Being immunocompromised refers to a state where the immune system’s ability to fight off infections and illnesses is weakened, leaving the body more susceptible to pathogens. This condition can arise from various factors, including chronic illnesses, certain medications, or underlying health issues. Immunocompromised individuals often experience a range of challenges, commonly referred to as immunocompromised symptoms, which may include frequent infections, prolonged recovery times, fatigue, and a heightened sensitivity to environmental triggers. Understanding these symptoms is crucial for tailoring supportive care and holistic strategies to strengthen the immune system, improve resilience, and enhance overall well-being naturally.
What is an Immune System?
The immune system is your body’s defence mechanism against dangerous pathogens like viruses, bacteria, and infections. When inflammation occurs in response to these threats, it’s a sign that your body is actively defending itself.Your immune system is a network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to defend the body from harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. It plays a crucial role in eliminating these pathogens and protecting the body from disease and infection.
The immune system works in conjunction with the lymphatic system to filter out pathogens through the lymph nodes, spleen, and thymus. It contains antibodies, which are specialised proteins produced by B cells that target and neutralise pathogens. The immune system also produces cytokines, signalling molecules that help coordinate the immune response and facilitate communication between cells.
Cytokines are primarily produced when the body is fighting off infections. White blood cells are key components of the immune system; T cells and B cells, both types of lymphocytes (immune cells), are essential for detecting and responding to pathogens.
What Are the Risks of a Compromised Immune System?
Research shows that compromised immunity can increase susceptibility to various infections and viruses, leading to reoccurring illnesses and long recovery times. Researchers emphasise that an unbalanced or insufficient diet can significantly compromise the immune response. Nutrition directly influences the intestinal flora, which plays a critical role in susceptibility to infections. Additionally, the nutritional state can be further exacerbated by the immune response to infections.
A compromised immune system increases the risk of various health issues. Individuals with weakened immunity are more susceptible to infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. If not properly managed, this can lead to severe illnesses like pneumonia, tuberculosis, and opportunistic infections. Long-term impairment of immune function can also contribute to the development of chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Research suggests that a weakened immune system may also increase the risk of certain cancers, particularly those linked to viral infections like HPV and HIV, as the body’s ability to detect and eliminate cancer cells is diminished. Furthermore, mental health can be impacted, leading to increased rates of anxiety and depression.
Overall, a weakened immune system can impair nutrient absorption, resulting in deficiencies that further compromise overall health.
How Can You Tell if Your Immune Response Is Compromised?
If your immune system is compromised, this will often lead to symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, frequent flus/colds, low mood, skin conditions and digestive issues. The more compromised the immune system is, the longer it takes to recover from illnesses, resulting in an increased frequency of sickness.
Skin Conditions
The skin serves as an initial barrier to infection and works closely with the immune system to prevent pathogens from entering the body. Skin is the body’s largest organ, it acts as an initial barrier to infection and works closely with the immune system to prevent pathogens from entering the body. The skin acts as an active immune organ, being its first line of defence providing resistance to bacteria, pathogens and toxins.
Noticing unusual rashes or persistent infections can help indicate underlying immune issues, as the skin relates to internal immune health.Autoimmune diseases occur when the body’s immune cells attack its own tissues and organs. Unusual symptoms, such as skin manifestations like psoriasis, dermatitis, or eczema, may indicate potential autoimmune issues. These skin conditions can sometimes progress to joint pain.
Conditions like psoriasis and eczema are signs that the immune system can attack the skin, resulting in inflammation and other symptoms. Psoriasis and eczema are both inflammatory skin conditions linked to immune and gut disregulation. Both conditions have commonalities which include inflammatory response, symptoms of itching, redness and swelling, as well as triggers. Triggers include environmental factors, stress and infections.
In psoriasis, the immune system becomes overactive, leading to an increased number of T cells and other inflammatory cells in the skin. These cells release cytokines that promote inflammation. This causes skin cells (keratinocytes) to proliferate excessively. Normally, skin cells renew every 28-30 days, but in psoriasis, this process occurs much more quickly, resulting in thick, scaly patches.
Eczema involves a hypersensitive immune response, often triggered by allergens or irritants. This activates immune cells and inflammatory mediators. Individuals with eczema typically have a compromised skin barrier, allowing allergens and irritants to penetrate more easily. This exacerbates the immune response, resulting in inflammation, redness, and itching. Similar to psoriasis, eczema involves the release of specific cytokines (such as IL-4 and IL-13) that promote inflammation.
Digestive Issues
We have immune cells in our gut. When the gut is not functioning optimally, it can manifest as digestive issues, leading to an under-functioning immune system and the development of autoimmune conditions.
Common digestive signs to watch out for include bloating, gut pain, nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, and loss of appetite—all of which indicate a compromised immune system.
It’s important to examine the gut microbiome, as it plays a key role in immune health. The gut is home to a variety of bacteria, both good and bad. Promoting a healthy balance of bacteria is crucial for a strong immune response. Good bacteria help increase the production of IgA (immunoglobulin A), an antibody that acts as a strong defense against pathogens, bacteria, and toxins in the body.
Testing your gut microbiome can reveal the balance of good and bad bacteria you have, as well as how much IgA is being produced in your gut.
Recurring Infections/Colds
The immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to defend the body against harmful invaders. Key components include white blood cells (such as T-cells and B-cells), antibodies, the lymphatic system, and organs like the spleen and thymus. When the immune system is compromised, any of these components may be weakened or less effective, reducing the body’s ability to recognise and destroy pathogens and therefore cause frequent infections and colds.
Causes of a weakened immune system include:
- Chronic Stress
- Poor nutrition
- Sleep deprivation
- Age
- Certain medications
- Infections
Fatigue and Weakness
Fatigue and weakness are common symptoms experienced by individuals with compromised immune systems. These can serve as early indicators that the body is struggling to fight off infections and viruses. These symptoms are often more pronounced when the immune system is not functioning optimally, reflecting the body’s increased energy expenditure as it works harder to combat pathogens or repair tissue damage.
Why We Recommend Gut Health For Your Immunity
A disrupted gut microbiome can significantly impact immune defences.
The microbes in the gut help to strengthen the immune system by teaching it how to distinguish between harmful pathogens and bacteria. A healthy gut bacteria will produce signalling molecules like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which interact with immune cells to promote a balanced immune response.
As mentioned above, IgA is a power tool for fighting off pathogens. IgA is secreted into the mucous membranes of the digestive system and helps neutralise pathogens which stop. A healthy microbiome supports the production of IgA, strengthening the body’s first line of defense.
A disrupted gut microbiome can lead to intestinal permeability (commonly referred to as “leaky gut”), where harmful substances can pass through the intestinal lining and trigger immune responses, leading to chronic inflammation and immune disregulation. Zonulin which is a marker for intestinal permeability is also tested through gut microbiome testing.
Overall, the gut microbiome plays a crucial role in the process of regulating your immune system and reducing risk of disease.
Treatment and Management
Proper nutrition provides the necessary ingredients for a good functioning immune system, reducing the risk of infections and illnesses.
Your diet, lifestyle and exercise routine are the most powerful factors for boosting immunity. Always being mindful of the foods you’re eating will take you a long way with your health. Getting in the right vitamins and minerals will help your body to achieve its own natural mechanism to fight off cold/flu and prevent any chronic autoimmune conditions from being manifested.
Here are some vitamins and herbs that help to support your immune system:
- Vitamin C – Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant which is involved in the function of T-cells and phagocytes (a type of cell that engulfs bad pathogens). Vitamin C protects the immune cells from oxidative damage which can reduce infections and inflammation when sick.
- Zinc – Zinc is an essential mineral that is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions. Zinc has the ability to eliminate pathogens like bacteria, viruses and fungi. Zinc works to prevent sickness and shorten the duration of getting sick.
- Reishi – Reishi is a particular mushroom known for its incredible benefits on the immune system. Reishi contains bioactive compounds like triterpenoids, polysaccharides and beta-glucans which enhance immune function. These compounds stimulate the activity of immune cells such as T-cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells, which help fight infections.
- Andrographis – Andrographis has been studied for its potential to help prevent and treat infections, especially respiratory infections like the common cold, flu, and upper respiratory tract infections. Research has shown that it can reduce the severity and duration of symptoms of these conditions.
- Echinacea – Echinacea is widely recognised for its immune-boosting properties. Echinacea has potent anti-inflammatory properties that can help manage chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and other inflammatory disorders. It reduces the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and enzymes, such as COX-2 and TNF-alpha, that are involved in inflammatory pathways. Echinacea extracts can also be used in topical creams and ointments to treat conditions like acne, ringworm, and insect bites.
A healthy gut microbiome is essential for a strong immune system, helping to fight off various sicknesses and maintain overall well-being.
Your gut health is the jack of all trades. The microbiome works preventing you from manifesting any type of disease, whether that would be immune-related or even skin and weight-related.
Here at the Happy and Healthy Wellbeing Centre, we offer specialised and tailored plans as well as functioning testing to suit your needs. We can address the root cause of what is troubling you and get to the bottom of it. As Naturopaths, we look at the body as a whole and help you eat a balanced diet, educate you on the benefits of exercise and nutrition as well as creating a lifestyle that is right for you.
If you need help with your immune system then you can contact us to book an initial consultation or click here to book online.
