The Immune System ft. the Coronavirus
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| Disclaimer: Haru is not a real doctor, please consult your physicians with any questions. Haru encourages everyone to do their own research and ask questions. |
The Immune System ft. the Coronavirus
There’s been a lot of talk about the Coronavirus (aka. Covid19) and germs and how to stay healthy in the middle of it all.
As someone who has a compromised immune system, I thought I could add a different perspective to this whole situation. Before we start I’d like it to be known that this post is in no way meant to add to the hysteria, the purpose is merely to inform and spread awareness in these uncertain times.
Panicking is the worst thing to do in these situations, so staying calm and keeping a cool head is priority number #1! This allows us to think clearly about what needs to be done. Now in most situations if you have a healthy immune system you should be fine, just continue to practice good hygiene. The people who are most at risk by this pandemic are those with compromised, low or no immune systems. This would be people who are over 60, have respiratory or heart problems, and people taking immunosuppressants. For those of you who are at a higher risk or have someone in your life who is, I’ve compiled a few tips on how to deal with this pandemic. So let’s get into it!
The Immune System!
Firstly what is the Immune System and where is it located?A way to think about it is that our body is basically a fortress that houses our mind, and this Fortress has a built-in alarm system against intruders. This alarm system is your immune system, you can think of it like a team that defends the body. This team consists of a few organs such as the spleen, bone marrow, lymph nodes, and tonsils. The most crucial part of this process is for your immune system to recognize the difference between your healthy cells and the invaders or dead cells. We’ll talk more about what happens when your immune system gets confused in a bit. Now in normal circumstances, the immune system is one tough defence and offence, let’s take a look at how it does this.
1. White Blood Cells
White blood cells can be split into two categories; Phagocytes and Lymphocytes. Phagocytes gobble up antigens, and Lymphocytes examine the antigen so that if it ever comes back it can be dealt with quickly, this is why we only get some diseases once, like measles or chickenpox.
We can go even further and break down the phagocytes into three other groups; Mast cells, Neutrophils, and Macrophages.
2. Types of Immunity
Humans also have three types of immunity that develop throughout our lives. We acquire the first one early in life, while we’re still in our mother’s womb. To survive babies require passive immunity. This means that while inside the womb babies receive antibodies through the placenta, these antibodies will lock onto antigens and neutralize them. Even after a baby is born it still continues to receive antibodies through its mother’s breast milk. Now while babies do receive antibodies from their mothers they also have their own innate immunity. This is a very basic response in the sense that this immunity starts attacking antigens from day one. As we go through life we develop the last part of our immunity, adaptive immunity. Some call this an immunological memory because our immune system builds up a library of information against every antigen it has ever encountered and it never forgets any. Because of this nifty trait, we are able to use vaccines to introduce weak antigens into our bodies. In most cases this allows the person to build up antibodies without needing to get sick first.What happens when our immune system is faulty?
Like I mentioned earlier our immune system is one tough cookie but sometimes it can be a bit faulty. One thing that can happen is that you develop an auto-immune disease or illness.Auto-immunity is when your immune system can’t tell the difference between your healthy cells and antigens, this means your immune system can target and destroy healthy cells which can lead to various problems.
There are various autoimmune diseases, personally, I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohn’s Disease, and Behcet’s Disease. If anyone is curious to know more about these, HARU has covered Rheumatoid Arthritis and Crohn’s separately before, just click on the links!
To help me regulate the symptoms of these auto-immune diseases I take Humira. This drug, in essence, renders my immune system inactive so it won't attack my healthy cells. This leaves me with a compromised immune system and means I need to be a bit more cautious with certain things. While these diseases are the result of a confused immune system, immune deficiencies are a result of some part or parts of your immune system not functioning. These illnesses include the Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) also known as the “Bubble Boy” disease due to the 2001 film by the same name, and the well-known immunodeficiency AIDs virus.
There’s also hypersensitivity which is when your body’s reaction to an antigen is to have an allergic reaction so severe you can go into anaphylactic shock which can be life-threatening since your throat closes up and you can’t breathe, basically killing you in an attempt to protect you. (Oh the irony…) I actually developed hypersensitivity to a few things, like apples which is why I carry an Epipen.
What if I don’t have an immune system problem? Should I still be worried?
Even if you are a low-risk individual you can take precautions to protect others who may not be lucky enough to have fully functioning immune systems and perfect health. We should all do our part to help, whatever that may be.Here are a few tips to help you stay healthy during this time.
1. Wash Your Hands
This one may seem pretty obvious but when in doubt go back to the basics. There are a few instances throughout the day when you will be washing your hands, here are some recommendations from the Center for Disease Control. You should wash your hands before, during, and after touching food. Always wash your hands before and after eating. After every time you touch garbage, blow your nose, sneeze, or cough. After using the washroom or after helping a child use the washroom, after you change a diaper, or when you clean your pet or wash their bums. Wash your hands after any contact with someone who is sick or after treating an open wound. To properly wash your hands use warm water and soap, making sure to properly lather and scrub every part of your hands including between the fingers and under nails.
[Haru Tip:]
How long should you wash your hands? Well, a good trick to remember is to sing the Happy birthday song twice while washing your hands; by the time you’re done your hands should be clean.
2. Keep Your Environment Clean
Another way to keep good hygiene is to keep your environment clean. Here are a few places where germs gather most. Light switches, countertops, remote controls, doorknobs, and handles are all places that should be regularly disinfected. Bring hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes with you. If you aren’t sure it has been disinfected then wipe down the surface; better to be safe than sorry.3. Take A Shower
Another good precaution to take is to change out of the clothes you wore outside once you get home and to take a shower before getting dressed into clean clothes.4. Wear A Mask
There has been a lot of talk about how masks and washing hands won’t guarantee you won’t get sick, while it is true that nothing can 100% guarantee you won’t get sick, the data from previous pandemics show that masks and washing your hands were one of the best preventative measures.Face masks can get confusing though. There are so many of them out there, so how do you know which ones to wear? Well, have no fear cause Haru’s got the rundown for you.
If you are sick and coughing or sneezing you should use a mask like a surgical mask. These masks can be tightened with the earloops and they should be fitted leaving no gaps. There are many options that are not single-use if you are looking for a more sustainable option. There is a huge variety of reusable masks, however, something to note is if you are sick be careful not to use a mask with a vent because that allows for your germs to leak out. If you are sick please call your health care professional and ask them which steps you should take. It’s important to avoid going in person so as to not spread your germs. If you absolutely must go in to see a doctor call ahead of time to let them know you are sick, wash your hands as soon as you enter the building and be sure to be wearing a face mask.
If you aren’t sick but are trying to avoid getting sick then the washable masks with vents are a bit more comfortable to wear seeing as they allow for a bit of extra ventilation which can be nice since it gets hot and humid under there.
Now that we have our masks lets see how to wear, and dispose of them. Firstly before touching the mask make sure to wash your hands well. Take the mask and place it over your mouth and nose pulling the bands over your ears. Make sure the mask is placed well so as to create a seal around your mouth and nose making sure there are no spaces. When using it avoid touching the front of the mask; this is because as we breathe we pull air in through the mask which captures all the germs which we definitely don’t want getting on our hands. When the mask is damp or you no longer need it you can dispose of it by grabbing hold of the bands and peeling the mask off without touching the front. Throw the mask in the trash bin and wash your hands well. Masks can get kind of annoying to wear as they get itchy and hot, but do your best to try not to touch the mask or reach underneath it. Masks can also be a way to help deter us from touching our faces since that can be hard for some of us to remember.
5. Avoid Touching Your Face and Eyes
On the subject of avoiding your face, if you wear glasses or contacts, make sure to wash your hands very well before touching your eyes, wash your glasses and rinse your contacts well. The eyes are a gateway into your body for antigens so be vigilant.6. Avoid Sick People
Doctors say the best advice they can give is just to avoid sick people altogether, however, this can be near impossible, we can’t guarantee that sick people won’t leave the house. So just try not to stand too close to anyone who is sick, no kisses, hugs, or sharing food and drinks.7. Live Vaccines Can Also Be A Problem
Avoiding sick people is a must and for some so is avoiding people who have recently received a live vaccine. When a pandemic rolls around there is always a lot of talk about vaccines, and although they are generally very helpful and doctors recommend you stay up to date on them, for some people live vaccines can be quite harmful and should be avoided. The live flu virus vaccine is a popular one, but someone with a compromised immune system can’t take live vaccines. A live vaccine in most people would just create antibodies in your system, but in someone with a compromised immune system it can cause them to become very ill and in some cases, they can develop what they are being vaccinated against. Not only that but someone with a compromised immune system can’t even be near someone who has taken a live vaccine because they may catch what the other person is being vaccinated against. Here is a list of Live vaccines: Shingles vaccine, MMR measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, Yellow fever vaccine, the live flu vaccine, and the rabies vaccine. If you have a compromised immune system be sure to speak to your doctor about which vaccines to avoid and which ones are safe.8. Age Is Also A Factor
Your immune system is affected by many things such as ageing. We start with an innate immunity and as we age our system develops and updates and gets better, however, once we hit a certain age the processes starts to reverse. This is because the organs that produce white blood cells start to get smaller. Less white blood cells mean a weaker immune system.9. How To Boost Your Immune System
If you want to increase the power of your immune system try adding more protein to your diet, this can give it a boost. Another thing to try is to take time to unwind and relax; HARU’s orders! Now that may not be an idea you’re used to, but it is very important for people with compromised immune systems to avoid high stress. Research has shown that too much stress is just as bad as not getting good sleep; both of these things can be detrimental to one’s immune system. We need to take extra care to take time to breathe and rest.So if everyone is responsible and conscious of their surroundings, and their impact on others, then we should be able to make it through this together.
Be smart, be considerate of others, and be safe.
That’s all for now, HARU OUT!
~ Stay Obsessed
Thank you for information. I actually learnt something about our immune system. The diagrams helped me understand and they are so adorable. Good job.
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