The Parts of the Immune System

When you’re sick, you might take vitamin C or allicinplus c garlic supplements. You’ll even go so far as to check your lymph nodes. For as much as people talk about the immune system’s benefits and how to help your immune system out when you’re sick, there aren’t many people that know anything about it. The only thing that most people know about the immune system is the fact that it helps keep them from getting sick. It seems quite strange that people know the circulatory system uses the heart, veins, and arteries to pump blood through veins; they know the nervous system sends sensory signals to and from the brain; but they don’t know very much about how or why the immune system works.

Saliva

When it comes to food, drinks, and air, the first line of defense between your body and antigens (nasty toxins, bacteria, and viruses) is saliva. It’s acidic, full of bacteria and mucous that can break down the pathogens that can make you sick. Most of the time your saliva is all it needs to stop sickness in its tracks.

Skin

When it comes to all of the random bacteria and viruses that land on your skin throughout the day, your skin is the biggest barrier and one of the leaders in the fight against illness. It secretes antibacterial fluids to devour and destroy illness-causing microbes and has Langerhans cells. Langerhans cells are like the beat cops of the body. They grab the unsavory criminal element and present it to the station (T-cells) for processing (being absorbed and destroyed).

Spleen

The spleen scans and filters out foreign cells from the bloodstream and detects any damaged or old red blood cells that are in need of replacement. It is located underneath the left lung and next to the liver. It works closely with the liver to further filter and remove bad cells from the body.

Thymus

The thymus, especially in infants and children, creates and distributes invaluable T-cells to help destroy antigens later in life. Eventually the thymus degenerates as people age and due to the fact that most of the body’s T-cells are developed early in life.

Lymph System

The lymph system goes throughout the whole body and delivers a substance called lymph to the blood. Lymph is full of nutrients that cells need for health and growth. It is also able to act as a warning system to other immune cells as it brings bacteria up to the lymph nodes to fight them off and remove them. This is why the lymph nodes swell when you’re sick. It means that your lymph system is working correctly.

White Blood Cells

White blood cells are the most well-known piece of the immune system, next to maybe the lymph nodes. Although people may think of white blood cells as one type of cell, they are actually a culture of many different types of cells that destroy and remove bacteria in their own different ways.

Your immune system is a wonderfully complex system that runs throughout, and outside of, the body. Taking care of it by aiding it with supplements, including odorlessgarlic supplements, can help your immune system stay at its best.