When I  would hear my mother say I needed “to boost my immune system” I would imagine combat ready cells flooding my body to attack the bad stuff.  I figured these fighters must be activated by orange juice because she always had a glass in hand when my immune system was being discussed; and, something to do with Vitamin C since that is what she said would do the trick.  Beyond that I didn’t think deeply about what exactly my immune system was and how it worked.  Somehow, despite a science heavy undergrad as an adult I still never really understood much better than my childhood imaginations.  Much later in life I was stunned to learn how between 70-80 percent of our immune system resides in our gut.  Continue reading →