Over thousands of years, our immune systems evolved to protect us from the danger posed by viruses and bacteria. But modern stressors—think environmental pollutants, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and chronic stress—can scramble the body’s finely tuned defences. The result? An immune system in overdrive or one that can potentially misfire, setting the stage for inflammation and autoimmune disease. Carefully supporting our immune health can help mitigate these risks and keep us in balance.
All about the immune system
There is no single organ of the immune system. Rather, it comprises multiple components, including the brain, blood, skin, and lymph and digestive systems, all of which work to keep your body healthy and free of infections and disease.
Some of these systems form part of what is called the innate immune system, which consists of elements such as skin and mucosal tissues that everybody is born with. Other components—including certain white blood cells and the antibodies they help produce—are part of what is called the adaptive immune system, which develops over time in response to exposure and vaccines.
“Think of the immune system like your body’s security and sanitation team,” says Laura Nicholas, ND, owner of Luna Health Clinic in Vancouver, BC. A healthy immune system works to detect pathogens, differentiate benign and genuine threats, clear infections, prevent overreactions to food and allergens, and survey for abnormal or cancerous cells.
Super supplements
While science suggests that supplements alone can’t prevent the development of autoimmune disease, they still offer a wealth of immune and anti-inflammatory benefits:
- Vitamin C may protect against certain infections and reduce oxidative stress.
- Ginger may calm inflammation and improve digestion.
- Omega-3s may protect against certain cancers and have anti-inflammatory effects.
- Turmeric may reduce inflammatory markers and help manage certain inflammatory conditions.
- Probiotics may promote a healthy gut microbiome, which in turn helps improve immune function.
- Resveratrol may support metabolic function and reduce inflammatory markers.
An evolutionary mismatch
Our modern lifestyles pose new challenges to our immune system. Humans evolved in rural environments with diverse microbes, minimal chemicals, and less acute stressors.
In today’s largely urban and highly sanitary environments, we encounter far fewer dangerous pathogens, thanks in part to vaccinations against some of the riskiest ones. With fewer serious threats to manage, our immune system can start to react to harmless triggers. This misguided redirection can result in allergies and autoimmune diseases, conditions that occur when the immune system overreacts to external substances or mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues.
Increased exposure to chronic stress also shifts our immune cell function, potentially leading to the development or exacerbation of autoimmune diseases in individuals who are already genetically predisposed. Viruses, including COVID-19, can also trigger the development of autoimmune diseases in susceptible populations, as can exposure to air pollution and toxic chemicals—many of which lurk in everyday products.
More common than you may think
Approximately 1.2% of Canadians aged 16 years and older live with diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis, a condition that causes pain and inflammation of the joints. Nearly 1% of Canadians are also affected by celiac disease, for which the only treatment is a strict gluten-free diet.
The risks of dysregulation
A range of cascading effects can occur when our immune system is thrown off. In addition to autoimmune diseases (such as Type 1 diabetes and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis) and allergies, immune dysregulation can impair fertility, increase cancer risk, and drive chronic inflammation.
And some populations are more vulnerable to immune dysfunction than others. Briana Takeshita, ND, a pediatric specialist at Luna Health Clinic, says that children are uniquely sensitive to environmental toxins that drive immune disorders, given their undeveloped immune pathways and relatively smaller size. “The impacts of these exposures can persist across a lifetime,” she says. “Minimizing them is essential for supporting healthy immune function and long-term resilience.”
Women, too, are at higher risk: they have a fourfold greater risk of autoimmune disease compared to men, potentially due to a molecule made by X chromosomes in female cells.
Restoring harmony
While it’s impossible to fully eliminate the chances of developing allergies or autoimmune diseases, there are practical steps you can take to reduce your exposure to toxins and keep your immune system balanced.
Nicholas advises to start with products that go in and on our bodies. Wherever possible, choose organic foods, filtered water, and organic tampons. Indoor air quality can be improved by using a HEPA filter. Then, upgrade your cosmetic and cleaning products to reduce exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
And finally, Nicholas recommends getting back to the basics. Reducing stress, getting enough sleep, and eating a colourful, veggie-filled Mediterranean-style diet are all time-tested ways to keep the immune system in balance for years to come.
Autoimmunity 101
The number of recognized autoimmune diseases is increasing, and in some cases, having one autoimmune disease makes it more likely to develop another. Here are some of the most common autoimmune diseases and their hallmark symptoms:
| Autoimmune disease | Pathway | Common symptoms |
| celiac disease | immune system attacks small intestine when exposed to gluten | diarrhea, constipation, bloating, abdominal discomfort, anemia, osteoporosis, and fatigue |
| Hashimoto’s thyroiditis | immune system produces antibodies that attack the thyroid | can cause hypothyroidism, with symptoms that include fatigue, unintentional weight gain, cold intolerance, constipation, brain fog, and more |
| lupus | immune system attacks a variety of tissues and organs, such as the joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs | fatigue, malaise, fever, weight loss, and joint pain; can be difficult to diagnose given overlap with other conditions |
| multiple sclerosis | immune system attacks the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves | vision impairment, numbness in the limbs, bladder and bowel dysfunction, and cognitive challenges |
| type 1 diabetes | immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin | frequent urination, frequent thirst, fatigue, unintended weight loss, and blurred vision |
| rheumatoid arthritis | immune system attacks lining of joints and potentially other tissues | joint pain, stiffness, and swelling |
This article was originally published in the April 2026 issue of alive magazine.
