Your body has a complex and sophisticated system designed to constantly guard against infection. This immune system works with the natural barriers on your body, such as the skin and cilia in the respiratory system. It is your natural defense mechanism against bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. Your immediate environment always has microbes and foreign bodies that live in the air, on the food and in the water. You can't escape them, and it is the responsibility of your immune system to prevent them from causing illness and disease.
How It Works
One of the main reasons the immune system is so difficult to describe and understand is because it is made up of many different players. Each of these different cell types interact together to complete a complex and interactive process. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, once a virus, bacterium or fungus manages to get past the physical barriers it is confronted with macrophages, white blood cells, T and B helper cells, phagocytes, leukocytes and a number of other smaller players. Illnesses and age can impact the effectiveness of your immune system, which increases the likelihood that you'll suffer from a more-severe form of an illness that possibly results in death.
Facts
According to Senior Health Answers, the immune system is your body's natural defense mechanism. Consider what happens to the body after death. The microbes and germs that were kept at bay during life suddenly invade and can quickly strip the body down to bone. Without resistance the microbes hasten the natural decomposition. The immune system can malfunction for of a number of reasons including malnutrition, drug or alcohol abuse, wrong eating habits, toxins from the environment or from hereditary factors. According to "How The Immune System Works" by Lauren Sompayrac, your immune system has the ability to adapt to the environment. In other words, it is able to change in response to the bacteria, viruses and fungi to which it is exposed. According to Joseph Mercola, D.O., white sugar negatively impacts your health in over 70 different ways, and suppressing your immune system is only one of them! The Department of Veterans Affairs reports that drugs and alcohol also have a negative effect on the immune system by weakening your skin and liver, irritating the lungs and leaving you dehydrated. The Cleveland Clinic reports that exercise has a great, if not greater, impact on the immune system than nutrition. Experimental studies have shown that a regular exercise program, at even low aerobic levels, can bolster the immune system. According to a study by the University of California and the San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center, if you get under five hours of sleep a night your immune system is compromised; laughter will improve the protective mechanism of the immune system and regular massages will increase the number and aggressiveness of certain cells that bolster the immune system.
Improve Your Immune System
You have the ability to improve your immune system, decrease the number of illnesses you may suffer and develop your overall health with just a few modifications to your lifestyle choices. According to Harvard Health Publications, it is important to introduce more raw fruits and vegetables into your diet, intentionally evaluate and reduce your stress, sleep at least eight hours each night, reduce or eliminate your alcohol and drug intake, get plenty of exercise and focus on laughter in your life. Use these techniques to bolster your immune system and reduce the number of colds and flu you may suffer.
