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Right!

Cortisol depresses immune and inflammatory function in many ways.

It blocks prostaglandin production - -so injured tissues can't begin an inflammatory response by calling white blood cells to the area.

Then, if neutrophils get to the area anyway, cortisol prevents them from leaving the blood and entering the injured tissue.

It decreases the activity of monocytes and macrophages, so there are fewer of these antigen-presenting cells to alert the immune system

and, over the long run, it atrophies the thymus so fewer mature T cells will be produced!

But why on earth would you want to turn off your immune system, just when the body is under attack?

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