The body’s immune system is one of the most
important aspects of good health. In spite of its modest 1.5 kilograms,
the immune system is - besides the nervous system - the most complex
network in the body.
The immune system is not located in a single organ, rather, it operates
instead like a special task force, always ready to leap into action. It
is either known as the immune system or the body’s defence mechanism.
The immune system protects us against foreign organisms such as viruses
and bacteria as well as dysfunctional cells.
White blood cells (leukocytes) relentlessly
patrol all areas in our body. If they come across an intruder,
such as bacteria, the white blood cells trigger an alarm reaction and
battalions of them come flooding in. By a process called
phagocytosis, they ingest, and then digest the foreign organisms
rendering them harmless.
