for 6 months. The other group of subjects received the plain oral rehydration solution first and then shifted to LGG. When the patients were given LGG, they experienced reduced pulmonary exacerbations and hospital admissions compared to when they were taking the oral rehydration solution without the LGG. Patients given LGG also experienced an improvement in the forced expiratory volume (a measurement of lung health), and an increase in body weight.

The researchers concluded that the results "suggest that probiotics may delay respiratory impairment and that a relationship exists between intestinal and pulmonary inflammation."

So much scientific evidence exists to support LGG’s effect that the government is convinced that further studies on LGG are worth pursuing. Currently, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institute of Health (NIH), is endorsing a study to determine if LGG improves immune response to the flu vaccine. They have also funded another in-progress study that is examining whether giving LGG to pregnant mothers with a family history of asthma reduces the occurrence of asthma in their infants.

Clearly, the intestinal tract is in the driver’s seat when it comes to maintaining not only digestive health, but also a healthy immune system. In this world of processed, sterile food, where we are not giving our good gut bacteria all the nourishment they need, it is therefore prudent to help the intestinal tract maintain a healthy balance by consuming LGG.

References

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