You immune system it’s an interactive network of organs, white blood cells and proteins that protect your body from viruses and bacteria or even any foreign substance.

Every minute of every hour of every day we are continuously exposed to dangerous organisms that we inhale or swallow, or that adhere to our skin or mucous membranes. These pathogens would cause disease if it weren’t for our defensive mechanisms.

When our system is working properly, we don’t even notice these infectious agents. But when our immune system is compromised, that is, it is underactive or overactive, we develop infections or other medical conditions.

How does this defensive system work?

Your immune system works to (1) neutralize and eliminate pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi that enter the body, (2) recognize and neutralize harmful substances in the environment, and (3) fight the body’s own cells that are changing . due to illness.

That these pathogens or other harmful substances penetrate and cause disease is the result of both their pathogenicity (ie how virulent they are) and the integrity of your body’s defense mechanisms.

The essential role of this system in defending your body is best illustrated when it fails… little activity (or immunodeficiency) can lead to serious infections and tumors, and hyperactivity in allergic and autoimmune diseases.

If our immune system is working properly to protect us, we never notice it. But when their performance is compromised, we develop diseases.

In order for it to function properly, it must be able to distinguish between two types of cells, organisms and substances… ‘self’ and ‘non-self’.

‘Own’ refers to cells, etc. inside your body… ‘non-self’ refers to foreign bodies, cells, etc. from outside your body that enter your body…these are called antigens.

Your immune system can normally distinguish between your own cells and antigens. For example, the proteins on the surface of your own cells will be different than the proteins on the surface of antigens such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. The system can detect these different proteins. Once it has detected antigens, it will attack them to destroy them.

There are two parts to your immune system:

• a basic system that functions as a general defense system against pathogens (disease-causing organisms), and

• an adaptive system that remembers specific pathogens it has already had contact with and will attack them if they reappear.

As you can see, the system adapts and learns to be able to fight bacteria or viruses that change over time. The two parts of your immune system complement each other in their reactions to a pathogen.

Malfunctions in the immune system

This system, like any other system, can fail. This can happen in several ways:

1. Instead of operating normally against the antigens entering your body, your system may overreact… this is called excessive immune response.

2. The system, due to damage, reacts too slowly against invading pathogens…this is called immunodeficiency.

3. The system mistakenly begins to attack the cells of its own body… this is called autoimmune attack.

Consequently, your immune system can suffer from several important disorders. As examples:

1]Allenergies… an allergy is an immune system response to a foreign substance that is not harmful to your body. These foreign substances are called allergens. They can include certain foods, pollen, or pet dander.

Your immune system’s job is to keep you healthy by fighting off harmful pathogens. It does this by attacking anything it thinks might put its body in danger. Depending on the allergen, this response can involve swelling, sneezing, or a host of other symptoms.

theme the system usually adjusts to its environment. For example, when your body encounters something like pollen, you need to realize that it is harmless. In people who are allergic to pollen, the immune system perceives it as a foreign invader that threatens the body and attacks it, causing inflammation.

This can result in one or more allergic diseases such as food allergies, asthma, hay fever, or dermatitis.

2]Immunedeficiency diseases… a weakened defensive system will prevent your body from fighting infection and disease. This type of disorder makes it easier to contract viruses and bacterial infections.

Immunodeficiency disorders are congenital or acquired. HAS congenital or primary disorder it’s one you were born with. Acquired or secondary disorders. you come later in life. Acquired disorders are more common than congenital disorders.

Anything that weakens your immune system can lead to a secondary immunodeficiency disorder. Examples include… exposure to HIV-infected bodily fluids… aging… diabetes… eating too little protein… lack of sleep… cancer and anti-inflammatory drugs chemotherapy… and many more.

System deterioration can lead to life-threatening infections.

3]Autoimmune the same… an autoimmune reaction is one in which your immune system attacks your own body by mistake. It is caused by an autoimmune disease. In an autoimmune disease, the immune system mistakes part of your body, such as joints or skin, as foreign. It releases proteins called autoantibodies that attack healthy cells.

Some autoimmune diseases target a single organ. Type 1 diabetes damages the pancreas. Other diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), affect the entire body.

Researchers don’t know exactly what causes the immune system to fail. Some people are more likely to get an autoimmune disease than others…the rate among women is twice the rate among men…some autoimmune diseases are more common in certain ethnic groups…certain autoimmune diseases are hereditary .

Because the incidence of autoimmune diseases is increasing, researchers suspect that environmental factors such as infections and exposure to chemicals or solvents may also be involved. The Western diet of high-fat, high-sugar, and highly-processed foods may be linked to inflammation, which in turn could trigger an immune response.

According to the hygiene hypothesis, vaccinations and antiseptics mean that children today are not exposed to as many germs as they were in the past, making their immune systems prone to overreacting to harmless substances. .

Strengthening of the immune system

As a type 2 diabetic, your immune system is likely to be very weak and you need to take care of it to make it as strong as possible. You can do it with:

• Changes in lifestyle

• food options

• Dietary supplements

• Herbs

• essential oils

These are discussed in my next article… How to strengthen your immune system