Your body’s First Line of Defense

In any country, there is a defense system in place to combat invasion from land, sea, and air. They are the air force, the army, and the navy to protect a country from intrusion. Likewise, your body is also equipped with a defense mechanism to protect you and look after your health and well-being. The defense mechanism consists of the skin, eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.


1. The skin: Your skin is the first line of defense. It provides a physical barrier to prevent bacteria, viruses, and parasites from entering your body. The continuous shedding of dead skin makes it difficult for bacteria to grow on the skin. The skin also secretes sebum that forms a protective film over the skin as a chemical barrier. The acids and oil in the sebum prevent the growth of many microorganisms. The sweat excreted by the skin contains lysozyme, an enzyme occurring naturally in egg white, human tears, saliva, and other body fluids, capable of destroying the cell walls of certain bacteria and thereby acting as a mild antiseptic. Blood clotting is another mechanism to prevent the entry of microorganisms and foreign substances into the body through the damaged vessel.


2. Eyes: Tears contain lysozyme which helps protect the eyes from bacterial invasion.

3. Mouth: Similarly, saliva also contains lysozyme to protect the mouth from bacterial entering into your system.

4. Nose: The mucous membrane of the nose has mucous-coated hairs that trap and filter microorganisms, dust, and pollutants from inhaled air.

5. Ears: Earwax is produced naturally by glands in the skin of the ear canal (outer part). The wax is a defense mechanism meant to trap dust and dirt particles before they reach the eardrum.


As you know prevention is better than cure, the best defense is to maintain the cleanliness of your body by taking frequent showers especially in tropical countries. Drink plenty of water to keep your skin and body hydrated and stay away from polluted areas. Wash your hands after using the bathroom and before eating and make sure that the food is properly cooked to prevent food poisoning.