Episode #139: Boosting Immune System Question

[eatonke]

In this episode the following was said about boosting an immune system.

"Basically, you can't be healthier than healthy; and a healthy immune system is a delicate balance between attacking foreign bodies and attacking your own healthy tissue. "Boosting" it, if such were possible, would cause your own healthy tissue to be attacked."

To be clear I agree with Skeptoid's point about various products making pseudo-scientific claims that are nearly impossible to test, such as "boosting" one's immune system. However, my question to someone who is more familiar with human biology than myself is, isn't it actually possible to "boost" an immune system and provide someone the ability to fight off sickness better, i.e. make someone "healthier than healthy"? Couldn't something be developed to increase one's T-cell count which would in turn allow the body to identify a foreign body earlier and therefore attack it before it became problematic for a person?

To be clear I am not questioning Skeptoid's overall point here about Kangan water having the ability to make one healthier, as it is clear there is no scientific proof for that, but it seems disingenuous to claim that you cannot make a person "healthier than healthy" because my understanding is you in "theory" could by increasing certain cell counts in the body.

Thanks in advance to any responses to this thread.

[paximperium]

However, my question to someone who is more familiar with human biology than myself is, isn't it actually possible to "boost" an immune system and provide someone the ability to fight off sickness better, i.e. make someone "healthier than healthy"? Couldn't something be developed to increase one's T-cell count which would in turn allow the body to identify a foreign body earlier and therefore attack it before it became problematic for a person?
Yes there is. They are called vaccines.

[paximperium]

There is no real way to "boost" an immune system except perhaps to exercise and keep to a decent diet.

The immune system is a well balanced system where it attacks foreign invaders but must no attack the body. If an immune system is too sensitive, we get things like allergies and autoimmune diseases.

[eatonke]

Vaccines do allow a body to recognize an illness, but they do not increase t-cell count. I guess my original question focuses on whether or not the body would benefit from an increased t-cell count or in increase in any other component of the immune system. Both the skeptoid episode and your response seem allude to the idea that the immune system components all must exist in a balance, but with my limited knowledge of biology I would think an increased t-cell count, even in a person that is already "healthy" would actually be beneficial. Is that assumption incorrect?

By the way, thanks paximperium for the quick response.

[paximperium]

Vaccines do allow a body to recognize an illness, but they do not increase t-cell count. I guess my original question focuses on whether or not the body would benefit from an increased t-cell count or in increase in any other component of the immune system. Both the skeptoid episode and your response seem allude to the idea that the immune system components all must exist in a balance, but with my limited knowledge of biology I would think an increased t-cell count, even in a person that is already "healthy" would actually be beneficial. Is that assumption incorrect?

By the way, thanks paximperium for the quick response.
In the wonderful world of immunology, it is actually all about quality not quantity. While quantity matters to a degree, it reaches a certain threshold and there is a tremendous reserve in immune function. You could lose 80% of your T-cells with little detriment in your immune function so technically, the human body already has a load more leukocytes than we really need while the rest acts as a buffer and reserve.

The T-Cells(Why pick on T-Cells and not B-Cells or Macrophages or eosinophils?), has a specific function in the immune system. There isn't all that much evidence that increasing your T-cells will improve your immune system.

I guess you could increase you T-Cell by getting a massive bleed, infection or leukemia/lymphoma.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphoproliferative_disorders

[eatonke]

Thanks paximperium. That was very helpful.