Did you know that...Your immune system is like an army of soldiers protecting you?

By DANIELA BAYER

They have a structure, clear purpose, proven process, and defined roles and responsibilities. They perform simple tasks and complex operations. They mobilize and deploy when and where they are needed the most. They communicate, coordinate, and collaborate. They have a memory of who the bad guys are. They discover, neutralize and destroy. They are strong, yet vulnerable. They need supplies, sources of energy, and your support. They are constantly on the lookout and ready. They are your first and last line of defense. They are your immune system.

The immune system is not simple, and our understanding of the structure and organization of the immune system is still incomplete and evolving. What we do know is quite fascinating. We know that a healthy immune system is complex and consists of cells and molecules that are active and interact with each other. They live in the blood and tissue including the bone marrow, lymph nodes, and spleen. All components of the immune system have well-defined functions. Their purpose is to protect the body from foreign substances, infections, illness, and diseases like cancer or rheumatoid arthritis.

Here are a few facts to help deepen our awareness and appreciation for a system, an entity, and a mechanism, whose sole purpose is to protect and sustain each and every one of us individually, every step of the way, as long as we are alive:

• There are many different kinds of immune cells in the body, and their numbers vary considerably from one person to another, and within the same person each day. The immune system is alive and volatile with changes that occur within the system, as some parts show a heightened response while other parts show a reduced activity.

• The main cells of the immune system are white blood cells, which consist of several different types, including cells that promote the migration of other immune cell to locations where they are needed, eating cells that engulf and destroy bacteria, cells that recognize certain micro-organisms, and cells that attack certain targets and destroy malignant and virus- or parasite-infected cells.

• Attacking cells produce antibodies that proliferate rapidly in order to control infections. Helper cells stimulate the replication of healthy cells and antibodies, and suppressor cells inhibit the immune response.

• The body has two types of immunity – innate and adaptive. Innate immunity is proactive and "built-in" in the body. It is always on, has no memory, and activates very quickly. It generates a physical barrier within skin, blood, and mucous membrane. Adaptive immunity is reactive and specific, has memory, and activates in response to a particular antigen. It responds fast with repeated exposures to the same foreign substance by neutralizing and killing it.

Generating antibodies, consuming and digesting foreign agents, and killing infected tissues seem like trivial tasks compared to the cells' advanced ability to facilitate information exchange, production of collagen, formation of bone and liver cells, and DNA replication. When in action, the cells of the immune system exchange energy and generate heat. At times, we experience it as inflammation and temporarily suffer from allergies or sickness behavior with fever, body aches, lack of appetite, low energy, or lethargy. By design, it is meant to slow us down. Our immune system is busy at work, and it needs our cooperation. It is important to give the body a chance to fight and heal by providing a sufficient source of energy and rest. Here is something that each of us can do to help make its mission a success.

Be well!