Immunity System of Our Body

While turning the pages of a magazine, a staple scratches your finger and injures it. Instantly lusting pain makes your finger to go into your mouth. Does the action really help in any way?

Do you know what all changes take place in our body as soon as the pin hurts you?

The moment the pin punctures your skin, a number of invisible bacterium try to enter the body through the wound. The immunity system in our body is instantly alerted and becomes active in eradicating the bacterium and in healing the injury. In this fight, the bacterium, and even some of the life cells, die.

Just like the heart and lungs, the immunity system is also a part of the body. This ‘system’ is present all over the body. This system continually protects our body from millions of chemicals and bacterium attacking our body externally.

Our immunity system is well aware of the cells that belong and that do not belong to our body. The system reacts and starts a fight the moment some foreign cells enter the body. It may create antibodies to fight the bacterium or may activate the life cells, which would directly fight with and kill the disease causing bacterium.

Organs that help our Immunity System

Thymus gland Bone Marrow Lymph Glands Lymphatic vessels Spleen

Let us look at them one by one:

Thymus Gland: This is situated on the backside of chest bones and produces white blood cells that develop into T. Lymphocytes and fight with the virus entering the body. T cells in conjunction with some other cells fight with the virus.
Cells that join the T-Cells

Helper T-Cells: These cells help to develop anti bodies in B Lymphocyte cells. (In case of AIDS, the virus kills these helper T-Cells, making a man loose his strength and energy).

Killer T-Cells: When foreign cells enter the body, killer T-Cells multiply themselves fast and destroy the foreign bodies. (The killer T-Cells are the ones that attack the tumours and infections and try to keep the body free from them).

Suppressor T-Cells: These cells have a peculiar function of signalling the T-Cells to stop fighting as soon as the infection had been defeated. Thus, if the suppressor T cells do not work or for some reason become weak, the life cells belonging to our immunity system do not stop the fight (after the infection had been defeated). However, they keep fighting with other life cells and create conditions leading to Rheumatoid arthritis and such joint pains.

Bone Marrow: The marrow present in our bones produces white blood cells that constantly fight the foreign bacterium.

Lymph Glands: These glands generate white blood cells that are called B-Lymphocytes. These B-Cells are covered with a protein called Immuno-globulin. The B-Cells produce anti bodies, which fight the infection.

Lymphatic Vessels: These vessels carry the bacterium from the infected part to the Lymphatic glands so that the bacterium is destroyed.

Spleen: In this organ, the white blood cells overpower the various bacterium that are present and carried in the blood circulation.

Blood Vessels: White blood cells and anti bodies travel all over the body through the blood vessels, attack the bacterium and protect our body from infection and thus constantly guarding our health.

Types of Immunity System

Innate immunity: In this system the skin has an important role. Mouth, throat, eyes, intestines, vagina, urinary tract also generate some enzymes, which play the remaining role in this system. All these destroy the bacterium foreign to the body. Infants while in the mother’s womb derive protection from the antibodies received from the mother and after being delivered get immunity through their mother’s milk. Adaptive immunity: As the human grows, the body develops its own immunity system from the various bacterium, this is called Adaptive immunity. Various antibodies generated in the human body destroy the bacterium from time to time, based on the adaptive system only. Because of this kind of immunity system the white blood cells recollect from memory the earlier antibodies created by them, and thus gain victory over the bacterium attacks that are repeated. This is the principle behind vaccinations. We could eradicate the dreadful diseases like ‘Polio’ through vaccines that improve the immunity of human body.

Other Contributors That Help Stop Infection

Saliva: Destroys the bacterium entering through the mouth (various enzymes contained in the saliva destroy the bacterium). Tears: Tears wash away the bacteria that settle on the eye. Other remains if any, are destroyed by the enzymes contained in the tears. Nose: The tiny hair growing in the nose stops the bacterium in the dirt & dust that enters the nose and are washed away by the mucus in the nose. In addition, sneezing and coughing help in throwing out the infectious bacterium. Intestine: The acid generated in the stomach kills many bacteria, which reach there. The bacterium that enters the intestines is attacked by helper bacteria, generally present in the intestines. Urinary tract: The helper bacterium present in the urinary tract destroys the foreign bodies that enter the tract. The mucus present in the female vagina also tries to destroy the bacterium that enters the vaginal tract. Skin: Dermatoid glands and sweat glands produce some kind of oil and sweat, which take part in stopping those bacterium that enter through the skin.

Like this, every organ of the body takes active part in the immunity systems and strengthens it.

Practices that enhance our Immunity System

The following practices enhance the immunity system of our body:

Intake of Balanced diet containing vitamins & mineral salts. Regular, but not excessive exercises. Staying away from physical and mental stress. Non-smoking and non-consumption of alcohol