Immune System: What it is and how it works. Everything you need to know to boost it and live a happy life.

IMMUNE SYSTEM:  WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT WORKS.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO STRENGTHEN IT AND LIVE A HAPPY LIFE.

1. What is the Immune System?
2. How does the immune response work?
3. Which  factors weaken our imune system?
4. Which are the remedies to strenghten the immune system?

In the last year there has been a lot of talk about the immune system, especially because people have tried to understand their general health to fight, avoid or reduce the damage caused by Covid-19.

So it has become a key element to understand our level of well-being and health and many begin to understand that with a strong immune system we can live a better life and we can be free from many problems that can afflict us during the life time.

Sometimes we are frightened trying to understand how certain mechanisms of our body work because they are often associated with complex scientific words. Mine is not a medical blog, I am in the search of the personal well-being so I will try to simplify and understand how the immune system works and we will see some remedies and practical solutions to keep it strong and well functioning and live a happy life.

Obviously in case of known or suspected diseases or a weakening of the immune system, you must immediately contact your doctor and have specific tests and treatments.

WHAT IS THE IMMUNE SYSTEM?

 The immune system can be seen as the “guardian and warrior” of our body. The one who finds and then defends the body from foreign or dangerous agents that can cause infections and diseases.

For example: viruses, parasites, cancer cells etc.

The most frequent symptoms to understand that the immune system has some problems are various:

• repeated cold, fever and sore throat
• constant fatigue, weakness and muscle aches
• difficulty concentrating;
• herpes, allergies and skin rashes;
• prolonged intestinal disorders

The immune system is by nature intelligent and distinguishes within our body what belongs to it from what does not belong to it.

To do this, its components are found scattered in different areas of the human body and communicate with each other through the lymphatic vessels.

The components are:

• WHITE BLOOD CELL (WBCs) ⇒ specialized cells capable of circulating both in the blood and in the tissues.
• LIFATIC ORGANS ⇒ Bone marrow and thymus, lymph nodes, lymphoid tissue (tonisils, appendix and Peyer’s intestinal plaques).
• PROTEINS ⇒ the cytokines that exchange signals with each other in order to control the work of the different organs of the lymphatic tissues.

HOW DOES THE IMMUNE RESPONSE WORK?

• IDENTIFICATION of the external agent which is called ANTIGEN.
• ACTIVATION of the immune system through its cells.
• ATTACK
• CONCLUSION of the attack.

The most important cells are the white blood cells, divided in:

• Granulocytes the scavengers who eat dangerous external agents.
• Monocytes clean the blood.
• Lymphocytes that orchestrate the immune response and fight viruses

An important role is played by the lymphatic system which acts in three ways:

DRAIN

FILTER

DELIVER all foreign agents to the bodies that deal with the defense.

The spleen is the main lymphatic organ where the neutralization of foreign agents takes place.

The lymph nodes, which represent intermediate stations in the lymphatic system, where immune cells multiply to fight against a specific antigen.

The lymphatic vessels, which constitute a real circulatory system dedicated to the transport of lymph, a transparent fluid containing white blood cells.

In order to defend our body against external pathogens, the immune system can activate three different types of response:

• the innate response,
• the adaptive response
• the mechanical or chemical response.

These reactions allow you to fight both viruses and pathogens never seen before and viruses of which they have “memory” and this is very important because they act before the infection develops.

The mechanical or chemical response, on the other hand, is activated by our body through barriers such as skin, sweat, sebum, gastric pH, mucus and epithelial membranes of the respiratory, reproductive and urinary tracts and it is therefore very important to consider the signals they send us.

The immune system is therefore a beautiful but also complex machine that must be preserved and maintained as strong as possible throughout our life time.

In some cases, the immune system can function poorly

and produce an immune response directed against itself by developing an autoimmune disease.

Or the body is unable to generate an adequate immune response against invading microorganisms (immunodeficiency disorder).

Or the body produces an excessive immune response to foreign antigens, often harmless, which damages normal tissues (allergic reaction).

 WHICH ARE THE REMEDIES TO STRENGTHEN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM?

 Unfortunately, there is no magic pill, or scientifically proven supplement that can strengthen our immune system immediately.

More than anything else, there are many good habits that we can have to lead a healthy life and consequently have an alert and responsive system. There are plants remedies and supplements that raise our level of well-being and consequently our immune system.

AGAINST STRESS AND DEPRESSION and SEDENTARY LIFE

 It is important to develop a positive attitude towards life, reduce stress and cultivate practices that promote mental tranquility and motor activity, even if in a gentle way.

Among these practices we find many of the holistic disciplines, including:

Yoga, Meditation, Aromatherapy, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Phytotherapy, Massages ( such as the Lymphatic Drainage).

AGAINST UNBALANCED DIET and BAD DIGESTION

•  Eat healthy and balanced, taking natural foods rich in vitamins and minerals.
• Prefer the consumption of fresh and seasonal vegetables and fruit.
• Prefer quality.
• Try to get vitamin C. (citrus fruits and kiwis are rich in it) and the vitamin E found in many dried fruit through your diet.
• Use garlic as a natural antimicrobial.
• Detox once in a while.
• Pay attention to digestion, if digestion is slow, much of what is consumed will remain in the intestine in a partially digested or undigested form, and toxins will undermine the local immune mechanisms.
• These toxins can permeate in the body and reduce resistance to a variety of immune problems, so it is important to understand which foods are right for us.
• Pay attention to the bacterial flora and therefore through lactic ferments or herbal teas try to promote intestinal functions.

In Ayurveda, foods are recommended based on our type of constitution which corresponds to a certain element.For more information subscribe to my newsletter and do the Ayurvedic Elements Test.

AGAINST INSOMNIA AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

The world of herbs is full of immune system stimulants that do their job in many ways both to reduce stress and fight insomnia and to stimulate our antibodies to reduce seasonal ailments.

The following plants can be very useful to relax:

• Chamomile,
• Melissa,
• Passionflower,
• Linden,
• Valerian

In addition, magnesium and melatonin also help physical well-being and the right balance between sleep and wakefulness.

Regarding the spices, some increase the activity of virus-scavenging white blood cells, while the production of cells not yet infected are:

• Ginger,
• Cinnamon,
• Cardamom,
• Coriander
• Black pepper

Against the viruses of the season can be useful supplements with:

• Propolis
• Echinacea
• Rosehip

THE HELP OF PLANTS THROUGH AROMATHERAPY.

As Aromatherapy lover I would like also to suggest you some Essential Oils, that can be very useful for our immune system.

• Lemon
• Eucalyptus
• Ravintsara
• Tea Tree
• Rosemary
• Frank§Incense
• Elemi

How to use them?

• Some drops in the Diffusor
• Some drops in a carrier massage oil
• Some drops in the bathtub or foot bath.

Regarding the use of the Aromatherapy and the Essential oils if you would like further information I suggest you the following article:

https://naturalnicole.net/category/aromatherapy/