The body's immunity is very important. If your immune system is working well, it will deal with viruses, bacteria, and fungi without difficulty. And you won't get sick. When it is weakened, any infection can be dangerous. And if he reacts too violently, autoimmune diseases appear.
Every child gets this wonderful dowry from their mother. Antibodiespass through the placenta from the maternal organism of the mother, protecting the baby against diseases for the first 6-9 months after birth. If she is breastfed, her innateimmunitylasts longer. Unfortunately, after the first year of life, each of us has to work to build up our own immunity. And we do it in several ways, incl. vaccinating against a specific disease or getting sick.
Lymphocytes and the body's immunity
The main role in the immune mechanism is played bylymphocytes- a type of leukocytes, or white blood cells. These cells form in the bone marrow and then pass into the blood. Before they start to perform their function, they need to mature. T lymphocytes do this in the thymus, and B lymphocytes in intestinal lymph nodes or lymph nodes. During an influenza epidemic, for example, we breathe viruses "out" into the air by patients. They settle on the mucous membranes of the nose and throat and penetrate through them into the body. At the beginning, some of the intruders encounter the first line of defense, i.e. macrophages. These cells absorb the microorganism, digest it and analyze its composition. After such treatment, B lymphocytes readily recognize the virus components as foreign and transform into the so-called plasma cells - a veritable factory of antibodies.
Immune system: immunoglobulins
The human body produces many types of antibodies (immunoglobulins). They are mostly Y-shaped and made of proteins. Antibodies attach to the intruder with the arms of the igreka and render him harmless. With an adequate supply of lymphocytes in the body, the battle is won. The problem is that it takes several days to recognize an antigen and then produce the right amount of antibodies. And we just have the flu during this time.
Fortunately, the next time you have the flu, your body will start fighting the viruses sooner. This is because at the beginning of the first flu in our lives, a small part of the lymphocytes are transformed into memory cellsimmunological. They remember what the encountered virus looks like. Then they sit quietly in the lymph nodes until the next infestation. If we get infected with the same germ, they immediately start producing the antibodies they need. Thanks to this, we recover faster.
Cancer and autoimmune diseases
T lymphocytes work differently. They deal with recognizing cancer cells as foreign. They then come into direct contact with the intruder and destroy him without the use of antibodies. This is important because about 4,000 are created in the body daily. cancer cells! Unfortunately, T lymphocytes treat cancer cells in the same way as cells of transplanted organs. In the case of transplants, this behavior is fatal, because the organ that was supposed to save life is destroyed. That is why the transplanted person receives large doses of steroids and cytostatics. These drugs kill T lymphocytes. This weakens the body's overall immunity but prevents rejection of the transplant. Sometimes immune responses are our bane. This is the case of the so-called autoimmune diseases (such as lupus). The patient's immune system treats the body's own tissues as hostile and destroys them.
You must do itFor reinforcement
Get some rest and sleep.
Do not smoke or abuse alcohol.
Get hardened, walk a lot.
Exercise or play some sport.
Eat vegetables and fruits.
In winter, go to the sauna.
Treat infections to the end.
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