If you listen to your body, understand its signals and observe the environment around, you can take responsibility for your health and handle any health challenges that come your way.

What is an infection and how does it happen?

An infection is the invasion and the growth of harmful organisms in the body, followed by the reaction of body tissues. The four main types of germs are bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Bacteria have a life of its own and can be destroyed with antibiotics, whilst the virus gets life and power by entering the human cell. Once it enters the human cells, it replicates and takes over!

What happens when a virus enters the body?

This is of great concern to us today, especially in the face of a global pandemic. When a virus enters the cells, the immune system responds by releasing a kind of protein that restricts the virus's ability to replicate. If this works, the body has protected you from the virus, but if the production of the protein is low, the virus enters the body cells and result in the person having mild symptoms. These symptoms are not of the virus, but are part of the body’s immune response to the virus.

However, there are also times when the immune system freaks out and this condition is called a ‘cytokine storm’. This is where the body reacts with a huge response - much more than it should! It is this over-reaction that causes cell death.

How is your immune system activated?

The immune system can be activated by many different things. Once the body comes into contact with a disease-causing germ for the first time, it stores information about it and how to cope with it. When the body comes in contact with it again, it deals with it faster! But there are times the immune system wrongly assumes the body's cells as harmful foreign cells and attacks them. This is known as an ‘autoimmune response’.

To learn more insightful and important facts about the two subsystems of the human immune system, how they function and how your immune system deals with infections and so much more, sign up for the ultimate guide on the human immune system – ‘You cannot hide from disease – BUILD IMMUNITY’.

YOUR CELLS REACT TO EVERYTHING IN YOUR MIND. STAY POSITIVE ALWAYS!