Swollen lymph nodes – immune reaction
As your immune system develops so new immune cells are created in your lymph nodes this is why we feel tenderness and swelling in our glands.
The explosive increase in the number of lymphocytes, both B cells and T cells, from just a few to millions in the presence of an infection was discovered in the 1950s. The process, called clonal expansion, is what gives the adaptive immune system its extraordinary might and specificity. You can tell that clonal expansion is occurring when you feel tender bumps (swollen lymph nodes) in your neck or other areas.
When lymphocytes multiply during clonal expansion, some of them are destined to live on as memory T and B cells. These clones are a subset of the expanded number of T and B cells that develop from your first exposure to a germ, and they protect you against subsequent attacks by the same germ.
Because of this new population of memory cells, the responses to subsequent attacks are faster and greater than the first. This explains why once you’ve had an infectious illness, you don’t get sick when you’re exposed to it the next time around – Immunological memory.
Another place where many lymphocytes are produced is in the gut. Within a healthy gut flora the microbes in your intestinal mucosa create millions of white blood cells. This is necessary because your gut is under constant attack from outside invaders.
A healthy gut is of major importance for your overall immune function. This is why a gut restoring and promoting diet is crucial for optimal white blood cell count and why it is a good idea to feed your immune cells instead of feeding the pathogens.
Feeding your immune cells
The immune system consists of a finely orchestrated, complex collection of tissues and cells that protect your body from allergens, bacteria, viruses, and other potentially harmful organisms, collectively known as antigens.
Skin and the membranes that line entrances to the body — nasal passages, eyes, and respiratory and digestive tracts — are the first line of defence, providing a physical barrier against invaders.
Internally, specialized white blood cells fight antigens that make it past the skin: T-lymphocytes continuously patrol the body in search of antigens; B-lymphocytes manufacture antibodies, special blood proteins that neutralize or destroy germs.
Neutrophils and macrophages scavenge antigens from the blood for delivery to the lymphatic system, which disposes of them. To work smoothly, these cells depend on you feeding them
This is what your immune cells need:
selenium which helps white blood cells produce the proteins they need to clear out viruses.
zinc (pumpkin seeds)which is important in the development of white blood cells.
vitamin A, a component of healthy skin. The skin is the first line of defense against infection. Vitamin A is also important to T-Cells and natural killer cells
glutamine, an amino acid that is used by immune cells during times of stress, inflammation, and infection, especially by lymphocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils.
glutathione, an antioxidant that strengthens the immune system
allicin, which fights bacterial infections and cancer
beta glucan (PGG glucan) that enhances the function of macrophages and neutrophils.
The Immune Response: Clonal Selection
The inflammatory response stimulates neutrophils and macrophages to migrate to a site of infection. This animation can be used to demonstrate to students the microorganism–macrophage interaction that leads to antibody synthesis and immune memory.
The macrophage phagocytizes the microorganism, killing it and breaking its macromolecules into fragments. These fragments, in conjunction with the major histocompatibility complex type II (MHC II), are displayed on the macrophage cell surface. This presentation triggers CD4+ T-helper lymphocytes to combine with the presented antigen and activate antibody synthesis by differentiated B-cells called plasma cells. Instead of differentiating into plasma cells, other B lymphocytes remain committed and ready for the next contact with this specific antigen.
Macrophages and T-helper cells release, and are activated by, secreted products called cytokines. Cytokines are small proteins that serve a variety of functions and include interleukins, interferons, colony stimulating factors, tumor necrosis factors, and growth factors. Some cytokines positively regulate the immune response by stimulating growth and maturation of target cells; other cytokines negatively regulate the immune response through a series of inhibition reactions.
Macrophages – Communicating with the immune system
Immune cells—macrophages and lymphocytes— carry on a constant blather, like a huge town hall chat room where everybody is talking at once. However, since the talking is a release of “messenger molecules” and the listening is done by protein receptors, immune cells can actually listen while they are talking!! No need to complain about being interrupted! It’s weird, and foreign to us humans, but this simultaneous talking and listening makes for a far faster exchange of messages than if you had to stop and listen every time the other guy was talking (like we humans usually do).
There is so much activity, what with the constant molecular chatter coupled with a madhouse of cellular scrambling to grab and kill enemy cells as rapidly as possible, that the casual observer might get the impression of chaos. But she would be sadly mistaken. There are no wasted efforts here. Like a Beethoven symphony, everything is extremely well-organized and perfectly coordinated.
The chemical chatter among macrophages and other immune cells is so rapid and efficient that it would make a sophisticated military communications system look like a bunch of kids with tin can phones. Macrophages release clouds of messenger molecules (cytokines, interferons, leukotrienes, and other small molecules)—at rates of up to thousands of molecules per second per cell. Each molecule carries a specific request or command. Like “Bring me this,” or “We need some of that over there,” or “Kill everything that looks like this.” “We need an inflammatory response over here.” Or “We don’t need to do that anymore.” They discuss what the enemy looks like and how aggressive he is. They tell each other how hard to work. They label targets for other cells to identify and kill. They talk about where the enemy is hiding. They discuss current enemy strategy and how best to outmaneuver it.
Macrophage exponential self-cloning: the ultimate weapon.
Last, but definitely not least, Macrophages—if outgunned—play the population card: they multiply rapidly. When they find themselves in an area of high cancer cell or viral particle density, they don’t have to call up the draft to get more troops; they simply clone themselves, which they can do on very short notice. More Macrophages automatically translates into more of all the other weapons enumerated above. But, again, this multiplication process occurs only in activated macrophages.
Vitamin D Binding Protein Activation
Without VDBP, Macrophages languish. In the presence of Vitamin D Binding Protein, their activity level increases exponentially. Once activated, Macrophages multiply rapidly and attack ferociously. By administering GcMaf you activate the macrophages.
Macrophage phagolysosome execution (and dismantling) chamber
If, somehow, a microbe or cancer cell has survived the oxidative burst and phagocytosis, it will not survive the death chamber. Once eaten, internalized, and embedded in the macrophage’s cytoplasm, the enemy is imprisoned in a round cyst-like bubble inside the macrophage (called a phagolysosome) into which are squirted all sorts of digestive enzymes and many more rounds of oxidative burst, just for good measure. Pretty things do not happen inside of phagolysosomes. If the cancer cell or microbe is not already dead, the phagolysosome “death chamber” will certainly polish it off. (“Phago” means “to eat.” “Lyso” means “to dissolve.” “Some” means “sack” or “bag.”)
Once the dismembering process is complete, the phagolysosome slides over and makes contact with the outer cell membrane, merges with it, then disgorges the now harmless breakdown products (nucleic acids, fatty acids, amino acids, etc.) out into the extracellular fluid. They are then taken up by nearby cells and recycled into new body parts.
The ecologically-minded among us should find the efficiency of this process commendable. Nothing is wasted. Scary toxic bad guys are killed, dismantled, and transformed into spare parts for the good guys: us, a sophisticated communication system.
Macrophages and their oxidative bursts
A powerful weapon possessed by a Macrophage weapon is the “oxidative burst” (also widely known as the “respiratory burst”). An enzyme (called NADPH oxidase) stationed in the Macrophage’s outer membrane sprays out a beam of highly reactive free electrons, like bullets from a machine gun.
The NADPH gun emits a particle beam that blast tumour cells and microbes to smithereens. The electrons in the beam emerge one at a time, but they really really don’t want to be “free,” so—as fast as they possibly can—they snatch another electron to form a stable pair (we are talking nanoseconds here). A chain reaction of electron-snatchings triggered by the oxidative burst literally vaporizes molecules in the outer wall of a cancer cell or viral capsid, ripping holes in it.
Now the membrane that held the victim together literally falls apart, spilling out its contents. Without an intact outer membrane, a cancer cell can’t survive for very long. Oxidative bursts don’t happen all of the time. That would be a waste of firepower. The “trigger” that turns it on is the perceived proximity of a “foe,” a cancer cell, HIV virus, hepatitis virus, or a bacterium. When a macro comes into immediate contact with “enemy,” then—and only then—does it turn on the electron death beam.
There are lots of oxygen (O2) molecules everywhere in our bodies. (We need plenty of oxygen and glucose, the “fuels” from which we generate the “energy” that drives all of the cellular chemical reactions that make life possible.) When released, most of the electrons in the death ray beam crash into one of these omnipresent oxygen molecules, from which they quickly grab the electron they need to make a stable pair. The oxygen molecule now is missing one of its electrons, and is thus transformed into the violently corrosive free radical known as “superoxide” (O2-). Now superoxide is the one wanting an electron, and it will destroy anything in its path to get one. That “anything” would be the virus, bacterium, or cancer cell our macro has grabbed with its pseudopod. Suddenly the invader finds itself with a huge hole in its outer membrane. It’ll die soon.
The free electrons and superoxides also trigger chain reactions forming other reactive free radical species. One of these is the hydroxyl ion (OH-). This is hydrogen peroxide, just like the stuff that comes out of that brown bottle, but 33 times as potent—a locally generated intercellular dose. Perfect for frying microbes and tumor cells.
By oxidizing omnipresent chlorine atoms, the electron beam also generates noxious hypochlorous acid (HClO), which can poke a hole in an enemy membrane in nothing flat. Now we have a toxic soup of free radical oxidizing agents that can do tremendous local damage to our enemies.
MAF Activated Macrophages and the “Oxidative Burst”
Only MAF activated macrophages are going to deliver oxidative bursts that are potent enough to be effective. If Nagalase from viruses or cancer cells has put the macrophages to sleep, the oxidative burst degenerates into a piddly potato gun that’s not going to hurt anybody. Firepower—or lack thereof—is what we are talking about here. Activated macrophages fire the atomic equivalent of millions of rounds a second and never have to pause to reload.
Macrophages – Your Awesome Killing Machine
Macrophages are big and smart white blood cells that chase, capture, engulf, and digest intruders. They trap and phagocytize (literally, “eat”) their enemies. They can multiply rapidly when necessary. However, they’re naturally indolent and need to be activated by Vitamin D Binding Protein (VDBP).
Opsonin “super glue” helps them stick to their prey. Their electron-driven free radical death ray (AKA “oxidative burst”) blasts holes in microbes and cancer cells. Once a microbe or cancer cell has been phagocytized by a macro, it is encapsulated inside a “phagolysosome” (the intracellular “death chamber”), where it is then killed (if it isn’t dead already), and then dissected down into its component parts, which are then recycled.
Here’s how it works. When it isn’t swimming in the blood stream, a macrophage can slowly “walk” through tissues using self-generated stumpy little (one micron) “legs” (about ten of them sprout at a time). The macrophage ambles over to and snuggles up alongside a “foreign invader” (e.g., cancer cell or virion), quickly identifies it as foe, sprays it with membrane-frying free radical-laden bursts, grabs, engulfs, smothers, kills, and digests it. If the enemy is further away, or trying to escape, the macrophage chases after it, extrudes a cluster of long thin sticky spaghetti-like tentacles that wrap around and ensnare the fugitive cell, clutching it in an unbreakable strangle hold.
In a process known as phagocytosis, the macrophage draws in its victim, engulfs and smothers it, then encases it in a small bubble-like cyst (called a phagolysosome) inside its cytoplasm. The phagolysosome then secretes a cocktail of corrosive free radicals and enzymes that rapidly digest its victim down into its component parts (amino acids, nucleic acids, fatty acids, etc.). The macrophage then spits out these pieces into the intercellular “soup.”
Because the remnants of viruses and cancer cells are fundamental cellular building blocks, the body quickly recycles them using the “spare parts” to build brand new healthy cells.
© 2015 Vitamin D Transport Protein aka GcMAF
Immune-Activator 