So what exactly does the immune system do?

If you look at the basic definition of ‘immune system’ from Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary it reads as follows…The bodily system that protects the body from foreign substances, cells and tissues by producing the immune response.

We’ll just stop there for now.

So basically your immune system is supposed to protect you from foreign invaders, and maintain the ‘peace’ inside your body. It has the task of not only having to figure out between what is good and bad in your body, but also when it does find something bad, it has to tag it, figure out how to get rid of it, and remember exactly how it got rid of it. This ‘remembering’ process is really important, because if the immune system should come across the same bad thing again then, it already knows how to destroy it, but only if it is healthy enough to do so. So the ‘memory’ bank of your immune system rivals that of any sci-fi super computer ~ it has to, or else you become susceptible to a great number of things.

Has anyone seen a lab slide of a bit of pond water? Or worse yet, of a swab from the inside of your cheek? There are so many microorganisms living there, that it’s almost a scary thought! But have no fear, because it is your immune system that has been charged with the specific duty of protecting every part of your body!

Literally!

It is directly responsible for modulating immune responses everywhere in your body. Your immune system, when healthy, maintains the balance needed for your body to do everything it does; breath, heart beat, GI function, to name a few. Many people attribute these functions to other things, but they fail to realize that the immune system is pretty much the bottom line in the health of all your bodily functions. Without a healthy immune system and immune responses, you are merely ‘sputtering along’ instead of ‘cruising’.

So, I challenge you to look into it for yourself! Just type in ‘immune system’ or ‘immune functions’ into the search bar and see what pops up! If it gets too heavy on the medical/scientific language keeping you from understanding it properly, then either pull up ‘Merriam Webster Online’ to search words as you go, or pull up a different site altogether.

Have fun searching!

Sandra