In the time of Covid 19 all the world has realized that our main is not to accumulate money but to save our health. Nobody was more effective to prove that “Health is the real Wealth”. Its more than 100 days that we were under lockdown – complete or partial – we all were under constant threat that our health could be compromised by our small mistake. Covid is ten times more dangerous in Heart patients than an ordinary person. This danger increases with age and non control of High BP and High Sugar. Obese or Overweight is also more vulnerable to die if one has Corona infection. But at this time of Covid crisis most of our doctors, nurses and technicians showed courage and kept our centers open. Our head office in Chattarpur was closed only for about 4 weeks. But we could not refuse treatment to our patients as they needed treatment badly. We also dispensed Saaol medicines to all our old patients – except for a short time when we ran out of stock. Those who had to buy the substitute medicines from the market realized that they were 100-200% more in cost as compared to Saaol medicines.
Corona is a viral disease – as opposed to Bacterial infection for which antibiotics are available. It has no known treatment and has been able to kill few lacs of people already across the world. Vaccine development is also far away as it will not be able to complete human trials within few months and then it need to be produced in bulk to reach the masses. The preventive steps are prescribed – but they are not full proof and despite all precautions people are getting infected. Some research studies are predicting that almost half of the population will get infected. But over 90% people who get infected come out of the infection without major problems – why? This is because the virus – despite getting inside the body could not harm. This is the effect of Strong Immune system or Immunity. The dangerous virus enters the body – but gets killed by the immune system. The aim of the Magazine this month is to understand the functions of Immune system of the body and what makes it strong. What can we do so that we can increase the power of the immune system ?
Broadly speaking – Our Immunity is our power of the body to defend itself from attacks of germs/microbes or outside agents like toxins, cancer cells. If we need to know the whole immune system in details we need to know about – Antibodies, Antigens, Lymphocytes, Cytokines, Phagocytes, Macrophases, Neutrophils, complement, interferons, B cells, T cells (Memory, helper, Killer), Interleukins, Monocytes, Thymus, Besophils, Histamins and so on. Their roles and detailed sequence of actions are complicated and books can be written on them. But let us simplify it. Three major factors/items that form the Immune system are Barriers, Immune cells, Proteins. The Germs/microbes can be Bacteria or virus or Parasites. After they enter the body they are called Antigens. Barriers are guarding the entry points of the microbes – skin, inner lining of Gastric tracts/ Acid in the stomach etc, Lining of the Respiratory tracts and lungs, mucus secretions in the nose, Tears in the eyes, Mucous lining of urinary tracts. They try to prevent the entry of the germs inside the body. Ninety percent of the germs can not enter the body because of them. It can , however enter if there is a cut on the skin and cause infection.
Our blood contain Red Blood Cells(RBC) and White Blood Cells(WBC). The Red Blood Cells carry oxygen and The White Blood Cells work for the protection against the attack of germs. Different types of white blood cells – Neutrophils, Monocytes, Besophils, macrophages attack the germs once they enter the body by defeating the barriers guarding the body. This process is called Phagocytosis . They engulf the germ and kill them. Some of the cells also get killed leading to formation of Pus. They release some chemicals which pulls many more cells to this war zone killing more germs. There are other types of White Blood Cells (WBC) called Lymphocytes work to kill the Germs more effectively and also produce Proteins called Antibodies which have a shape of “Y”. This killing of germs are done by Killer Cells (Type of T Lymphocytes) and The Antibodies are produced by B Lymphocytes. If the germ attacks the body for the first time – the B cells produce Antibodies in small quantity and it akes time. But There are cells called Memory T cells which remember the germs. When they enter the body a second time – a huge amount of Antibodies are produced. These antibodies, when join with the germs, make them weak and more vulnerable to attacks by Lymphocytes. Thus the germs get killed easily.
Apart from Barriers, Phagocytosis and Antibodies – which form the major pillers of our immune system there are chemicals called Compliment system, Interferons, Interleukins, histamines work in different stages to strengthen the Immune system. Our main matter of the magazine will deal with the details of each and every part of the Immune system and tell you how we can directly and indirectly strengthen or boost up the immune system.