Immune Health

Supporting you to optimise your immune health, understand food intolerances and autoimmune conditions

What is the immune system?

The immune system describes a network of specialised biochemicals, cells, tissues and organs throughout the body that work together to protect you from germs (bacteria, fungi, protozoans and viruses), harmful substances and unwanted cell changes.

The immune system is alerted when the body encounters substances or ‘antigens’ that it does not recognise as belonging to ‘self’. When a foreign antigen, typically a protein, is encountered for the first time this attaches to receptor sites on the surface of immune cells which work with other cells within the immune system to record information about that antigen and create molecules to fight it if and when the body encounters the antigen in the future; a process called immunity.

The cells within the human body also have proteins on their surface and the body is designed to recognise and ignore these. However, autoimmunity describes the situation where the body mistakenly identifies the body’s own cells as foreign and launches an immune response (see below).

General immune health

Sub-optimal immune health often goes hand-in-hand with other health imbalances and is indicated by frequent colds and viruses. Optimising nutrition, digestion, gut health, identifying food intolerances and promoting relaxation and sleep are all important factors to consider when aiming to promote immune health.

Attention to immune health is especially important at this time and I help my clients to understand how to modify diet and lifestyle to promote their immune health and resilience.

Understanding autoimmune conditions

Autoimmune disease describes the failure of ‘self-tolerance’ where the immune system starts to target tissues and organs within the body. There are numerous autoimmune conditions: some target specific tissues and organs whilst others are more systemic affecting the body more widely. Similarly to other chronic conditions, autoimmune conditions are thought to result from a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

A unifying factor underpinning autoimmunity is inflammation.

I support clients to understand how food and lifestyle choices can be modified to reduce inflammatory processes, optimise digestive health including the balance of the gut microflora and limit exposure to problematic environmental triggers and mediators.

Understanding food and environmental allergies

In the case of a ‘true allergy’ when an individual is exposed to an allergen this will trigger the production of IgE antibodies and histamine. Allergens can be foods, e.g. nuts and shellfish or environmental agents, e.g. pet dander, dust mites or pollen. If you suffer with an allergy you are probably already aware of this. Allergic symptoms are typically quick onset (within seconds/minutes) and include sneezing, impaired breathing, itching, swelling and in extreme cases, anaphylaxis. Symptoms of an allergy can range from mild to severe, however, what distinguishes an allergy from an intolerance is that symptoms are quick onset and reproducible.

Understanding food intolerances

Food intolerance describes the production of IgG antibodies. These form immune complexes which can circulate throughout the body and may cause inflammation. Symptoms can be highly varied and are often show ‘delayed onset’ (hours/days) meaning that it is often difficult to link systems to trigger foods.

I work with clients to determine if food intolerance is a factor contributing to their health imbalance.

Histamine Intolerance

Histamine is a natural substance produced by the body and is required for numerous essential physiological processes including digestion and the normal functioning of the immune system. Histamine is also contained in foods with certain foods containing high levels of histamine and others known to trigger histamine. When the body is in balance the production and breakdown of histamine are well regulated. However, for some people physiological imbalances including an imbalance of the natural gut flora may result in your body exceeding its ‘histamine load’.

Histamine intolerance can result in a wide array of unwanted and sometimes distressing symptoms. Because it often requires a combination of factors to trigger a breach of ‘histamine load’, identifying these can be puzzling.

I support clients with histamine intolerance to identify their unique set of symptoms and triggers and to put in place dietary and lifestyle strategies to manage their ‘histamine load’.

“Jane was very kind, approachable and knowledgeable. Her assessment was thorough, and I felt listened to throughout. The advice she gave me was simple and easy to action. I am already feeling the effects of the small changes I have made in my diet, my mood has improved and I have more energy during the day – I’ve even managed to persuade my partner to make some positive changes in his diet. I can’t recommend Jane highly enough, if you think (or know) you need to make some changes in your diet give her a call……you won’t regret it.”

“When I met Jane, I was feeling low on energy, suffering with my digestion and my skin had flared up. Jane has a very gentle and understanding approach and does not force anything on you. She truly understands how the body is connected and what it needs to function properly. Jane makes suggestions on what she feels you need to do and takes the time to discuss. I thoroughly recommend Jane as I now feel so much better, what a way to start a new year! Thank you Jane.”

“Within a few weeks of starting a change in diet, my symptoms eased, and my energy levels improved. With support and guidance from Jane I'm now much stronger, back at work and managed my healthiest winter in over 18 years! I’ve even found ways of enjoying cake without it being unhealthy! I couldn't have done it without her, so thank you!”

“Jane is extremely good at drawing diagrams and explaining the science behind things, as well as being incredibly easy to talk to. Jane manages to be very professional, lovely, friendly, patient, and I would absolutely recommend her to anyone wanting to change the way they think about food, and themselves.”

“Jane explained the problem areas to me in a clear, understandable manner, drew up a personal nutrition plan for me and motivated me to make the necessary changes in my lifestyle. I noticed a positive effect with 2 days and since then have seen a consistent ongoing improvement in not only my digestion but also energy levels and recovery time following exercise. I am very grateful for Jane’s help and cannot recommend her highly enough.”

"I have taken advice from Jane on several matters and she has always been able to help; she is fantastically knowledgeable, and her advice is pragmatic, sensible and easy to follow. Jane doesn’t judge whether what you do is right or wrong, she just helps you identify better ways to look after your health with a sensible eating plan. She also encouraged me to make changes that have improved the quality of my sleep. It was much easier than I thought it was going to be!"

The content of this website is for general information purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or substitute medical advice.