You’ve probably heard this story before; a relative or friend checks into hospital for a single condition and comes out with a different. How about this one? You’ve been prescribed an antibiotic for an infection you picked up somewhere, and now you’ve picked up another disease. What’s happening here? Well, the solution is quite simple.
Immune system
You’ve picked up an opportunistic disease. The term opportunistic disease is used to describe infections that happen if there’s a deficiency in the immune system. It’s called opportunistic because these infections take advantage of the consequences of the immune system at that specific time. Your immune system can be compromised in a number of ways.
Probably the most recognized type of immune deficiency is HIV/AIDS. In cases like this the HIV virus specifically attacks the immune system of the human body, and that’s why it’s so deadly. The virus starts attacking healthy white blood cells, which the immune system uses to attack foreign bodies. This is the reason physicians monitor the CD 4 count of these suffering of HIV/AIDS.
If the CD 4 count drops too low, this is when opportunistic infections set in. People don’t die from the AIDS virus as such. They perish from the opportunistic infections that the body can’t fight. Smoking may also cause harm to the immune system.
Did you know?
Smoking leaches vitamin C in your system and impairs the body’s ability to consume other vital minerals and vitamins? This leaves the immune system ill-prepared to fight off toxins which are absorbed and consequently leaves the body vulnerable to new infections. The chemicals found in cigarettes are so poisonous they have become the primary cause of cardiovascular disease and cancer of the lungs, throat and mouth.
A growing number of people have awakened to this fact and there’s been a drop in the amount of smokers over age 25. The exact same can’t be said for the younger group. Tobacco companies have poured billions of dollars into marketing to be able to target the youth. Obviously, it’s working as the amount of smokers has increased in this age group. Another way of compromising the immune system is by taking antibiotics.
Surely not!
Antibiotics are there to help us get better, right? Why would physicians prescribe antibiotics if they’re dangerous to us? Just how dangerous are they? How do antibiotics respond with our own bodies and how do they affect our immune system? Although we aren’t doctors and we haven’t spent years studying about the body, it’s still very important for us to understand how our own bodies work.
If we could understand how the immune system works and how to keep it functioning at optimum levels, the danger of us contracting an opportunistic disease is greatly reduced. All we will need to do is to dedicate to our health by investing just a little time to discover the intricacies of our amazing bodies. There’s absolutely not any need to attend medical school; there are books that are written to be understood and used as references.
