Ah, physiology. Enjoyed by all!
This is my first entry of this nature. It will be short and to the point.
Interesting fact #1: Your stomach produces 2 liters of acid per day!
Interesting fact #2: The demyelinating disease Multiple Sclerosis, like any disease, has predisposing factors that increase your risk. One interesting note is the farther away you live from the equator (North or South), the greater risk you have for developing the disease. Apparently there is a noticeable correlation. Any thoughts on that one?
Interesting fact#3: In the parasite section of my G.I. systems course my prof spoke of her theory on the autoimmune protection of being a 'wormy person'. She discussed how areas of the world plagued with constant parasites don't develop autoimmune diseases like the more pristine environments of the west. She thinks that occupying your immune system with parasites gives it something to do and therefore it leaves your joints and other tissues alone. I like thinking about immune cells that are bored because of a lack of parasites to attack so they turn against there fellow cells destroying and causing trouble. Sounds like an interesting analogy for how people work!
Interesting fact #1: Your stomach produces 2 liters of acid per day!
Interesting fact #2: The demyelinating disease Multiple Sclerosis, like any disease, has predisposing factors that increase your risk. One interesting note is the farther away you live from the equator (North or South), the greater risk you have for developing the disease. Apparently there is a noticeable correlation. Any thoughts on that one?
Interesting fact#3: In the parasite section of my G.I. systems course my prof spoke of her theory on the autoimmune protection of being a 'wormy person'. She discussed how areas of the world plagued with constant parasites don't develop autoimmune diseases like the more pristine environments of the west. She thinks that occupying your immune system with parasites gives it something to do and therefore it leaves your joints and other tissues alone. I like thinking about immune cells that are bored because of a lack of parasites to attack so they turn against there fellow cells destroying and causing trouble. Sounds like an interesting analogy for how people work!
posted by Glenn Reyn at 8:29 PM
1 Comments:
Those are some very interesting facts. In response to fact #2. Don't people near the equator have shorter lifespans? And doesn't MS strike older people more often than younger ones. Thinking of the equatorial countries, I'd guess that the lower life expectancy might account for the lower rates of occurance.
The same could go for fact #3. When I think of "areas of the world plagued by constant parasites" and great healthcare (high life expectancy) they don't seem to go hand in hand. How old do people who are constantly plagued by parasites live? Seems like constantly pooping would lower that age just a tad. I'd assume this study would've accounted for this, but who knows. Something to bring up maybe? Anywhoooo....Bye.
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