"Trud-7" figured out how to strengthen the body and avoid irreparable mistakes

On the eve of slushy autumn and frosty winter, Russians are trying to strengthen their immunity. To do this, they do everything: they drink packs of multivitamins and liters of bio-yogurt, put cleansing enemas with medicinal herbs, eat onions and breathe garlic. "Labor-7" found out whether folk remedies are useful and the better to strengthen the body.

What diseases can I get sick in the first place if my immune system is weakened?

it infectious diseases. In our body, along with beneficial microorganisms live and harmful. But immune cells do not allow hostile flora to multiply. But if the number of our defenders decreases (that is, immunity weakens), then pathogenic agents will begin to multiply intensively. The most common indicator of a weak immune system is frequent outbreaks of facial herpes. But the consequences can be more serious: genital herpes and herpes sore throat, chicken pox, shingles, all types of influenza, chlamydia, papillomavirus, ulcers, and even chronic fatigue syndrome.

How to understand that I have low immunity and it's time for me to contact an immunologist?

The first “call” for contacting an immunologist is if you have more than 3-4 colds in a year, says an immunologist, candidate medical sciences Victor Oganezov. The child has critical point- 5-6 colds. You also need to pay attention to what they are embarrassed to talk about - constipation and diarrhea. These are signs of dysbacteriosis - violations of the intestinal microflora, and the state of this organ is one of the indicators of the health of the immune system.

That is, immunity depends on the state of the intestine?

It depends very much, because when the mucous membrane of the large and small intestines is damaged (for example, with regular malnutrition or food poisoning), its microflora is disturbed. One of possible consequences- Helicobacter pylori infection, which leads to gastritis and peptic ulcer.

Why do some people easily endure illnesses, while others have severe ones? it somehow related to immunity?

Yes, it's connected. According to Viktor Oganezov, in a person with good immunity, the disease proceeds quickly, but severely. The body immediately reacts to the invasion and aggressively defends itself by sharply raising the body temperature. And the virus literally burns in this fire. With weak immune responses, the body does not have the strength (there are not enough immune cells) to give a sufficiently powerful rebuff, and recovery is progressing slowly.

Do fermented milk drinks, which are now advertised everywhere, really strengthen the immune system?

Bioyoghurts, which are fashionable now, do contain daily allowance bifido- and lactobacilli, which help maintain a healthy balance in the intestines. But, according to Oksana Popova, an allergist-immunologist at the Center for Endosurgery and Lithotripsy, advertising exaggerates their effect. These bacteria help maintain immunity only in people with a perfectly healthy digestive system. In the intestines with disturbed microflora, they simply do not take root - more numerous disease-causing agents “survive” them.

In addition, lactic acid bacteria are very capricious - they are stored only in the refrigerator. At room temperature they die within an hour. Now imagine situations that happen at every step: movers forgot a package of yoghurts in a warehouse near a battery, a freight forwarder delivered a batch of goods in an ordinary Gazelle (without a refrigerator) from a suburban base, or you are stuck in a traffic jam with your purchases. And, apart from dyes and preservatives, there is nothing left in kefir.

Therefore, before relying on this method of supporting immunity, you must first contact a gastroenterologist, check the quality of the intestinal flora and cure dysbacteriosis. Then, on the advice of the allergist-immunologist Irina Shamonina, you need to regularly drink a healthier and cheaper product: ordinary kefir, curdled milk, fermented baked milk without preservatives (that is, with a shelf life of no more than 3-5 days). The scheme is as follows: a glass in the morning and a glass at night every day for two to three months.

What greatly undermines the immune system?

Our biggest enemy is chronic stress. In second place, experts put chronic lack of sleep. On the third - everything that goes beyond the norm: hypothermia, overheating, overeating, smoking, excessive drinking. And finally, aggressive factors external environment: first of all, polluted air (which is why it is so useful to go to nature at least for the weekend).

Do vitamins boost the immune system?

To improve immunity, you need to drink antioxidants, such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and beta-carotene: they help to remove aggressive foreign cells destroyed by lymphoid cells from the body. You need to drink them in courses, how exactly - the doctor will tell you, everything is individual here.

However, for immunity greater value has a balanced and regular diet: porridge in the morning, vegetable salad and lean meat for lunch, kefir at night. Vegetables and fruits, by the way, according to experts, are better to eat seasonal and grown in the region in which you live (that is, apples and cucumbers instead of pineapples and avocados).

Immunity boosters are expensive. Can they be replaced some effective folk remedies?

In fact, there are inexpensive drugs. The doctor should prescribe the drug, because with various disorders of the immune system, different schemes treatment. But also ethnoscience may I help. For the prevention of respiratory diseases, you can drink thyme, Chinese magnolia vine, plantain, St. John's wort, chamomile.

Irina Shamonina shared with us her own recipe, she fed her children with this infusion. You need to take raspberry stalks, blackcurrant leaves and rose hips, brew and drink for the prevention of acute respiratory infections in winter period instead of tea 2-3 times a day. And the children will stop getting sick!

But eating onions and inhaling the aromas of garlic does not affect immunity in any way. The effectiveness of these methods is due to the fact that the substances contained in these vegetables kill pathogenic microbes.

Which organ is responsible for immunity?

Our immune system is made up of the thymus gland and the bone marrow. They form lymphoid cells - the guards of our body. They settle in other organs: lymph nodes, spleen, mucous membrane of the digestive, respiratory and genitourinary organs. These cells make up internal troops our body. There are several types of them. Some, like a police squad in the subway, check the documents of suspicious individuals - they test all the cells of the body for the presence of foreign proteins in them (microbes have a protein structure).

Others mark alien cells, others come into close contact with the “alien mind”, destroy it and die themselves. And the decay products are filtered out by the kidneys and excreted from our body. total weight lymphoid cells, according to Dr. biological sciences, professor, head of the biotechnology laboratory of the Research Institute. D. I. Ivanovsky Mansur Garaev, in an adult reaches 1.5-2 kg.

The child's immunity is an issue that worries all parents, especially during a cold cold period. So you want your child to be healthy, cheerful and active!

To do this, he needs a strong immune system that can cope with the attacks of viruses that surround him everywhere: in a warm room kindergarten and class, on the bus, in the store, etc. To strengthen the immune system, you need to understand which organs are responsible for it and how to help them work at full strength.

Organs responsible for immunity

So much has been written and rewritten about immunity. And no matter how trite it may sound, I repeat once again: "Immunity needs to be strengthened!". Parents will probably ask: what exactly to strengthen? Indeed, immunity seems to us to be some kind of ephemeral entity, walking through the body and weakening after each cold of a child. What is immunity and what organs are responsible for it?
Immunity is a complex system, in which the following main bodies are involved:

• thymus gland (thymus),
• Bone marrow,
• spleen,
• tonsils,
• appendix;
• lymph nodes;
• cells that line the walls of the intestine echnik.

Along with the basic functions, the immune system also includes many "specially trained" cells - macrophages, monocytes, T-lymphocytes, B-lymphocytes, skin, mucous membranes, lungs andother organs that create physical and chemical barriers to bacterial entry.
Thus, it turns out that strengthening the immune system is tantamount to strengthening the body as a whole, establishing the work of all its systems.

If you want to be healthy

If you want your child to grow up healthy, send him to the sports section. Based on medical statistics, 70% of sick children do not engage in any activity. But systematic physical activity and movement are needed most of all by a growing organism.

It is ideal to take a child to the pool 2-3 times a week (only if the water is not chlorinated): during swimming, all muscle groups work, breathing and blood circulation are activated, metabolism is accelerated by 2 times and, of course, the body hardens.

For schoolchildren who sit at their desks for several hours in a row, this sport is especially indicated: swimming relieves the feeling of stiffness in the joints, especially in the spine and shoulder girdle.

However, any sport is suitable for strengthening the body: it can be tennis, football, karate, and Athletics, and dancing - it is important that the child moves enough.

Physical training!

Physical activity is an easy way to maintain a strong and healthy immune system. No wonder that scientists have found that there is a direct relationship between the incidence of the baby and sports.Sports improve physical abilities child, emotional condition, endurance and instills a love of outdoor activities.

Believe me, the baby, becoming older, will thank you for it. Moreover, thanks to physical education:

• there is a cleansing of the body due to breathing, since during training it becomes deep and active. This allows you to exit through the respiratory tract harmful bacteria and viruses out;
• blood circulation is accelerated, which contributes to its rapid entry into all tissues and organs - this forms the body's defense against viral attacks;
• cells enriched with oxygen improve the functioning of all organs and systems. This is an excellent disease prevention;
• at the expense physical activity muscles develop, the musculoskeletal system is strengthened. The child becomes more confident in himself and his abilities.

What sport to give?

Choice sports sections huge - and it needs to be used.Team sports are leading in Ukraine: football, basketball, hockey, volleyball, etc.

The game type of activity forms the child's ability to work in a team, communicate with peers, seek and find compromises, show perseverance and perseverance in achieving a team goal that is the same for everyone.Second place is given to athletics, gymnastics and martial arts. These sports provide muscle strengthening, development of strength, endurance, flexibility, plasticity, agility and discipline.

Anyone who spends evenings in front of a computer is unlikely to be able to boast of good health.

To physical exercise brought benefit and pleasure, you need to choose sports areas based on the characteristics of your child: his desires, preferences, temperament and skills.And finally. Be an example for your children - go in for sports.

Immunity - resistance human body to various harmful factors, such as viruses or bacteria. This definition is short, but it is accessible what it is - immunity. This term was first used by Louis Pasteur and Ilya Mechnikov and. They investigated the body's resistance to various infections. In our time, it is known that the body destroys various genetically foreign objects for it, not only pathogens of infectious diseases. The exception is female organisms in mammals during pregnancy, although there are situations when the fetus is rejected by the mother's body due to a malfunction of her immune system.

Louis Pasteur

The body's resistance is classified by scientists. So, immunity is species-specific (characteristic of all individuals a certain kind, developed as a result of evolution, phylogenesis) or individual (it is inherent in a certain individual, that is, such immunity is developed during life). Types of immunity:

• depending on the number of owners. Absolute species immunity means that one or another species completely resistant to pathogens of certain diseases, and with a relative disease is possible, although in rare cases. For example, fish never get rabies, although all warm-blooded creatures are more or less susceptible to this infection. At the same time, cats get sick with it more often than rabbits. It turns out that fish have absolute immunity against rabies, while rabbits have relative immunity (they rarely, but can get rabies).
• According to the time of occurrence in a person or animal. If it appeared before the first contact with a virus or bacterium, this is innate immunity. The acquired resistance of the body is developed as a result of the fact that a person has already suffered infectious disease(natural immunity) or vaccinated (artificially).
• According to the method of receipt. Artificial or natural acquired immunity can be active (it must be developed after illness or vaccination using an infectious agent) or passive (if a person was injected with serum with antibodies or the baby received them with mother's milk).

Human immune system

The protective function of the body is provided by certain human organs, the totality of which is called the immune system. It includes:

• Lymphocytes are a type of leukocytes (white blood cells). These cells produce antibodies (this is humoral immunity, that is, the body is protected by a product of cells located in the intercellular space) and destroy bacteria (such immunity is called cellular, because it involves contact of the defender cell with the infectious agent).
• T-lymphocytes are cells that recognize and destroy cells affected by viruses. This phenomenon is called phagocytosis. Other phagocytes (cells that absorb infectious agents and other foreign objects) of the human body are neutrophils, macrophages, monocytes, mast and dendritic cells.
• NK lymphocytes are cells that destroy cancerous and virus-infected cells.
• B-lymphocytes are lymphocytes that provide humoral immunity. They develop into plasma cells, cells in the human body that produce antibodies.
• Cytokines are cells that synthesize certain substances that have biological activity. They can mediate between various types immunocompetent cells or take direct participation in protecting the body from infections.
• Antigen-presenting cells (M-cells located in the lymphatic follicles of the food tube, process cells in the lymph nodes and spleen, macrophages, thymus epithelial cells, Langerhans cells).
• Diffuse lymphoid tissue is the tissues of the thickness of the mucous membranes of the respiratory, genitourinary and digestive systems.
• The lymphoid organs of immunity are the spleen, tonsils (tonsils) and lymph nodes.
• The thymus gland (thymus) is the organ responsible for the production of T-lymphocytes. The size of this gland decreases with age (from 15–17 cm in adolescents to 7–8 cm in the elderly). After the age of 60, it gradually ceases to function, as its cells are replaced by adipose tissue.
• The bone marrow is the organ responsible for blood formation in the human body. It contains stem cells, which are cells that can develop into other types of cells. During fetal development, stem cells are produced not only by the bone marrow, but also by the liver, and after birth, exclusively by the bone marrow.
• Lymph fluid (clear, located in the lymph nodes and contains lymphocytes).

Diseases of the human immune system

The main dysfunctions of the immune system are divided into 3 groups:

• Insufficiency of immunity - immunodeficiency (sometimes primary - congenital and secondary - acquired).
• The perversion of immune system reactions is called dysfunction.
• Excessive body resistance - hyperfunction.

Congenital immunodeficiencies are usually associated with genetic disorders and appear in children and adolescents. These can be lesions of any part of the immune system. As a rule, they are detected by immunologists, focusing on the symptoms of the disease and immunogram data.

Also, sometimes immunity can decrease due to malnutrition (lack of vitamins and trace elements), poisoning, chronic diseases (diabetes, kidney and liver failure, intestinal problems), and stress. Also at risk are smokers, alcoholics, drug addicts, as well as people whose work is associated with frequent trips to distant countries and climate change. Girls who follow their figure need to remember that excessive thinness also does not contribute to an increase in body resistance.

Prevention of diseases of the immune system

Of course, it is impossible to completely exclude the possibility of impaired immunity, but it is possible to reduce the risk of acquired autoimmune diseases. To do this, experts advise:

In addition, you need to take into account the peculiarities of your genetic health and, if it is known that in the family of a person there were people with congenital diseases of the immune system, consult a therapist and geneticist to prevent the appearance of their symptoms. Those who smoke or are fond of alcoholic beverages should part with bad habits. Drugs should be excluded even in thoughts, because they destroy all human organs. In addition, people who play sports and harden their bodies usually have a higher resistance to infections than those who do not.

Ways to improve immunity

If the patient's immunity is still reduced, despite the accepted preventive measures, there is an opportunity to correct the situation and develop a better body resistance to adverse factors:

• babies need breast-feeding because breast milk contains some antibodies;
• make the necessary vaccinations (in case of epidemics, trips to exotic countries, etc.);
• use some folk remedies (goat fat, decoctions of chamomile and rose hips, linden and mint teas, onions, lemons, garlic, honey);
• in some cases, doctors recommend immunoglobulins and immunocorrectors (Tymogen-3 and Tsitovir are often prescribed for older people).

Concerning medicines that increase the body's resistance, self-treatment with them is fraught with a deterioration in well-being, so expert advice is needed here. It is worth purchasing them only if the doctor strongly recommends using them.

The environment around us - air, water, soil, objects contain a lot of microorganisms that can harm human health. But due to the fact that the immune system stands guard over our well-being, in most cases this still does not happen. The immune system every minute "fights" with the army of bacteria and viruses, safely "beating off" all these malicious "attacks".

The human immune system is very complex. It includes several organs interconnected by a continuous network of lymphatic ducts.

The structure of the human immune system

The organs of the immune system include:

• Bone marrow;
• thymus (thymus gland);
• spleen;
• lymph nodes and islets of lymphatic tissue.

Bone marrow

The bone marrow is located in the spongy substance of the bone tissue. The total weight of this organ is 2.5–3 kg. The bone marrow is a concentration of stem cells, which are the ancestors of all the blood cells we need.

Approximately 50% of the main weight of the bone marrow is the accumulation of hematopoietic vessels, which provide the delivery of oxygen and necessary tissues to the tissues. chemical compounds. The porous structure of the vascular wall creates the conditions for the penetration of nutrients.

There are two different types of bone marrow - red and yellow, between which there is no clearly defined border. The basis of the red bone marrow is hematopoietic tissue, and the yellow one is fatty. In the red brain, the formation of blood cells, monocytes and B-lymphocytes is carried out. The yellow brain is not involved in the formation of blood cells, but in some situations (for example, with blood loss), small foci of hematopoiesis may appear in it.

Over the years, the volume of red bone marrow in bone tissue decreases, and yellow, on the contrary, increases. This is due to the fact that from the moment of puberty to old age, the processes of hematopoiesis begin to steadily fade away.

thymus

The thymus (thymus gland) is located in the middle chest, in the retrosternal space. The shape of the thymus is a bit like a fork with two prongs (hence the name - the thymus gland). At the time of birth, the weight of the thymus is 10-15 grams. In the first three years of life, the thymus gland grows extremely rapidly.

From the age of three to twenty years, the thymus mass remains the same and is about 26-29 grams. Then the involution (reverse development) of the organ begins. In older people, the mass of the thymus does not exceed 15 grams. With age, the structure of the thymus also changes - the thymus parenchyma is replaced by adipose tissue. In the elderly, this organ is 90% fatty.

The thymus gland has a bipartite structure. The upper and lower lobes of the gland are different size and form. Outside, it is covered with a connective tissue capsule. Connective tissue penetrates into the thymus, thereby dividing it into lobules. In the gland, a cortical layer is isolated, in which growth and “inculcation of working skills” take place in lymphocytes “born” in the bone marrow, and a medulla, the bulk of which is made up of glandular cells.

The process of "achieving maturity" by lymphocytes, which occurs in the thymus gland, is extremely significant for immunity and the human immune system. In infants with congenital thymus defects - underdevelopment or total absence of this body is violated functional development all lymphatic system therefore, life expectancy with this pathology rarely exceeds 12 months.

Spleen

The spleen is located on the left under the ribs and has the shape of a flattened and elongated hemisphere. In adults, the length of the spleen is 10-14 cm, the width is 6-10 cm, and the thickness is 3-4 cm. The weight of the organ in a man aged 20-40 is 192 grams, in a woman - 153 grams. Scientists have found that from 750 to 800 ml of blood passes through the spleen every day. Here, the formation of class M and J immunoglobulins occurs as a reaction to the intake of antigens, and the synthesis of factors that stimulate phagocytosis by leukocytes and macrophages. In addition, the spleen is a biological filter for xenobiotics, dead blood cells, bacteria and microflora.

The lymph nodes

Lymph nodes act as biological filters in the body for the lymphatic fluid flowing through them. They are located along the flow of lymph through the lymphatic vessels from organs and tissues.

As a rule, lymph nodes lie in groups of two to several dozen nodes. Outside, the lymph nodes are protected by a capsule, inside which there is a stroma, consisting of reticular cells and fibers. Each lymph node includes from 1-2 to 10 small arteries that supply it with blood.

Islands of lymphatic tissue

Accumulations of lymphatic tissue located in the mucous membrane are also called lymphoid formations. Lymphoid formations are found in the pharynx, esophagus, stomach, intestines, respiratory organs, and urinary tract.

Islets of lymphatic tissue in the pharynx are represented by 6 tonsils of the lymphoid pharyngeal ring. The tonsils are a powerful accumulation of lymphoid tissue. From above, they are uneven, which contributes to the retention of food and creates a breeding ground for the reproduction of bacteria, which, in turn, serves as a trigger for triggering immunological processes.

Lymphoid formations of the esophagus are lymph nodes deep in the folds of the esophagus. The task of the lymphoid formations of the esophagus is to protect the walls of this organ from foreign tissue and antigens that enter the body with food.

Lymphoid formations of the stomach are represented by B- and T-lymphocytes, macrophages and plasma cells. The lymphatic network of the stomach begins with lymphatic capillaries located in the mucous membrane of the organ. Lymphatic vessels depart from the lymphatic network, passing through the thickness of the muscle layer. Vessels from the plexuses lying between the muscle layers flow into them.

Islets of the lymphatic tissue of the intestine are represented by Peyer's patches - group lymph nodes, single lymph nodes, diffusely located lymphocytes and the lymphatic apparatus of the appendix.

The appendix or appendix is ​​an appendage of the caecum and extends from its posterolateral wall. The appendix contains a large number of lymphoid tissue. It is believed that the lymphoid tissue of the appendix is ​​from 1% of all human lymphoid tissue. The cells produced here protect the body from foreign substances that enter the digestive tract along with food.

Lymphoid formations respiratory system- these are accumulations of lymphatic tissue in the mucous membrane of the larynx, trachea and bronchi, as well as diffusely located in the mucous membrane of the respiratory apparatus, lymphoid cells, called bronchial-associated lymphoid tissue. Lymphoid formations of the respiratory system protect the body from foreign particles that enter the respiratory system along with the air flow.

Lymphoid formations of the urinary tract are located in the walls of the ureters and bladder. According to scientists, in infancy the number of lymph nodes in the ureters ranges from 2 to 11, and then increases to 11-14. In old age, the number of lymph nodes again decreases to 6-8. Lymph nodes in the urinary tract protect us from foreign substances that enter the body from the outside in an ascending way.

How the immune system works

Immunity and the immune system of the human body is a highly accurate, well-coordinated mechanism that fights bacteria and xenobiotics. All organs of the human immune system work together, complementing each other. The main task immunity and the immune system is the recognition, destruction and removal from the body of harmful infectious agents and foreign substances, as well as the resulting mutated cells and decay products.

All substances unknown to the body that penetrate into it are called antigens. After the immune system detects the antigen and recognizes it, it begins to produce special cells - antibodies that bind the antigen and destroy it.

In humans, there are two types of immune defense - innate and acquired immunity. Innate resistance is a very ancient defense system that all living beings have. Innate immunity aims to destroy cell membrane intruder into the body.

If the destruction of the foreign cell did not occur, another line of defense comes into play - acquired immunity. The principle of its operation is as follows: when a bacterium or a foreign substance enters the human body, leukocytes begin to produce antibodies. These antibodies are strictly specific, that is, they correspond to the substance that has entered the body as two neighboring puzzles to each other. Antibodies bind and destroy the antigen, thereby protecting our body from disease.

Allergy

In some situations, the immune system of the human body reacts violently to safe factors. environment. This condition is called an allergy. Substances that provoke the manifestation of allergies are called allergens.

Allergens are divided into external and internal. External allergens are those that enter the body from the environment. It can be certain types of food, mold, wool, pollen, etc. An internal allergen is our own tissue, usually with altered properties. This happens, for example, with bee stings, when the affected tissues begin to be identified as foreign.

When an allergen first enters the human body, it usually does not cause any external changes, however, the processes of production and accumulation of antibodies occur. If the allergen enters the body again, an allergic reaction begins, which can proceed in different ways: in the form of skin rashes, tissue swelling, or an asthma attack.

Why does not everyone suffer from allergies? There are several reasons for this. First, heredity. Scientists have proven that the tendency to develop allergies is passed from generation to generation. At the same time, if the mother is ill with allergies, then the child will develop an allergy with a probability of 20-70%, and if the father - only 12-40%.

The likelihood of an allergy in a child is especially high if both parents suffer from this disease. In this case, the allergy will be inherited with a probability of 80%. In addition, allergic reactions are more likely to occur in people who have been sick a lot in childhood.

Another factor contributing to the occurrence of allergies in humans is the unfavorable ecological situation in the area of ​​residence. Scientists have proven that in areas with polluted air, the number of allergic children is significantly greater than in areas with favorable ecology. This is especially true for such allergic diseases as bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis (hay fever).

And this is scientific explanation: microscopic particles suspended in polluted air irritate mucosal epithelial cells respiratory tract, thereby activating them and promoting the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines.

Thus, allergic reactions are another manifestation of the work of the immune system, the very case when, taking care of our safety, immunity, like loving parent, shows excessive zeal.