Your body's protector: Let's learn about the immune system in simple terms

Do you sometimes feel like it takes a long time to get over a cold? Or do you feel like you get sick more quickly than other people? Behind all of this is an amazing defense system in our body. We call it the immune system . Like an army that protects our country, this system protects us from invisible enemies, namely germs that cause disease.

So, if you are fully aware of this protector of yours and the impact your daily habits have on it, you can help it stay healthy. Let's talk about this in a little more detail.

What exactly is the immune system?

Simply put, the immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs in your body that work together. It's like a well-trained army. The main job of this army is to find and destroy harmful things like germs, bacteria, and viruses that enter our bodies.

Imagine that a virus that causes a cold enters your body through your nose. Your immune system immediately recognizes this enemy. Then it fights to stop the virus from spreading. Sometimes we take medicine to help, but it is this immune system that actually fights the disease inside the body and heals us. So, we cannot do without its help in preventing the development of a disease and in curing a disease that has already developed.

Who are the members of this 'security force'?

This is not a one-person job. This is a team effort. There are several organs and cells that belong to this system.

• Tonsils
• Digestive system
• Bone marrow
• Skin – Our First Line of Defense
• Lymph nodes
• Spleen
• The delicate skin inside our nose, throat , and genitals

All of these together create and store our defense soldiers, the white blood cells . These white blood cells are our commandos who directly fight germs.

Types of white blood cells and their functions

There are five main types of white blood cells in our body, each with a specific function.

How do we get immunity?

"Immunity" refers to our body's ability to protect itself from disease. We get this in two ways.

Think of a small baby. He or she often gets colds and earaches. Each time he or she gets sick, his or her immune system recognizes a new enemy and creates weapons called antibodies to fight it off. These antibodies are stored in a “memory bank.” The next time the same germ comes along, the system remembers it and quickly fights it off.

Most vaccines we get work in this way. A vaccine “trains” our immune system by giving us a small amount of a killed or weakened virus. Our body then makes antibodies against it and is ready. If the real virus comes along later, our army is ready so we don’t get sick.

Why does our immune system weaken?

How does stress affect you?

Manage your stress as much as possible. Chronic stress – whether it’s from work, relationships, or chronic illness – puts a strain on your immune system. Over time, this can make you more susceptible to illness. Studies have shown that chronic stress can “age” your immune system. This can make you more likely to catch colds and flu. It can also increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease.

We all have stress. What matters is how you manage it. Even something as simple as deep breathing can help reduce the effects of stress. You can also try exercises like meditation and yoga.

How does it change as you get older?

As we age, the effectiveness of our immune system gradually decreases. There are several reasons for this:

• Increased inflammation in the body.
• Shrinkage of the thymus gland, an important gland in the immune system.
• Decreased activity of antibodies.

When your immune system is weak, you are more likely to get sick. It takes longer to recover. It can also increase your risk of cancer. Because when the system can't quickly detect mutated cancer cells, those cells have more time to divide and spread.

Other things that affect immunity

• Smoking and alcohol: These damage the cells of the immune system.
• Inadequate nutrition: The system weakens when the necessary vitamins and minerals are not available.
• Some medications: Chemotherapy for cancer and medications given after organ transplants temporarily weaken the immune system.
• Some diseases: Viral infections like HIV/AIDS severely damage the immune system by destroying white blood cells.

Immune system defects and symptoms

Sometimes our immune system can malfunction.

• Overactive Immune System: The best example of this is allergies . What happens here is that even though something is actually harmless, like dust or pollen, our body sees it as a big enemy and attacks it. That's when symptoms like a runny nose and itchy eyes appear. Asthma and eczema are also similar conditions.
• Autoimmune Disorder: This is a more serious condition. What happens here is that the immune system makes a mistake and attacks the body's own healthy cells instead of foreign invaders. Lupus is an example of this type of disease.

If you have a problem with your immune system, you may experience symptoms like these. If one or more of these persist, it is important to see a doctor .

• Constant fatigue
• Low-grade fever
• Unexplained weight loss
• Night sweats
• Itching or rash on the skin
• Muscle pain
• Numbness in the fingertips
• Difficulty concentrating
• Hair loss
• Joint swelling

So, how can we strengthen this security system?

The same things you do to keep your heart, brain, bones, and entire body healthy are good for your immune system. There's no magic pill for this, there's a good lifestyle .

1. A nutritious diet

Vitamin C and vitamin D are very important for immunity. Also needed are vitamins A, B6, B12, E, and K. These can be easily obtained from a balanced diet.

• Vegetables: spinach, kale, and spinach.
• Orange and yellow vegetables and fruits: carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, oranges, tangerines.
• Broccoli
• Oily fish: salmon, tuna, mackerel.
• Nuts and seeds: cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds.
• Garlic
• Seafood: oysters, crabs, shrimp.

2. Other health habits

• Stay active: Exercise daily.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• If you smoke, stop.
• Control your alcohol intake.
• Get enough sleep: An adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep a day.
• Get your vaccinations on time.
• Control stress.

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