LAB 047: All (Immune) Systems Go
About This Lab
This week we re continuing our New Year wellness series and we are diving into the immune system.
What is the immune system?
Our immune system can be found almost everywhere in our bodies, but our first line of defense is our skin. Our skin is a physical barrier that keeps our invaders and particles. If something penetrates that barrier then we have to reply on our immune system to get rid of it.
There are 2 parts to the immune system: innate and adaptive or acquired. We are born with our innate immune system and it is non specific. So, as soon as it sees an invader it works to attack and get rid of it. Our acquired immune system is what your body builds over time. This means that is is dependent on what you are exposed to. We first start building our acquired immune system ,from our mothers as we pass through the vaginal canal or from skin-to-skin after a c-section. The more bacteria (healthy or unhealthy) that you are exposed to the more your immune system “knows” how to combat different viruses.
Our immune system peaks around puberty and young adulthood and starts to decline around 60 years old. This is why health guidance always advises young children and older individuals to be extra cautions because they are 2 groups that are more susceptible to infection.
Where is the immune system?
The immune system is not in one place in the body. It is actually in a lot of places.
A common immune system response is with allergies. Our bodies have histamines, chemicals that are a part of our immune system, that when they sense pet protein, tree protein, etc. it tries to get rid of it. The body’s response it itchy throat, watery eyes, sneezing, etc. This is an over reaction of our immune system. To fix that some people take an antihistamine which subdues that response.
Under active vs. over active immune system
When the immune system is under reacting this is called an immune deficiency. This is when our body isn't reacting to viruses, bacteria, fungi and it can be from the cells not working properly, or that there aren't enough of those cells to help fight infection. Immune deficiency can range in severity, and as a result, treatment.
An overactive immune system are things like autoimmune diseases. Some examples are thyroid dysfunction, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis, where our immune system might be acting against us. As a result we get other issues like inflammation, which we typically use to fight infection in turn then causes problems in our body.
Guest Experts
Our guest expert is Dr. Payel Gupta, an adult and pediatric allergy and asthma specialist and an immunologist.
You can find her on twitter and instagram