Rejuvenate your Thymus gland
A robust thymus strengthens the immune system, which in turn helps the body fight off infections, avoid cancer, and live longer.
Imagine there is a little asteroid in the middle of the galaxy that is absolutely necessary, and all starships that are travelling back to Earth are required to stop there in order to get a crucial nutrient that is mined from the asteroid’s interior. This material invigorates both the passengers and the crew, allowing them to remain healthy enough to finish the trip back home. In addition to this, it guarantees that their immune systems are capable of fighting off the numerous pathogenic germs that exist on Earth.
The fact that so few people on Earth are aware that this asteroid even exists is by far the most peculiar thing about it. Those who have it also tend to take it for granted, such as the captains of historic ships that travelled across the ocean to replenish water supplies on isolated islands. Throughout the course of several decades, astronomers were under the impression that it was a fragment of a planet that had long since died. However, space travellers gradually came to understand that ignoring the warnings would have severe repercussions.
There is an elixir of this kind that can be found in our bodies, and it is vital for the regulation of immunity and the maintenance of healthy ageing. The thymus gland and the hormones that it generates might be thought of as the elixir that sustains life on Earth. Not only does it keep the immune system in check so that a person may survive childhood illnesses and avoid developing cancer later in life, but it also acts as a pacemaker for the duration of a person’s life.
Without the thymic elixir to keep our immune systems in check and in harmony with the biological life on this planet, we cannot live properly and cannot maintain good health.
Researchers paid little attention to the thymus until Jacques Miller in the early 1960s identified its function. This is similar to what happened with the nameless asteroid.
[1] Even as late as 1963, Nobel Laureate Sir Peter Medawar referred to the thymus as “an evolutionary accident of not very very very very very very little significance.” What an outstanding fool the knighted scientist turned out to be!
The transforming thymic elixir in your body, much like the cosmic substance, strengthens the life support systems of the body, allowing you to remain alive and fully functional for the balance of your life’s journey. There’s no way around the fact that having a healthy thymus is essential to living a long and happy life.
The Thymus Gland Is Considered To Be The Most Important Immune Organ.
The thymus gland may be found in the middle of the chest, immediately above the heart and lungs, and behind the sternum. It is directly in the middle of the respiratory system. It is divided into two distinct lobes. The thymus has a rough look due to the fact that each lobe is composed of smaller portions called lobules. This little gland with its bumps serves as a microenvironment, or an incubator of sorts, for the development of T cells, which are essential for the upkeep of immunity. T cells are a subtype of lymphocyte that play a significant role in determining how the immune system reacts.
The Internal Organization of the Thymus Gland
No one understands why the thymus is most effective while we are young but becomes less effective as we become older. One would assume that it would maintain its vigour throughout life, and maybe even improve with experience and maturity. But this diminished trait may explain why COVID-19 has fewer affects on youngsters whose thymuses are completely functional, as well as why it is easier for the elderly to succumb to its effects. As we become older, our thymus atrophies, and as a result, its immune role becomes less effective.
“T” is for thymus refers to the major function of the thymus gland, which is to assist in the development of T-lymphocytes. The bone marrow is responsible for the production of immature T cells, which then travel through the bloodstream to the thymus gland. It is in the thymus gland that these immature T cells mature into functional T cells, which are essential for providing the body’s first line of defence against foreign cells, including viruses.
T cells are involved in a wide variety of important immune responses across the board. They play a role in the inflammatory cascade, the immune response to vaccination, as well as allergic reactions and autoimmune diseases. T cells may also play a role in intestinal dysbiosis, poor metabolism, the healing of damaged tissue, and the maintenance of a healthy pregnancy.
The thymus gland may appear straightforward, but it is actually rather complicated. T cell recruits are evaluated for their level of competence within the thymic lobules, where they either become CD4+ “helper” lymphocytes or CD8+ “killing” lymphocytes. [2] Maintaining a healthy equilibrium between CD4 and CD8 cells is essential for effective resistance to viral infections.
In addition to T cells, the thymus gland is responsible for the production of hormones and immune-regulating chemicals known as cytokines. However, an excessive amount of cytokines causes an immunological storm, which in turn causes a hyperactive response that can lead to death. In the initial SARS coronavirus infections, this was the observed pattern. Patients were overcome by the virus, and their immune systems responded with an extremely aggressive level of activity. Cytokine storms are a typical complication seen in adults over the age of 65 who have COVID-19 coronaviral infections. However, a healthy and well-functioning thymus maintains a state of equilibrium within the immune system.
The role of the thymus is not limited to the production of immune cells and cytokines. The cells that make up the thymus gland are responsible for the production of hormones and other physiologically active compounds, the most important of which are referred to as thymosins, thymopoiten, and thymulin. In addition to this, it generates peptides and interleukins, the latter of which belong to a family of immune-modulating molecules that include IL-6 and have an effect on the inflammatory response to an infection. And, assistance in the fight against cancer.
To be able to fight off infections, avoid developing cancer, and maintain one’s health as one gets older, one must have a thymus gland that is functional and in good condition. But how can someone who is 45 years old or 65 years old determine whether or not their thymus is working adequately? Regrettably, the function of the thymus cannot be assessed in a straightforward manner. T- and B-lymphocyte counts are the lab tests that I conduct to determine my patients’ immunological health when they have chronic illnesses or when they are becoming older. Your thymus is not functioning properly if it does not produce sufficient amounts of these main immune cells. [3]
The Thymus as a Timing Device for Lifespan
Even before Dr. Miller discovered T cells, researchers and medical professionals working in the field of anti-aging were aware of the significance of the thymus gland. Dr. Paul Niehans, a Swiss physician, was one of the pioneers in the practise of injecting people with preparations prepared from animal thymus glands during the 1930s. In 1955, another Swiss physician named Dr. Alfred Pfister, who had been a student of Niehans’, devised a way to maintain processed thymus cells. As a result, medical professionals no longer needed to inject fresh thymus extracts. Dr. Elis Sandberg, a Swedish medical practitioner, produced a high molecular thymus extract in the 1970s. This is the type of the extract that is still used today for thymus restorative therapy.
In addition to instructing T cells, the thymus also produces hormones that are necessary for the immunoregulation of the ageing process. One of these immunological agents is called thymosins, and it is a collection of hormone-like molecules that are essential for keeping the immune system in check and also play a part in the regulation of the ageing process.
Even in those who age in a healthy manner, immune function might decline. The reason for this is that the thymus gland in humans ages more quickly than the rest of the body. It achieves its maximum potential throughout the teenage years, and by the middle years of life, it begins to atrophy, seeing a considerable decline in size as well as function. When a person is 75 years old, their thymus weighs just 1/6 of what it did when it was at its heaviest, which was 37 grammes when they were younger.
The process of ageing cannot be stopped and cannot be slowed down. Some people age more slowly than others and live for longer. However, as time goes by, the size of everyone’s thymus gland decreases. A diminished function of the thymus, together with the concomitant atrophy of the glandular tissue, is a factor in greater susceptibility to infection, autoimmune, and an increased chance of developing cancer.
The frightening rate at which the thymus gland atrophies is a mystery to us, but academics who study the effects of ageing agree that avoiding thymic atrophy is essential to maintaining good health as one gets older. Therefore, beginning around the age of 35, it is prudent to begin protecting your thymus. And at the age of 45 to 55, become a really proactive person.
The fact that more functional medicine and anti-aging practitioners aren’t aware of the significance of the thymus as a pacemaker of ageing is surprising to me. There is not even an index item for the thymus gland in a recently published best-selling book on how to live a long and healthy life that was written by a top Harvard researcher.
As the function of your thymus decreases, you will become more susceptible to common diseases such as the common cold and the flu. An underactive thymus gland can also be diagnosed based on the presence of recurrent chronic diseases that are characterised by a lack of particular signs of disease progression, such as in the case of chronic fatigue syndrome. In addition, various non-specific symptoms, such as delayed wound healing, are present.
There is no clinical assessment for thymus insufficiency that can be made based on clinical signs and symptoms like there is for hypothyroidism. This is because there is no conventional symptom pattern or laboratory testing that can suggest a weaker thymus. One of the reasons I produced this essay was to construct a model of thymus shortage and figure out how to restore thymic function. Another reason was to share my findings with others.