The T4/T8 ratio is looked upon as the barometer of the immune system. This critical ratio looks at the relationship between helper (T4) and suppressor”(T8) T-cells. Like everything else in your body, they are delicately balanced, with the helper cells prodding parts of the immune system to action, and the suppressor cells guarding against overaction. Too few helper cells, and your immune system may fail to respond adequately to an antigen. Too few suppressor cells, and your immune system may turn on you. When this happens, you may contract an autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Results: Ordinarily, there are almost two T4 (helper) cells for every one T8 (suppressor) cell. A range of ratios, between 1.6 and 1.8 T4 to one T8, is considered a good balance between the two types of cells.
Lower ratios, 1.5 to 1 down to 1.0 to 1, may be seen with various viral diseases that are knocking the immune system back. Generally, ratios below 1.0 to 1 are seen with a battered immune system.
An elevated T4/T8 ratio may point to an autoimmune disease, inflammatory response, infection, allergy or other disorders.
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Many years ago a general practitioner sent me a patient who was suffering from recurrent infections, anemia, numbness and tingling of her extremities. Recurrent infections are a sign that the immune system isn’t doing its job well. It turned out that the anemia and other symptoms were caused by a lack of vitamin B12 and folic acid. (Folic acid is also a member of the B family of vitamins). She got plenty of BJ2 from her diet, but couldn’t properly absorb the B12 she ate. We managed to adjust her B12 levels and then her folic acid. This served to restart her immune system and elminate the puzzling symptoms and anemia.
Both B12 and folic acid are necessary if the immune-system cells made in the bone marrow are to mature into active disease-fighters. A deficiency of vitamin B12 and folic acid is associated with a decrease in the number of neutrophils, immune fighters that “eat” and destroy bacteria and other dangerous particles. Lack of BL2 results in decreased “cell eating” (phagocytosis), and a fall in the absolute number of T- and B-cells. Folic-acid deficiency leads to a decrease in T-cells, as well as shrinkage of the thymolymphatico organs, where so much of your immune system is “based.”
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FUNGAL DISEASES (such as yeast, candidiasis): fungi invade the body.
Signs and Symptoms: possibly fever; malaise; lack of energy; anemia; depression; loss of appetite; cough; vaginal discharge; urinary tract infections; irritability.
FEVER OF UNDETERMINED ORGIN (FUO): generally a fever that lasts for three weeks without the cause being discovered. FUOs generally have signs and symptoms of the underlying disease, which in the very beginning may be very vague.
GASTRITIS, ACUTE EROSIVE: superficial inflammation of the lining of the stomach, most commonly caused by aspirin, alcohol, cortisone medications, nonsteroidal, antiinflammatory drugs (often used for arthritis pain). Also caused by toxins (poisons) put out by staphylococcus. Anything that causes stress, such as severe anxiety, severe burns, and multiple-type injuries to other parts of the body, can also prompt gastritis.
Signs and Symptoms: usually loss of appetite; nausea; vomiting; upper abdominal pain; pain after eating. There may also be bleeding; vomiting of blood; black bowel movements.
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While the T-cells in the lymph tissue are becoming sensitized to an antigen, certain B-cells begin to grow, change appearance and divide into generations of daughter cells called plasma cells. Plasma cells are like factories that manufacture antibodies. It takes only a few days for a single B-cell to grow into hundreds of plasma cells^each producing thousands and thousands of antibodies that “know” exactly which antigen they’re after. Imagine Zeus, the Greek king of gods, standing on Mount Olympus, hurling lightning bolts down to Earth, one after the other. Now picture hordes of plasma cells, throwing antibody after antibody at the invading antigens.
What are these antibodies? They’re called immunogolbulins, Ig for short. There are five categories of immunoglobulins: IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG and IgM. Shaped like a tiny “Y,” immunoglobulins have a constant portion (the bottom) and a variable portion (the top). It’s the variable portion that distinguishes one type of antibody from another.
Roughly 75 percent of the total immunoglobulins in a normal person are IgG. Along with IgMs, IgGs go after bacteria and viruses. IgE, of which there are few, are involved in allergic responses, while IgAs are assigned the task of protecting the musoca (the lining of the respiratory, gastrointestinal and urogenital tracts). When I want to know if a disease—hepatitis, for example—is recent or old, I look at the IgG and IgM counts. Elevated IgM indicates that the disorder is recent, while increased IgG points to an older problem.
Antibodies have several ways of dealing with antigens. Some strong antibodies can tackle the invader head on, ripping open the cell membrane and killing the antigen. Or the immunoglobulins can neutralize the enemy by covering up its toxic site. Another method is for multiple antibodies to bind themselves to antigens, clumping them together in a big bunch and rendering them harmless. (This is called agglutination.) There are other methods of attack, but antibodies are most effective when they work with other parts of your immune system, such as the complement system.
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