You have raised some interesting points but, as always in biology and
medicine, you can't generalize about the immune system from a few cases.
In terms of overcleanliness and underactive immune systems it has been
known since we started using germ free animals (i.e. mice and other lab
animals delivered by cesarian section and kept in a sterile environment so
they never get normal bacteria in their intestine or on their skin) that
these animals have what you would call an underactive immune system. This
is thought to be due to a lack of stimulation of the immune system by the
normal bacterial flora. Except for David the bubble boy from Houston I
don't think there has ever been a comparable human case and, since David
didn't have an immune system in the first place, there would not be any
relavent information from him.
At one level it does make sense that our bodies should be allowed to
exercise the immune system but you must remember that an immune response
left unchecked leads to inflammation that can be quite damaging.
Obviously if the immune system fails you are highly susceptible to
infections and prior to modern medical treatment infection is what killed
babies born without functioning immune systems. And, of course, this
continues to happen in AIDS where the immune system collapses and often
opportunistic infections are the cause of the illness and suffering AIDS
patients have. But if the immune system goes unchecked you also get
diseases such as autoimmunity, allergy, asthma, etc. And people with
chronic infections that they can't control, like cystic fibrosis patients
who have chronic lung infections, have much of the damage to their lungs
caused by the over-active immune response leading to inflammation. Like
most things, moderation seems to work best even if it isn't always your
personal choice.
Antibiotics due little to blunt an immune response because by the time
most people feel sick enough to take them the infectious process is well
underway. So you're not cheating your immune system at all, merely
helping it out.
Finally, many allergies and other similar things leading to conditions
like asthma come and go in people. I developed asthma as an adult, had
problems for 2 yearts, took medicine to control it, and then got better in
conjunction with a regular excercise program. However, it came back this
year after about 2 years of no symptoms simply becuase I got a bad cold
about the same time the pollen season started and the combination of the
two was enough to exacerbate my asthma. So I think things like exercise
can be helpful particularly during times when one is exposed to low levels
of allergens, since it makes your symptoms not so bad, but the biologic
determinants, which means the presence of the imunologic factors that
cause allergy and asthma, and exposure to the allergens, is likely to
underly most symptoms. Again, a moderate balance seems to predominate.
Hope you find this helpful.
Jerry Pier
Channing Lab
Brigham and Women's Hospital
In article <1995Jun17.011933.3477 at cm.cf.ac.uk>, here? or sphbr at cf.ac.uk wrote:
> Hello!
>> A question has been lingering in head and I wonder if any research or
> reason can resolve it.
>> Introduction
>> It is well established that our bodies adapt to their environment; muscles
> develop when they are exercised, people living at high altitudes have
> higher haemoglobin levels and other senses sharpen when one sense is lost
> or diminished.
>> I even know a formerly asthmatic flute teacher whose condition improved
> after regular flute practice. She has also observed many cases of similar
> improvement in her asthmatic pupils. She was originally perscribed
> bronchodilators only. The number of asthma sufferers has been rising and
> as has the number of bronchodilator perscriptions. A few years ago an
> article was published in TIPS suggesting a cause and effect relationship
> between the two. This makes sense because clearly, bronchoconstriction
> is a logical response to reduce the entry of an allergen which is stimulating
> a hypersensitive (paranoid) immune system to overreact and create a
> situation where the risk:benefit ratio is higher than is acceptable.
> Bronchodilators would simply cause more of the offending agent into the
> lungs and the immune system continues to try to eliminate the allergen,
> causing greater tissue damage in the process and not allowing the tissues
> to recover. I think that the immune system must be given time to learn to
> cope. Anti-inflammatories, on the other hand, could reduce the immune
> reaction to a less auto-toxic level and prevent further tissue damage. With
> my flute-teacher friend, the combination of breath control exercises and
> the anti-inflammatories that she requested appear to have cured her
> problem. (Sorry, asthma is one of my pet interests and I seem to have been
> side-tracked a bit)
>> Finally (for the introduction), I have heard of a new kind of malady which
> seems to be associated with living in near-sterile conditions.
>> THE QUESTION
>> Can anyone point to any relevant research papers linking over-cleanliness
> with an underactive immune system?
>> Secondly, does it not make sense that if our bodies can adapt to their
> environment by develping those facilities that are exercised most, then the
> same should hold for the immune system?
>> If at the first sign of a problem we pump ourselves full of antibiotics
and the
> like, how can we expect to have (for want of a better word) an experienced
> immune system? This raises another question: If we are to allow our bodies
> to try to cope (particularly from a young age) then at what point should we
> intervene, expecting that the immune system will not be able to cope?
>> Discussion
>> Immunology is not my field, I would therefore appreciate it if some of you in
> the know could enlighten me as to whether or not you think that the points
> I have made are valid.
>> Thanks.
>> Bijan Riazi-Farzad
