Immune System Basics: What Exactly IS Your Immune System?

Everyone is aware of his or her immune system in some way or another. It is the body function that allows you to fight off illness and heal, yet many people don't realize all the different functions the immune system encompasses. In order to learn all the details of it, however, you must first be aware of immune system basics.

Your immune system is constantly functioning to keep you healthy by creating disease fighting cells (white blood cells and T-cells) that work 24/7 to erase infections, viruses, and other pollutants, as well as to rebuild damaged or sick cells. But what makes us sick? There are five categories that most illnesses and injury fall under that make up immune system basics:

Mechanical (Physical) Damage - If you break a bone, get a cut, hit your head, or sustain any other kind of physical damage, your immune system works to protect the affected area from infection as well as to help repair and rebuild the damaged tissue.
Nutritional Deficiencies - If you do not get enough of certain nutrients in your diet, you run the risk of developing a deficiency, which can lead to adverse health effects, which may weaken your immune system.
Organ Degradation - If your internal organs become damaged, whether through naturally developed diseases and infection, trauma, or through outside means (smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use, etc.), your immune system will isolate the problem and work to restore it, depending on the severity of the damage.
Genetic Abnormalities - Sometimes people are born with diseases that compromise or disrupt the immune system. This includes autoimmune diseases that cause the immune system to attack healthy tissue.
Cellular Abnormalities - Occasionally, cells can become damaged and potentially grow uncontrollably. This causes the immune system to divert to the affect area and can cause it to behave erratically and leave other parts of the body open to other infections as it works, often unsuccessfully, to repair the damage.

These are just some of the immune system basics that explain how your body fights infection and illness. Sometimes, however, some circumstances can cause your immune system to work slowly or inefficiently. Consult with your health care provider for some ideas for immune system boosters and other ways to improve your immune system.