The words terrorism and war conjure images of bloodshed, suffering and
complete chaos. National security is a top priority to our leaders who
employ round-the-clock surveillance and use well-trained soldiers, sophisticated
weapons and back-up defenses.
Likewise, our body is always on the lookout for enemies, albeit invisible ones.
the air we breathe, the food and drinks we consume, seemingly spotless surfaces
and objects we touch or use everyday are all teeming with germs – bacterias,
viruses, dust, parasites and fungi- just waiting to catch us off-guard. These
deadly invaders may easily enter our bodies through various gateways on our skin.
Luckily, we too are protected by a sophisticated army – our IMMUNE SYSTEM.
This army never takes enemies for granted. An itching throat or tearing eyes are
subtle signs that it is always hard at work. Ironically, perhaps because we do not
see it, our army is often ignored. We think about protecting our heart, skin and
other organs but we don’t often consider the health of the immune system.
Only when it breaks down and we become sick do we even take notice.
Our immune system is an amazing piece of work! At any given second, it calls upon
a complex and concerted effort from countless different immune battalions,
working ceaselessly to protect us not only from invaders but also from
our own internal cells, which can mutate and become cancerous. Without our
immune system, a simple dust particle would kill us!
The immune system is an amazing, proactive defense mechanism, which is complex
network of white blood cells, antibodies and other immune chemicals and organs
offer us around-the-clock protection against invaders.
For example, when there is a cut on the skin, the immune system works actively
to heal it and stop the entry of microbes like viruses and bacteria. As our cells
continuously reproduce, a strong immune system also helps to detect and defeat
cell mutations that could lead to cancer.
Most diseases are the results of a malfunctioning immune system. In next article,
I will give you a simple but easy understanding picture of how our immune system
works.
(Extracted from Excel Magazine Volume 5)
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