Page 192 - The Memory Program How to Prevent Memory Loss and Enhance Memory Power

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CHAPTER 20

Brain Inflammation

INFLAMMATION IS THE BODY'S REACTION to infection or injury, causing symptoms of pain, redness,
swelling, and warmth. Medications like acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) suppress the inflammatory
response. To better understand how anti-inflammatory compounds can help prevent memory loss,
you need to have some basic knowledge about the workings of the immune system, which is
responsible for the process of inflammation.

The Immune System

There are two main types of immunity: cell-mediated and humoral. Cell-mediated immunity relies on
specialized cells in the body to isolate, surround, and destroy the offender. The white blood cells are
the generals in charge of this defense department. They roam through the bloodstream, attacking and
destroying all infiltrators and spies: bacteria and viruses, toxins and allergens. If too many white
blood cells get bogged down dealing with invaders, extra reinforcements pour out of the bone
marrow into the blood to fight the battle.

The second type of immunity, called humoral, is the immune system's antibody response to a
foreign substance (antigen). The antibody is a protein that forms a perfect physical and chemical fit
to the antigen molecule, and thus neutralizes it. This antibody response can go haywire and produce
allergies, hay fever, and asthma. The body has the capacity to produce new antibodies, or antidotes,
to thousands of different compounds or antigens, like a chemical factory that can