Strengthening the immune system: truth or myth

We have repeatedly talked about how often Ukrainians are tricked into buying various pseudo-drugs. Horrific advertisements promise to "cleanse" the liver, validol can save you from a heart attack, and homeopathy, according to the medical fraudsters, can cure almost any disease.

As soon as the season starts, they try to scam us once again.

We are bombarded with advertisements for various ergopherrons, nasopherrons, laférobions, actovegins, tivortins, riboxins, and lymphomiosins on TV, on the radio, and when visiting doctors. Unfortunately, nowadays, even doctors are ready to impose "anything" on patients for "retro bonuses" from "you know who", forgetting everything they learned in college.

The truth about the immune system

Why are all the "medicines" that are recommended to supposedly strengthen the immune system (as those who make money on "strengthening" it like to call it), in fact, completely useless?

Let's try to explain the workings of the immune system in simple terms.

Its essence is that the body's defense systems are constantly working separately in each cell of our body. At the same time, these cells can be located in any part of the body - from the brain to the tips of the nails.

The cells of our body are constantly renewed. Scientists have estimated that approximately 3.8 million cells are renewed in one second! Their life cycle varies from a year and a half (liver cells) to 3 weeks (cells on the surface of the lungs). The cells lining the inner walls of the intestine live the shortest - 3-5 days.

The older a person is, the slower the renewal process. When cells die, they pass on all their "knowledge and skills" to the next generation. Basically, the "cellular memory" is written in the sixth pair of the chromosome set. And if a person is born with a "breakdown" in this pair, then such a person has very little chance of surviving and producing offspring.

In other words, each of us is born with a certain type of immunological reactions that remain virtually unchanged throughout our lives.

Can immunity in any one place or organ weaken dramatically? Yes, it can. But only in one case - if this organ is removed.

A little bit about immunity

There are two main mechanisms in the immune system:

• Humoral: also called antibody-mediated immunity. The humoral immune system deals with pathogen antigens that are freely circulating or outside the infected cells. Antibodies produced by B cells bind to antigens, neutralizing them or causing lysis (dissolution or destruction of cells by lysine) or phagocytosis (eating).
• Cellular: occurs within infected cells and is mediated by T lymphocytes. Helper T cells secrete cytokines that help activated T cells bind to the MHC-antigen complex of infected cells and differentiate the T cell into a cytotoxic cell. The infected cell is then lysed (dissolved).

How else can immunity weaken

Simultaneously and every second, our body is fighting pathogens and irritants. Immune reactions are triggered simultaneously in response to stimuli such as dust, food, wind and smoke, viruses and bacteria, both "own" and foreign. In the process, many mutations occur that are instantly detected by cellular immunity. This is followed by further routine work to destroy and "digest" the information and then put it "in the archive" to be used again when the opportunity arises.

This is how a complex and intricate "life within life" takes place - our cells and pathogens, our own and others', interact, get to know each other, fight, die and are reborn again, immune cells study, attack, win and pass on their knowledge to their "offspring".

That's why, when you propose to "strengthen" or "enhance" the immune system, a reasonable question arises for anyone familiar with the workings of this complex system: where exactly are you going to strengthen it? In what place?

The immune system is an "organism" within the body

Humans have innate immunity, which exists in every cell of our body. In addition, we have a neuro-endocrine-immune system, which includes the bone marrow (reproduces blood cells), as well as the lymphatic system (lymph nodes, lymphoid tissue), and the spleen, which is engaged in the process of processing "waste". It is this system that produces and distributes its "fighters" throughout the body, who stand guard between the body and all kinds of pathogens.

This system works holistically and smoothly. It cannot be shaken by ordinary fungi, influenza viruses or bacteria.

Only the following can cause serious damage to it:

- congenital abnormalities of the 6th pair of chromosomes;

- disorders of the immune system organs (bone marrow, thymus, lymphatic system)

- Significant radiation exposure (radiation sickness);

- HIV;

- taking drugs that suppress the immune system (used deliberately to avoid transplant rejection).

As you can see, not a single drug that we are offered to strengthen the immune system affects its work, because it does not stop for a moment, even when we are sleeping.

And no matter how these miracle drugs are called - homeopathy, interferons, immunomodulators - they will not be of any use, except for manufacturers who get rich on their sales. Because everyone's immune system has its own margin of safety, which can be changed only by a limited number of factors.

So, sadly, nature has it so that it is possible to disrupt the immune system.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to "strengthen" it.