A Doctor Within You: Your Immune System Is Your Inner Healer

God-given power within you – Our bodies are constantly under attack – 24 hours a day – from infection and toxins. The fact that we survive is due to our immune system – a fascinating network of chemicals and cells that protect our body. We are exposed to a number of invisible microorganisms that cause cold, flu, breathing difficulty, skin allergy and other diseases. A battalion of bacteria is just waiting to dive into our body through cuts, wounds, burns, and abrasions.

But the scenario is not completely terrifying. Nature has endowed man with a foolproof immune system to combat invisible enemies that could wreak havoc on his health. The main role of the immune system is to keep our body protected from invasion both by external organisms and also by our own cells. These organisms may cause harm to the fine balance of the human body system and affect our immunity like in cancer. All we have to do is restructure our lifestyle and provide a favourable environment for the immune system to function optimally.

Little soldiers who guard our body day and night – The immune system is the body’s inherent mechanism to fight the onslaught of germs. The white blood cells, our little soldiers, track down germs and gobble them up Sometimes antibodies produced by special cells destroy-the germs. Then there are the tiny proteins called immune globulins and interferon which cells produce to fight virus, bacteria and other invaders. For further protection, the body is also stocked with the fighter white blood cells known as T-cells, B-cells and killer cells.

 How to strengthen the immune system? – Certain conditions suppress the immune system. Some of these are diabetes, alcoholism, and malnutrition, drugs used in cancer therapy, general anaesthetics and x-ray radiation. Stress is one of the major factors that trigger off asthma and other immune disorders.

Ways to bolster our defence system.

• Breathe through your nose, not your mouth. Nasal hairs filter out some of the 20 billion particles of foreign matter that an average person inhales daily.
• One of the tastiest and easiest ways to improve your immune system is to eat the right food. The best advice is to eat the healthiest diet you can, the one emphasizing fruits, vegetables and grains.
• Moderate exercise stimulates the activity of immune cells and makes your whole immune system work better, “concludes a report in Sports Science Review.
• Sleep right, as during sleep, your body slows down certain activities and even shuts down others, so it can devote itself to healing.
• For those living in houses fitted with heaters and air-conditioners, humidifying your house is a good idea. During winter many heating systems keep the home environment too dry. This can dry out the moist lining of the nose and respiratory passages, making them more susceptible to viral infections.