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THE IMMUNE SYSTEM |
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Germs are getting stronger and so our systems are under greater attack than ever before in the history of our world and drugs are losing their fight against them. We have seen how TB has increased and is now resistant to the drugs that were once prescribed. The average immune system is not strong enough to fight some of the germs that come to us. What is the immune system? This is what protects our body from many of the diseases and infections which could attack our systems.
Our immune system is like a defence system. We can think of it like an army and a navy. The training college is the thymus gland, and it needs millions of recruits. To get them it looks in the bone marrow. Once at the thymus college they learn how to fight, who to fight and when not to fight. The naval defence patrols our blood stream and has one of its naval bases in the spleen. The lymph nodes are like guard posts or forts in our body to protect us. Then we have tonsils guarding the lungs, the appendix guards the colon, and in the small colon are special areas called Peyers Patches to protect the bowel from invasion. We may not think about it, but when our skin is intact we are actually wrapped in a friendly covering that germs do not like.
Some of our best known fighters are the white blood cells, that are ready to be on the attack at any moment. If we cut ourselves blood looks just like red fluid, but under a microscope it is in fact red cells floating in a clear fluid with paler cells in with them. These are the white blood cells. There are others that fight cancers. We also have a kind of chemical warfare in the form of antibodies.
What causes our defence systems to be weakened? Sugar and sweets reduce the strength of our immune system. But there are other factors. Unresolved stress over a long period of time is weakening. Important exams, bereavement, separation, crowding, noise and stress are all potentially threatening to the immune system. We can catch frequent colds, or find we have colitis or rheumatoid arthritis. It is not unknown for illness to develop after a bereavement when the body is 'sad' - meaning it is not as strong as it usually would be. An unresolved guilty conscience is weakening to the immune system too.
So what can we do to help ourselves? One of the greatest helpers in improving the immune system is the growth hormone. It is the hormone which is vital for growth and repair of body tissues. How can we be sure we are getting the best out of this hormone? We need regular, deep, early sleep; regular moderate exercise and a peaceful state of mind. Positive attitudes are a blessing to the immune system. Seeing problems as a challenge to be risen to, instead of a wave about to overwhelm us, maybe? 'A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.' Proverbs 17:22. |
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