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Immune System
Can you avoid
getting a cold or flu this winter?
Yes, you can!
There are steps you can take to reduce your chance
of getting a cold or flu, or reduce the severity and duration.
See
recommended products below.
Your Internal
Security Force
In a world
filled with viruses and bacteria, good health and resistance
to disease is no accident. It requires a strong immune system.
We should consider the immune system as a internal security force
that is constantly monitoring everything entering our body.
Why do some
people seem to never catch a cold, while others come down with
colds several times a year? A decrease in the effectiveness of
our immune system is a major factor in catching a cold or flu.
The immune system is a truly remarkable body function that protects
us against invading viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms.
The cold
virus is actually composed of approximately one hundred different
kinds of rhino viruses. With this number of different viruses
available it is no wonder that the immune system constantly encounters
variations, and there is no lifetime immunity against colds and
flus.
There are
distinct differences between a cold and the flu. A cold comes
on slowly, rarely is accompanied by fever, and exhibits localized
symptoms such as running nose and sneezing. A flu, on the other
hand, comes on swiftly and with severity. It is accompanied by
fever, with general symptoms such as fatigue, chills, body aches
and a dry, hacking cough. Viruses are transmitted when a person
comes into contact with someone carrying a cold or flu virus.
It can enter the body when someone touches their eyes or nose.
When it comes through the nose, such as when someone sneezes
in your vicinity, it is transported to the back of the throat
where it attaches to the mucous membranes and begins to move
to the respiratory tract.
Critical Immune
Function Cascade
The body's
immune system is composed of the lymphatic system, the thymus
gland, spleen, tonsils, and lymph nodes. When the virus is detected,
a healthy immune system will immediately take action. A message
is sent to the thymus gland to begin producing T cells which
begin to attack the virus.
B cells which originate in the bone marrow produce antibodies
against the invading virus. Other cells, called leukocytes, lymphocytes,
and macrophages are also produced. They have as their function
the responsibility of slowing down and killing the virus. This
immune function cascade is critical in assisting the body to
defeat the onslaught of the foreign invaders.
We
recommend the following products to
support and build a strong immune system:
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