5 Surprising Things You Didn’t Know About Your Immune System

People often make reference to the immune system when feeling under the weather, but we wondered how many people truly understand the complexities of this internal task force? To put it plainly, the immune system is a network of cells, tissues and organs that work together to protect the body. It is the immune system’s responsibility to tell your body what belongs and what does not. In rare chronic cases, like primary immunodeficiency, the immune system is either missing or isn’t working properly, but for most healthy people, it separates friend from foe ― and responds to enemies (like bacteria, viruses and parasites) that threaten invasion. In order to maintain overall wellness, all of the organs and cells that make up this defense network have highly specific assignments to carry out. That’s why we’ve partnered with Shire to uncover five little-known facts about the body’s top defense team. 1. The Immune System Can (Usually) Course-Correct Your immune system is designed to work behind the scenes to keep you healthy. For most healthy people, the immune system adapts to changes by responding to new germs like bacteria, viruses, and parasites every day. This constant exposure to new germs allows our immune systems to learn as they go, building immunities day to day. However, in rare cases, people with chronic immune conditions, like primary immunodeficiency, have a defective immune system that is unable to course-correct like a healthy immune s...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news