In the global pandemic situation, day by day we all are more worried about our health & wellness and becoming more conscious and protective towards our health.
Our government is also working day-night to provide better solution to fight against the coronavirus situation and get back to our normal life as soon as possible. Our frontline soldiers- ALL kinds of medical professional, police/fire department, are also putting their life on risk to protect us and to provide better and healthy life.
Nutty Scientists Canada, along with our associates, like to THANK YOU to our frontline soldiers for their best service & support during the global pandemic.
Did you know our body has its own DEFENCE SYSTEM and its frontline soldiers to protect us from virus and germs ?
Let’s get started…
IMMUNE SYSTEM: Our Immune System helps us to maintain homeostasis by keeping us healthy. It also protects us from foreign objects entering you body.
Before we start reading about immune system , we need to know first following THREE area of process of our immune system.
First : What is the Immune System ? Its set of structures and the processes that they work together to help protect you against diseases. Second: What are the part or organs of your body works within your immune system And Third, you also need to know what different kind of pathogen/ foreign objects are (simple word you can say…. a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease). A PATHOGEN IS A FOREIGN INVADER/OBJECT INTO YOUR BODY THAT CAUSES DISEASE OR SICKNESS.
As soon as our body has been infected with a pathogen, our immune system starts working immediately and as a result our body start reacting like, mucus, fever, swelling.
HOW OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM WORKS?
Our immune system has two main processes:
The immune system is the body's defense system against infection and diseases. It basically consists of two types of systems - THE INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM and second is THE ADAPTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEM.
( Source: lab-a-porter.com)
Both systems are comprised with many different kind & types of cells, each cell are assigned with its own specialty to work together within your immune system to fight off disease and help maintain your body healthy.
The INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM is an immediate response. It is also called a non-specific response which means it targets groups of pathogens and kill it, afterwards it has no memory. Just like one-time response to specific target.
Sometime, pathogens are stronger than normal and your body has not recognized it before. our immune system needs to take little longer process time to fight with unknown pathogen, the process called THE ADAPTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEM. It is a process of a gradual response, it starts two respond generally 3-4 days after the pathogens have entered. This process targets specific pathogens and always stores memory so if that pathogen comes back, they will know how to defeat it. 
"Isn’t it cool to know how systematic our immune system works in our body? And these are working naturally, even you wouldn’t know as they are working. Scientists say, sometime you will know by getting pain or fever when they are fighting against foreign object"
Our Immune System works with several other systems to keep you alive. Immune system also works with the Circulatory System and Lymphatic System to make and circulate lymphocytes within body. It also works with the Integumentary System because your skin is the first line of defense against pathogens. These all are separate independent systems by itself in our body with different objectives but working all together to coordinate each other's working efficiently and accurately FOR ONLY ONE OBJECTIVE, KEEP US HEALTHY AND ALIVE !
(Source: drjockers.com)
Our Immune System is very complex. There are many components working together at the same time of process, sometime couple of processes together for same objective. JUST FOR EASY UNDERSTANDING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, WE ARE DIVIDING THE COMPLETE PROCESS INTO 5 DIFFERENT STEPS.
Step ONE: The pathogen/bacteria entering into our body.
Step TWO: The bacteria/pathogen immediately starts growing and multiplying. Speed of growing depend on the types of bacteria/pathogen.
Step THREE: Immune system system immediately recognize that foreign object in to our body and start sending Macrophage cells ( a cell responsible for detecting, engulfing and destroying pathogens and apoptotic cells ) to the affected area of the body. Macrophage cells that eat bacteria, signal inflammation, and also call for help, if required.
Also in the same process of step THREE, another type of cell, Neutrophils cells are also generated to get additional support of the immune system. Neutrophils a type of white blood cells that helps heal damaged tissues and resolve infections.
Pathogens would be killed by lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are white blood cells and they are produced in your bone marrow then they are transferred to the different part of body through Lymphatic System. Also, there are two types of lymphocytes cell - T cells and B cells. T cells are killers and directors (examples are : killer T cells and helper T cells) B cells make antibodies (examples are: memory B cell and B cells).
During the process of step three, Dendritic cells are also activated. Dendritic cells are antigen-presenting cells, that act as messengers between the innate and adaptive immune system. They receives information from sources such as Macrophages and relays them to Cells like Helper T Cell. Dendritic cells are activated by Macrophage cell. Dendritic cells come to the infection site and decide what type of infection it is. Then they go to the Lymph Nodes and notify T cells, THE HELPER CELL. "WHAT A PREFECT DUTY ASSIGNED TO EACH SOLDIERS OF OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM!"
Step FOUR : Helper T cells are now activated and they starts multiplying. Helper T cells go to the specific affected part into your body through Lymphatic System and starts fighting with pathogens but they are also there working as moral support to another fighter cells so if other cells start shutting down. Helper T cells give them ADDITIONAL support and tell them to keep going. "WHAT A POWERFUL SYSTEM WITHIN OUR BODY."
Helper T cells also make memory cells and activate B cells.
Activation of B cells or T cells after they FIRST ENCOUNTER the antigens for which they are specialized to react constitutes a primary immune response. During such a response, plasma cells release antibodies (IgM, followed by IgG) into the lymph. The antibodies are transported to the blood through Circulatory System and then throughout the body, where they help to destroy antigen bearing agents.
Step FIVE: This is the last and final step in the process of immune system fights. B cells make antibodies that attach to pathogens. These antibodies allow Macrophages and Killer T cells to recognize and destroy pathogens more easily and make your body health again. "WHAT A POWERFUL & SYSTEMATIC DEFENSE SYSTEM it is !"
Further, sometime your immune system may require responding continue due to the stronger pathogens. It may continue production and release of antibodies for several weeks, too.
In case of this kind of situation, after following a primary immune response, detectable concentrations of antibodies usually appear in the blood plasma for approximately five to ten days after exposure to antigens. Some of the B cells produced during proliferation of the clone remain dormant as memory cells. IF THE SAME ANTIGEN IS ENCOUNTERED AGAIN, the clones of these memory cells enlarge, and they can respond rapidly by producing IgG to the antigen/toxin to which they were previously sensitized. These memory B cells, along with the memory cytotoxic T cells, produce a secondary immune response. Although newly formed antibodies may persist in the body for only a few months or years, memory cells live much longer.
In case of the stronger pathogens (Like Coronavirus), your immune system can not fight effectively and efficiently, the family doctor / medical professional would ask you for artificial active immunity a specific medicine or a vaccine to support your natural immune system.
VACCINE is a preparation that produces ARTIFICIALLY acquired active immunity. A vaccine might consist of bacteria or viruses that have been killed or weakened so that they cannot cause a serious infection, or only molecules unique to the pathogens. A vaccine might also be a toxoid, which is a toxin from an infectious organism that has been chemically altered to destroy its dangerous effects. Whatever types of its composition, a vaccine includes the antigens that stimulate a primary immune response, but does not produce symptoms of disease and the associated infections.
Specific vaccines stimulate active immunity against a variety of diseases, including typhoid fever, cholera, whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, chickenpox, measles (rubeola), German measles (rubella), mumps, influenza, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and bacterial pneumonia. A vaccine has eliminated naturally acquired smallpox from the world.
After reading this article, now we have a greater understanding about our Immune System. Our body has its own very powerful and Systematic defense system which works day & night by itself.
Don't you think we should help our body to run this system effectively and efficiently ? please share your comments. We love to hear from you.
PROTECT YOUR BODY!
By adopting healthy food eating habit and regular exercise, will help and protect and make our immune system,POWERFUL.
Regular massage therapy would also help to boost your immune system. Take expert advise from your massage therapist or family physician.
Find out massage & wellness centres in your local area.
Click below to check the location of the massage & wellness centre near our Streetsville Lab, Mississauga ON.
Stay Healthy. Stay Safe.
Thanks for reading our blog. Hope you enjoyed reading our blog.
Our immune system is very wide subject and its hard to describe in one blog, so we have decided to keep continue with PART 2, having more information on our immune system and its supporting organs, what are they and their assigned roll in immune system how they function efficiently and effectively within your body, naturally.
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