WEBVTT - Lab 047: All Immune Systems Go (Re-Air) 0:00:00.560 --> 0:00:04.440 It's August and we're finally getting some relief from the 0:00:04.519 --> 0:00:05.480 summer heat. 0:00:05.559 --> 0:00:10.600 Right, but we're also seeing the fall woes creeping in. 0:00:10.960 --> 0:00:14.680 COVID numbers are spiking again across the country, and a 0:00:14.720 --> 0:00:17.159 lot of people we know keep talking about this like 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:20.360 mysterious one day cold. They're like, oh, you know, my 0:00:20.440 --> 0:00:25.040 nose is running, I'm sneezing, I'm coughing, and it doesn't 0:00:25.120 --> 0:00:25.840 last very long. 0:00:26.000 --> 0:00:27.920 But also, I mean it kind of tracks. We're at 0:00:27.960 --> 0:00:32.159 the very beginning cusp of flu season, you know, And 0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:35.440 I feel like every time this happens, summer ends, it 0:00:35.520 --> 0:00:37.440 cools off people going back to school, so stuff is 0:00:37.479 --> 0:00:40.920 spreading around the same conversation pops up. People are asking 0:00:41.000 --> 0:00:43.840 how do you actually strengthen your immune system? 0:00:44.000 --> 0:00:46.440 And that's why this week we're bringing back one of 0:00:46.479 --> 0:00:50.920 our favorite labs. It's Lab forty seven. All Immune Systems Go. 0:00:51.240 --> 0:00:53.320 And if you've heard it before, just let this be 0:00:53.400 --> 0:00:56.440 your refresher. And if you haven't, listen, close because there 0:00:56.440 --> 0:01:02.080 will be a pop quiz. And I'm Zachiah and this 0:01:02.280 --> 0:01:09.680 is Dope Labs. Welcome to Dope Labs, a weekly podcast 0:01:09.680 --> 0:01:12.800 that mixes hardcore science with pop culture and a healthy 0:01:12.840 --> 0:01:25.000 dose of friendship. This week, we're talking all about the 0:01:25.040 --> 0:01:28.680 immune system. Specifically, we really wanted to know more about 0:01:28.840 --> 0:01:31.120 how it works and what we can do to make 0:01:31.160 --> 0:01:31.720 it stronger. 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:34.560 Yes, it's peak cold and flu season, and I've seen 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:37.720 a lot of you sharing elderberry syrup, ginger lemon emergency, 0:01:38.160 --> 0:01:40.280 all of that on your IG stories. You're telling us 0:01:40.319 --> 0:01:42.319 all about your immune system hacks and boosters. So this 0:01:42.440 --> 0:01:44.480 lab is really for you. We're going to get into 0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:47.039 what the immune system is and how it works. So 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:48.320 let's get into the recipation. 0:01:57.960 --> 0:01:59.880 So before we say what do we know? What I 0:02:00.240 --> 0:02:02.760 know and what Tekia knows, It's two very different things. 0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:09.480 To be clear, I feel like I know next to 0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:12.880 nothing about the immune system and how it works. I 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:16.200 feel like I know very very basic things that I 0:02:16.200 --> 0:02:19.639 think most people know, like your immune system is important 0:02:19.720 --> 0:02:22.840 and having a good immune system will help you. But 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:24.360 that's kind of where it stops for me. 0:02:25.760 --> 0:02:27.840 Well, that's okay, because I'm going to help you ask 0:02:28.080 --> 0:02:31.600 some other questions like where exactly is immune system in 0:02:31.639 --> 0:02:33.880 the body, how does it work, what happens if it's 0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:37.640 not working or if it's overworking, what's going on there? 0:02:37.919 --> 0:02:40.160 And then I think the question we both have TT 0:02:40.680 --> 0:02:44.160 is about all the hacks we see about strengthening and 0:02:44.200 --> 0:02:46.880 boosting and enhancing the immune system. 0:02:47.280 --> 0:02:50.240 Yes, some of it just seems like made up stuff, 0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:52.680 Like I'm just like, who told you that? Who told 0:02:52.680 --> 0:02:55.520 you that? Like, oh, chew on your big toenail for 0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:58.080 three minutes and then spit it out and spin round 0:02:58.480 --> 0:02:59.600 like I don't. 0:02:59.520 --> 0:03:01.800 Know, Oh yeah, I would chew on it, but if 0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:03.639 you do have to get you on it, definitely spit it. 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:04.680 Out all right. 0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:09.040 That makes me feel like we are ready for the dissection. 0:03:09.240 --> 0:03:10.640 You're ready, CC, I'm ready. 0:03:10.680 --> 0:03:20.000 Hold my hand. Friend. 0:03:23.040 --> 0:03:25.400 Our guest for today's lab is doctor Piel Gupta. 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:28.519 My name is doctor Pyle Gupha. I am an adult 0:03:28.680 --> 0:03:32.800 and pediatric allergy and asthma specialist and also a nominologist, 0:03:33.080 --> 0:03:35.560 and I live and work in New York City. 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:39.640 Okay, for me, let's start with the basics. What is 0:03:39.680 --> 0:03:40.760 the immune system? 0:03:40.880 --> 0:03:44.880 Our immune system is our body's way of protecting us 0:03:44.920 --> 0:03:48.160 from foreign invaders. And what I mean by foreign invaders 0:03:48.200 --> 0:03:53.680 are things like viruses, like bacteria, like fungi and even cancers. 0:03:53.840 --> 0:03:56.960 Okay, so these are all the things we definitely don't 0:03:56.960 --> 0:03:57.960 want in our bodies. 0:03:58.160 --> 0:04:00.080 So if we zoom out, we can think about the 0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:02.560 body as this single tube from the mouth to the 0:04:02.600 --> 0:04:05.760 booty basically, and your skin is wrapping all of that 0:04:05.960 --> 0:04:08.800 and keeping everything in a closed system. So your skin 0:04:08.880 --> 0:04:11.280 is like your protective barrier. Right, Our skin is a 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:14.880 physical barrier to those foreign invaders and particles. 0:04:14.920 --> 0:04:17.080 You know, you gotta stay moisturized. You gotta put lotion 0:04:17.160 --> 0:04:20.920 on those elbows. Yes, moisturized skin is soft and supple 0:04:20.960 --> 0:04:25.680 and plump, but not moisturized skin or dry skin cracks 0:04:25.720 --> 0:04:27.760 and bleeds and things like that. 0:04:27.880 --> 0:04:30.800 All right, we have our protective barrier of skin protecting 0:04:30.839 --> 0:04:35.520 everything inside. If anything penetrates that barrier, it's then facing 0:04:35.600 --> 0:04:38.400 our immune system. And the immune system can be split 0:04:38.480 --> 0:04:42.200 into two parts, the innate immune system and the adaptive 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:46.880 or acquired immune system. So innate being the immune system 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:49.800 that you are born with. Yes, and that's not unique 0:04:49.839 --> 0:04:52.159 to us. So if we look at it, all animals 0:04:52.200 --> 0:04:54.560 have an innate immune system, and so do plants. 0:04:54.720 --> 0:04:57.479 Oh I didn't know that. Yeah, I need to treat 0:04:57.520 --> 0:05:01.440 my snake plant better. There it's currently three leaves sitting 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:05.279 on the floor. Okay, So there's our skin, which provides 0:05:05.320 --> 0:05:09.839 a physical barrier. Then there's the innate and acquired immune systems. 0:05:09.960 --> 0:05:12.640 So let's talk about the innate immune system first. 0:05:12.520 --> 0:05:15.880 And so then innate immune systems are first line of deference, 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:20.000 and this line of defense or this army reacts to 0:05:20.120 --> 0:05:21.480 fight infection quickly. 0:05:21.640 --> 0:05:25.599 The innate immune system is non specific, so it just says, invader, 0:05:26.000 --> 0:05:29.400 respond right. It doesn't know who you are. It just 0:05:29.480 --> 0:05:30.680 knows that it is not right. 0:05:30.839 --> 0:05:33.440 That's like your house security system when you come in 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:36.040 the door. It's like, hey, I don't know who you are. 0:05:36.680 --> 0:05:38.680 You may be the owner, you might not be. Yes, 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:40.640 but you better put it in a security code or 0:05:40.720 --> 0:05:42.000 there's gonna be some problems. 0:05:42.279 --> 0:05:45.120 Yes, you know. So let's say that system is not 0:05:45.279 --> 0:05:48.840 very specific. It's just a strong first response. Our second 0:05:48.839 --> 0:05:51.360 line of defense is the acquired immune system. So if 0:05:51.440 --> 0:05:53.679 we were to compare these things, the innate immune system 0:05:53.760 --> 0:05:57.280 is not specific, acquired is specific. The innate immune system 0:05:57.400 --> 0:06:00.560 is permanent and the response is immediate. For the acquired 0:06:00.560 --> 0:06:03.120 immune system is transient. It's not always permanent, and the 0:06:03.160 --> 0:06:05.919 response is not immediate, but it is specific and is 0:06:06.000 --> 0:06:08.599 coming right for you, is right on time. So the 0:06:08.640 --> 0:06:12.320 acquired immune system is something that your body builds over time, 0:06:12.400 --> 0:06:18.919 and that's based off of socio physical factors. That's a 0:06:18.960 --> 0:06:23.120 really good question. You begin building your acquired immune system 0:06:23.440 --> 0:06:28.559 from being a fetus right across the placenta. The mom 0:06:28.720 --> 0:06:31.599 is giving you some immunity right there, thanks mommy. 0:06:32.920 --> 0:06:36.120 When a baby is first born, they're not ready to 0:06:36.400 --> 0:06:39.600 fight every infection. They are fragile, and our immune systems 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:41.800 when we're born aren't where we want them to be. 0:06:42.200 --> 0:06:45.200 Then, even thinking about what happens as soon as you're born, 0:06:45.480 --> 0:06:47.920 you have been inside this other closed system, so you 0:06:47.920 --> 0:06:49.560 don't have any bacteria. You know, how we talk about 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:52.080 the microbiome on the skin and how we talk about 0:06:52.120 --> 0:06:55.480 the bacteria that's part of our personal environment. You acquire 0:06:55.600 --> 0:06:58.480 that as you pass through the birth and canal, or 0:06:58.560 --> 0:07:00.760 if you are delivered by c section, you acquire that 0:07:01.040 --> 0:07:03.760 from that delivery process, and then you know that skin 0:07:03.839 --> 0:07:06.800 to skin contact with mom. At that point, you are 0:07:07.120 --> 0:07:11.560 being colonized with bacteria and other microorganisms right then, and 0:07:11.640 --> 0:07:14.360 those things are all over your skin, colonizing the body. 0:07:14.480 --> 0:07:17.600 So that's what's helping you specifically t T when you're 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:21.040 eating all that crazy food and helping you not get sick. 0:07:22.400 --> 0:07:26.440 Those bacteria in your gut. You acquire that stuff from birth. 0:07:26.200 --> 0:07:29.280 So your adaptive immune system starts developing from the jump 0:07:29.360 --> 0:07:32.320 through the birth canal, skin to skin. All those germs 0:07:32.320 --> 0:07:35.040 getting into your tiny baby body are what your body 0:07:35.120 --> 0:07:37.080 needs to adapt to the outside world. 0:07:37.240 --> 0:07:40.320 And so when you think about when a baby t 0:07:40.440 --> 0:07:42.920 t is always sick, you know, like you've seen your 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:46.240 nieces and nephew with those running noses, Yes, that is 0:07:46.360 --> 0:07:49.880 them being exposed to these foreign particles and pathogens, and 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:53.760 their immune systems are beginning to recognize these things and 0:07:53.800 --> 0:07:56.520 getting smarter. So that's why kids get so sick when 0:07:56.520 --> 0:07:59.400 they first go to like preschool or todaycare. 0:07:58.920 --> 0:08:02.960 Because their bodies are being introduced to new bacteria that 0:08:02.960 --> 0:08:06.840 they've never seen before, bacteria, viruses, all of that, and 0:08:07.000 --> 0:08:10.400 that is how you develop that learned or acquired immunity. 0:08:10.480 --> 0:08:12.320 So then when you get to a big age like 0:08:12.400 --> 0:08:14.880 our age, we've seen a lot of the things that 0:08:14.920 --> 0:08:17.440 were in the nursery already, so our bodies are better 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:18.720 equipped to fight it. 0:08:19.000 --> 0:08:20.840 Yes, and you may be able to clear those things 0:08:20.880 --> 0:08:24.200 really quickly. So a cold that may have your little 0:08:24.400 --> 0:08:27.480 toddler cousin with a running nose for a week, you 0:08:27.520 --> 0:08:29.520 may have the sniffles for like one day, and you're good. 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:31.239 You're ready to bounce back and keep it moving. 0:08:31.440 --> 0:08:34.280 And then as we get older, we get exposed to 0:08:34.320 --> 0:08:38.160 the environment, which also exposes our body to foreign particles, 0:08:38.200 --> 0:08:41.200 foreign substances, and our body starts to recognize what is 0:08:41.240 --> 0:08:44.560 normal what is abnormal, and then the immune system slowly 0:08:44.559 --> 0:08:45.319 starts to grow. 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:49.240 So our immune system generally peaks between puberty and young 0:08:49.280 --> 0:08:52.800 adulthood and starts to decline around the age of sixty. 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:56.160 That's why older individuals we have to be extra careful, 0:08:56.280 --> 0:08:59.280 just like we are with babies, because they are more 0:08:59.320 --> 0:09:01.000 susceptible to infection. 0:09:16.040 --> 0:09:19.480 Really young babies in infants, so under six or seven months, 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:22.560 can't get a flu shot, so everybody around them gets 0:09:22.640 --> 0:09:25.000 a flu shot to kind of cocoon them and to 0:09:25.080 --> 0:09:28.400 keep themselves from passing something on to the baby. Similarly, 0:09:28.640 --> 0:09:31.000 older adults, so over sixty five, they also have a 0:09:31.000 --> 0:09:33.280 week immune system, but their immune system can handle a 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:36.000 little bit more than an infant can. So what we 0:09:36.120 --> 0:09:38.080 find is that if you think about a flu shot, 0:09:38.320 --> 0:09:41.640 if you were under five years old, we can say 0:09:41.760 --> 0:09:44.600 just have like one dose compared to if you're an 0:09:44.600 --> 0:09:49.040 adult of great health, and you're not compromised in any way. 0:09:49.360 --> 0:09:51.920 You would have what we considered maybe two times the dose. 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:54.280 But for people who are over sixty five, the amount 0:09:54.440 --> 0:09:57.480 of flu vaccine they're receiving is considered three times the 0:09:57.520 --> 0:10:00.480 dose of what a kid would get because a kid 0:10:00.520 --> 0:10:03.840 needs much less prompting. Their immune systems are so robust. 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:05.679 It's like, got it, Like if you were trying to 0:10:05.720 --> 0:10:07.160 do a TikTok, I'm going to need a little bit 0:10:07.200 --> 0:10:11.720 more time to get my TikTok together than somebody who's twelve. Right, 0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:13.760 They're a native to that system. They know what to do. 0:10:14.160 --> 0:10:16.559 It's just like a learning curve for your immune system 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:17.360 as you get older. 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:25.960 So now we know what the immune system is. We 0:10:26.000 --> 0:10:28.760 know that there's some that is innate, so that stuff 0:10:28.760 --> 0:10:31.200 that you're born with, and then we know that there's 0:10:31.240 --> 0:10:34.000 some aspects of our immune system that we acquire over 0:10:34.080 --> 0:10:38.320 time based on exposure. But where is all of this happening? 0:10:38.480 --> 0:10:41.400 Is there like an immune system orgon? Is it near? 0:10:41.800 --> 0:10:45.160 My pancreas was just one of the one of the 0:10:45.200 --> 0:10:46.880 only organs I remember from biology. 0:10:47.160 --> 0:10:54.360 Like kid, me, you're doing good, You're doing good. Stomac well, 0:10:54.400 --> 0:10:57.480 basically it's all over. It's not in any one place. 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:01.040 So in your bones, and I'm not just talking about 0:11:01.040 --> 0:11:03.920 one bone, all your bones. Inside there's bone marrow, which 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:06.840 is this like spongy kind of stuff. That is the 0:11:06.840 --> 0:11:10.680 place where lymphocytes are made. Lymphocytes are also maturing in 0:11:10.760 --> 0:11:13.400 the thymus, which is if you think about like where 0:11:13.400 --> 0:11:15.920 your neck is that butterfly organ over your neck, that's 0:11:15.960 --> 0:11:19.560 your thyroid. Comes straight down between your lungs and your chest, 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:22.640 that's the thymus, and cells that are part of the 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:25.160 immune system are maturing right in there. You also have 0:11:25.280 --> 0:11:27.040 like your lymph nodes, which are kind of like under 0:11:27.040 --> 0:11:29.000 your arms if you've ever gotten sick and felt like 0:11:29.080 --> 0:11:31.800 sore under your arms or right there under your jawline 0:11:31.880 --> 0:11:34.439 a little bit. Yeah, there's even lymphnos right in the 0:11:34.480 --> 0:11:37.680 groin area too. Other areas are like the spleen and 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:40.079 even your tonsils. I just think of that as like 0:11:40.120 --> 0:11:41.760 the battleground for our immune system. 0:11:41.960 --> 0:11:43.880 Really, our tonsils are spleen. 0:11:44.120 --> 0:11:46.040 What was the other one? The lymph nodes. 0:11:46.559 --> 0:11:48.120 Lymph nodes spleen. 0:11:48.559 --> 0:11:49.800 Okay, you're getting it. 0:11:51.000 --> 0:11:53.160 I'm following. I'm following some. 0:11:53.120 --> 0:11:57.720 Of the fighters in this army are things like macrifages, bhasa, fylls, 0:11:57.760 --> 0:12:01.160 dendritic cells, or neutrophils. So these are all fancy names 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:04.120 for cells in our body that do different things to 0:12:04.120 --> 0:12:07.800 get rid of the bacteria or viruses or other foreign invaders. 0:12:08.160 --> 0:12:11.800 Macrifages are kind of like these big cells that kind 0:12:11.800 --> 0:12:15.720 of engulf whatever foreign particle they see. The chemicals inside 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:18.640 of the macrophage just eat up whatever they see, and 0:12:18.720 --> 0:12:22.240 so that's kind of what a macropage does. Neutrophills are 0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:24.720 kind of in a similar way doing that same thing. 0:12:24.920 --> 0:12:28.760 Those cell types and neutrophills, basophylls, mass cells, dendritic cells, 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:31.560 those are all part of our innate immune system and 0:12:31.640 --> 0:12:34.000 so tt like you mentioned, if things slip past our 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:36.720 innate immune system, they move on to our second line 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:39.079 of defense, which is our acquired immune system. 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:43.520 The acquired immune system uses lymphocytes, so those are cells 0:12:43.559 --> 0:12:45.640 that circulate in the blood and are made up of 0:12:45.720 --> 0:12:48.880 T cells and B cells to target specific pathogens. 0:12:48.960 --> 0:12:53.600 These cells take longer to develop because their behaviors evolve 0:12:54.120 --> 0:12:57.480 from learned experiences, but they tend to live longer than 0:12:57.480 --> 0:13:02.360 innate cells and the adaptive immune cells remember foreign invaders 0:13:02.520 --> 0:13:05.880 after their first encounter and then fight them off the 0:13:05.920 --> 0:13:09.439 next time more easily. So this is really the fundamental 0:13:09.480 --> 0:13:12.160 concept and promise for how vaccines work. 0:13:12.240 --> 0:13:16.000 For example, yes, remember in the HIV episodes with doctor 0:13:16.040 --> 0:13:18.920 Christine Daniels, we talked about creating that mugshot, and so 0:13:18.960 --> 0:13:20.640 your immune system is like I already know who you 0:13:20.679 --> 0:13:22.560 are and I know what to do. Uh huh. That's 0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:25.720 basically what we're doing when we expose our bodies to vaccines, 0:13:25.880 --> 0:13:27.679 speeding up that learning process. 0:13:27.800 --> 0:13:30.280 So, now that we understand how the immune system works, 0:13:30.640 --> 0:13:32.800 what are some signs we can look for to know 0:13:32.920 --> 0:13:34.160 that it's working. 0:13:34.360 --> 0:13:36.880 One of the most common misconceptions is that if you 0:13:36.960 --> 0:13:40.040 get quote unquote sick, so like if your nose is running, 0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:42.280 or if you are achy, or if you have a fever, 0:13:42.600 --> 0:13:45.520 that your immune system isn't working. But that's actually a 0:13:45.559 --> 0:13:48.360 sign that it is. Let's take lymph nodes for example. 0:13:48.640 --> 0:13:51.600 Lymph Nodes are tissues that are found all over our bodies, 0:13:51.920 --> 0:13:54.760 and lymph nodes produce white blood cells and white blood 0:13:54.800 --> 0:13:56.199 cells help fight off infection. 0:13:56.440 --> 0:13:59.360 Lymph Nodes can be found underneath our neck, under our arms, 0:13:59.360 --> 0:14:01.880 near our gurn and literally all over. 0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:04.840 When we actually get sick, then our lynth nodes go 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:08.079 into action, and that's when they get inflamed, and that's 0:14:08.120 --> 0:14:11.040 when they get bigger. That's evidence that your body is 0:14:11.120 --> 0:14:13.440 doing something to fight off infection. 0:14:13.760 --> 0:14:16.240 And so when we think about people's response to the 0:14:16.280 --> 0:14:20.280 COVID vaccine and boosters or even the flu shot, sore arms, fatigue, 0:14:20.640 --> 0:14:22.920 all of that is just a sign that your immune 0:14:22.960 --> 0:14:23.880 system is working. 0:14:24.000 --> 0:14:27.120 You know that the flu shot makes me hurl every 0:14:27.120 --> 0:14:28.400 time I get it. 0:14:28.520 --> 0:14:29.960 I didn't know that, girl. 0:14:30.040 --> 0:14:32.480 It happened at your house in North Carolina. 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:35.080 Oh the flu shot did that to you, haven't. You 0:14:35.160 --> 0:14:37.240 just had a different kind of responding. 0:14:37.280 --> 0:14:39.840 Paint the picture for you, okay, o was as a 0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:40.680 kid's parents' house. 0:14:40.680 --> 0:14:41.880 Oh, at my parents' house. 0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:45.240 Yes. We were hitting golf balls with her dad, and 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:47.920 I had just gotten a flu shot like two days before. 0:14:48.200 --> 0:14:49.960 It was my very first flu shot, so I didn't 0:14:49.960 --> 0:14:51.680 know nothing was going to happen to me. He put 0:14:51.840 --> 0:14:54.880 lamb on the grill. We was eating good, okay, hitting 0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:57.840 golf balls. Her dad is launching those golf balls into 0:14:57.840 --> 0:15:00.480 the stratosphere. And then all of a sudden and I'm like, 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:05.720 something is not right. I start to feel lightheaded. And 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:08.880 then I say I'm about to throw up. I run 0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:12.240 to the bathroom. I felt awful because we had so 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:14.040 much good food that I was like, I really hope 0:15:14.080 --> 0:15:15.360 he doesn't think it was his food, because I know 0:15:15.400 --> 0:15:17.040 it's not his food. I don't know what's wrong with me. 0:15:17.320 --> 0:15:19.320 But then I was like, I have to go home, 0:15:19.480 --> 0:15:22.640 and so I drove back to Dorn and then proceeded 0:15:22.720 --> 0:15:25.280 to vomit my life away for the next two days. 0:15:25.360 --> 0:15:27.160 And does this happen every time you get a flu shot? 0:15:27.320 --> 0:15:28.200 Not that extreme? 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:30.480 So that was my very first flu shot. So it 0:15:30.480 --> 0:15:33.240 makes sense based on what you and doctor Gupta have 0:15:33.280 --> 0:15:35.880 been saying about the immune system. My first experience with 0:15:35.920 --> 0:15:39.320 the flu shot, I had a really strong reaction because 0:15:39.320 --> 0:15:41.360 my body's like, okay, is how do we get rid 0:15:41.400 --> 0:15:43.560 of this? What is this? This is something new that 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:46.040 we've never seen before. But now every time I get 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:49.280 the flu shot since then, I'll get supernauxous. Sometimes I'll 0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:51.200 throw up. But the last time I got it, I 0:15:51.240 --> 0:15:54.080 just felt a little queasy, and so, m M, I'm 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:56.280 guessing this immune system is doing what it's supposed to do. 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:57.520 It's given what it's supposed to give. 0:15:57.880 --> 0:16:00.240 Yeah, and if you don't have those symptoms. If you 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:02.920 don't have that akiness or you didn't really get sick, 0:16:02.960 --> 0:16:05.640 it doesn't mean the immune system wasn't working. It just 0:16:05.680 --> 0:16:08.920 means that you can feel your immune system working more 0:16:08.960 --> 0:16:09.920 than maybe somebody else. 0:16:10.280 --> 0:16:14.120 Another example of the immune system working. Baby, you've seen 0:16:14.120 --> 0:16:18.520 me suffer from this is allergies. That's our immune system overreacting. 0:16:18.720 --> 0:16:21.760 Listen, I have allergies, but I have never seen someone 0:16:22.040 --> 0:16:24.000 suffer like my friend. 0:16:24.160 --> 0:16:27.200 Okay, you don't want to be outside with me without 0:16:27.200 --> 0:16:30.720 a Xytec and a flow naz spray nostril. 0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:34.440 I've got to get my friend inside. She is perishing. 0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:35.640 Every time our. 0:16:35.560 --> 0:16:38.280 Immune system all of a sudden looks at a dog 0:16:38.360 --> 0:16:41.680 protein or a cat protein or you know, dust mighte 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:44.200 and all of a sudden thinks that this is something 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:46.440 that I need to react against, when in fact, it's 0:16:46.480 --> 0:16:49.280 not something that you need to react against. So it 0:16:49.320 --> 0:16:52.360 isn't like the tree because tree protein is actually good. 0:16:52.400 --> 0:16:54.680 It's good for environment, we need more of it. But 0:16:54.880 --> 0:16:58.120 it's that when our body sees it, it's reacting in 0:16:58.160 --> 0:17:02.840 an abnormal way and ripple effect of all these chemicals 0:17:02.880 --> 0:17:07.120 being released, and those chemicals are what caused the damage 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:10.440 and the inflammation and all the symptoms that we experience. 0:17:10.600 --> 0:17:13.760 So when we think about how people are treating their allergies, 0:17:13.800 --> 0:17:16.520 a lot of people are taking antihistamines and things like this, 0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:19.520 and what they're doing is actually dampening their immune system. 0:17:19.560 --> 0:17:22.480 They're turning that reaction down so that they're not getting 0:17:22.480 --> 0:17:26.240 so much of the running nose and the inflammation. Histamines 0:17:26.240 --> 0:17:29.840 are chemicals involved in our immune system, and if you 0:17:30.080 --> 0:17:33.640 take benadrill or something like that for allergies, you'll see 0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:37.639 the term antihistamine. And what that's doing is you can 0:17:37.680 --> 0:17:40.159 think of it as kind of sequestering those histamines away 0:17:40.240 --> 0:17:42.639 so you don't get those responses like the running nose 0:17:42.680 --> 0:17:46.240 and the itchy eyes and the inflammation that's associated with 0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:50.280 our immune systems overreacting to these allergens. Right, So you're 0:17:50.320 --> 0:17:52.879 basically saying, hey, take it easy, all right. 0:17:53.320 --> 0:17:55.240 It's holding your immus as Tom back home back. 0:17:55.359 --> 0:17:55.520 Yeah. 0:17:56.040 --> 0:17:58.280 Yes, that's exactly what it's like. And the nice thing 0:17:58.400 --> 0:18:01.040 is that it's specific to the allergens, so it doesn't 0:18:01.080 --> 0:18:04.000 mean that your immune system is impaired from protecting you 0:18:04.080 --> 0:18:06.119 against other things. So that's really nice to have that 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:08.320 kind of specific targeting for allergies. 0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:11.280 Okay, so let's take a break and when we come back, 0:18:11.320 --> 0:18:14.240 we'll talk all about what happens when the immune system 0:18:14.440 --> 0:18:17.119 doesn't work and what we can do to strengthen our 0:18:17.160 --> 0:18:37.639 immune system. 0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:40.320 We're back and we're talking about the immune system with 0:18:40.400 --> 0:18:43.040 doctor Piel Gupta. Now that we have a better understanding 0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:44.879 of what the immune system does and how it works, 0:18:45.600 --> 0:18:49.040 what happens if it's not working. So what we've learned 0:18:49.080 --> 0:18:51.640 is that there are some immune system disorders and they 0:18:51.680 --> 0:18:54.400 mostly have to do with the immune system operating out 0:18:54.440 --> 0:18:59.040 of balance, either underreacting or overreacting to a foreign invader. 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:03.240 When the immune sys is underreacting, it's called an immune deficiency. 0:19:03.680 --> 0:19:06.840 So an immune deficiency is when our body isn't reacting 0:19:07.119 --> 0:19:11.800 to viruses, bacteria, fungi. And it can be from the cells, 0:19:11.880 --> 0:19:13.760 you know, all of these different cells, from a part 0:19:13.760 --> 0:19:17.280 of those cells not working properly, or that there aren't 0:19:17.480 --> 0:19:20.600 enough of those cells to help fight infection. So it 0:19:20.600 --> 0:19:22.760 can be either the function or it. 0:19:22.640 --> 0:19:25.600 Can be the amount. And immune deficiency can be primary 0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:28.360 which means it was inherited at birth, or secondary which 0:19:28.400 --> 0:19:30.800 means it's not an innate disorder. But something that is 0:19:30.880 --> 0:19:34.080 secondary to another condition such as cancer or AIDS, which 0:19:34.119 --> 0:19:38.000 stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and those immune deficiencies 0:19:38.000 --> 0:19:40.040 can range in severity and treatment. 0:19:40.440 --> 0:19:44.679 So in those situations, you know, those patients need extra boosters, 0:19:44.720 --> 0:19:49.040 they need more antibiotics, they need stronger antibiotics than other people. 0:19:49.200 --> 0:19:52.000 If it's a severe immune deficiency, we sometimes have to 0:19:52.040 --> 0:19:55.240 actually replace the bone marrow, and that the more severe 0:19:55.320 --> 0:19:58.360 ones will show up at birth, and so we actually 0:19:58.440 --> 0:20:01.240 have a screening system to kind of find those immune 0:20:01.280 --> 0:20:04.800 deficiencies very quickly when a baby is born so that 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:07.280 we can help protect them and take care of them 0:20:07.640 --> 0:20:10.000 and make sure that they don't get that first infection 0:20:10.200 --> 0:20:13.320 that could lead to unfortunate circumstances. 0:20:13.520 --> 0:20:15.560 So then what about the other side of the coin 0:20:15.680 --> 0:20:19.240 when our immune system is overreactive. 0:20:18.560 --> 0:20:22.200 And then the overactive immune system is you know, things 0:20:22.280 --> 0:20:29.320 like autoimmune diseases, so you know where like thyroid dysfunction, lupus, rheumatrate, arthritis, 0:20:29.359 --> 0:20:31.840 things like that where our immune system might be acting 0:20:31.880 --> 0:20:35.400 against us. Then we get other issues where a lot 0:20:35.440 --> 0:20:37.720 of inflammation, a lot of the things that we use 0:20:37.800 --> 0:20:41.280 to fight infection and turn then causes problems in our body. 0:20:41.480 --> 0:20:44.240 So some parts of our immune system we cannot change 0:20:44.320 --> 0:20:47.240 because it's just what we're born with and so there's 0:20:47.280 --> 0:20:49.200 not much we can do to fix it. But there 0:20:49.200 --> 0:20:52.520 are aspects of our lives that do affect our immune 0:20:52.520 --> 0:20:55.280 system that we have some control over, like sleep. And 0:20:55.320 --> 0:20:58.320