1. Each part of the immune system has a unique function.  

Though it may not be pleasant to think about, countless microbes live on and in our bodies, and they are actually necessary to maintain good health. 

“Good bacteria in our body provides us with nutrients we need and also provides a defense against bad bacteria and infection,” Tran says. A b...

When you experience an allergic reaction , your immune system is responding to a harmless allergen that it perceives as a threat. Symptoms of an allergic reaction, which can range from ...

Autoimmune diseases affect about 8 percent of the population in the United States, making up the third most common category of disease after cancer and heart disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system destroys its own healthy tissues. In such cases, white blood cells in the body cannot distinguish between pathogens and the body...

Stress can lead to increased levels of cortisol , a steroid hormone that is important for overall function of our body; but too much of it can lead to a number of health problems, including decreased immunity. “The high level of steroid...

Not getting enough sleep can wreak havoc on the body, and the immune system is no exception. Studies show that a lack of sleep may make you more likely to catch a cold and also makes it more difficult to fight off in...

Cleaning and disinfecting may seem like the best way to avoid infection, but this is a case where there can be too much of a good thing.

“When you make your environment so clean, you minimize so many foreign pathogens that you actually minimize the development of the immune system,” Tran sa...

Vaccines work by stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies against a foreign invader without actually infecting the individual with the disease.

As a result, when the body encounters that infection in the future, it knows how to fight it off, and you face minimal symptoms.