Your Best Defence - The Immune System
12 Feb 2022
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Each of us has something that no pharmaceutical company or medical protocol has been able to match – your immune system. Inside of each of us, we have the smartest, most effective form of defence the human race has ever known, and nothing that science or medicine has developed can match it.Â
Your Amazing Immune SystemÂ
Our immune system is astonishing in its ability to adapt and attack threats. Â
Here are a few things you should know:Â
Your immune system is complex. The immune system is considered by many immune researchers to be more complex than the brain or any other system in the human body.Â
Your immune system is highly adaptable. Of course, a new bacteria or virus may slip by it. But once your immune system recognises an interloper as dangerous, it quickly spreads the word and develops specialised cells and proteins to launch an attack.Â
Your immune system adjusts to what we need. We don't always have a full army patrolling our body. When we're healthy, our immune cells drop in numbers, reducing the tax on the body's resources. But as soon as a threat has been identified, our immune system quickly ramps up its numbers, creating legions of highly trained defensive cells and proteins to protect you when the call to arms goes out.Â
Your immune system is smart. Immune researchers are just starting to understand the complex form of communication the immune system uses. In addition to the signage of the immune system (antibodies), the immune system uses special molecules called cytokines to communicate. Scientists have identified over 100 of these special molecules that make up this complex immune language, and predict that there are more to be discovered.Â
Research on the immune system continues to reveal new ways in which this internal defence force is designed to be highly adaptable and responsive to our bodies' needs and the environment we live in. For example, formerly scientists thought the brain worked independently of the immune system. Now we're discovering the brain - specifically the hypothalamus - works closely with the immune system to direct its activity. Â
Take Care Of Your Immune System, And It Will Take Care Of You Â
By now, you may have gained a whole new respect for this powerful force for health inside of you."
Like any beautiful feat of engineering, the immune system is not unbreakable. Like a car, it needs maintenance. It's up to us to keep this army strong.Â
Here are a few things you can do to support your immune system:Â
SleepÂ
This is when your body does the most rebuilding and maintenance and when your immune system is most active.Â
Eat Whole FoodsÂ
Eat immune-supporting foods and herbs like yogurt with probiotics; vitamin-A-rich squash; pumpkin seeds with lots of zinc; antioxidant-packed chlorella; eleuthero and green tea.Â
ExerciseÂ
Study after study shows that moderate exercise can increase your chances of maintaining a healthy immune system.Â
Laugh and reduce stressÂ
Your emotional health is intimately linked with your immune health. Lighten your mood and take a burden off your immune system as well.Â
Supporting your immune may be your best defence when combined with other common sense you already have inside of you.Â
