Educate Act Thrive - Eat for the Immune System

What do you know about getting healthy and staying healthy? Eat better, exercise, and sleep more... But what should we eat and why? Do our daily food choices really impact our heart, lungs, and brain? Is getting sick an inevitable occurrence or one we have control over? Much of our medical knowledge is gated behind complicated concepts that are too hard to understand. As a result, we have a heavy dependence on doctors and a blind reliance on prescriptions and medical technology.

For us to lead healthy and productive lives, we need the knowledge to prevent sickness and disease.

This knowledge should not be hidden behind incomprehensible gibberish. It should be easily accessible and easy to apply to our own lives on a daily basis. Good health comes down to the little things, like what foods we serve to our families and what we buy at the grocery store. Educate Act Thrive: EAT for the Immune System does its best to distill the complex topics of health and diet into easily digestible fragments for us to take actionable steps to build healthier lives.

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Dr. EE Zhang

Dr. EE Zhang grew up around the world before attending the University of Glasgow School of Medicine, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree. She spends most of her time trying to make information about medicine and health more accessible and easily understood. The rest of the day she tries to keep her dog entertained.

PREFACE
EDITOR’S NOTE
CHAPTER 1 THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IS OUR SUPERWEAPON
THE DIFFERENT ORGANS OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
CELLS OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
THE INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM
CELLS OF THE INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM
THE ADAPTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEM
CELLS OF THE ADAPTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEM
HOW IT ALL FITS TOGETHER
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT ALL GOES WRONG
WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM HEALTHY

CHAPTER 2 NUTRITIONAL IMMUNOLOGY
MEDICINE IS NOT THE CURE
HAPPY IMMUNE SYSTEM, HAPPY BODY
ANIMAL PRODUCTS CONTRIBUTE TO INFLAMMATION
EAT MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
NUTRITION AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
LIFESTYLE FACTORS THAT CAN AFFECT OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

CHAPTER 3 HOMEOSTASIS
BALANCE IN THE BODY
THE HUMAN BODY AS A WHOLE ENTITY
THINK OF NUTRITION AS A WHOLE
REPLACING OUR NUTRIENTS
WHOLESOME IS BEST

CHAPTER 4 IMMUNE SURVEILLANCE—SOPHISTICATION IN BALANCE
INFLAMMATION—A CALL TO WAR
MANIPULATION OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM CAUSES IMBALANCE
IMMUNITY IS TREMENDOUSLY COMPLICATED
DRUGS ARE NOT “INTELLIGENT”
WHOLESOME PLANT FOODS ARE “INTELLIGENT”
NUTRITION IS KEY TO A WELL-FUNCTIONING IMMUNE SYSTEM

CHAPTER 5 GUT MICROBIOTA—THE BODY’S GOOD BUDDY
WE ARE NOT 100% HUMAN
WHERE DO THE BACTERIA FIRST COME FROM?
GUT MICROBIOTA AND IMMUNITY
ROLE OF GUT MICROBIOTA IN NUTRITION AND HEALTH
THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY IN GUT MICROBIOTA
GUT MICROBIOTA AND OBESITY
GUT MICROBIOTA AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES
GUT MICROBIOTA AND COLORECTAL CANCER
GUT MICROBIOTA AND HEART DISEASE AND STROKE
GUT MICROBIOTA AND ALLERGIES
BALANCE MATTERS IN THE GUT TOO

CHAPTER 6 AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES
AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES ARE BECOMING MORE COMMON
AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES ARE A MYSTERY
TYPES OF AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES
THERE IS NO CURE FOR AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES
RISK FACTORS FOR AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES
AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES MUST BE TRIGGERED
THE THEORIES BEHIND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES
AN UNHEALTHY DIET CAN WORSEN INFLAMMATION
A HEALTHY GUT MAY PROTECT AGAINST AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES
EATING MORE FIBER MAY PROTECT AGAINST AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES
FOOD IS THE BEST MEDICINE

CHAPTER 7 ALLERGIES
APPROPRIATE IMMUNE RESPONSE
ALLERGIC IMMUNE RESPONSE
WHAT HAPPENS DURING AN ALLERGIC REACTION
SYMPTOMS OF AN ALLERGIC REACTION
TYPES OF ALLERGIC DISEASES
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A FOOD ALLERGY AND A FOOD INTOLERANCE
DIAGNOSTIC TESTS
COPING WITH FOOD INTOLERANCE
TREATMENT FOR FOOD ALLERGIES AND FOOD INTOLERANCES
ALLERGENS ARE NOT NECESSARILY BAD
A HYPOALLERGENIC PRODUCT IS NOT NECESSARILY A BETTER PRODUCT
CURRENT TREATMENTS FOR ALLERGIES
MECHANISMS OF ALLERGIES
THE INCIDENCE OF ALLERGIES IS INCREASING
WHY ALLERGIES HAPPEN
EARLY LIFE IS IMPORTANT
ALLERGIES ARE NOT INEVITABLE!

CHAPTER 8 CANCER
CANCER IS A SLOW, PROGRESSIVE DISEASE
THE LIMITS TO MODERN MEDICAL IMAGING
WHAT IS CANCER
CANCER CELLS ARE IMMORTAL
HOW CANCER KILLS
CANCER CELLS WILL SPREAD
CANCER DOES NOT STOP MUTATING
RISK FACTORS FOR CANCER
GENES AND CANCER
IMMUNE DEFENSE AGAINST CANCER
BASICS OF CONVENTIONAL CANCER TREATMENTS
TARGETED THERAPY
BASICS OF IMMUNOTHERAPY
A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE CAN REDUCE CANCER RISK
EAT MORE PHYTOCHEMICALS
IT IS POSSIBLE TO LIVE OVER 120 YEARS!

CHAPTER 9 VIRUSES AND BACTERIA
MICROSCOPIC ENEMIES—VIRUSES AND BACTERIA
HOW VIRUSES CAUSE DISEASE
HOW BACTERIA CAUSE DISEASE
MEDICATIONS TO FIGHT AGAINST VIRUSES AND BACTERIA
VACCINATION
INTERFERONS
THE EMERGENCE OF NEW DISEASES IS NOT NOVEL
THE HUMBLE ANNIHILATOR—BACTERIA
HOW SUPERBUGS ARE FORMED
CONTRIBUTORS TO SUPERBUGS
BACTERIA NATURALLY EVADE ANTIBIOTICS
THE BACTERIA ARE WINNING
ANTIBIOTICS ARE NOT A CURE-ALL
NO NEW ANTIBIOTICS
FIGHT AGAINST THE RESISTANCE
MODERN MEDICINE IS NOT A “PARACHUTE”

CHAPTER 10 INFECTIONS ARE NOT JUST INFECTIONS
NOT ALL INFECTIOUS DISEASES ARE CURABLE
INFECTIONS CAN TRIGGER AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES
INFECTIONS CAN HAVE LONG-TERM EFFECTS
INFECTIONS MAY AFFECT OUR GENES
STRESS AND DISEASES
RELAX AND ENJOY

CHAPTER 11 PUT THE BRAKES ON AGING
TAKE CHARGE OF OUR HEALTH
LIVE LONG, LIVE WELL

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