ILOILO governor Arthur Defensor Jr., so reported this paper yesterday, had issued an executive order declaring a dengue outbreak – what with 560 dengue patients congesting all 11 district hospitals in the province.
With a combined capacity of only 590 beds, these hospitals now have to “confine” hundreds of dengue patients on corridors outside the wards.
That oft-repeated scenario heralds the need for a dengue cure, which so far has proven elusive. If it’s any consolation, not everybody bitten by the Aegis aegypti mosquito catches dengue. Why?
Researches made at Washington University (St. Louis, Missouri), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (Silver Spring, Maryland) and the University of Copenhagen (Copenhagen, Denmark) have reported a unanimous finding that a part of the immune system called mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is involved in targeting dengue viruses for destruction.
It is already a “given” that a strong immune system — even among us ”young once” who are way past money-making season — is a necessity to stay in good health. It pains the pocket most when one goes through the “luxury” of hospitalization.
Fearing hospitalization, I have been very receptive to radio programs glorifying alternative medicine as the cheaper way to strengthen the immune system.
Hoping to lose nothing but age-related diseases, I recently attended a lecture where the lecturer announced that a truly healthy person does not have to rely on vaccines, antibiotics and antiviral drugs because “your body already contains all the bug-fighting medicines you’ll ever need!”
He said that by the time he turns one year old, the infant would have developed nearly a trillion different antibacterial and antiviral agents in his body to protect him from diseases. If the child retains them into adulthood, he remains protected.
With a trillion different antibodies and immune cell warriors ready to battle our bacterial and viral enemies, it’s a wonder that any foreign invader can penetrate our defenses and cause us harm!
We get sick, he stressed, because our immune system fails to go into action fast enough; and because it gets beaten down and worn out. As we age, our immune system takes longer time to react to attacks. That slow reaction time allows germs to break through and invade our cells.
Moreover, our modern lifestyle can literally wear us out because of poor diet, stress, environmental pollutants, overuse of antibiotics and overcrowding in the cities.
Many foods are deficient in the nutrients crucial for peak immune function. Foods loaded with sugar, preservatives, refined carbohydrates and processed ingredients not only weaken our immune system but also promote inflammation of the blood vessels! This inflammation can trigger joint pain, heart disease, stiff arteries and blood sugar imbalance, among others.
Day-to-day stress from fast-paced modern living mimics our immune system’s “fight or flight” response—creating undue anxiety, fear and nervousness. This causes the release of unnecessary cortisol — a stress hormone — that can lower immune response!
Every single minute, we breathe in, absorb or ingest microscopic toxic particles that are detected as a threat by our immune system. This toxic load puts a huge amount of stress on our natural defenses.
Overuse of antibiotics, prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines can rob nutrients and beneficial flora that are critical to a strong immune system.
Overcrowding in the cities means faster spread of communicable diseases.
The immune system consists of a complicated network of cells, tissues and organs that work together.
Antibodies recognize and trap bacteria, viruses, and toxins. Once these foreign substances are “tagged,” our body’s “killer cells” can easily destroy them. (hvego31@gmail.com/PN)
