May 21: A Good Immune System

I woke up feeling much better, which was amazing considering I felt so awful just hours before. I've done some research and it turns out I probably came down with salmonella poisoning (I had literally *all* the symptoms of it) and I probably got it from hanging out so much with chickens (which is *so* unfortunate because I absolutely *love* hanging out with these chickens, but all that means is that I need to wash my hands much more thoroughly and more importantly not bring my water bottle into the coop with me.) [But at least it wasn't COVID!] But it is delightful that I have a good enough immune system to fight the salmonella. According to Mayo Clinic, most people don't need to seek medical attention for a salmonella infection because it clears up on its own within a few days. Mine cleared up within a day. And the fever I experienced was a sign that my body was working to protect me. 

Here is the best explanation of fever and the immune system's response that I've come across: 

Fever occurs when a virus or bacteria invades the body. The immune system produces chemicals called pyrogens, which trick the brain's hypothalamus (where the body's thermostat resides) into sensing an artificially cool body temperature. The brain responds like any good warm-blooded animal's would, by knocking the thermostat up a few notches. Blood rushes to the body's core, heating the body overall but cooling the surface — hence the chills. The body's metabolic rate goes up and and muscles contract — hence the muscle aches. The immune system's goal of creating a fever: to encourage chemical reactions that will increase production of disease-fighting antibodies, stimulate activity of white blood cells and even inhibit the invading microbe's growth, because the fever makes the body an inhospitable environment for the bacteria or virus.  

It continues to fascinate me how much the body does, completely independently, on its own. It is an amazing machine, especially when it works well, and I'm delighted that mine was working well!

With delight,

♥Jamie