The human immune system is one of the most intriguing aspects of all health, and it is one that has come in for increased scrutiny in the past year and a half as the pandemic raged. Many of us, absent a vaccine and unable to shield to the extent we would like to, have been left to trust a great deal in our natural immunity, and people with stronger immune systems have been asked to take on the burden of risk in defense of those who are immunocompromised. 

What is surprising in all of this is how little we actually know about the human immune system and its responses. It’s a good idea to learn some more about it, because simply proceeding on the basis of the minimal information “everyone” knows could lead you to some very inaccurate conclusions. Below, we’ll give some lesser-recognized facts about the immune system, and give them some context that will help you protect your own immune system.

Many of our illness symptoms are caused by our immune system working

If you’ve ever been sitting around suffering cold symptoms, irritated by the blocked nose and the plentiful mucus, and wished that your immune system would get a handle on things, then guess what? It already has. In order to prevent the cold virus from gaining too much of a foothold, your immune system dilates the blood vessels in your body to allow white blood cells to move freely. Unfortunately, the blood vessels in your nose expanding means that your nostrils become narrower, and leak fluid - responsible for your stuffy nose and mucus respectively.

You can do a lot to boost your immune system

Just like your oral, digestive or heart health, the health of your immune system can be positively affected by what you do, eat, and drink among other lifestyle decisions. It’s essential to get a healthy amount of sleep, as your body takes the dormant times as an opportunity to produce more T-cells. Foods laden with vitamin D are also widely advised - leafy greens and plenty of yogurt will do a lot of good, and look into the benefits of AC-11 supplements while you’re at it. Your body will thank you.

Your immune system changes during pregnancy

It’s disappointingly not widely-known, but prospective mothers are at risk from certain infections due to changes that take place in the immune system during pregnancy. In some respects, the change is designed to protect the fetus, which would otherwise be targeted by the immune system as a foreign invader because it is not genetically identical to the mother. The changes do not make a mother globally vulnerable to infection, but flu viruses can become considerably more severe and develop into pneumonia. If you’re pregnant and begin to feel unwell in any way, consult a doctor - your health is at risk and you, specifically, may need more specialized care due to the situation you are in.

Your immune system is really a remarkable thing that we should all value more highly than we sometimes do. However, it is important to bear in mind that it works in mysterious ways.