Immune system compromise

What weakens the Immune system?  A lot of things:

• Difficult birth - if you are a baby then a difficult birth can leave you with a weakened immune system as can Being premature.  My brother for example was 10lbs 10oz and my mother was 5' 0" and small - this would be classified as a difficult birth by any standards and my brother subsequently nearly died from his diphtheria vaccination.  It has left him with eczema.

• Being bottle fed  as a baby can leave you with a weakened immune system.  Breast milk contains antibacterials for example and supplies the immune system with a supply of defensive antibodies, furthermore a mother's milk gives the baby's immune system its first learning and pattern matching exercises.

• Pharmaceuticals  - a whole host of pharmaceuticals compromise the immune system, principally by -  depriving it of zinc, a number disrupt the fragile iron/zinc/copper balance; some reduce the natural intestinal bacterial floral protection; some disrupt the acid balance in our stomachs that prevents viruses and bacteria getting to our intestines and blood stream; some slow blood flow and restrict blood supply meaning the blood cannot deliver immune response to the site needed; some inhibit enzymes vital to our functioning; unfortunately they work against us in a vast number of ways, examples include [and this list is by no means exhaustive]:

• Antibiotics -  antibiotics destroy the natural flora of the Intestines and thus provide a route for pathogens to enter the body in larger numbers
• Immunosuppressants -  damage the immune system's response
• Chemotherapy drugs - cause zinc imbalance, thus weakening the immune system
• Anti-fungals - ditto
• Anti-virals - ditto
• Antacids and heartburn treatments - destroy the natural acid protection in the stomach needed to repel bacteria etc
• Anti-diarrhoea medication - as diarrhoea is the body's defence mechanism -  an attempt to expel harmful bacteria, viruses and parasites as well as toxins, by stopping the reaction we simply cause the organism to remain in the body and do harm.
• Anti-emetics - as the body's reaction to harmful inputs is to be sick, anything which stops this natural reaction serves to enable the invaders to enter the fortress
• Lithium - which by interfering with the mineral balance of the body causes mineral imbalance and zinc deficiency which compromises the immune system
• ACE inhibitors - which cause zinc deficiency and by causing zinc deficiency suppress the immune system [and as a consequence, rather ironically cause heart disease and endothelial dysfunction]
• Diuretics - cause zinc deficiency and by causing zinc deficiency suppress the immune system
• Chemotherapy drugs - cause mineral imbalance in general
• Laxatives - ditto
• Anti-histamines – for example “cimetidine is a well-recognized zinc chelator. PMID:10394044”
• Obesity and slimming drugs - which cause nutritional deprivation.
• Statins -  cause iron overload, iron overload causes zinc deficiency.  Zinc deficiency causes ..... see above, compromising of our immune system.
• Glucocorticoids - are part of the feedback mechanism in the immune system that turns immune activity (inflammation) down. They are therefore used in medicine to treat diseases caused by an 'overactive immune system', such as allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases, and sepsis.  But the immune system is usually reacting to something and by turning the immune system down the possibility for infection results
• Bronchodilators - many of which act against the bodily mechanisms that  sustain inflammatory reactions. An 'inflammatory reaction' may seem a barmy action for a naturally occurring chemical but it is a protective mechanism against hostile substances entering the body.  By contracting the smooth muscles in the lungs and trachea for example, they serve to prevent any more of the noxious substance entering the body, in effect limiting the damage they are doing by restricting where they go and how far round the bloodstream they get – an attempt to keep them well away from the brain and other vital organs.   Bronchodilators act against these natural defences and thus enable toxins to enter the body
• Osteoporosis treatments - which compromise the immune system
• Diabetes treatments - which also  compromise the immune system
• Calcium channel blockers - which by blocking the calcium channel serve to disrupt the nervous system and the immune system
• Pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs - which as their name suggests act to reduce inflammation and by doing so block the immune response
• Insomnia treatments - for reasons I am not able to fully work out, but the scientific evidence is there
• Beta blockers  can cause blood circulatory disorders by slowing the heart rate and by decreasing the pumping ability of the heart muscle, thus decreasing the blood supply in the circulatory system.  It may give the heart a rest but it can cause havoc with the immune system's ability to fight invaders. 
• Inhaled anaesthetics and injected anaesthetics - although the effects may only be temporary unless abused
• Anti-psychotics
• Antidepressants
• Morphine
• Benzodiazepines
• Anti-arrythmia drugs
• Other illegal pharmaceuticals

  there are a lot more, as I say too many to list in full

The immune system is based on  Leukotrienes, which are synthesized in the cell from arachidonic acid by arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase. Arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase is an enzyme.  Both need phosphorus to function properly.  Pharmaceuticals - too many to list here, that cause phosphorus imbalance include

• Epilepsy drugs
• Chemotherapy drugs
• Obesity drugs
• Osteoporosis drugs
• Diuretics
• Antacids and heartburn treatments
• Laxatives
• Chelation Therapy 

It is worth adding that quite a number of pharmaceuticals exist to handle 'autoimmune diseases'.  There appears to be a view that some people have an 'overactive immune system' - autoimmune disease they call it, but it may simply be that the immune system is actually extremely good and has recognised that a whole host of unwanted invaders is roaming the body - toxins, poisons, bacteria, parasites and so on.  We have never, in our entire existence as a species, been subjected to so many invaders, most of them are man-made - glance at the list of toxins and that should be convincing enough evidence in its own right.  An 'overactive immune system' is simply one struggling to cope with the onslaught.  To subject this highly functional immune system to a pharmaceutical to suppress it, is madness.

• Nutritional deprivation  - in its various forms [such as zinc deficiency or iron overload], which weaken the system.  There is a vital balancing act that takes place between zinc, copper and iron in our blood. Thus an imbalance in the minerals in general can produce an imbalance in zinc, which causes a weak immune system.  Anorexis, bulimics, the obese and the starved all run a risk.  Vaccinating a nutritionally deprived child, for example, is doing the poor little soul no favours.  For the same reason, the use of

• Mineral supplements, can cause both deficiency and overload. 
• Vitamin imbalance- Plasma zinc levels have been found to be dependent upon vitamins A and D. This suggests that a Vitamin A or D deficiency [vitamin imbalance] could cause a secondary zinc deficiency, thus affecting the immune system.  
• Artificial Food colourings  - appear to affect zinc levels and by affecting zinc levels they compromise the immune system.
• Alcohol in excessive doses acts in the same way.
• Vitamin supplements and dietary supplements - are also a problem
• 

• Diarrhoea and Nausea with vomiting - can both deplete the body of zinc on a temporary basis  and thus compromise the immune system.  A baby, for example, with a prolonged attack of the squits is losing zinc at a fair old rate and their immune system will be very weak for a while as a consequence.

• Heavy metal exposure and Toxins – can cause zinc deficiency, and zinc deficiency weakens the immune system.  For example 'Cadmium, which is increasing in the environment, also inhibits zinc absorption. PMID: 10801947' and Displacement of zinc and copper from copper-induced metallothionein by cadmium and by mercury: in vivo and ex vivo studies Comp Biochem Physiol C 86 (1) 1-6.  We may not realise it but one of the sources of heavy metal exposure are vaccines themselves:

• Nitromersol (metaphen) is a mercury-containing organic compound that is primarily used as an antiseptic and disinfectant.   It was confirmed as an animal carcinogen and is known to emit toxic fumes of NO_x and mercury when destroyed by heat. However up until 1998, nitromersol (and other mercury-containing products) were used as first-aid antiseptics for diaper rash and vaginal contraceptives.  In 1998 they were outlawed by the FDA but unfortunately not outlawed elsewhere. Nitromersol is still in use as a preservative for vaccines and antitoxins
• Thiomersal - While the usage of mercury in medicine has declined, mercury-containing compounds are still used medically in vaccines, this is the subject of controversy regarding their potential for mercury poisoning.  The main culprit in vaccines is Thiomersal.
  Thiomersal has been used as a preservative in vaccinations since the 1930s. It is currently mixed with DTaP, HIB, and hepatitis B vaccines or is used in the manufacturing process for vaccines, with resultant trace amounts being present in the final product. Based on existing Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations for vaccinations, a typical six-month-old child, if receiving all thimerosal-containing vaccines, could potentially be injected with as much as 187.5-200 μg of methylmercury; the equivalent of more than 1.0 μg per day. This amount exceeds the reference limits for exposure to mercury set by the EPA of 0.1 μg/kg/day.
  Because of the risks, thiomersal has been phased out of most US and European vaccines. Outside North America and Europe, many vaccines contain thiomersal. However, even in the US and Europe, it is still being used in some preparations of influenza vaccine and in several vaccines that are not routinely recommended for young children, including DT (diphtheria and tetanus), Td (tetanus and diphtheria), and TT (tetanus toxoid); other vaccines may contain a trace of thiomersal from steps in manufacture.
• Aluminium - aluminium which is a toxin is used in a number of vaccines

Aluminum (Al) salt-based adjuvants are present in a large variety of licensed vaccines .... This brief commentary reviews the current status of Al concentrations in licensed vaccines, the related potential toxicity and proposes a general guideline for selection of suitable Al salt levels in preclinical models…..  PMID:  21918987

    

• Fungal infection -  Fungi are irritants and can put great strain on an immune system

• Cold - the colder we get, the more the body reduces blood flow to the other organs in order to preserve heat at key sites like the heart and brain.  But by doing so the immune system is unable to deliver any protection needed to the site of attack

• Sedentary lifestyle - in effect a lack of exercise.  Any form of gentle exercise helps to keep the blood flowing through the circulatory system, if it isn't then the immune system cannot get the needed protective forces to the site of attack

• Physical trauma - can cause damage, Surgery for example has a record of producing endothelial dysfunction, which reduces blood flow to the organs and by doing so the immune system is unable to deliver any protection needed to the site of attack.  Gastric by-pass produces nutritional deprivation.

• Hypoxia - see both Hypoxia and Hypoxia side-effects

• Stress – emotional stress  and other high emotion is the emotional trigger to the sympathetic nervous system. High levels of the 'fight or flight' stress neurotransmitters act as irritants in the blood stream, irritation to the blood stream inhibits its ability to deliver the needed immunological response.  It also floods the system with an overdose of chemicals 

• Smoking - smoke is a toxin in this respect

• Parasites – from liver flukes to tapeworms, from toxoplasmia gondii to ascaris, which put a great strain on the ability of the immune system to cope. 

• Bacteria - such as Legionella, Leptospira, Coxiella burnetii and Rickettsia rickettsii, which also put a great strain on the ability of the immune system to cope.

• Sleep deprivation, insomnia and mental exhaustion - the body fights back during sleep, this is when the immune system is at its most active as all our energy can be directed to helping the troops.  Sleep deprivation severely compromises the immune system.  A colicky sleep deprived baby is potentially a sick baby.

• Bad farming practise -  It is not unusual for farmers in high intensity units to give their animals mineral supplements and antibiotics, which can be passed to us in the food chain.  Poor soils also contribute to the problems.

• Physical exhaustion - In one of the oddest statistics about asthma, which is an indicator of a stressed immune system, it has been found that it is common among top athletes. One survey of participants in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., showed that 15% had been diagnosed with asthma, and that 10% were on asthma medication.  There appears to be a relatively high incidence of asthma in sports such as cycling, mountain biking, and long-distance running, all of which involve a huge amount of prolonged frenetic activity, and a relatively lower incidence in weightlifting and diving, both of which don't. 

• Radiation - which although it is not physically perceived has an effect on our cells

• Poisons - there is a difference between a poison and a toxin.  A poison is a substance that has a use in the body, but it becomes a poison when it is delivered in overdose proportions

• Dental fillings - which are permanent sources of heavy metals in the body if they are based on amalgam.  If they are based on gold and you also have amalgam fillings, this too stresses the immune system on a permanent basis, as the combination of the two produce an electric charge

• Vaccination - which is a subject in its own right