When the Body Forgets Itself

Recently, longevity entrepreneur Bryan Johnson revealed that he has autoimmune gastritis.

In this condition, the immune system attacks the stomach’s own parietal cells—the cells responsible for producing hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor, a protein essential for vitamin B12 absorption. As the damage progresses, stomach acid falls (hypochlorhydria), vitamin B12 deficiency may develop, and digestion becomes increasingly impaired.

Immunologists explain this as a loss of immune tolerance. Through highly sophisticated mechanisms involving MHC (called HLA in humans), regulatory T cells, cytokines, and countless signalling pathways, the immune system normally distinguishes self from non-self. Most of the time, this remarkable recognition system works with extraordinary precision.

Until, sometimes, it doesn’t.

Lately, I’ve found myself fascinated by something that extends beyond immunology.

Nature seems to enjoy repeating patterns.

A river branches like a tree.

The bronchial tree resembles the canopy of a forest.

Blood vessels spread like river systems.

Lightning forks like neurones.

Galaxies, hurricanes, coastlines, and lungs all reveal echoes of similar geometry.

Whether these are true mathematical fractals or simply recurring patterns in complex systems, they invite us to pause and look more closely.

Then I wonder…

Do patterns repeat not only in form but also in function?

Healthy ecosystems depend on cooperation.

Healthy societies depend on trust.

Healthy families depend on communication.

Healthy physiology depends on trillions of cells recognising one another, exchanging information, and responding appropriately.

Across every level, resilience seems to emerge from recognition, communication, adaptation, and coherence.

When these relationships break down, conflict appears.

In the body, immune cells may attack tissues they were designed to protect.

In the mind, people can become trapped in cycles of self-criticism, shame, or the lingering effects of childhood trauma.

In society, neighbours can become enemies. Communities divide. History reminds us that human beings are even capable of killing one another.

These are completely different mechanisms. I am not suggesting that emotional conflict causes autoimmune disease.

Rather, I wonder whether they reflect a deeper organisational principle shared by complex systems.

Perhaps health is not simply the absence of disease.

Perhaps it is the ability of a system—whether biological, psychological, or social—to maintain coherent relationships while adapting intelligently to genuine challenges.

Functional medicine often asks, “What has disturbed the system?”

Psychoneuroimmunology asks how the brain, endocrine system, and immune system influence one another.

Systems biology asks how networks behave.

Perhaps they are all looking at different faces of the same mountain.

Science advances by testing ideas.

But it often begins with something much quieter.

Someone notices a pattern that everyone else walked past.

References

• American Gastroenterological Association. Clinical Practice Update on the Diagnosis and Management of Autoimmune Gastritis (2021).

• George Engel. The need for a new medical model: A challenge for biomedicine. Science. 1977.

• Aaron Antonovsky. Health, Stress and Coping. 1979.