THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

hugoembidg@britanico-aragon.edu

2. Mechanism used by the body in order to response the damage

3. Relationship between sport and infection (Overworking the immune system)

4. Strategies for minimizing risk of infection

1. Function of the immune system

The immune system is the body's defense against infection. The immune system attacks invading germs and helps us stay healthy .

Our body will always be exposed to bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, etc. On the bright side, however, our body also has the best natural defense to fight all of them. It should also be mentioned that without this system, any infection, no matter how slight, could kill us. This system is made up of different organs, tissues, cells and different types of substances. The immune system can also detect and kill cells that stop working properly in the body and can cause certain types of cancer. This is called immune surveillance, and this is its other main function. However, as we will see later, the immune system sometimes malfunctions.

These immune system failures can lead to health disorders, such as allergies or autoimmune diseases. One example could be that of an allergic person that produces a disproportionate immune response to substances that come from outside, this could be harmless for other people but not for a person with an allergy.

2. Mechanism used by the body in order to response the damage

The mechanism the body uses are inflammation, accumulation of white blood cells

and regulating temperature.

Inflammation:

Is a response of the immune system to protect the body from infection and injury. Its

purpose is to locate and remove damaged tissue so that the body can begin to recover.

Inflammation occurs as the body's natural response to injury. Acute inflammation is a

response of the immune system that lasts a few days and normally contributes to

recovery, although it is often accompanied by unpleasant sensations, such as pain in

pharyngitis or stinging after an insect bite. Inflammation is often identified by the

presence of erythema, swelling, physical pain, or excessive heat in a part of the body.

Acute inflammation is an immune response that usually lasts only a few days and is

beneficial for healing, although it is often accompanied by unpleasant sensations, such

as itching and discomfort. It occurs when the immune system tries to protect organs

against infection and injury.

Accumulation of white blood cells:

A type of blood cell that is made in the bone marrow and is found in blood and

lymphatic tissue. White blood cells are part of the body's immune system. They help

the body fight infections and other diseases.

There many types of white blood cells:

● Monocytes: These have a much longer shelf life than most white blood cells,

they also help break down any type of bacteria. Normally they are between 2%

and 8% of the total of our white blood cells.

● Lymphocytes: These types of white cells are based on creating antibodies with

which to defend any type of bacteria, virus or invaders that are potentially

dangerous. There are 3 different types within this type of cell which are B cells

that are responsible for producing antibodies with which they help the immune

system. There are also the T cells, these white blood cells help to recognize and

eliminate the cells that cause infections. And finally we find the Natural killer

cells, these are the cells that are responsible for attacking and killing viral cells,

such as cancer cells

● Granulocytes: These are white blood cells which have small protein granules,

within these blood cells we have 3 different types. The first is Neutrophils,

these represent most of the white cells of the body, these act similar to the

previous ones mentioned, these help to surround and kill bacteria that may be

in our body. Now I will talk about the Basophils, these are very few common

since they represent less than 1% of the white blood cells, these are normally

much more present after having suffered an allergic reaction. To finish I will

talk about Eosinophils, these are in charge of acting when you have an

infection that has been caused by a parasite, they are also important in the

immune system in general since they are important when it comes to the

response to inflammation on the damaged part

3. Relationship between sport and infection (Overworking the immune system)

Athletes are responsible for looking after their bodies, staying well trained, and making sure not to injure themselves or get sick. This task may seem easy at first, but to an athlete, it's typically harder. This is because when we train at high intensities for lengthy periods of time, our immune system can actually reduce its effectiveness in helping us stay safe from unwanted illnesses. This is due to a decrease in the body's production of white blood cells, as they need to work on the muscles, leaving less room for the remaining blood cells to stop different types of infections in the body.

Moderate physical exercise however, improves blood circulation, makes defense cells work more effectively, improves overall health and helps control our weight (which is a major risk factor) and indirectly improves defense capabilities. The chances of contracting a cold, catarrh or any type of disease are greatly reduced in the type of people who perform moderate physical activity, this is because according to different studies, participating in sports helps a lot when it comes to eliminating bacteria from the lungs and airways, it has also been shown that doing sports greatly reduces the stress that a person accumulates and also helps to sleep better, these 2 factors are very important when talking about the immune system.

While one might think that the harder you work, the more you improve, it can actually be quite harmful to over work yourself when exercising or participating in athletic activities. This is known as OTS, or overtraining syndrome. As previously stated, if athletes train too much, the amount of white blood cells in the body will decrease, resulting in a weaker immune system. This is why it's important when exercising to remember that moderation is key.

4. Strategies for minimizing risk of infection

Normally professional athletes try to have the minimum risk of contagion of any infection, many follow some of the strategies I’m going to mention right now. Not to keep in touch with anyone else is one of the most used and also most practical since you completely evade the chances of being infected by anyone else. Another mandatory strategy for anyone looking for the least risk of infection is to have a very good personal and oral hygiene, this is a very simple strategy and with which you avoid many of the risks of infection. Also a very important point to keep in mind are the hours of sleep, having a perfect rest is ideal to minimize the risks of contagion. Another very important strategy is to maintain a very balanced diet. By fulfilling these strategies, which are very easy to fulfill in our day to day, we will minimize the risks of having any kind of contagion or infection.

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