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Article: Battling a host of invaders // Common sense boosts immune system
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- February 17, 1992
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1992 Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
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The toughest infection-fighter on Earth isn't contained in a
sugarcoated tablet, a plastic syringe or a bubbling test tube. It's
right inside your body.
The immune system, a vast and highly complex network of
specialized cells and organs, defends the body against potentially
harmful invaders.
When a foreign substance enters the body, the immune system
calls the troops to their battle stations, setting in motion a
systemwide relay team.
First, the invader is engulfed by a large scavenger cell called
a macrophage.
The macrophage, in turn, notifies white blood cells, known as T
cells, that the security system has been breached.
Once activated, the T cells go to work.
Some subsets ...