Your Immune System

 

Your Immune System

How Your Immune System Works

Generally speaking, our immune systems are very precisely working defense systems that guarantee the organism is not continuously over flooded with pathogens such as bacteria or viruses.  Without it we could not live, nor would we have any process by which to heal and recover.  This is why the most dangerous diseases of our day are those that block, weaken or destroy the body's own defense system.  Our immune systems work via two different defense mechanisms:  The specific and non-specific.

Specific Immune System

The specific immune system is able to form a specific antibody against a certain invader.  It is by virtue of this system's "memory" that in the case of a repeated infection, the intruder is immediately recognized and thus can quickly be rendered harmless.  This is why we get certain childhood diseases only once.  Immunizations also work via this same mechanism.  By introducing into the body a weakened form of a specific bacteria or virus, a specific antibody is formed that protects against further "invasions" of that particular infection.

So far so good.  Yet the specific immune system has a major disadvantage, it's slow.  In the case of a primary infection, it will not reach its full effectiveness until between 5 and 14 days have elapsed.  If the body is invaded by germs that bring the disease to its outbreak within a very short time, as is the case with cold and flu infections, the first symptoms show up within 18 to 48 hours after the onset of infection.  It is crucial that the organism be able to wage an intense campaign against these invaders.

Non-specific Immune System

Only the specific immune system is capable of doing that.  It's main agents are special white blood cells, the so-called macrophages.  These "killer" cells maintain a constantly vigilant protective force that continuously attacks pathological germs and swallows them up before they amount to any significant threat.  The quicker the invaders are eliminated, the less likely is the danger that the disease will come to a head.  That is that pains or complaints will arise.

The tricky thing about most viruses that cause head colds and flu is that they constantly change their appearance, or their surface structure.  Hence they do not provoke a specific immune system response and so require constant defense by the non-specific immune system.

In this age of AIDS and Cancer, we have at last come to realize that, in both the long and short run, our health depends on the reactive ability of our immune systems.

Swimming in our bodies is a sea of antigens. These antigens include dangerous environmental invaders such as viruses, bacteria, abnormal cells, parasites, chemical pollutants and other synthetic poisons which are threatening our bodies. We are able to survive periodic assaults on our health and life from these antigens because of our immune system. The key to maintaining optimal health begins with a better understanding of the human body's biological processes.

The human immune system is the result of a synergistic interactions between cells, molecules and fluids in the body. When the body is in good health, all biological systems are functioning effectively together. When the body is threatened, the immune system is activated to help restore health. The body uses two systems to identify foreign invaders. The first system is the non-specific defense system and the second is the specific defense system.

Non-specific Defense System

The non-specific defense system relies on the body's natural ability to recognize and destroy foreign invaders. Its first line of defense consists of skin and mucous membranes and blood brain barriers. They serve as physical barriers by preventing foreign matter from invading the body.

When pathogens enter the body through broken tissues bio-chemicals are released which "turn on" the inflammatory response. To combat the threatening invader the body increases the production of white blood cells which can result in a temperature increase. This explains why fever often accompanies an infection.

Specific Defense System

If a pathogen passes through the body's non-specific defense, the immune system responds with a series of defenses that attack the foreign invader. These defenses are known as the immune response consisting of antibodies and special immune cells. T-Cells and B- Cells are critical to the immune system,. T-Cells (T-Lymphocytes) mature in the Thymus Gland and the B-Cells (B-Lymphocytes) mature in the bone marrow.

The T-cells provide the first response to a threatening foreign invader. One type of T cell is the T4 helper cell. These induce the B cells to "turn on" and respond to the presence of such a threat. The B-cells respond by producing antibodies and by stimulating one type of T cell, which is the natural killer cell (NK). It destroys the invading cells by means of direct contact or by producing a cytotoxin or cell poison. As a control the T8-suppressor cells "switch off" the immune response once the invaders are destroyed and the infection is cleared up. If the pathogen reappears, the body has the ability to immediately produce antibodies to deal with the foreign invader.

The Specific defense system circulates in part in the blood and Lymphatic system. The Lymphatic system consists mainly of lymph, lymphatic vessels and structures or organs containing lymphatic tissues. Lymph is a thick colorless fluid. Some of its functions are to carry fat and nutrients and to distribute germ fighting white blood cells. Lymphatic vessels transport the lymph to the different parts of the body.

Along the larger lymphatic vessels there are small kidney shaped structures that are the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes filter the blood in order to help prevent bacteria and other pathogens from travelling through the lymphatic system. The lymph nodes are areas of high immunological activity along with the bone marrow, thymus, spleen, liver, tonsils, adenoids, appendix, and peyer's patches in the intestines.

The human immune system has the ability to recognize and protect against a huge variety of bacteria, viruses and other pathogens that challenge the body daily. All parts of the immune system work together to help protect the human body.

However, our bodies are being "overloaded" with progressively dangerous chemicals and pollutants in the environment that we can not rid ourselves of naturally.  This overload is one crucial reason for the skyrocketing rates of Immune Depressed Illnesses like cancer, diabetes, AIDS, etc...

This is one reason we feel so strongly about REDUCING THIS LOAD on our bodies.  There are 2 ways to do this...
 
Reduce the intake of toxins
Clean water, clean air, clean food, clean household, clean cosmetics, etc...
 
Purge your body of the toxins already there

Cleanse, zap, ozone, structured pH water, MSM, magnets, etc..

 

 

Your Immune System