cover image The Tao of Immunology

The Tao of Immunology

Marc Lappe, Marc Lapp. Da Capo Press, $27.95 (317pp) ISBN 978-0-306-45626-8

Too much of a good thing can be dangerous--especially in the immune system, contends Lappe (The Body's Edge), director of California's Center for Ethics and Toxics. Though new evidence shows that immune cells respond in varied ways to different challenges--destroying some invaders while accommodating to others--many public health officials continue to think of the immune system as simply a ""Maginot Line"" of defense that attacks all-out and therefore works best when strengthened as much as possible. But as Lappe explains, such a system would be disastrous since ""many bacteria and viruses can overwhelm an immune system that is too static, unilaterally focused, or nonspecifically strengthened."" Furthermore, over-aggressive immune response can cause allergies or autoimmune diseases like lupus, arthritis, MS, heart disease and AIDS. Lappe's Taoist approach views immunity as a naturally balanced system that ""deal[s] with adversity and individual threats by not focusing on any one of them in advance."" He explains the roles of the innate and acquired immune systems and shows how checks and balances ensure that the body doesn't destroy itself. He discusses the damaging effects of toxins, the function of vaccines and the role of the immune system in cancer, pregnancy and HIV. This specialized material can be tough going for the general reader, but Lappe writes engagingly and finds creative analogies to illustrate complex processes. And his conclusions are clear: the best way to preserve the immune system is not to attempt to alter it, but to appreciate it as ""a highly responsive system that ebbs and flows in response to the ever-shifting patterns of life on a crowded planet."" (Oct.)