Why Is Your Immune System So Important?

Your immune system is one of the most important systems in the body. It protects you from dozens of different ailments, and it does this by fighting off large quantities of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other germs that attack your body daily. Furthermore, it also works to stop the initiation of cancer. Germs are all about usand if we weren’t protected by our immune system, we would be dead in twenty five hours.

Let’s see…

It’s a complicated, complicated, and a well organized system, and it needs to be kept in top shape if you’re going to be fully protected. The white cells in your body (also called leukocytes) are a large part of your immune system. Most are born in the marrow of the body’s long bones. Some of them migrate to the thymus gland early on where they become T-cells. Others stay in the bone marrow, and a number of them become what are known as B-cells. Together, the B and T cells are known as lymphocytes.

While the T-cells are from the thymus they’re trained to recognize over a thousand unique antigens, with every T-cell understanding just one specific antigen. An antigen is a molecular recognition code that’s on the surface of cells; is may be favorable or overseas. If unfriendly, like those on viruses, it’ll be attacked. Typically, however, immune system cells need to be granted permission before they could attack. This is because many friendly pathogens reside and carry out important functions in the body.

Example

A great example is the friendly bacteria in your colon which help digest food. Your thymus works hard to teach countless T-cells during your younger years. As you grow older, however, it starts to shrink in size, and gives you less security. That’s why older people (over about 65) are more vulnerable to cancer and infections. As T-cells mature in the thymus, they take on one of four functions.

Functions

• Helper T-cells (T-4 cells): These cells are especially important shortly after the disease occurs. They sound the alert, and alert the immune system, and they oversee the immune system’s response. They are generally activated after particles called macrophages detect antigens; those macrophages give off cytokines, or messengers, that inform other lymphocytes to commence the attack.
• Suppressor T-cells (T-8 cells): Once the immune system cells have been sent out to fight the antigens, they need to be controlled and regulated, especially after the invaders are defeated. If not they could attack healthy cells of the body, which might cause autoimmune disease. Suppressor cells shut down the reaction when required.
• Killer T-cells: These cells kill by injecting poison into the cells comprising the antigen. They can’t attack these cells, but without permission from helper T-cells.
• Natural Killer cells (NK’s): They’re primitive T-cells which are free to attack antigens without consent from helper T’s. Basically, they’re the first line of defense. Targets for them are often identified by macrophages. While the war between immune system cells and antigens is happening, it’s very important to the immune cells to have the ability to communicate together. This can be done using hormone-like messengers called cytokines.

Good to know

Among the main cytokines is interferon. It’s released by both T-cells and macrophages, and it guides NK killers to the proper targets. Additionally it is utilized to prevent viruses from multiplying, and is useful in impeding the growth of cancer cells. Up to now we’ve hardly mentioned the B-cells, but they also play a vital role in the war against the antigens. Specifically they manufacture antibodies that attack the antigens directly.

The B-cells stay in the bone marrow where they finally become specific for many unique antigens. When they mature they proceed to the body’s lymph nodes. When T-4 cells see a B-cell displaying the antigen of an invader, they authorize the B-cells to produce antibodies against it. The B-cells immediately start to grow and divide into a high number of plasma cells. These plasma cells are the factories which produce antibodies. Within a day or two each B-cell divides into countless plasma cells, each of which generates millions of antibodies.

Remember

These antibodies then go for the antigens utilizing the bloodstream. Large numbers lock on the antigens and disable it. They’re assisted by what’s called match. It serves as a catalyst for the reaction between the antibodies and the antigen, and it accelerate the reaction. It helps neutralize viruses and other unfriendly microbes. Two other kinds of cells are also important in the fight against antigens. They’re the neutrophils and macrophages. Called phagocytes, they attack and consume antigens.

Both are born in bone marrow, and they grow relatively quickly. Neurophils are a lot smaller than macrophages. They’re like foot soldiers lightly armed, but there are large numbers of these, and they’re generally the first to attack the antigens. When called into conflict they rush into, but could only kill and eat a few antigens (10 to 20) until they die. Macrophages begin in the thymus as monophages. When they migrate into lymphatic tissue they grow by a factor of 4 or 5 and become macrophages. They are much bigger and better educated than neutrophils and they are able to engulf and consume up to 100 antigens.

Final note

Some of the viruses are currently migrating to other areas of the body. 10. The immune system raises the temperature of the body in a bid to destroy the invaders. It might increase it to 104 degrees. Additionally, it leads to inflammation to wall off the invaders in an attempt to prevent them from spreading. 11. After a few days the embryo and complement start to make some progress. Finally the antibodies, complement, NK and killer T’s combined with neutrophils and macrophages start fighting in unison and start to overcome the invaders. 12. The immune system is currently very competitive, however, and has to be turned off when the battle is finished. This is where the T-8’s come in. It’s easy to see from this why you will need a strong and healthy immune system. Delays at any point after the disease enables the antigens to multiply and if not stopped they are able to overcome your body. The list of things which you ought to do to keep your immune system in top shape at the start of the guide is so critical, and you should stick to it.