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1. More on the Immune System - T-Cells
2. Coffee can lower your Disease Risk
3. Is there any difference between Diabetic Neuropathy and other forms of Neuropathy?
4. The Pain Scale
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More on the Immune System - T-Cells
Words to Know
Antigen: a molecule that can be recognized by the immune system......more(link is external)
Cytotoxins: chemicals that kill cells.
Lymph system: the network of vessels, tissues, and organs that immune cells use to move through the body.
Molecule: a chemical structure that has two or more atoms held together by a chemical bond. Water is a molecule of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H2O)... more(link is external)
Receptor: a molecule on the surface of a cell that responds to specific molecules and receives chemical signals sent by other cells.
T-Cells
T-cells are a type of white blood cell that work with macrophages. Unlike macrophages that can attack any invading cell or virus, each T-cell can fight only one type of virus. You might think this means macrophages are stronger than T-cells, but they aren’t. Instead, T-cells are like a special forces unit that fights only one kind of virus that might be attacking your body.
More than one kind of T-cell
There are two types of T-cells in your body: Helper T-cells and Killer T-cells. Killer T-cells do the work of destroying the infected cells. The Helper T-cells coordinate the attack
Killer T-Cells and Antigens
Killer T-cells find and destroy infected cells that have been turned into virus-making factories. To do this they need to tell the difference between the infected cells and healthy cells with the help of special molecules called antigens. Killer T-cells are able to find the cells with viruses and destroy them.
Antigens work like identification tags that give your immune system information about your cells and any intruders. Healthy cells have 'self-antigens' on the surface of their membranes. They let T-cells know that they are not intruders. If a cell is infected with a virus, it has pieces of virus antigens on its surface. This is a signal for the Killer T-cell that lets it know this is a cell that must be destroyed.
Anatomy of a T-cell
T-cells have many identical T-cell receptors that cover their surfaces and can only bind to one shape of antigen. When a T-cell receptor fits with its viral antigen on an infected cell, the Killer T-cell releases cytotoxins to kill that cell.
The key to finding infected cells
There are 25 million to a billion different T-cells in your body. Each cell has a unique T-cell receptor that can fit with only one kind of antigen, like a lock that can fit with only one shape of key. Antigens and receptors work a lot like a lock and key. Most of these antigens will never get in your body, but the T-cells that patrol your body will recognize them if they do.
The T-cell receptor fits with its antigen like a complex key. When the perfectly shaped virus antigen on an infected cell fits into the Killer T-cell receptor, the T-cell releases perforin and cytotoxins. Perforin first makes a pore, or hole, in the membrane of the infected cell. Cytotoxins go directly inside the cell through this pore, destroying it and any viruses inside. This is why Killer T-cells are also called Cytotoxic T-cells. The pieces of destroyed cells and viruses are then cleaned up by macrophages.
Helper T-cells
The other type of T-cell is the Helper T-cell. These cells don’t make toxins or fight invaders themselves. Instead, they are like team coordinators. They use chemical messages to give instructions to the other immune system cells. These instructions help Killer T-cells and B-cells make a lot more of themselves so they can fight the infection and make sure the fight stays under control.
Building a bigger army for a particular invader
When a Helper T-cell sends out a chemical message, its matched Killer T-cell is alerted that there is a virus present. After a Killer T-cell finds and destroys an infected cell, this Helper T-cell message tells it to copy itself, making an army of Killer T-cells. Because only T-cells that can fight the invading virus are copied, your body saves energy and is still very good at killing the virus.
T-cell screening
T-cells are made in the bone marrow, like all red and white blood cells. The name T-cell comes from the organ where they mature, the thymus. The thymus is just above your heart, and is about the size of a deck of playing cards. Most T-cells are made when you’re young, so kids have a bigger thymus than adults. It is also where T-cells are screened to get rid of any that would attack the healthy cells in your body.
Getting around the body
All white blood cells have two ways to get around the body. One way is through your blood vessels. The other way is through the lymph system.
The lymph system has vessels that move milky fluid and white blood cells around the body. Unlike your heart, which pumps your blood, the lymph system uses the movements of your body to push the lymph fluid around. This is one reason why it is good to be active and exercise.
Switching transportation systems
Most white blood cells are stored in the lymph system until they are needed to fight an infection. When a virus attacks, they can transfer into the blood vessels so they can quickly attack the viruses. This transfer happens in the lymph nodes, which are located throughout your body.
Lots of lymph nodes are in your legs, armpits, and neck. The last time you had a sore throat you probably felt enlarged places on one or both sides of your neck. This is where the T-cells and B-cells multiply and get ready to attack the virus.
Other important parts of the lymph system where immune cells grow, multiply, and trap invaders are your bone marrow, thymus, spleen, and tonsils.
(Article in the Arizona State University. School of Life Sciences - Ask a Biologist)
Keep Your Immune System Strong
Coffee can lower your Disease Risk
I know a lot of people on the healthy keto diet who drink coffee just about every day. I do as well. Does that mean it’s good for you, though? It turns out it is!
Believe it or not, coffee can actually lower your risk of disease. In several studies I looked into, there were signs that coffee consumption lowered the risk of type-2 diabetes and may even decrease the risk of liver, breast, kidney, and colorectal cancer.
Pretty incredible, right? Go ahead and take a look at what else I found. If you’re a coffee drinker, you’ll certainly be surprised by the results.
Coffee for Health
Is there any difference between Diabetic Neuropathy and other forms of Neuropathy?
The reason I decided to write this article is that I've had many people question the difference. I've even had several people tell me that when they went to their doctor complaining about neuropathy symptoms, the doctor took a blood test and dismissed it as neuropathy because their blood sugars weren't high.
The term neuropathy has been strongly associated with Diabetes. Diabetes is a major cause of peripheral neuropathy. Current estimates say that 60-70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe neuropathy.
However, it is not the only cause.
Neuropathy is nerve damage. Nerve cells are vulnerable to damage from disease or anything that impairs the body’s ability to turn nutrients into energy, to process waste products, to circulate oxygen or to make the cellular repair.
Diabetes does create the nerve cells vulnerable to damage, but there are many ways in which nerves can get damaged.
What are the different ways that someone will get neuropathy?
Diabetic neuropathy is a result of prolonged elevated levels of blood glucose.
Chemotherapy Neuropathy is caused by damage that is done by the drugs that are attempting to destroy the cancer cells.
Alcoholic neuropathy - Alcohol use creates vitamin deficiencies that can lead to nerve damage.
Medications – certain drugs have possible side effects of nerve damage (neuropathy). The biggest known drug is the anti-cholesterol drugs since it blocks cholesterol which the nerves need to repair themselves. It can create deficiencies that contribute to nerve damage.
Autoimmune Disorders – these are disorders where the body attacks its own cells. If it attacks nerve cells it will create neuropathy.
Bacterial and Viral Infections Viruses can attack nerve cells. Bacterial and viral infections can create autoimmune reactions.
Pressure on a nerve - Pressure constricts the nerve, creates inflammation and can cause damage.
Pressure can be put on a nerve in different ways. The spine being out of alignment, herniated discs, a bone spur from arthritis or bones constricting the nerve (i.e. carpal tunnel syndrome or trauma to the body) as well as a growing tumor can put pressure on a nerve. This pressure constricts the nerve, creates inflammation and can cause damage.
Diseases – Kidney disease creating waste products, connective tissue diseases such as arthritis, lupus, etc. create chronic inflammations that inflame the nerve and create nerve damage. Shingles is a common cause of nerve damage.
Trauma – any physical injury such as falls, car accidents, and sports injuries can damage a nerve. The nerve can be partial, or completely severed, crushed, stretched or compressed. Broken bones can be associated with nerve damage.
Toxins – from ingredients in food such as MSG to cleaning products, paint solvents, etc. etc. Drugs are a form of toxin. The chemicals used are toxic to the body.
Surgery – Nerves can get damaged when the body is cut during surgery. It is a form of trauma.
Vitamin deficiencies – Vitamins E, B1, B6, and niacin are essential to healthy nerve function. Lack of B12 damages the myelin sheath that surrounds and protects the nerves.
What do all these causes have in common?
They damage a nerve.
The body, fortunately, can build healthy cells (actually I remember learning that in Biology 101 in high school and probably earlier in grade school). What does the body need to nourish the cells and build healthy nerves?
The body runs on nutrients - it needs protein, carbohydrates and fats. It needs all the enzymes, vitamins, minerals and co-factors normally found in food. It can then build healthy cells.
Most of the nutrients needed for healthy nerves can be gotten in sufficient amounts with a good diet. However, the two specific vitamins that the body needs a lot of for nerves are B1 and B12. These are harder to come by as B1 is water-soluble and thus washes out of the body too quickly and B12 needs to be properly absorbed which often can be difficult.
Getting supplements that have the right B vitamins is important.
A formula that doesn’t have any herbs or other additives that might interfere with the medications you might be taking is needed.
Herbs, you need to remember, are often like drugs. They can give some temporary relief as long as you keep taking them, but in the case of herbs that relieve nerve damage symptoms, you often have to limit how much you take daily, you can’t keep taking them for long periods of time and they can create side effects.
For more information about Neuropathy and treatments.
The Pain Scale
Designed by Andrea Mankoski, (c)1995, This is the best pain scale I've seen to describe severity (though not necessarily quality) of pain
Remember, whenever a doctor asks you to rate your pain from 1 - 10, ask for a pain scale so you can be sure you're speaking the same language.
Pain Scale
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