Covid-19 is a scary, unpredictable global pandemic. Some people recover, and some people — it fatally destroys the lungs. We have seen it is not just seniors and those with per-existing medical conditions that succumb to the virus. Is there a possibility for this horrifying pandemic and for future global viral attacks — can we do more to protect ourselves? Let’s take a look at immune function.
Our immune system is divided into 2 categories:
Our innate immunity is the immune system we are born with, and functions to keep foreign threats out — bacteria, viruses, toxins…
Our adaptive immunity, the body identifies a threat, and we create antibodies specifically designed to that threat. The threat is neutralized, and the adaptive immune system “remembers” it, so hopefully future responses to the same threat are also neutralized.
We often hear people talk about “strengthening our immune system”. There is a truly obscene amount of supplements that claim to do that.
What we really need is a balanced immune system. When out of balance, the immune system not only fails to protect us, but it can even turn against us, mistaking our own cells for invading pathogens (nasties), resulting in debilitating chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies are all examples of autoimmune responses.
Now let’s take a look at Covid-19:
