Research: Your immune system has the memory of your illness.

Your immune system is an incredible thing; It protects your body from pathogenic bacteria on a daily basis and functions without any thought

And, let's be honest, it's once an unlucky job.

Many people do not even remember when they thought about the immune system until they were ill.

But new research shows that your immune system "remembers" for you and that inflammation and illness can have a significant impact on the memory of the immune system, in particular brain-specific immune cells known as microglia.

Scientists say these new findings might finally reveal why neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease develop.

The relationship between immune cells and Alzheimer's disease

Microglines are a specialized type of immune cell that is located only in the brain, and are known for having an atypical long life cycle.

Due to this long lifetime, scientists have long wondered what environmental factors cause the change of these cells in the long run. There are suspicions that changes in microglia could contribute to the formation of neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

Dr. Jonas Neher, research leader and scientist at the JZNE and HIH, explained:

"Epidemiological studies have shown that infectious diseases and infections throughout life can affect the severity of the onset of Alzheimer's disease much later in life. Therefore, we are wondering if the immune memory in these long-lived microgliders can convey this risk. "

Researchers say that "trained" microglia ultimately caused an increase in the formation of an amyloid plaque - the sign of Alzheimer's disease - resulting in the onset of the disease. Even for months after initial exposure, these changes in microglia have still been detected, indicating epigenetic changes.
While the ability to "remember" microglines is quite impressive, it's not really good news. Indeed, it seems that illness and inflammation in other parts of the body can still cause great distress for your brain.

"It is possible that in humans, inflammatory diseases that primarily develop outside of the brain can cause epigenetic reprogramming within the brain," Neher claims.

Is there a part of the body that is not negatively affected in the long term when the disease occurs? Science has consistently shown that inflammation causes or contributes to the factor in almost all major diseases, including heart disease, cancer, digestive disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and the list continues.

The inflammation of your body is an integral part of the function of the immune system that treats and protects the body; and when the inflammation becomes chronic, the disaster is on its way.

Fortunately, there are many natural ways in which you can fight inflammation. Sodium bicarbonate has also recently been discovered to relieve inflammation. Activities such as yoga, meditation and practice of traditional Chinese medicine can also help in a healthy response to the immune system.

• 10 Jun, 2018
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