It has been said that our Information Age has been associated with an increase in disorders of our information apparatus: the immune system. Our immune system has two major functions.
- It must differentiate friend (self, normal flora, food/nutrients) from foe (infectious agent or toxin).
- It must eradicate unwanted visitors.
When the immune system fails in its first task it can mistakenly react to harmless substances (see Allergy Treatment) or may react to self (autoimmunity).
Autoimmune condition such as rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, multiple sclerosis, and hypothyroidism are becoming extremely common. In fact, almost any organ can be attacked by the immune system, including the brain.
The conventional approach to autoimmune diseases is to suppress the immune system, which can lead to obvious problems. At Bock Integrative Medicine we evaluate and correct the nutritional, hormonal, toxic, allergic and infectious factors that can lead to autoimmunity in the first place.
The immune system’s second job – eradicating infectious agents – is often compromised in stubborn chronic conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, recurrent infections candidiasis, and tickborne diseases. Here again, the Functional/Integrative approach is to find and eliminate those factors that hinder good immune function and use natural approaches to boost and regulate the immune system so it can properly do its job.
