On the Coast – Families Issue 105 I April/May 2020 | Page 22

Immunity
Natural defence for the family
BY DIANA ARUNDELL
O
ur world is constantly changing
and exposing us to new viruses
and pathogens. Almost as quickly
as we discover and identify a pathogen,
it’s likely to have evolved and changed
to avoid current medication to eradicate
it and so as well as focusing on the
specific pathogen, our very best defence
is to boost our immune system, our
own defence army as much as possible.
When the immune system is functioning
optimally, it is a very powerful defence
system, identifying and destroying
bacterial and viral invasion. It is our
natural, healthy state to fight infection
and not only survive but to come out
even stronger on the other side with
stronger immunity and resilience.
Viruses in particular can have
sneaky ways of avoiding detection by
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the immune system. Usually when a
person has contracted a particular
virus, they build up a natural immunity
so if exposed to the same virus in future,
the body will recognise and defend itself
very quickly. Some viruses can gradually
change their outer surface so they are no
longer recognised by the immune system.
Occasionally viruses that are usually
only found in animals can mutate to a
degree that they are then able to infect
humans and because their surface
proteins are so different to what humans
are usually exposed to, the human
immune system is taken by surprise and
infection can spread very quickly eg.
pandemics. Some viruses are clever
enough to bind to inflammatory markers
in the body and inhibit inflammation and
a strong immune response. Some bacteria
can cloak themselves in a biofilm to avoid
destruction by the immune system. All
these strategies make it so important to
not just target these clever invaders but
also to boost the defence army of the
host – us!
When functioning well, the human
immune system is a powerful army
including specialised white blood
cells. The more robust your immune
system, the less likely you are to pick up
infections despite others around you.
Aside from good hygiene practise such
as washing hands regularly with soap
and avoiding hand to mouth contact,
there are some other things to consider
to improve immune function. Your
body is capable of incredible healing
and defence, it just needs the right
environment to flourish.