Intro to the Immune System

    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.


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