Natural Immunity | Aliana K9

Natural Immunity vs Vaccine-Induced Immunity

Vaccines work by introducing a small, harmless piece of a pathogen or antigen to the body, triggering an immune response. This response produces antibodies, which are designed to recognize and combat future infections.

However, vaccine-induced immunity have many limitations when compared with naturally acquired immunity. Naturally acquired immunity, resulting from actual infection, tends to produce a more comprehensive and long-lasting defence.

Natural infection stimulates a broader immune response, involving both innate (general) and adaptive (specialized) immunity. It includes both cellular (infected cells) and humoral (extracellular pathogens) responses.

It allows the immune system to process and present multiple antigens from the pathogen, leading to a more comprehensive immune response. It also induces long-term immunological memory, enabling the immune system to recognize and respond effectively to future infections.

Vaccine-induced immunity is far less potent when compared with naturally acquired immunity, because vaccines typically contain a limited number of antigens, which means the resulting immune response is less comprehensive.

In addition, the immune response is stimulated through artificial means, leading to an incomplete or imbalanced response. Vaccines have been linked to a number of autoimmune diseases, essentially resulting from a “confused” immune system.

Furthermore, vaccine induced immunity fails to provide long-term immunological memory, leaving the body vulnerable to future infections. It is for this reason that booster shots are often required.

Vaccines often induce only the humoral immunity (antibody response), but it is less effective at producing cell-mediated immunity because a vaccine does not mimic a real infection, and therefore the normal “danger signals” are not present.

Vaccines also do not address mucosal immunity; the immune system’s first line of defence at mucous membrane surfaces, such as the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary tract, ocular, and nasal and sinus passages. Although adequately stimulated through natural infection, it is not the case with vaccines since vaccine administration is subcutaneous or intramuscular.

The key takeaways here are:

1. Duration of immunity: Naturally acquired immunity often provides life long protection, whereas vaccine-induced immunity may wane over time.
2. Breadth of protection: Naturally acquired immunity can provide protection against multiple strains or variants, whereas vaccines may be specific to a single strain.
3. Immune response quality: Naturally acquired immunity tends to induce a much more robust, balanced and potent immune response.

The decreased potency of vaccine-induced immunity has significant consequences. With a weaker immune response, pathogens have an opportunity to mutate and develop resistance against the antibodies produced by the vaccine. This is particularly concerning, as it allows pathogens to adapt and evolve, potentially rendering vaccines even less effective, or totally ineffective over time.

In contrast, a robust, naturally acquired immune response would likely prevent pathogens from mutating and developing resistance. This is because the body's natural defences are more comprehensive and nuanced, making it harder for pathogens to evade or adapt to them.

“We’ve got to stop calling chickenpox and measles diseases, because they’re not. They’re infections, and infections come and go in a week to ten days, and leave behind a lifetime of immunity. A disease is something that comes and stays, and frequently can’t be cured. So when you vaccinate to avoid an infection, what you potentially are doing is causing a disease.” - Dr Sherri J. Tenpenny D.O., Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine

But perhaps the biggest concern is the weakening of the species’ natural defences over multiple generations. On the one hand we deny the body the opportunity to develop natural immunity that can be passed on to offspring (genetic memory, aka transgenerational epigenetic inheritance). On the other hand we strengthen pathogens by allowing them to mutate and evolve against an artificially induced, less potent immune response. This may have dire consequences in the long run making us increasingly dependent on an increasing number of vaccines, as our dogs’ natural ability to fight off diseases, wanes.

Obviously the decision of whether to vaccinate or not is neither easy nor clear cut. There are many factors that need to be taken into account in addition to the above information. There are clear benefits to not vaccinating. But there is also risk. Personally I have chosen not to vaccinate my dogs. The factors that contributed to this decision are;

1. My dogs are from good breeding with a diverse gene pool, ensuring a genetically strong immune system.

2. The environment they live in is clean and free from disease.

3. They are fed an all natural diet of raw meat & bones, ensuring optimal biological functioning.

4. They never come into contact with other strange dogs that could potentially be diseased or sickly, or any animal that could potentially transmit diseases to them.

5. They never go to places that could be potential hotspots or breeding grounds for harmful pathogens.

6. The chances of a healthy dog in a clean environment contracting a dangerous disease is fairly low to begin with.

For me, the long term benefit of not vaccinating outweighs the short term risk. Should infection occur, I trust my dogs have the capacity to fight off any disease on their own, thereby obtaining lifelong, natural immunity that can be passed on to future generations.

Sources:

Immunization: The Reality Behind the Myth - Walene James

https://a.co/d/gy7EtDP

Types of immune responses: Innate and adaptive, humoral vs. cell-mediated - Khan Academy

https://youtu.be/rp7T4IItbtM?si=KBn0X15Vpfgm_p2s

In brief: The innate and adaptive immune systems – National Library of Medicine

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279396/

Humoral vs Cell-Mediated Immunity - Immunology & Microbiology

https://www.technologynetworks.com/immunology/articles/humoral-vs-cell-mediated-immunity-344829

What Vets Don't Tell You About Vaccines - Catherine O'Driscoll

https://a.co/d/134RRQf

The Nature of Animal Healing - Martin Goldstein