Health Corner

We keep hearing about the immune system! What is it, what does it do, why is it important? Everyone has an immune system. Everyone’s immune system is different because of their overall health, medical history, and the medications they take. There are so many parts and things that happen to make your immune system work, but let’s think of it as an army protecting your land. Your body and health are the “land” and your immune system is the “army” protecting you from “invaders” which are really germs, viruses and bacteria.

Your immune system army is made up mostly of white blood cells. They are mixed with your red blood cells all throughout your body. Constantly moving around and looking out for invader germs. Your army of white blood cells has already been given a list of what invaders to look for. Every time you get a vaccine or get sick, the immune system remembers. When the army of white blood cells sees something that looks unusual, they check their list of known invader germs.

Once an invader is discovered, the white blood cell army goes after all of those invaders and the battle begins. A strong army that has been eating healthily, getting enough sleep and exercising, catches all or most of the invaders. You might not even know the invaders got onto your land! You might be able to tell that a few sneaky invaders got through because you may feel a little sluggish for a few days. An army that hasn’t been taking care of itself won’t be able to catch as many invader germs. Those invader germs may cause some damage to your land by causing things like fevers, rashes, a sore throat, and other mild symptoms.

If the invader germs were not on the list given to the army, that's where the problem begins. Those invader germs could take over your land and spread all over wreaking havoc. If that happens, you are in for a few days of fevers, chills, headaches, a cough and runny nose among other things. You might even need to take a trip to the doctor to get some extra tools for your army like medicine and breathing treatments. The good thing now is that your immune system will remember those invaders for the next time they see them! They will do their best to catch them next time.

While that was a fun way to think of your immune system and how it protects you from illness, it is a serious topic. It is very important for you to take care of yourself, be as healthy as you can be, keep up to date on vaccines, and wash your hands after touching things around you. You want to give your immune system army the best chance at keeping you strong and healthy, especially during times of the year when there are more invaders all around just waiting for a chance to take over your land. Don’t even give them a chance. Stay healthy and stay strong.