I was always fascinated by the Immune System. Late in my medical student days when I had begun to doubt whether I actually wanted to be a medical doctor, I chose to spend three months in the Rheumatology Clinic. Most of the Rheumatological conditions are Auto-Immune conditions. I have found them very interesting. I hoped that time spent there would reignite my enthusiasms regarding modern medicine. The results were, unfortunately, pretty much the opposite. While the mechanisms of how these conditions occur is very interesting, (to me anyway), the daily work at the Clinic was anything but. It was the usual problem: trying to box certain symptoms into different definitions of different conditions. In many cases it felt artificial and inappropriate. Then, according to the condition you decided on, you started a treatment that consisted of a list of meds with an increasing level of toxicity. No wonder it put me off medicine even further.
The Coronavirus pandemic has brought the immune system into focus again. On the one hand, it is the only effective weapon we have to fight the virus. Clearly, if your immune system is robust you stand a better chance of an easier course of the disease. On the other hand, in cases where the virus is already widespread in the lungs, it is the reaction of the immune system in the lungs that causes most of the damage. This can lead to death by clogging the lungs with thick phlegm.
In this post I am going to discuss the different types of immune system problems and the Western medicine and Chinese medicine understanding and treatment of them. But firstly, a brief overview of the immune system’s working from Western and Chinese medicine viewpoints. From a modern scientific point of view our immune system consists of two parts -namely white blood cells (WBC) and antibodies. There is an enormous amount of knowledge about all the different types of WBC and antibodies and how they work, which I am not going to bore you with here. However, the general idea is that the system is there to identify and destroy any foreign invasion into our body. As is typical of modern medicine, we have a lot of knowledge about how this fascinating system works but very little knowledge about why things go wrong and then how to fix them. The TCM view of how our immune system works is much simpler. In Ancient China, naturally, there was no knowledge about cells and antibodies. However, there was an understanding through observations that a strong and functional immune system relies on strong Qi (energy) of the spleen and the lungs. As we are going to see, although this understanding, in comparison to modern science, is very scarce on details, it is much stronger in terms of practicality and treatment results. The reason is, probably, because it understands the underlying, the core, of what keeps all these antibodies and WBC working properly.
For the purpose of our discussion I am going to divide the Immune system conditions into three groups: weak Immune system, hyper reacting immune system (Allergies) and confused Immune system (Auto-Immune condition).
Weak Immune system (IS) is a useful situation to demonstrate the difference between Western medicine and Chinese medicine. In Western medicine, weakness of the IS is recognized only if you suffer from a disease like A.I.D.S. (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). In these cases there is demonstrable lack of WBC to protect the body. Apart from A.I.D.S. there are few very rare and incurable genetic conditions where the immune system is deficient in the way of lack of WBC. In the case of A.I.D.S. that is caused by a virus. Western medicine has an effective antiviral treatment that keeps the viral activity at a low level. It is not a cure but people (patients) can live a nearly normal life. The weakness of WM is in the more subtle cases of weak immune system, the cases where there is nothing found in blood or any other tests. In these (fairly common) cases, on the face of it according to Western medicine, the patient is completely healthy. So, what’s the problem? As we all know, some people display a pattern of weak resistance to invaders (viruses, bacteria, etc.). There are a few common patterns that indicate a weakness of the immune system. Firstly, people who get a lot of colds and flus. We all get some but some people will catch anything that goes around. Secondly, people where the infection progresses quickly from superficial head colds to chest infections or even pneumonia. The third sign of weakness in the IS is where the colds tend to linger for a long time. So, about two to three mild head colds in a year can be considered as fairly normal in this country. However, having more colds, colds that often go to the chest, and colds that linger for more than a week are all signs of weak resistance. WM, as we mentioned earlier, has not got a clue why this might have happened as all standard medical tests will be normal. It therefore has nothing to offer these patients. Chinese medicine however has a much better understanding of this situation. This weakness in resistance to diseases arises from a weakness of the Qi in the lungs and the spleen. Using certain Chinese herbs and Acupuncture points that strengthen our immune system through the strengthening or our lungs and spleen QI will yield excellent results. I have done it many times with patients with a very good success. Patients having their immune system strengthened with Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can experience not just an improvement in their resistance to colds and flus but also to other infections. As well as improvement in wellbeing and general energy.
The second type of IS related condition is when the Immune system is hyperactive. It’s known as Allergic reactions. In these, for some unknown reason, our immune system will overreact to a stimulation. Common examples are hay fever, animal fur allergies and nut allergies. There are also some chronic conditions that are caused when this type of reaction happens continuously in our bodies such e.g. asthma, chronic urticaria and chronic rhinitis. WM has no idea as to why this overreaction is happening. It does, however, have a fairly effective treatment for it, although, again, for the symptoms only. From antihistamines for the mild cases, to steroids for the more severe cases, and to adrenaline in the very severe life-threatening reactions. These are all usually quite effective treatments. However, none of these address the causes of the problem. In other words, they all aim to subdue the hyper reaction of the immune system but not to treat the reason behind this immune system malfunction. In Chinese medicine we always aspire to treat the roots as well as the branches (the cause and the symptoms) as much as possible. In this case, the treatment with Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicines is quite effective. In the mild and moderate cases the patient will experience a relief in symptoms, but also in most cases we can stop the allergy from reoccurring by using herbs and Acupuncture points that regulate the immune system and stop it from over reacting. In my experience, TCM will struggle a bit with the severe and acute reactions as in the case of, for example, nut allergies and severe gluten allergy. In these types of cases we will need the heavy guns of WM.
The third type of IS related conditions is also fairly common. In this group of conditions our immune system, for some reason, becomes confused and starts to attack different structures in our own body. This is known as an autoimmune condition. The disease arising from this immune malfunction depends on the structure in the body which has been attacked. Common examples are Psoriasis (skin), Rheumatoid Arthritis (Joints), Hypothyroidism (Thyroid Gland) and Crohn’s Disease (digestive system). As is also the case with allergies, here both Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine are at a bit of a loss as to why these conditions arise. As for the treatments, WM is mainly focused on suppressing the immune system to stop it from attacking our own body. Immunosuppressant drugs can be remarkably effective. The problem here is that a) the medication never treats the cause of the problem and therefore has to be taken indefinitely and b) taken for a long period these drugs have nasty and dangerous side effects. In other words, handing a patient immunosuppressant medications helps them with the condition in the short term whilst at the same time exposing them to high risk of potentially life-threatening conditions over the long term. Chinese medicine and Acupuncture work in a different way. Whilst the initial treatment will aim to ease the symptoms it will be followed by a treatment aimed at regulating the Immune system. In other words, trying to stop it from attacking our own body and to bring it back into normal function. The results are often very good and long-lasting, without nasty side effects in sight!
To sum up. Do we really know and understand the Human Immune System? Modern Science has a tremendous amount of knowledge regarding the structure and function of the immune system. There is also good knowledge regarding what has happened when things go wrong. The big piece that is missing is why things go wrong. WM has pretty much zero understanding as to the cause of immune related conditions and therefore the treatments on offer are limited to the symptoms only. Chinese medicine has a much better understanding of weak immunity and also a very effective treatment to offer. However, in the cases of allergies and autoimmune conditions the understanding of why things go wrong is not great. Luckily, unlike WM, we do have very good Acupuncture points and Herbal Medicines which can regulate the immune system back towards normal function. In most cases, therefore, long term cure or at least improvement is possible.
Best of Health Everyone,
Dr Ilan Shahor.