Immunity

Immunity has always been one of the great mysteries of the human body, and it is especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic. But before talking about what we don't know, let's discuss what we do. The immune system is an incredibly complex process, so I'll be attempting to distill it down to the bare bones. There are two main parts of the immune system: the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system. The innate immune system is something we all have. This is the immune system that protects us against anything and everything, such as our skin or white blood cells. The adaptive immune system is the immune system that can learn, and it has the ability to remember past attacks. When a recognizable virus enters our system, cells look for the B and T lymphocytes that correspond to the virus. B lymphocytes seek out and track the virus. They then latch onto the virus, acting as a sort of beacon for the T lymphocytes. These T lymphocytes go to the location of the B lymphocyte and utterly annihilate everything. This is also how vaccines work. By injecting us with a small amount of the virus, the vaccine trains the body to recognize it so that the B and T lymphocytes can work efficiently in the future.

Now, it should be apparent that we know a lot about the immune system. However, this certainly doesn't mean that we know everything. For instance, we still aren't sure about the effects of Vitamin C on our immune system. Most people consider it common knowledge that Vitamin C will help your immune system. Even many doctors consider this as fact. However, there are no solid scientific studies to support the claim that Vitamin C actually helps bolster our immune system. It might be time to hold back on your Emergen-C every time you feel a sniffle. This isn't to say that you should stop eating oranges, though. Vitamin C has been proven incredibly important for a number of things, like preventing scurvy. Another misconception about immunity is that going outside in the cold will cause a person to "catch a cold". This is often told to children to warn them against going outside when it is cold. However, there are no virus particles simply floating around in cold weather. Being cold or being outside in the cold will not give anyone the cold, or any other virus. However, being cold does weaken our immune system. This makes it more likely for us to get a cold from another source, such as a friend. It will also be harder to fight off the cold. Therefore, we should avoid going out in the cold. Luckily, we have nothing to fear from and onslaught of virus particles floating around in cold weather.