Natural defenses

How the Immune System Works

The immune system is a functional rather than an anatomical system, made up of a coordinated network of recognition and defense elements targeting foreign bodies. "If you are not with me (the self), then you are against me (the non-self)." This is the principle that our natural defenses constantly put into practice. Whatever is recognized as "non-self", rightly or wrongly (as in autoimmune diseases), is destroyed. This applies to pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites), tumor cells, or virus-infected cells, for instance.

To ensure our resistance to diseases, our immunity relies on 2 intrinsic defense systems:

1. The non-specific (natural or innate) defense system is always ready to react within minutes through 2 lines of defense. The first is provided by intact skin and mucous membranes, and the second, mobilized when there is a breach in the first, involves macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, and antimicrobial proteins. This second line of defense is coupled with inflammation.

2. Then comes the adaptive (or specific) defense system. Its reactions take much longer to set up, but the response is specific to a foreign substance and more intense. This system involves, on one hand, humoral immunity through B lymphocytes, which travel through the blood and all body fluids to encounter foreign agents, and on the other hand, cellular immunity through T lymphocytes, which recognize cancerous or infected cells.

The structures of this immune system rely on an impressive array of chemical molecules and immune cells located throughout the lymphoid tissues (spleen, thymus, bone marrow, lymph nodes) and circulating in all the body's fluids. Note that 60 to 70% of these immune cells are located around your intestines, which constitute the primary entry route for pathogens.

Benefits of Fresh Pollen for Immunity

A flora of bifidobacteria and lactobacillus is found in all pollens preserved in a fresh state. The latter are raised by bees on the nectar inside the hive. Before leaving to forage, they fill their honey stomach with nectar and regurgitate it to moisten the pollen pellets. The ferments present in the nectar will thus inoculate each pellet.

This practice, worthy of the food industry, has actually been mastered by bees for several million years. Frozen cistus bee pollen contains the largest amount and the greatest diversity of lactic ferments belonging to the lactobacillus family. Their "probiotic" action is a wonderful ally for a balanced intestinal flora.

In cases of intestinal permeability, the tight junctions between intestinal epithelial cells become loose, allowing large, unwanted molecules to enter the body. As a result, there is a significant risk of developing a variety of disorders, including immune dysfunction, inflammation, musculoskeletal problems, and allergies.

Propolis to Improve the Immune Response

A quick definition of propolis would be to say that it is a resinous substance collected by worker bees from tree buds to seal and sanitize the hive. However, this definition does not do justice to the complexity of this substance, whether in terms of its origin, its production method, its composition, and consequently, its benefits for humans.

The biological (or therapeutic) properties of propolis are mainly due to the presence of this polyphenolic fraction, and more particularly to certain flavonoids. The documented and proven effects of propolis are quite numerous, including:

• Antibacterial effect
• Antiviral effect
• Antifungal effect
• Anti-inflammatory effect
• Antioxidant effect
• Immunomodulatory effect

Propolis is not an isolated molecule but a complex substance containing many molecules originating specifically from a particular plant. It exerts its antimicrobial potential directly on pathogens by weakening their membrane or by limiting their ability to adhere to mucous membranes. Once assimilated, propolis quickly stimulates the destruction capacity of macrophages against various pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites) and natural killers against infected or tumor cells.

Propolis also acts on the second line of defense via pro-inflammatory chemical molecules that strengthen cooperation between T and B lymphocytes and stimulate antibody production. In cases of allergies where the immune system goes into overdrive, taking propolis has proven effective for rhinitis, for example, by inhibiting the release of histamine, or for asthma, with a reduction in pro-inflammatory molecules and an increase in anti-inflammatory molecules, resulting in an improvement in patients' ventilatory functions.