A Strong Immune System Is Essential
The job of the immune system is to defend the body against millions of pathogens: environment bacteria, microbes, viruses, toxins and parasites, that are waiting to invade the body – it is called immunity, for short.
The term pathogen is derived from the Greek “that which produces suffering. A pathogen is: a biological agent that causes disease or illness to its host.
The immune system protects the body from pathogens (immunity) in 3 ways:
- First, It has a barrier to keep pathogen (germs, virus, yeast, parasites) from entering the body – the skin.
- Second, if the pathogen does get into the body, it detects and eliminate it before it can make itself at home and reproduce with which it has experience with the innate immune system.
- Finally, if the pathogen is able to get past the body’s 2nd line of defense, it springs into action to identify the invader and create anti bodies to wipe out the invading agent with the adaptive immune system.
Your skin is an important part of the immune system.
It acts as a primary boundary between the body and the environment. The skin also secretes antibiotic substances so that most germs (bacteria, virus and spores) that land on the skin die quickly. These substances explain why you don’t wake up in the morning with a layer of mold growing on your skin.
The outer skin, approximately 9 square feet in size.
It is tough and generally impermeable to environment (air, water, heat, cold and sun), toxins, microbes and organisms. It also contains special cells called Langerhans cells that are an important early-warning component in the immune system.
The inner skin covers approximately 10,000 square feet.
Your nose, eyes and mouth (including the intestinal tract) are obvious entry points for pathogens.
Tears and the lining of the inner skin (mucus) contain an enzyme, lysozyme, that breaks down the cell wall of many germs to kill them outright.
The nasal passage and lungs are coated in mucus. Many germs, not killed immediately, are trapped in the mucus linings, swallowed, then killed by stomach acid and digestive juices. Saliva is also anti-bacterial.
Likewise, the intestines have a similar coating that is reinforced by an army of microbes (numbering in the billions) that, in addition to supporting the conversion of food to nutrition, create anti-pathogenic substances from which we benefit as well.
Specialized cells called Mast Cells, lining the nasal passages, throat, lungs and skin, are part of the innate immune system. Any pathogen attempting to gain entry to your body must first make it past these defenses.
White blood cells, created inside your bones, are part of your body’s immune response. The white blood cells are probably the most important part of your immune system. The term “white blood cells” are actually a whole collection of different cells, produced on demand, that work together to destroy germs.
The Lymph System
The lymph system is a familiar term to many people because doctors and mothers often check for “swollen lymph nodes” in the neck for an indication of an infection.
Lymph nodes are just one part of a whole system that extends throughout your body in much the same way as your blood vessels. Lymph nodes contain filtering tissue and a large number of lymph cells that, when fighting infections, swell with bacteria and the cells fighting the bacteria.
Lymph, also called blood plasma, is an almost clear liquid that fills the space between cells that make up tissue. It is circulated by body and muscle motion bathing the cells with water, oxygen and nutrients. Blood transfers these substances to the lymph through the capillary walls; the lymph then carries it to the cells.
On the return trip, the lymph then absorbs cellular waste and any pathogens that may enter the body. Small lymph vessels collect the returning liquid and move it toward larger vessels so that the fluid finally arrives at the lymph nodes for processing. The number of cells that are created and then sacrificed, every day, in the process of protecting your body is enormous.
Short changing your body of the essential nutrients that are required to replace this army of pathogen-fighting cells leads to:
- Diminished immune system protection
- Diminished health
- Frequent illnesses
- And in some cases, a confusion in purpose where this power army of cells and substances turns against the body often referred to as an autoimmune disorder.
Tradition medicine tries to attack the pathogens:
- Anti-biotics
- Stronger anti-biotics
- Different medicines to try to kill the pathogen (germ) or suppress immune function
Protecting or strengthening the immune system
The obvious answer is to make sure you are consuming a diet that contains the essential nutrients that support the body’s ability to maintain or restore a strong immune system. learn more »
Filling the gap between what you consume and what you should be eating with professional quality nutraceutical supplements, like the NUPRO supplements to support immune function, is an essential protocol to promote and maintain immune system function.
If you are concern about your immune system, confused about what to do protect or strengthen your immune system, or frustrated with traditional treatments, a holistic health coach might be helpful.
