Innate Immunity Food Pharmacy
What is innate immunity?
It is the body’s first line of defense against pathogens. Innate immunity develops during the first three years of life, when the body is colonizing the large intestine with beneficial gut bacteria. Babies are not born with a complete gut microbiome. Gut flora continues to develop through breastfeeding and eating first foods that are fiber rich such as oats, lentils, baked apples, and cooked spinach.
Bile from the liver, gastric acid from the stomach, and digestive enzymes from the pancreas are also part of the innate immune system. These secretions help to digest and therefore neutralize any potentially harmful bacteria in our food. Innate immunity also comes through the skin, the mucous membranes, and epithelial cells like those that make up the tongue.
The innate immune system not only acts as a barrier to pathogens entering the body through the mouth, nose, or skin, but it also activates the adaptive immune system. This immune system is part of the knowledge that the body develops as it contracts various illnesses and ‘remembers’ how to combat them. However, without the innate immune system, the adaptive immune system would remain dormant and not be able to effectively eradicate pathogens.
The most vital part of innate immunity lives in the gut microbiome.
Hence, if we want our body to effectively eradicate pathogens and restore balance, we have to start with supporting gut health. One of the innate immune system’s primary mechanisms of action is to trigger acute inflammation in response to a pathogen. This is a helpful mechanism in the moment because it mobilizes the adaptive immune system to come on the scene and help the body heal.
However, when the innate immune system doesn’t have the support it needs because the gut microbiome is out of balance, it can get ‘stuck’ in a repetitive mode where it keeps triggering inflammation, even after a pathogen has been eliminated.
It is crucial to have balanced gut flora in order to maintain healthy immune response and avoid chronic inflammation.
This winter and spring have been a viral overload for our family. I am seeing viral and post-viral responses in myself, my family, and my clients, which I have never seen before. The immune systems of adults and children alike are being challenged in ways that they have not been for a long time, and possibly forever.
My immune system has developed a post-viral histamine response known as cold urticaria where my skin welts up and itches terribly anytime it is exposed to cold. I have been working with antihistamine herbs such as nettles and reishi mushroom to support my immune system’s capacity to clear histamine once again. However, I still experience the condition and am noticing that now, my body is experiencing a histamine response to foods such as nuts, cured meats, and chocolate.
I have started to focus more on supporting a strong gut microbiome and innate immune system by eating prebiotic and probiotic foods.
Some of my favorite prebiotics are burdock root and leeks. Probiotics in my regimen include tamari, miso, kimchi, and coconut yogurt. I am working to notice the foods that lead to histamine release and taking a break from those because I know my immune system can use the rest and recuperation.
In Chinese Medicine (TCM), we consider this gut-related immune system depletion to be a spleen condition. In a physiological sense, the spleen produces white blood cells in response to the innate immune system’s request for assistance. From a TCM energetic perspective, The spleen supports the body in absorbing nutrients. Thus, when the gut is not absorbing properly, the immune system cannot do its work of clearing excess inputs such as histamine.
I truly believe that overall wellness is rooted in the gut. I am deep in another healing journey of gut-immune connection and self discovery. If you have histamine related conditions, please reach out. A low histamine diet is simply a patch to temporarily address symptoms.
Let’s work on root causes together.
Reach out for a free consultation here.
