Mens Health Blog. Medical Blog

Lymphocytes are the T- and B-cells, special kinds of white blood cells associated with your body’s lymph tissue. When the laboratory sends the results of your blood tests to your physician, it will tell him what the WBC count is and what percentage of those are lymphocytes. We doctors simply multiple the WBC by the percentage of lymphocytes to determine the number of lymphocytes.

Let’s say your WBC is approximately 7,000 per cc of blood, and the percentage of lymphocytes is 30 percent:

7,000 WBC

x .3 .3 = 30% lymphocytes

2,100 Number of lymphocytes per cc of blood

Results: In healthy people, the lymphocyte count should be greater than 2,500. One-third of malnourished patients have counts between 1,500 and 2,500. Less than 1,500 is associated with greater death rates in surgical and other medical patients. Some people who have counts of less than 1,200 have no obvious disease, but they don’t feel good. I have seen many chronically ill patients with lymphocyte counts of 1,000 or less. Low lymphocyte counts are associated with immune system problems.

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All vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other nutrients are vitally important to your immune system. After all, the glands, cells and proteins that make up your immune system use the same building blocks as the other parts of your body. Certain nutrients, however, stand out for the special effects they have on the immune system. Let’s take a closer look at these nutrients. This discussion is meant to introduce you to the relationship between certain nutrients and the immune system, not to provide a supplementation program.

Vitamin A

Way back in the 1930s, we knew that vitamin A (also called retinol) modulated the body’s defense mechanisms against infection. Vitamin A is especially important in helping to keep fit the parts of our body that are the first to come in contact with invading organisms: the skin and the linings of the respiratory tract, digestive tract, urogenital tract and eyes. These areas of the body are our first line of defense against disease, so it’s important for us to get enough vitamin A to keep them strong and healthy. Vitamin A also helps the immune soldiers that are located in your tears and sweat.

If you don’t take in enough vitamin A to keep these areas of your body strong, disease-causing organisms that ordinarily would be kept out of your body will find their way in. That’s why vitamin A has been nicknamed the “anti-infection” vitamin. Studies have’ shown that taking substantial amounts of vitamin A helps people resist dangerous invaders.

Vitamin A enhances the activity of the natural killer (NK) cells that are such an important part of your immune system. Natural killer cells are T-cells that engage germs in “hand-to-hand” combat. Vitamin A also enhances the effectiveness of your B-cells. As I explained in Chapter Eight, B-cells are the part of the immune system that produce plasma cells. The plasma cells then manufacture antibodies, which are like guided missiles that seek out and destroy germs.

Vitamin A comes in two forms: preformed vitamin A from fish, meat, poultry, dairy products and other foods of animal orgin, and beta carotene from vegetables, fruits and other foods of plant origin. When you eat foods that contain beta carotene, your body converts the carotene into vitamin A as it is needed.

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CHYLAMYDIAL DISEASES: a common, sexually transmitted infection, which is occurring in epidemic proportions. It can cause sterility in women and problems such as inflammation of the urinary tract and prostatic inflammation in men.

Signs and Symptoms: may be nonexistent, but generally it causes infections of the lining of the uterus, the uterine tubes and ovaries; vaginal discharge; abnormal pap smears; pelvic pain; genital infections; enlarged glands in the groin areas; inflammation of the rectum; fever. The liver and a part of the testicle (epididymis) can be involved. Chylamydial diseases are one of the major causes of sterility in women.

COCCIDIOIDOMYCOSIS: a disease caused by fungus infection, common in the Southwest U.S., which can involve the lungs, skin, lymph nodes, spleen, brain, bones, kidneys or liver. Most cases begin as a flu-like syndrome and may not progress any further.

Signs and Symptoms: depend upon where in the body the fungus is doing the most damage. Generally there is a chronic, low-grade fever; loss of weight; generalized loss of strength; loss of appetite; shortness of breath; cough, which can produce yellow or green sputum; can be aches in joints. If the fungus gets into the brain, there can be destruction of tissue, with confusion and coma. If in the bones, there can be bone pain.

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T-Cells in Action

When T-cell colonies in the lymph tissue are exposed to an antigen, some of the T-cells become sensitized. These sensitized cells are sent out to find the antigens. When the antigens are found, the sensitized T-cells surround them and hold on, swelling in size and trying to kill the invaders with poisons they release. Along with the poison, the T-cells send out other chemicals that cause nearby T-cells to become sensitized to the antigen and join the battle. In addition, the chemicals attract up to 1,000 macrophages and increase the phagocytic activity of the giant cell eaters. It was recently reported that certain T-cells shoot out proteins, called perforins, that punch holes in antigens. A T-cell may attach itself to several antigens at a time, swinging its “guns” at one enemy at a time, attacking each in turn.

Killer, Helper and Suppressor Cells

There are different kind of T-cells: the fighting cells I’ve just described, the memory cells which store away information about the antigen, plus the very important helper T-cells and suppressor T-cells.

Natural killer cells are powerful, but they need a little prodding. That’s where the helper T-cell, also called T4 cells, come in. Their job is to prod fighting T-cells, and B-cells, to battle. Of course, your body wants to make sure there’s a way to turn the fighters off when the battle is over. That’s where the suppressor (T8) cells come in.

The T8s tell the immune soldiers to lay down their weapons and calm down when the battle is over and won. Without T8 cells, the killer cells might go on fighting when the antigens have been destroyed, and turn against you, attacking your own body.

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