Our immune system is our first line of defence against infections and other external and internal attacks, and is made up of three distinct layers, which are deployed depending on the nature of the threat;

·         physical barriers: e.g. skin, lungs, gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts

·         biochemical barriers: e.g. secretions, mucus, and gastric acid

·         immune cells: e.g. T and B cells which produce antibodies to target and destroy the pathogen

Being depressed can make us feel helpless. We're not! As well as therapy and sometimes medication, there's a lot we can do on our own to fight back. Changing our behaviour, our physical activity, lifestyle, and even our way of thinking - are all natural depression treatments.

Here are some tried and tested tips that can help you feel better. So why not start right now?

Get into a routine

A lot of us take to our bed for days on end when we’re depressed. Setting a gentle daily schedule can help us get back on track, even if that's just getting out of bed, washed and ready before 10am, so that the days don't become an endless blur of nothingness.

What are brainwaves?

Our brains are home to billions of neurons, which are specialised nerve cells that use electrical impulses to send messages to each other. British physician Richard Caton first noticed that the brain had an electrical current in 1875, and by 1924, German neurologist Hans Berger had found a way to read the current by developing a machine called an electroencephalograph (EEG). When attached by several pairs of electrodes to a patient's scalp, an EEG captures the electrical activity in the brain, then amplifies the signal and records it on a graph.