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At the same time each year – as bedsocks are retrieved from the back of drawers and that purple beanie from aunt Beryl proves handy – talk turns to immunity.

It’s no coincidence. Everything from humidity, respiratory changes to human proximity can weaken our defences during winter.

But this year at Spinecare, we’re tackling immunity from a different angle. Rather than re-hashing flu avoidance and drying up sniffly kids, we’re sharing the story of your INCREDIBLE immune system.

What it actually is and how it keeps you safe from microscopic attack.

Why? Empowering our community with quality health information is the Spinecare mission. From knowledge comes respect, love and care – three key ingredients for improved wellbeing.

Marveling at your immune system is better than a hot cup of ginger tea (though, taking the two together is highly recommended) and will inspire you to nurture your system this winter.

Read on for what you missed in immunity class!

Is your immune system really what you think it is?

What comes to mind when you think of ‘your immune system’? Is it an army of little white cells with arms and legs, brandishing sticks? Is it sticky blue goo that gobbles foreign microbes, like a cartoon blob? Is it something you’ve never really thought about?

The truth is, your immune system comprises many moving parts. It’s not one single entity.

It includes your skin – together with other membranes to physically separate the inside of your body from the out.

It includes immune glands and tissue such as the tonsils and thymus (located behind the sternum) – plus bone marrow, which all produce antibodies.

It includes your lymph nodes and vessels, patches in the liver which create immune cells and the spleen which filters blood and unwanted debris.

Even your digestive tract can be considered part of the immune system, housing gut bacteria which compete with bad bugs, extract nutrition from food and ‘educate’ immune cells. As well as that, stomach acid neutralizes foreign invaders, preventing infection before it has a chance to take hold.

The most complex aspect of immunity involves white blood cells, or lymphocytes, which have an extremely sophisticated system of memory. With thousands of in-built receptors on their surface, lymphocytes collect ‘red flags’, or antigens to remind the body of what’s harmful and what’s friendly. They work in tandem with T cells and phagocytes to patrol the bloodstream and tissues, guarding against microscopic attack.

So, rather than your immune system being one specific ‘thing’, it’s actually a symphony of interdependent and intelligent parts.

Given the right nourishment, these parts work together to ensure you remain one healthy and happy whole organism.

Have a warm and wonderful June, and meet you next month for more chiropractic wellness news.