Episode 234 – The Immune System, Brain Health, and Chronic Diseases

Dr. Deb 0:00Welcome to Let’s Talk wellness now, the podcast where we deep dive into the science of health, wellness and everything you need to live your best life. I’m your host. Doctor Deb Muth, founder of serenity, Health Care Center and serenity, esthetics and wellness. Here on the show, we don’t just talk about wellness, we teach it, we equip you with the practical, science based tools to take control of your health and empower your body to heal naturally. Today we’re talking about a fascinating and often misunderstood topic, the immune system and how it plays a critical role in brain health. This is a must listen episode for anyone who’s worried about conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis, MS, or if you simply just want to learn how to optimize your overall health. By the end of the episode, you’ll understand how your immune system works, from the first responders to the specialized forces, why your brain has its own immune system and how it protects your neurons, the connection between chronic inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases, and most importantly, how you can support your immune system and brain health, starting today. Stay tuned, because I’ll share a powerful case study from one of our patients at Serenity health care center that illustrates how impactful this knowledge can be. So grab your tea, take a deep breath, and let’s dive into today’s episode of Let’s Talk wellness now.

Dr. Deb 1:34So the general immune system is an innate and specific defense. There’s an I want to start with an overview of the immune system itself. This incredible network is divided into two main parts, the innate immune system and the adapted immune system, or as I like to call them, the first responders and the special forces. Now your first responders, the innate immune system, is your body’s first line of defense, and it’s always on duty. So imagine it as your security guard stationed at the entry points of your body, like your skin, your mucus membranes, and they’re even your chemical defenses, such as stomach acid. This kills harmful bacteria and the enzymes in the tears and breaks down those invaders. When a pathogen, like a virus, a bacteria or a fungi, makes it past these barriers, the innate immune system jumps into action. Its response is immediate but non specific, meaning it treats every invader the same way. Key players in this system include our macrophages. Think of these as the immune system’s garbage collectors. They roam your tissues looking for any harmful bacteria viruses to engulf and destroy. This process is called phagocytosis, where the macrophages essentially eat the pathogen, kind of like Pac Man, if you remember that game from way back, right, then we have the neutrophils. Now these are the reinforcements. They’re the most abundant type of white blood cell in your bloodstream and are called to action when there’s an infection. They also destroy pathogens through phagocytosis and release substances to kill the invaders. But there’s one thing about the innate immune system, while it’s fast and effective in the short term, it’s not very specific, and it doesn’t have the ability to tailor its response to particular invaders, which is where the adaptive immune system comes in. Now your adaptive immune system are your special forces. This is like your team of highly trained specialists. Think of this as your

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Dr. Deb 4:07in the military, these are your special forces, right? These are the guys that come in, and they are stealth in nature. They take out the bad guys, and they’re in and out before you even know that they were there. So unlike the innate immune system, the adaptive immune system doesn’t respond immediately. It takes time to analyze the invader, figure out its weak spots and mount that precise attack. Now, the adaptive system relies on two types of cells, T cells, these are the field commanders. They orchestrate the immune response, directing all of the cells to where they’re needed to go. And certain T cells, called cytotoxic T cells, even destroy infected cells directly. Now your B cells.

Dr. Deb 5:00Is these are immune system weapon manufacturers. They produce antibodies, specialized proteins that lock into those specific invaders, marking them for destruction or neutralizing them outright. Here’s the coolest thing about the adaptive system. It learns so once it fights off a specific invader, it creates a memory cell which sticks around in your body. And these memory cells allow your immune system to respond faster and more effectively if you’re exposed to the same pathogen again in the future. This is the basis of how some vaccines are supposed to work. They train your adaptive immune system without exposing you to the full disease. Now here’s a really good example. Let’s talk about the common cold. When you are first exposed to the cold virus, your innate immune system jumps into action. The macrophages and the neutrophils work to contain the infection. They engulf, they destroy as many viruses as they can. This is why you might feel symptoms like a fever, body aches, stuffy nose. Early on, the innate systems, inflammatory response is in full swing. But if the virus manages to spread, your adaptive immune system steps in takes a little longer because your T cells and B cells need time to recognize the cold virus and create a tailored response. So B cells start producing antibodies that specifically target that strain of the virus, and the T cells attack infected cells directly. Here’s where it gets interesting. Once your adaptive immune system has fought off the cold, it stores the memory of that virus. So if you’re exposed to the same strain again, your body can mount a much faster response and a stronger response, often neutralizing the virus before you even feel sick. Now, one of the problems we have with this is that viruses mutate, and so they don’t have the exact same cell structure every single time once they’ve mutated, so sometimes your body will recognize part of that virus, but it may not recognize the whole thing, and that’s why people get sick every year with a different cold.

Dr. Deb 7:26So imagine you’re defending a castle. The innate immune system is like the guards on the wall repelling any attackers they see without worrying about who they are. The adaptive immune system is like a group of knights who study the enemy’s strategy, develop that tailored plan, and then they train the castle’s defenders to handle future attacks from the same enemy. Now your immune system isn’t just your defense system, it’s your body’s Memory Keeper learning from past battles to protect you better in the future.

Dr. Deb 8:04Now let’s look at something that surprises a lot of people. Did you know your brain has its own immune system? Why does the brain need its own immune system? Because of something called the blood brain barrier. This barrier is like an exclusive VIP club for your brain. Only select molecules like oxygen, nutrients and hormones are allowed to enter. It keeps out most pathogens, like bacterias and viruses, as well as some immune cells from the rest of your body. Now this is how this is like supposed to work. It’s supposed to keep things out

Dr. Deb 8:45however. We’ve learned over time that these infections, these bacterias, these pathogens, can cross the blood brain barrier, which has made chronic illness and neuro neurological diseases much more complex. Now, this level of protection is crucial, because even a minor infection in the brain could cause a catastrophic damage to the delicate neurons. However, the same barrier that protects the brain also isolates it, which means the immune system in the rest of your body can’t easily come to the brain’s rescue when something goes wrong. Now the microglia, these are the brain’s cleanup crew. This is where the microglia are the brain’s resident immune systems, or immune cells. I should say they’re tiny, but incredibly powerful, and they work around the clock to keep your brain healthy, patrolling the brain the microglia acts like the security guards, constantly scanning their environment for anything that doesn’t belong, damaged neurons, harmful proteins and debris from dead cells. So.

Dr. Deb 10:00Phagocytosis is when they find something harmful, the microglia spring into action engulfing and ingesting the threat in a process that we call phagocytosis. This keeps the brain clean and functional. Now the microglia also play a role in maintaining the balance in the health of the brain, they help prune unnecessary synapses during brain development and even regulate neural circuits in adulthood. In a healthy brain, microglia perform these tasks seamlessly, allowing your neurons, the true stars of the brain, to focus on transmitting signals that control everything from memory to movement.

Dr. Deb 10:47But what happens when the microglia go rogue?

Dr. Deb 10:51Well, the brain, the microglia, this part of the brain function, gets out of balance, and like any other part of the immune system, the microglia can become overactive, and that’s really where part of the problem starts. When the microglia are constantly activated, they release inflammatory molecules designed to fight off invaders, and this is useful in the short term, but if this activation becomes chronic, it can cause significant harm. The inflammation doesn’t just attack the invaders. It starts damaging healthy brain cells, particularly neurons. This chronic inflammation is a driving force behind neurodegenerative diseases. So in Alzheimer’s disease, overactive microglia failed to clear the harmful protein plaques such as amyloid beta, and these plaques disrupt communication between neurons and eventually lead to their death. In Parkinson’s disease, inflammation accelerates t...