Understanding Your Immune System

An autoimmune disease is a result of breakdown or malfunction of the immune system. There are more than one hundred immune system disorders. Modern medicine is unable to explain or specifically identify the causes of autoimmune diseases. Despite the advancement of modern science and technology, frustration and disappointment are part of modern medicine in the area of autoimmunity.

Autoimmune disorders are becoming more rampant. By and large, women are more vulnerable to them than men are. Men have a higher incidence of mellitus diabetes and myocarditis than women; other than those, women are 3 to 6 times more prone to autoimmune diseases than men. Are you at risk?

It is important to understand how and why you may have an autoimmune disease.

First and foremost, you must have an understanding of your immune system in layman's term. Your immune system is made up of four parts, and each part has its unique function. The human immune system is very complex -- a testament to the ingenuity and mystery of human creation -- in that it involves the whole human body, not just certain body organs and tissues. Its basic function is to warn the body of imminent dangers of viruses and bacteria (unfortunately, many of us just ignore these tale-telling signs, or we simply fail to decipher these body messages). In addition, the immune system "remembers" these foreign invaders or antigens (the intention is to identify similar invaders in future for better disease-prevention purpose). Furthermore, the white blood cells in the immune system produce antibodies, which are chemicals that attach to and attack specific antigens. These white blood cells also send "messages" that cause "inflammation" in response to an injury or antigen, and thus instrumental in preventing an infection from spreading elsewhere. In other words, they receive "chemical instructions" to nip the disease or infection in the bud.

In short, the immune system serves different functions of identification, activation, mobilization, and attack.

Understanding your immune system may help you protect you from developing autoimmune diseases, which, according to Western medicine, there is no known cure, due to their complexity.

Stephen Lau

Copyright©2018 by Stephen Lau