How the immune system works? for many of us, the immune system seems a bit of a mystery. The immune system is large and complex while performing a wide variety of functions: scientist and researchers alike constantly study the immune system. While these researchers are always Making NEW discoveries, the better everybody understands this complex and elaborate response of the human body, the better prepared you are at preventing disease.
Did you know that our skin is part of the immune system and is also sometimes referred to as another organ. Our skin is our first line of defense, acting as a ‘physical barrier,’ to all the things in the world that can invade our bodies and make us sick, such as bacteria and viruses. Also, the white blood cells are another vital part of our immune system, as well as, a lesser known part ~ the hormones (like vitamin D) and the cytokines that helps the cells communicate and initiate a response to any foreign invaders into the body.
Therefore, when your immune system isn’t balanced, not properly functioning is often when health problems arises. Inflammation is also a component of the immune system considered a response to stress or trauma. When you experience inflammation, it’s an indicator that the immune system is doing it’s job; by getting white blood cells activated. Initially, inflammation is a good thing, however, the longer it persist, it can be associated with chronic disease.
Also, Your health can affect your immune system and vice versa, including the amount and type of medications we may take for minor or major health conditions. For example: it’s important to keep your immune system going strong, not only, before diseases like cancer has it’s chance of doing it’s ravage to your body, but also, after chemo has been administered…. it’s important to build your immune system back again to withstand the onslaught of carcinogens that was introduced into your body.
Different aspects of our daily lifestyle should be considered and can influence the immune system, including diet, stress levels and also physical activities. Therefore, it’s important to avoid ’empty calories’ limit sugar, salt, fats and alcohol. While getting plenty of sunshine in mid day, with exercise, to help maintain healthy stress patterns and cholesterol levels, upping your energy and ramping up metabolism.
Detailing healthy stress patterns: one must consider the adaptive stress response that helps the body adapt to the stress it encounters. Something our ancestors adaptive to well, due to the lack of processed foods in their diets. Twenty first century lifestyle takes and drives the adaptive stress response toward over reactive inflammation, while also being over weight with poor health and premature aging.
Actually scientist believe…. that an excessive laundry list might be needed to prevent a chronic, low level, full body inflammation that is contributing to the aging process by eroding cell’s ability to maintain themselves. Chronic inflammation, thereby, causes cells in our body to grow old before their time. Therefore, the key to success is to trigger the adaptive stress response with the right type and number of calories.
With certain bioactive compounds (polyphenols), while adding fiber, correcting the good – to – bad fat ratio and restricting calories that can alter gene expression and reduce the biomarkers of inflammation, aging and disease. Between 50 – and – 75 million Americans have the metabolic syndrome X defined by excessive abdominal obesity, high triglycerides or cholesterol, elevated blood pressure and abnormal insulin/glucose level.
Cancer for a long time was in a category of it’s own, as far back as the late 19th century, scientist noticed inflammation in the presence of certain cancers. While believing that inflammation turn pre – malignant cells into malignancy. Scientist suspect the tumor essentially borrows the body’s own inflammatory process to aid and a bet this transition, found that mice without the ability to engineer the ability to process a particular inflammatory messenger called tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a), because it kills cancer cells (never developed cancer.)
TNF-a is an inflammatory messenger made by macrophages, a type of white blood cell that’s quite prevalent in fat tissue. In people whom are lean, macrophages make up only 5 to 10 percent of fat tissue, while they account for up to 60 percent of all cells in the fat deposits of people who are over weight or obese.
One study found that compared to those of normal weight, those who are obese release more than seven times as much TNF-a from their fat tissue. TNF-a is associated with insulin resistance, diabetes, also hardening of the arteries, congestive heart failure and some cancers. Biomarkers of aging are things that make us feel old…. one way to fight this is through flight and by consuming a balanced diet of nutritionally advanced foods with moderate exercise while staying positive about your outlook on life.