The Science of Immunity: The Five Pillars
Today’s post is an overview of the five pillars that form our Immune System. We will be posting details on how each pillar works and what micronutrients you need in your diet or supplements to boost your immune system's performance.
The five pillars are:
#1 Power
Our Mitochondria is our cell's energy power plant using chemistry to create and store energy. That chemistry also produces a side product- reactive oxygen species (ROS). A small amount of ROS is beneficial but surplus ROS is toxic. Surplus ROS has been linked to DNA mutations, cancers and depletes the micronutrients & power needed by the immune system to function. We need antioxidants to neutralize the surplus ROS before they do damage. Learn More.
#2 Command & Control
To communicate with one another, cells send out and receive chemical signals. These signals form our Eicosanoid system which functions as the command and control network of our immune system. There are two classes of eicosanoids: pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory that the immune system uses too call for help in order repair injuries, remove dead cells, an hopefully kill pathogens.
#3 Hunters
White blood cells are manufactured and stored in the bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen and thymus. When we detect an injury or pathogen, white blood cells are released into the blood stream to seek out and destroy pathogens before they enter into cells, find and destroy infected cells and remove dead or damaged cells from circulation.
#4 Blood
Blood carries the hunters into battle but also carries the macro and micronutrients needed for repair. The Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) regulates blood flow and pressure.
#5 Cell Walls
Healthy cell walls function as our line of defense against all three forms of pathogens, fungal, bacterial and viral.
Skin cell walls help protect us from pathogens resident on the surfaces we touch and from toxins and radiation damage. The cells lining the lungs and sinuses help protect us from airborne pathogens such as the cold, flu and coronaviruses.
Cell walls (or more specifically the cell-plasma membrane) have to allow pathways for nutrients to enter, waste products to exit and command & control signals to be sent and received. These pathways can be exploited by pathogens to co-opt the mitochondria power plant and/or use the macro-and micronutrients and enzymes inside the cell to replicate.
About Us
Our mission is to prevent and mitigate a wide range of chronic diseases and immune system disorders in humans and animals. We identify natural compounds missing in modern diets that lead to mitochondrial dysfunction and compromised molecular processes, source non GMO algae, plants and yeasts containing the identified target and apply our patented technology to formulate supplements that are highly bioavailable and affordable.