Question: I have two friends whose doctors told them that their immune systems must be weak for their medications to work. One has Lyme disease and the other has breast cancer. Is there ever a time when it’s best for a person’s immune system to be weak?

Dr. Blaylock's Answer:

You may remember the old TV show that was hosted by Art Linkletter: “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” Well, so do doctors. For the two conditions you named, Lyme disease and cancer, the answer varies slightly. Lyme disease is an infection, which in people with healthy immune systems is quickly cleared and they recover rapidly.

However, for an unlucky few, the disease can be chronic — leading to a life of misery. These people have impaired immune systems, often due to overactivation of parts of the immune system. Reducing this overactivity can help. But you would never want to suppress all of the immune system.

As for cancer, suppressing one’s immune system greatly increases the incidence of cancer, and if a person already has cancer, suppression of the immune system will only make it grow faster. In both cases it is cellular immunity that is the main weapon in fighting the diseases. Beta-1,3/1,6-glucan increases this form of good immunity but does not stimulate autoimmune reactions.

Vitamin D3 in high doses, but not low, stimulates the body to produce antimicrobial peptides that kill viruses, bacteria, and fungi — including the organism that causes Lyme disease. It also is an immune modulator, which means it prevents autoimmune reactions.