The immune system is the defence system of our body that helps protect us from disease and infection. The primary job of the immune system is to "attack" anything that is foreign to the body, including bacteria, viruses and fungi; parasites; cancer cells and other agents that can enter the body, for instance, pollen.

What does the immune system do? The fight of the immune system against infections and diseases is called the immune response. The basic functions of the immune system are:

• To recognise everything in your body that should not be there
• To provide signals to immune cells that enable them find their way to the problem area
• To attack the "invaders", kill them and eliminate them from the body
• To know when to stop the attack and end the battle

It is crucial that the immune system is able to detect and distinguish what does and what does not belong in our body to do its work properly. This is the only way for immune cells to know which things need to be fought against and which need to be left alone.

An antigen is something that does not belong in our body. Therefore it triggers an immune response. Antigens can be chemicals on the outside (the coat) or inside of microbial or cancer cells. Antigens can also exist on their own, for instance, as food molecules or pollen. As a person grows up, the immune system already knows how to recognise certain antigens, because it has already encountered them, however it must learn to recognise other antigens throughout life. We all have innate or non-specific immunity and acquired or adaptive (specific) immunity. Innate immunity is linked to innate biological characteristics of the body and is a very stable form of immunity. Acquired immunity is built up in the body during its lifetime. It is not passed onto offspring. Acquired immunity is only built up by sufficiently resistant human bodies, because they do not die on first contact with the infection, but start developing appropriate protective mechanisms.

What does the immune system consist of? Important components of the immune system are white blood cells (leucocytes), antibodies (serum proteins or globulins) and the lymphatic system, which consists of lymph ducts, lymph nodes and organs – spleen and thymus.

White blood cells (leucocytes) move through the bloodstream to find and fight bacteria and other problems. When they fight and destroy the antigen, they usually develop a "memory". If our white blood cells can remember a particular antigen, the next time it appears in our body they will fight it faster. Such people are said to have a strong immune system.

Antibodies are chemicals produced by certain white blood cells. Antibodies "swim" through the bloodstream to find and attack antigens. We have many different antibodies in our body. Each antibody can only attack one specific antigen. Our white blood cells learn to produce new antibodies every time they need to protect us from a new or unknown antigen. The good news is that the body remembers how to produce these antibodies for a long time.

The lymphatic system is the part of the circulatory system that ensures the flow of lymph. This system removes excess fluid from our tissues, as well as dead bacteria and dead cells from our body. The fluid is called lymph. The lymph flows through pea-sized "collection" points called lymph nodes. Lymph nodes filter out dead bacteria and cells. If there is an infection in our body, the nearby lymph nodes may become swollen. For instance, a throat infection can cause swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck.

Organs that are part of our immune system include the bone marrow, thymus, spleen, tonsils and vermiform appendix. Our bone marrow and thymus are the main organs that produce white blood cells. The spleen, tonsils and appendix trap bacteria and other antigens, as well as act as a place for immune cells to become stronger.

To strengthen immunity and respiratory health and to reduce fatigue in adults and children from 12 years of age, we have developed a 100% natural and effective dietary supplement, IMMUNOKLER, which is manufactured in Latvia. It contains black elderberry (Sambucus Nigra L.), yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) 1.3-1.6 beta-glucans, L-glutamine, vitamin C, zinc and vitamin D. The unique formulation of IMMUNOKLER and daily dosage ensure a complete set of vitamins and minerals for the normal functioning of the immune system. No additional use of other products is required.

Learn more about the product here: IMMUNOKLER