The Thymus gland is situated in the upper chest near to the Heart. It isn’t related to the Thyroid Gland. Not a lot was known about the Thymus until the 70’s when it was discovered that it was the engine room and university for special elite T Cells. The ‘T’ comes from Thymus. Thymus function is active from birth and peaks in puberty. After that it starts to shrink away so by the time you are 65yrs old it has all but disappeared and all that’s left is a blob of fat.
Cells are manufactured in bone marrow and some are sent to the Thymus for specialist training in specialist areas. A bit like a boot camp for different military units. T cells perform different functions eg: killer T Cells to destroy any threat to our immune system, anti inflammation cells to calm the battle site down and memory T Cells that remembers the enemy and how to defeat it.
Once these cells have matured, learned their role and are equipped to deal with potential attacks they are released out on work experience where they actively take part on the front line to defend us from bugs and virus. The more we are exposed to the bigger our armoury becomes. We are all unique so therefore we all have different immune systems depending on what we have been through and when.
The Thymus gland is also affected by stress so being locked up away from others will have both a physical and physiological effect on the Thymus in that it can shrink and ‘atrophy’.
In those over 65 it’s all but gone so people of older years are reliant on the T Cells they have managed to accumulate and stock up on all their lives. The Thymus gland does an amazing job of looking after the majority of us.
Whilst children are very busy being exposed to many new bugs and virus their Thymus glands are working full pelt to protect them from everything new that could harm them. Vaccinating children against a ‘virus’ such as Covid when we know their Thymus gland can do a far better job appears both dangerous and unnecessary. A bit like using a hammer to crack a nut.
To vaccinate the elderly who by now have very little immune system left and no infrastructure to manufacture the necessary T cell response it appears mystifying as to why anyone would be prepared to do this given the fragility of many elderly and those who are immunosuppressed.
Have you heard the term ‘immunosenescence’? It’s the process of ‘ageing’. It appears that unless a vaccine has SPECIFICALLY been designed for the elderly it may a) not be effective b) May cause serious side effects.
