To shield itself from harmful environmental stimuli, the body employs its cells, biochemicals, organs and tissues. The complex interaction of these physiological systems produces immunity. One of the immune system's more extraordinary features is its ability to respond to the environment. When a threat is encountered, the immune system can mount an attack specifically designed to neutralize it. This is demonstrated most clearly in the antigen-antibody interaction.
Antigens are proteinlike substances that identify living matter, much like biochemical name tags.
Other immune cells are alerted and information gleaned from the antigen is used to design antibodies precisely configured to destroy both the antigen and the organism that carried it into the body. Defects in any of the components of the immune system can impair its ability to recognize and neutralize invading organisms and thus increase susceptibility to infectious disease. An important clue is contained in the work of Weston Price, D.D.S., a researcher who, almost 60 years ago, observed a high degree of immunity among native cultures he encountered as he traveled the world. These highly resistant peoples invariably ate whole, unprocessed foods and were physically active. Price observed that when individuals from such cultures relocated to areas where refined and processed foods were prevalent, they began to contract infectious and degenerative diseases.