The human organism is exposed to a variety of dangers every day. For this reason, an intact immune defense proves to be extremely important. Provided that one’s own immune defense no longer functions properly, life-threatening diseases can sometimes appear.
What is the immune defense?
The human organism is exposed to a variety of dangers every day. For this reason, an intact immune defense proves to be extremely important. Immune defense appears as an endogenous defense system. Its main purpose is to protect the human organism from diseases. Modern medicine divides the immune defense of the human body into both a non-specific immune defense and a specific immune defense. Among other things, the skin is considered to be an essential component of the non-specific immune defense. The non-specific immune defense is innate. The body’s own antibodies are considered to be a component of the specific immune defense. Specific immune defense is acquired only in the course of life. The medical benefits of immune defenses have been studied repeatedly in the past.
Medical and health benefits
For several years now, the immune defense has received a particularly high level of attention. Thus, the immune defense protects the human organism from dangerous substances. However, protection against foreign substances can only be guaranteed if the immune defense clearly recognizes the body’s own substances. This is the only way to prevent a defensive reaction against the body’s own substances. However, the immune defense is not only responsible for the recognition of foreign substances. In addition to the recognition, the fight against foreign substances is also one of the main tasks of the immune defense. Antibodies are released to combat foreign substances. In the course of fighting foreign substances, the immune defense develops a memory. This memory helps the immune defense to remember certain substances. As a result, the immune defense can act particularly effectively against the foreign substances. Without an intact immune defense, a normal life would not be possible. Nevertheless, serious disorders of the body’s immune defense system occur time and again. The consequences of a defective immune defense are explained in more detail in the following remarks.
Diseases, complaints, and disorders
In principle, the body’s own immune defense system is responsible for fighting foreign substances. Among these substances are tumors. At the same time, however, bacteria and viruses are also considered foreign substances. It is not uncommon for the immune defense to be directed against the body’s own substances. In this case, modern medicine speaks of an excessive immune reaction. Allergies can appear as the result of an excessive immune reaction. If, for example, there is a particularly high level of stress, there may be a disturbance in the immune response. At the same time, nutrition also has a significant influence on the immune defense. For this reason, vitamins should be at the very top of one’s diet. In addition, the supply of trace elements should not be neglected. Zinc and iron are considered to be particularly important trace elements. In the context of a wrong nutrition the own immune defense can be noticeably affected. It is not always possible to actively influence the functioning of one’s own immune defenses. Thus, an immunodeficiency is considered to be extremely dangerous. In most cases, an immunodeficiency is congenital. In modern medicine, a congenital immunodeficiency is also called a primary immunodeficiency. Insofar as a congenital immunodeficiency is present, the immune defense system is unable to respond to invading threats. In most cases, the number of antibodies is below the required guideline values. If a congenital immunodeficiency is present, affected individuals must exercise a particularly high degree of caution. Otherwise, there may be an increased susceptibility to infections. In addition to a congenital immunodeficiency, an acquired immunodeficiency is also considered extremely dangerous. In most cases, an acquired immunodeficiency is based on an underlying disease. Thus, an acquired immunodeficiency may appear following leukemia. Infections can also promote the occurrence of an immunodeficiency.In the context of an acquired immunodeficiency, only a very small number of antibodies are produced. Insofar as the patient’s own immune defenses are weakened, an appropriate treatment center should be sought.
