Posted on October 7th, 2008 by admin

In the continuous battle our bodies wage against invasion by microorganisms, be they bacteria or viruses, the strongest weapon in the arsenal is the immune system. It is part of the secondary defenses but important enough to merit a separate section. The immune system enables the body to distinguish “self’ from “nonself’ and is capable of Winching an attack on that which it considers nonself, and in so doing, It can make use of the most specific “guided missile” known to manila- antibody.

Ironically, it is also capable of killing us in a matter of seconds and of causing many complex, serious, sometimes fatal diseases as well as numerous annoying but not serious conditions. We could not live without it, yet because of it we often endure much suffering. This two-edged sword is an exceedingly complex, sophisticated system. Physicians known as immunologists devote their entire professional lives to trying to understand it and the diseases it causes.

Tags: battle our bodies wage against invasion, immune system