The secret service that defends our bodies
A host of ‘germs’, microorganisms from the environment, constantly attack and invade our bodies, and our immune system is at war with them. The lymphatic system acts as a complex secret army that begins preparing for war before we are born.
When invaders strike, they activate teams of chemical dispatch riders—messengers who carry the orders for the deployment of troops and their engagement with the enemy. Once an engagement has been fought, the troops remain in reserve against future attacks by the same invader.
What is the lymphatic system?
The lymphatic system consists of a network of vessels that extend throughout the body. Their fluid is colourless lymph, containing white but no red blood cells, and valves ensure that the fluid flows only one way, away from the body’s extremities. Lymph also bathes the body’s tissues, similar to blood plasma. Disease-fighting white blood cells called lymphocytes originate in the bone marrow and develop and mature in other parts of the lymphatic system, such as the thymus and spleen. The tonsils and other organs are composed of lymphatic tissue, but their exact roles remain unclear.
The ‘germs’ that invade the human body and live there as parasites include fungi such as Candida albicans, which causes thrush, and the malaria parasite. However, the most common are bacteria and viruses, which cause a host of infectious diseases, ranging from colds and INFLUENZA to PNEUMONIA and POLIOMYELITIS.
The immune system protects us from infection attacks
Our first line of defence is the skin and mucous membranes, which keep out many would-be invaders. However, just behind is a complex defence system that keeps one immune to most infections, even when they enter the body. This is why the body calls it the immune system. This system must be ready to neutralise or destroy microorganisms and the poisons they make wherever they attack the body, and the extensive lymphatic system fills the bill.
The spleen, thymus gland, tonsil, bone marrow, and other bodily organs are vital to the immune system. The system’s network of capillaries and lymphatics, or lymph vessels, drains the clear body fluid known as lymph from the body’s tissue into the bloodstream. It mainly uses specialised cells originating in the bone marrow, as well as complex blood proteins and antibodies.
Active and passive types of immunity
We have two kinds of immunity. The first is a general defence that we are born with or acquire through our mother’s milk. This is called passive immunity, and it protects young babies while developing a more robust system of acquired immunity. It is called ‘acquired’ because it grows in response to contact with a new virus or bacterium. Having been acquired, this immunity remains with us, so the next time we encounter the same organism, we can defend against it very quickly.
One of the immune system’s key features is its ability to ‘remember‘ attackers (or pathogens) encountered in the past, recognising them so it can instantly switch off a set of ready-made defences. A second feature is its diversity, its ability to develop a whole range of immune defences against different pathogens.
Immunising babies involves exposing them to a small amount of the dead or weakened pathogen. The body recognises this as a foreign substance, or antigen, and creates a defence against it. In later life, the child’s immune system remains prepared and can be activated and explicitly directed against live viruses when encountered. But the defences against measles give no protection against, say, polio. Whether through vaccination or direct contact with the disease, the immune system must develop various programs, each defending the body against a particular invader.
Lymphatic System: The Front Line of Immunity
The immune system’s defences consist of two closely connected main parts: lymphocytes, white blood cells found in the lymph and the bloodstream, and antibodies, which are produced by certain types of lymphocytes and circulate in the blood.
The Role of Lymphocytes and Antibodies in Defense
Antibodies have a branching structure with unique sites that lock onto invading microorganisms or the poisonous substances they produce and neutralise them. Antibodies also act in another way.
When they bind to a foreign cell, the process mobilises groups of blood proteins known as the complement system, which can break down cells and kill them. It may also call scavenging cells to the site of the ongoing conflict. The body’s productions of antibodies depend on two types of lymphocytes.
How T-Cells and B-Cells Coordinate Immune Responses
The B-lymphocytes are the ones that first recognise the foreign antigens in the body and produce the first antibody reaction against them.
During any subsequent attack by the same microorganism, particular B cells that are specialised for that antigen mature rapidly and produce the appropriate antibodies in large quantities.
However, they cannot do so on their own.
The second group of lymphocytes, called T-lymphocytes, actively regulate their development and maturation in the thymus and the upper chest. There are several types of T-cells. Helper T-cells switch on’ B-cells, and suppressor T-cells switch them off again. So, the balance helper T cells are vital for controlling the immune system.
Apart from helper and suppressor cells, other types of T-cells play a direct part in destroying invading organisms or even the body’s cells once they have become called Cytotec T-, which learn to lock on particular antigens on the surface of infected cells in much the same way as B-cells learn to make antibodies, which also lock on to antigens.
The cytotoxic T cells then break down the outer walls of infected cells, leading to their destruction. Other T-cells are known as natural killers. They do not need to be programmed and can recognise and destroy foreign materials, even if they have not encountered them before.
Strengthen your immune system naturally
Some alternative therapies suggest ways of boosting the immune system to improve the body’s ability to fight disease. Avoiding stress, adopting a positive mental attitude, and eating a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals, as well as specific essential fatty acids, are beneficial ways to boost the immune system.
What Seems To Be The Immune System Disorder?
You haven’t injured yourself yet, yet you feel pain, sometimes chronic. Why does your body feel like it could have a cup of tea, never mind a heavy shopping bag? Likely, the lymphatic system couldn’t dispose of waste that is not in working order. Your muscles are weighed down with toxins that surround them. This is a probable cause for how you are feeling.
Chronic fatigue
You slept 8 hours last night and woke up this morning feeling great! By midday, you start to feel sluggish and even need more sleep. You could fall asleep standing up, couldn’t you? Your body and mind are crying out to stay awake, and these pesky toxins and waste couldn’t help but make you feel like you could flop.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Lymphoma is a type of cancer that arises from a kind of white blood cell. It is usually diagnosed when the lymph nodes are larger than usual, accompanied by symptoms such as weight loss and fever. There are different groups, ranging from slow-growing to aggressive, and they can occur at any age.
Arthritis and rheumatic pain
The fluids that circulate through the skeletal system are invaluable to their well-being. The pain of Arthritis and Rheumatism can not only be debilitating but also very stressful to live with each day of your life. A healthy lymphatic system, which transports blood and oxygen throughout the bones, will help ease pain and improve mobility.
What’s holding you up?
- What’s weighing you down? Nicotine, alcohol and fatty foods; are they in the way?
- Are you breathing? What’s breathe? These are strange questions, but if you stop and listen, you might be surprised by what you hear.
- Have you lost weight rapidly? Do you know something isn’t quite right? Prevention is better than cure. Visit your doctor or your massage therapist for manual static drainage massage therapy.
Lymphatic drainage therapy boosts the immune system
Manual lymphatic drainage massage enhances immune function by improving lymph flow and efficiently removing toxins and pathogens from the body.
