Where is your immune system?
This question is a bit like “Can you point to Lithuania on a map of the world?”, or “Where is the camshaft under the car bonnet?”. You know they exist but when it comes to exactly where, you’re a bit fuzzy on the specifics. Well, cars and geography are not my strong points, but let’s talk about immunity ….
We tend to discuss our immune system in an abstract way, often in terms of it being a bit low, or in need of boosting. Maybe you’ve taken vitamin C in the past hoping it will give you the edge immunity-wise and ward off coughs and colds. Immunity isn’t something we measure in the same way as blood pressure or our weight on the scales. We have little in the way of tangible hard facts as to how our individual immune system is functioning. There is no BMI chart equivalent for immunity that labels you as being in the healthy green category, the so-so amber bit of the chart, or the better-do-something-about-this-now red zone. So, because we don’t really know what our immune system is doing, where it’s doing it, and how well it’s doing it, we tend to forget about it and hope for the best.
Here’s how you know your immune system has kicked into gear
That steaming cold that has you living off Lemsip and Strepsils for a week. The sniffy, drippy nose and itchy eyes that plague you all spring and summer. The great big welt that appears on your arm where a mosquito munched on you like you’re a human blood buffet. As a digestive health nutritionist, for me, it’s when the immune system meets the gut that things get really interesting.
Did you know that as much as 70% of your immune system is located in your digestive tract?
Immune cells are all throughout the body, but we have localised little clumps of immune cells that line the intestines. These are called Peyer’s patches and they screen the environment within your intestines for anything that could be harmful and requires your immune system to be activated. Your immune system is also responsible for releasing antibodies called secretory IgA into the gut, which can be measured by way of doing a stool test. At the higher end of your digestive system, your hydrochloric acid is working hard in your stomach to kill off any potentially harmful germs you may have swallowed. At the other end, your intestinal microbes are producing short-chain fatty acids that help keep the level of inflammation your immune system creates in check.
So, as you can see, the health of your gut and your immunity are intricately connected. If you’re feeling a bit run down, under the weather, and catching every cold going, your body needs support by way of much more than just any old supplement off the shelf from Holland & Barrett.
Knowing your vitamin D level is a good place to start
Vitamin D contributes to a healthy immune system. Many people in the UK have insufficient vitamin D, but you won’t know how much to supplement with, or how frequently to supplement, if you don’t know what your level is to start with.
As always, it’s best to test rather than guess.
~ ~ Katherine
I offer a simple straightforward blood test in my clinic in the centre of Salisbury so you can find out your vitamin D level, and we can also test many other immunity markers in your blood such as antibodies, a full blood count, zinc, and more. Click the links below for more information and let’s support your immunity to take you from feeling run down to absolutely unstoppable.
Immune Basic (vitamin D test only): https://l.bttr.to/zOjVO
Immune Advanced (vitamin D test plus a whole lot more): https://l.bttr.to/WOCnk