Stress and the immune system – Part 1
With the Coronavirus outbreak, I thought it would be beneficial to discuss how stress impacts the immune system.
The immune system’s job is to keep the body safe and its very flexible but can be compromised by age and illness.
There are two types of immunity:
- Specific immunity
- Natural immunity
Specific immunity is a slower response than natural immunity as it may take several days. This is about recognition of a particular antigen (e.g. virus) and the production of a cell that specifically recognises this antigen. This may come from having seen that antigen before via a previous illness or via vaccination.
Natural immunity is an all-purpose reaction that may have a short time frame (minutes to hours). You will have experienced natural immunity when you have inflammation or a fever or had a wound that has healed. As part of natural immunity, we produce killer cells that respond to viruses etc.
As coronavirus is a new virus and there is currently no vaccination, we are reliant on natural immunity to protect us.
Related Posts
‘Alternative cancer therapies’ may increase your risk of death
“Cancer patients who use alternative medicine more than twice as likely to die,” is the stark message, which has been reported in the press including CNN, Daily Mail and the Sun newspaper (see below). https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/4249489/cancer-patients-who-shun-chemo-for-alternative-therapies-are-twice-as-likely-to-die/ I know that I have written blogs about cancer in the past and pointed recent ideas and research. But I want to make it crystal clear that I believe in complementary therapy not alternative therapy. While this may sound like symantics its a crucial difference. At Vitality Therapy we always recommend you follow your GP, consultant and conventional medicine's recommendations and we work in a manner that is complementary to that advice, guideance and medication. In the articles I mentioned earlier, people were using "Alternative Medicine" instead of conventional cancer treatments. The researchers concluded that people using "Alternative Medicine" were less likely to survive after a cancer diagnosis for 5 years. What I discuss in my blog articles and we recommend in clinic is "complementary therapy" which is completely compatible will all forms of western medicine. Below is an extract from the NHS choices - Cancer section.. "There are reports that some people find complementary medicines (CAMs) of benefit during cancer treatments. For example, some people have said that acupuncture helped them cope better with the side effects of chemotherapy." The basic premise of the press articles is that ignoring medical advice on the treatment choices that potentially offer the most benefit for cancer (or any other illness) could be fatal. Here at Vitality Therapy we never suggest or imply that you ignore medical advice.
