Now Andrographis Extract 400mg - 90 V-Caps

Your Immune System

The immune system is the police force of the body. It is a complex system of cells that defend the body from invading organisms, regulate inflammation and control abnormal cell growth. Many organs are involved in the immune response, the bone marrow, lymphatic system, thymus, liver and spleen. Bone marrow produces red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

The spleen is a location where immune cells can monitor the blood for foreign matter. It also speeds up red blood cell production and activates blood clotting. The liver can increase body temperature and induce sweating to help fight off infections. The thymus produces B cells, which make antibodies, and T cells, which are part of the immune response.

The immune system is capable of fighting off intruders and remembering them so that they are killed off quickly if they invade again. The immune system must be able to differentiate self from non-self in order to know what to attack. If it does not recognize the body's own tissue than autoimmune diseases occurs

Physical and emotional stress has been shown in studies to depress the amount of circulating immune cells. Examples of possible stressors are excessive exercise, surgery, a long illness, and loss of a job or death of a loved one. The sympathetic nervous system is activated by stress and causes increased heart rate and blood pressure, and a heightening of the body's senses. It decreases the functioning of systems that are not essential for fighting or fleeing a situation. This includes immunity. Stress also causes increased inflammation and a build up of damaging agents called free radicals. These substances can interfere with normal immune functioning.