Part A1. Two Major Immune System Activities that Determine Balanced, Effective Immune Response or Allergic Over-reaction
The immune system has two broad orientations: T Helper Cells 1 - Th1 (disposing of bacteria, viruses, cancer) and Th2 (disposing of parasites and venoms by producing allergic responses to trigger a stronger support from the rest of the immune system).
It is the upregulating effect on the immune system of Th2 when subjected to toxic overwhelm that result in excessive histamine release and immune system overwhelm.
The ‘T’ in T Helper Cells stands for ‘thymus’, which is the gland where these T lymphocytes (white blood cells) mature. Their job is to destroy and recycle dead and damaged cells caused by toxins, poor dietary choices, etc. and resultant aging of the cell (senescence).
Thymus Helper Cells support the action of T Cells (Killer Cells), the recycling crew.
When Th2 dominates — typically due to reduced microbial exposure in childhood (including cesarean section, or child isolation from playing in the dirt), antibiotic use, or chronic stress — the body produces excess IgE antibodies that coat mast cells, which eventually lead to an immune system overwhelm.
Upon pollen exposure, these sensitized mast cells explode, releasing histamine, leukotrienes, prostaglandins, and interleukins that produce every classic allergy symptom (Frontiers in Immunology, 2024).
Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) normally keep this in check; low Treg activity is a hallmark of allergic disease. Solutions for this to be discussed in subsequent chapters, but first, an understanding of dietary sugar impact on allergies, being central to the issue of seasonal allergic attacks.
Concentrated Sugars
Concentrated sugars of any kind, even the “organic, natural” ones, tend to suppress immune functions immediately upon intake. In live blood analysis, white blood cells tend to go catatonic (still, inactive) when concentrated sugars overwhelm the pancreas and adrenals in their effort to manage such an onslaught of sugar in the system.
This explains why a sugar or alcohol binge can easily result in the onset of a cold, flu, or flareup of an old chronic condition, or Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis (hay fever) attack.
Nature to the Rescue
There are two general categories of herbs that help to restore balanced activity to the human immune system — mushrooms and herbal adaptogens.
This natural wisdom is the reason Adaptogen & Mushroom Blend was formulated many years ago, and serves as a foundational support for most any immune system compromise or state of overwhelm caused by the accumulation of toxins in the body and dietary substances like coffee, sugar, fast food, processed foods, GMO foods, rancid oils, fried foods, nuts and nut butters, microwave oven effects on food and drink, chemical medicines, radiation from cell phones, WIFI, cell towers, chemical pollutants, intense EMF fields in electric cars, auto exhausts, chemical factories, high stress lifestyles, the loss of close contact with the earth, forests, and growing a garden, forgetting who we really are as infinite beings, and the list goes on.
This is what leads to immune system overwhelm and Mast Cell hyper-reactivity.
“Eat as you breathe.”
Next issue:
A2. Mast Cell Hyper-reactivity and Histamine Dysregulation
