#41 ·
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
So, what actually is the immune system?
Almost every single organ in your body is responsible for its own specific way of fighting off disease. Your lungs expel bacteria, tears flush out pathogens from your eyes, and even your skin has specialized properties designed to battle illness. "Immune system" is just the collective term for this entire network of organs and cells whose primary job is to fight disease. I’m not going to dive into a deep technical lecture on the exact function of every single cell here, but you’re probably at least familiar with the names: antibodies, immunoglobulins, T-cells, B-cells, monocytes, and leukocytes. Those last four are types of white blood cells that react to bacteria and viruses, helping your body clear out damaged or dead tissue. Your lymph nodes are also a vital part of this system. They produce lymphocytes and monocytes—those white blood cells that fight off sickness. Plus, your lymph nodes act as a barrier, protecting your bloodstream from being invaded by bacteria and other foreign invaders. They also shield your body from cancer cells and help contain cancerous swelling. This is exactly why I made the decision to keep my own lymph nodes. Even though they were affected by cancer, I wouldn't allow them to be surgically removed.
The largest immunological organ in your body is actually the liver, the master filter for toxins. It works to clean food-borne toxins out of your system—things like additives, preservatives, artificial colors and flavors, herbicide and pesticide residues, smog, and, most importantly, the massive amount of medication doctors prescribe to us. When the liver gets overwhelmed by these toxins, it can no longer perform its essential role of purifying the blood. This is one of the biggest drivers of cancer. On top of that, chemotherapy used to treat cancer can cause such extreme additional toxicity that the liver becomes overloaded and saturated, leading to organ failure and death.
The spleen is also heavily involved in creating and storing various immune cells. It helps filter our blood of dead or damaged red blood cells and various bacteria. Simply put, your immune system is the sum of all these parts working together. When these cells and organs stop functioning correctly, your immune system falters and starts to fail. It loses its ability to fight back against disease, and that’s when you get sick.
So many factors influence our immunity—the food we eat, the exercise we get, the air we breathe, our stress levels and how we manage them, how much sleep we get and when, and even our positive or negative mindsets. All of these things can either fortify or weaken our defenses. Cancer doesn't just happen; it takes hold once our immune system has been weakened. Chemotherapy and radiation don't just destroy the immune system—they actively trigger cancer.
So, what actually is the immune system?
Almost every single organ in your body is responsible for its own specific way of fighting off disease. Your lungs expel bacteria, tears flush out pathogens from your eyes, and even your skin has specialized properties designed to battle illness. "Immune system" is just the collective term for this entire network of organs and cells whose primary job is to fight disease. I’m not going to dive into a deep technical lecture on the exact function of every single cell here, but you’re probably at least familiar with the names: antibodies, immunoglobulins, T-cells, B-cells, monocytes, and leukocytes. Those last four are types of white blood cells that react to bacteria and viruses, helping your body clear out damaged or dead tissue. Your lymph nodes are also a vital part of this system. They produce lymphocytes and monocytes—those white blood cells that fight off sickness. Plus, your lymph nodes act as a barrier, protecting your bloodstream from being invaded by bacteria and other foreign invaders. They also shield your body from cancer cells and help contain cancerous swelling. This is exactly why I made the decision to keep my own lymph nodes. Even though they were affected by cancer, I wouldn't allow them to be surgically removed.
The largest immunological organ in your body is actually the liver, the master filter for toxins. It works to clean food-borne toxins out of your system—things like additives, preservatives, artificial colors and flavors, herbicide and pesticide residues, smog, and, most importantly, the massive amount of medication doctors prescribe to us. When the liver gets overwhelmed by these toxins, it can no longer perform its essential role of purifying the blood. This is one of the biggest drivers of cancer. On top of that, chemotherapy used to treat cancer can cause such extreme additional toxicity that the liver becomes overloaded and saturated, leading to organ failure and death.
The spleen is also heavily involved in creating and storing various immune cells. It helps filter our blood of dead or damaged red blood cells and various bacteria. Simply put, your immune system is the sum of all these parts working together. When these cells and organs stop functioning correctly, your immune system falters and starts to fail. It loses its ability to fight back against disease, and that’s when you get sick.
So many factors influence our immunity—the food we eat, the exercise we get, the air we breathe, our stress levels and how we manage them, how much sleep we get and when, and even our positive or negative mindsets. All of these things can either fortify or weaken our defenses. Cancer doesn't just happen; it takes hold once our immune system has been weakened. Chemotherapy and radiation don't just destroy the immune system—they actively trigger cancer.