#anitbodies

[telegraphavekiss]

For the album asks: Past Lives

Favourite Track: Antibodies. Over a year ago, when Tucker did a Q&A with the Discord server, I asked what his favourite song on the album was and he answered with Antibodies. Ever since then, I was so excited for the album to come out so I could hear his favourite, and I was not disappointed.

Least Favourite Track: Don't hate me, but Sleep Cult. I'm just not big on slow songs in general. It's good! It's beautiful! It's just not something I'd put on my playlist.

Underrated track: I never hear anyone talk about Like Forever, and I'll be honest that I wasn't that fond of it when the album first came out either, but it definitely grew on me.

Overrated Track: Difficult choice. Part of me wants to say Permanent Rebellion or Grey Veins just because they get so much hype, but honestly the hype is fucking worth it. I don't know, can I just say none are overrated?

send me an album for this

[healthymaniacs]

What are Allergies Really all About?

SHOWDOWN Time!

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What does it even mean to be “allergic?” Turns out that the same biological system that is there to protect us against dangerous organisms, can actually harm us in some ways. The immune system functions to protect the human body against pathogens (viruses, bacteria and even cancer) by recognizing dangerous molecules in the body and getting rid of them to maintain a constant and safe environment [1]. Our immune system is always on high alert, yet sometimes it can also go overboard. Allergies are typically an overreaction or “hypersensitive” response to a relatively harmless substance, where our immune cells initiate a full blown attack when in contact with the “allergen” [1] . Imagine using a machine gun to shoot down a fly. Yeah, bad, bad idea. 

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[healthymaniacs]

Antibodies and Recognizing Danger

Our immune system has developed a way to recognize and differentiate between cells: our own cells are known as “self” and molecules that come from outside our bodies, known as “non-self” [2] . If a non-self substance is recognized to pose a threat to your health, it is eliminated immediately. Our immune system does this by using “antibodies,'' special molecules on the surface of our immune cells which act like scanners that can recognize specific molecules, or “antigens” on the surface of the foreign substance [2] . You know how when you’re trying to hide something and your parents can give one sniff and instantly expose your lies? It’s like that, but here, the story won’t end with you just getting grounded!

Since our antibodies are designed to recognize specific antigens, they act like a signal for immune cells to attack [3]. War cry intensifies in the background. People with allergies have an abundance of a particular kind of antibody known as “IgE” which recognizes antigens on harmless substances like peanuts or pollen [3] . The amount of IgE you have is usually dependent on the genes you receive from your parents (Gee, thanks Mom and Dad┌( ಠ_ಠ)┘) so particular allergies are usually common in the family [3] .

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