Feeling Sick? Increase Your Immunity

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[ 🖊 ] created ⋮ 27.03.19

[ :alarm_clock: ] published ⋮ 27.03.19

[ :crown: ] type of blog ⋮ [Health Wellness]

˚₊·͟͟͟͟͟͟͞͞͞͞͞͞➳❥ ꒰ ⌨ ✰ [Sias] ⁱˢ ᵗʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ··· ꒱ | ೃ࿔₊•

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Often times during my high school experience is when my friends seemed to get to unknowingly sick a lot. However, I seem to be the opposite which is only natural for us pre-med students. There are many factors though can affect your immunity that most never realise and it is in my future job description to serve my role as an educator through providing you guys with some helpful tips and practices you can use and also informing you on health on your health. So let’s begin!

What exactly is immunity you may ask? In short, immunity is your body’s natural defence against pathogens. Pathogens can be bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa and various parasites.

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Adaptive vs Innate Immunity

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We have two forms of immunity which are known as Innate Immunity and Adaptive immunity respectively. Innate Immunity is composed of external physical barriers to pathogens. An example of this is your skin and mucous membranes. These components make up the first line of defence in innate immunity. The second line of defence is internal and is composed of protective cells, blood-borne chemicals, and processes that inactivate or kill invaders. So together these two lines of defence make up your innate immunity. The third of defence, on the other hand, is made up of cells like lymphocytes which are basically one of you’re white blood cells. They specialise in responding to unique species and strains/kinds of pathogens. This is very basic so I’ll try not to discuss as this just some useful information to know :).

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What are Antigens and Antibodies?

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Antigens are the biochemical shapes of portions on various cells, viruses that body recognises as foreign. Antibodies are a protective protein that recognises these shapes and help with the immune response.

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Types of Acquired Immunity

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Adaptive immunity is acquired during an individual’s life and can be categorised into other forms as well.

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Naturally Acquired Active Immunity

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This occurs when the body responds to exposure to pathogens and environmental antigens by mounting specific immune responses. The body is naturally and actively engaged in its own protection. Once the pathogen is in the body it will trigger an immune response and the body will that pathogen is what is known as immunological memory. If the same pathogen were to enter again the immune response will be rapid and powerful and often provides the body complete protection.

Example: Let’s say you get the cold for the first time, the next time you get a cold it won’t be as bad due to the body being able to recognise that you have it again. It will be quicker to react and make you feel better in no time.

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Naturally Acquired ive Immunity

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Acquired through another source due to the possibility of not being able to produce a certain antibody. It will still have the same effect as the active version, the only difference is that your body doesn’t make it for itself.

Example: A mother’s milk provides essential antibodies to her baby. Placental transfer of antibodies from mother to child while in the womb is another example.

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Artificially Acquired Active Immunity

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Doctors or Physicians will induce immunity in their patients by introducing antigens in the form of vaccines. The patients’ own immune systems then mount active responses against the foreign antigens, just as if the antigens were part of a naturally acquired pathogen. This is the basis for immunisation.

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Artificially Acquired ive Immunity

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Medical personnel may have to harvest antibodies specific for toxins and pathogens that are so deadly or so fast acting that an individual’s active immune response is inadequate. They acquire these antibodies from the blood of immune humans or animals, typically a horse. Physicians then inject such antisera or antitoxins into infected patients to confer or get receive those antitoxins for protection against that infection which is actually just called artificially acquired ive immunotherapy

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Myths and Misconceptions about Vaccination/Immunisation

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Various myths about vaccines (MMR/ Measles, Mumps and Rubella Vaccine) are that they cause autism. This was due to one research paper and parents going absolutely nuts because of it. However, many in-depth studies found there have been no links between MMR and autism.

Another myth is that natural infection which I discussed earlier is otherwise known as Naturally Acquired Active Immunity is better than vaccination/immunisation. Why risk getting possible effects like blindness, paralysis, permanent brain damage from active diseases? So realistically, natural infection usually does not cause better immunity than vaccination when you think of those risk. Vaccines contain inactivated (dead) versions of the pathogen or in other cases, there are attenuated or weakened vaccines. In these vaccines, pathogens are very weakened. The principle is explained earlier. Not only will you protect yourself with immunisation but you can protect others who cannot get immunised like pregnant women, the elderly, immunocompromised persons and children who are young. This is called herd immunity.

One last myth is that the ingredients in vaccines are harmful. For example, one ingredient used is aluminium. It used in some vaccines as an adjuvant – an ingredient that improves the immune response. Adjuvants can allow for use of less antigen. They have been used for this purpose for more than 70 years. Aluminium is the most common metal found in nature. It is in the air and in food and drink. Infants get more aluminum through breast milk or formula than vaccines. Most of the aluminium taken into the body is quickly eliminated. Before vaccines used to have things like mercury which of long been removed because we know now how deadly mercury can be although it wasn’t deadly in vaccines based on various research.

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Simple tips for Increasing your Immunity

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Changing your lifestyle habits

:cherry_blossom: Drink more water/stay hydrated

:cherry_blossom: Don’t Smoke

:cherry_blossom: Eat a healthy diet. Any balanced diet is ok and even better if it’s one high in fruits and vegetables

:cherry_blossom: Exercise regularly

:cherry_blossom: Maintain a healthy weight. You can search online what’s the best weight for you depending on your height. This is otherwise known as your BMI (Body, Mass Index)

:cherry_blossom: Get adequate sleep, depending on your age this can be from 7-10 hours. So 6 hours at the minimum.

:cherry_blossom: Relax a little and de-stress, it’s okay to take breaks, meditate or do whatever to reduce stress

:cherry_blossom: You can take vitamins as recommended by your doctor

:cherry_blossom: Make sure you get annual checkups. You can always consult your doctor on any related health problem or what you can do to improving your wellbeing

:cherry_blossom: Make sure your vaccinations are up to date and get vaccinated. Needles for some are scary but it’s worth the little seconds of pain for that protection against cruel diseases and infections

:cherry_blossom: Wash your hands properly, especially before meals and after meals. Just make to sure you do when it needed as well. For example, if your hands end up getting dirty or after sneezing etc.

:cherry_blossom: Try not to use much sanitising solutions or alcohol (70%) antiseptic as well as soaps and other substances that claim to kill 99.9% of germs/pathogens frequently. Only use them if you are in a hurry or not near the vicinity of a sink, and you really need to wash your hands due to unforeseen circumstances.

:blossom: Hand Washing’s purpose is to simply reduce the number of microbes on your hands. We also have good microbes on our skin which are needed and can also contribute to our immunity and if kill those we pose the risk of creating antibiotic-resistant microbes/pathogens or what is known as superbugs which are extremely dangerous.

:blossom: If you are sick get rest, increase fluid intake. If you have medications take them as prescribed especially antibiotics.

:blossom: Even if you feel better take the antibiotics as prescribed. Only get antibiotics for more serious stuff or as recommended by your doctor.

:rose: Further Details of each can be done through a quick google search :)

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Change can be hard

but you gotta commit!

Stick around people

who will you on this!

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Sources

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Bauman, R. W. (n.d.). Innate Immunity. In Mircobiology with Diseases by Body System(4th ed.).

Bauman, R. W. (2017). Adaptive Immunity. In Microbiology with Disease by Body System(4th ed.).

Clift, K., & Rizzolo, D. (2014). Vaccine myths and misconceptions. Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants,27(8), 21-25. doi:10.1097/01.jaa.0000451873.94189.56

Harvard Health Publishing. (2014, September). How to boost your immune system. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-boost-your-immune-system

N. (2019, February 18). Vaccine ingredients. Retrieved from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/vaccine-ingredients/

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