The final layer in our immune system study is TH17!

We've covered our protective TH1, killer arm - that keeps busy killing pathogens the moment they invade your body. And we came to an understanding about TH2, our protetive inflaming and antibody producing arm that sometimes oversteps its boundaries. Then there was the happy TH3 arm that's responsible for healthy immune boosting, based on the positive and happy inputs you incorporate into life: effectively boosting your immunity supplement-free!

Before we get to the gloom of TH17, I want to remind you that this part of the immune system does exist. And we're going to approach it in a curious, connect-the-dots manner. Learning about THE17 may help you understand why your autoimmune condition happened after that divorce. Or why your health pivoted for the worse after you lost a close loved one.

Who is TH17?

TH17 AUTOIMMUNE FIRE: This immune response stimulates autoimmunity or the immune systems’ activity directed at “self” or your body. No thank you. TH17 adds fuel to the fire of autoimmunity and we always want to avoid over activating TH17. Negative attitudes, poor relationships, resentment, blame, violence and internal mental stress promotes cells that activate TH17. ❤️ Ever have a friend leave an unhealthy marriage and their health immediately cascades through many autoimmune diseases? TH17 is at the helm. ❤️ Minimize external stressors like strict deadlines, unrealistic goals, bad jobs and unhealthy environments, they activate TH17. Exercising to the point of exhaustion or overtraining also activates TH17. Back away from double HIIT classes, my high achievers!

Strep and TH17

TH17 creates T cells as its immune weapon of choice. And TH17 is inflammatory. She's like that girl in college who reacted to everything with a bomb of a response when a quick, kind text was all that was needed. Ultimately TH17 is inflammatory to the maximum as it's both destructive to pathogens and to the body's own tissues: thus the autoimmunity. TH17 lymphocytes will also call for backup in the form of mast cells - an inflammatory cell the dumps both histamine and dopamine in their efforts to help. All my histamine girlies listen up: those histamine storms, likely come from mast cells, which likely come from TH17 cranking on. Our goal is to limit TH17 with our healthy emotions, healthy stress mitigation and healthy relationships. If it's not healthy, your health depends on you ruthlessly eliminating any TH17 stimulators.

Did you know that strep throat can become strep nose and those strep bacteria ride the nose elevator of the olfactory nerve right into the brain. Wait. What about the blood brain barrier that keeps outsiders well - OUTSIDE - of the brain? The olfactory nerve region of the brain doesn’t have the protective blood brain barrier. Smell works through this unguarded gateway of open nerve fibers that stretch down into the nasal cavity to pick up on the “smell” of things. Basically your nose nerves touch scents and that creates your smell sensation. Smelling is interacting with physical substances.

Once strep bacteria have entered the brain, TH17 will ramp up - but why? Because all intranasal infections prefer the generation of TH17 cells.Ideally, the nose is being aggressive in protecting the brain - calling in the big guns to obliterate any pathogen that is trying to ride the nose elevator to the brain. But realistically, all TH17 turns on the overkill actions, thus creating loads of brain inflammation, which may express as hypervigilance, trouble with sleep, unwanted movements or tics, inattentiveness, anxiety, bursts of crazed energy, OCD…you're getting the picture.

What can we do?

Don’t forget your best friend, TH3, is always there for you. You can add positivity, healthy exercise and good relationships to boost your immunity. We practitioners can also strategically support TH1 or TH2 based on symptoms, lab work and your history. We can also encourage you toward the right TH3 supporting activity for you. For some, it's increasing blood flow to the brain through walking. For others, it's a daily meditation against those fears we see popping up. For others, their bodies benefit from strategic amino acid therapy to support positive neurotransmitter production of serotonin to make a happy meditation even possible. Sometimes it's mitochondrial support, so that you feel enough energy to engage in TH3 supporting activities.

I get asked a lot what our approach is. With the ride of the information highway called social media, we can all get swamped in info (and we're glad about it…that's what initially pushed me to learn this stuff for us all…) and feel the pressure to figure it out. Or that this program or that mineral balancing or this nervous system path is the way. And it might be. Today. If you hear anything I've said…it's that turning down TH17 is a full-body approach. Our team works with your body, day in and day out, to observe symptoms, labs, your emotions, patterns…to support your healing. I've found after hundreds of clients, that this is where the magic in our method is. Observing and sticking with your body to give it a good and steady lift up and out of chronic inflammation, which keeps the body stuck. Sometimes it's mineral balancing, other times its histamine support, othertimes it's an antioxidant boost - but ultimately all lasting progress is laid over the foundation of a healthy and balanced immune system.

So go - do something positive and healthy for yourself this weekend to encourage TH3. Day by day, choice by choice we can move away from brain inflammation and autoimmunity if we choose to. Health is wildly in your control!