In spite of all the powerful inventions of man, including the super computers and other state-of-the-art electronic devices, they have not come close to matching the amazing super human body. Even the production of these man-made machines cannot compare with the wonderful miracle of creation itself, from fertilization in the womb to the actual birth of the child, to the progressive growth of all “components and softwares” and the escalation in the sophistication of their versatile abilities and functions as they mature. After they are manufactured, machines are limited to their standard specs and narrow options, if any, and do not regenerate and repair themselves to the mind-boggling degree the human body does on its own, naturally.
From the moment the sperm penetrates and fertilizes the ovum, cell divisions continue until all the tissues and organs are formed up to the delivery of the newborn. Throughout those stages of development, cell repairs and regeneration are constantly taking place. As a matter of fact, the same self-healing takes place everyday in all of us until we die. That is the marvelous intrinsic power of healing our human body has.
Bodily auto-response
When we sustain a cut, the body reacts by constricting the blood vessel to control the bleeding. The blood also automatically thickens to promote clotting. The white blood cells accumulate at the injured site and secrete lysosome to break down and digest dead cells and the macrophages engulf the debri and get rid of them, cleaning the area for new cell formation as part of the healing process. To soothe the pain, the body’s built-in pharmacy releases morphine-like substance to reduce the hurt and provide mild sedation. All these happen spontaneously, simultaneously, and efficiently, under normal and healthy situation. This is how powerful and wonderful the human body is.
However, if the individual has abused his body with inactivity, unhealthy diet, smoking, excess alcoholic intake, unmanaged stress, and poor hygiene, then the DNA of this person has sustained some damage and his/her immune system has been weakened and the body’s defense system is lower as a result. Compared to a healthier body, this one will have a lower resistance, heal poorly, and be at a higher risk for infection and other potential complications. As such, this person is generally also more susceptible to have diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, cancer, and even Alzheimer’s.
Round the clock cell vigilance
When a person develops any form of illness, including cancer, the normal response of the body is to defend itself from the “attacker or invader.” Every second, the body is in constant alert for anything that will alter its normalcy. When we are dehydrated or famish, our brain sends appropriate impulses to make us feel thirsty or hungry. When there is anything wrong, our body sends us warnings, some sooner, some later. All the cells, the building block of our body, are in constant vigilance and state of readiness 24/7 to do what is needed to maintain health. Like our heart, these cells are working non-stop, even more so while we are asleep, repairing and regenerating new cells to manage the daily wear and tear in our body, and producing anti-oxidants to neutralize harmful free-radicals.
Homeostasis: Body equilibrium
The main goal of our bodily system to maintain the normal equilibrium, normal homeostasis, where there is natural balance within us. Any external or even internal force that is negative is met with a vigorous positive counterforce, aimed at equalizing and maintaining homeostasis. Dis-ease develops when this balance is severely off.
The success of our natural defense system also depends on the degree or dose of the insult. In infection, this depends on the severity of the viral, bacterial, fungal, or parasitic invasion. If it is mild enough for our body resistance to fight, then our behavior alone, without medications, can thwart the infection. Unbeknownst to us, this self-healing is happening to us every second of our life. We normally have countless germs all over us.
We are teeming with germs
One of the dirtiest sources of germs is paper money and coins. Before you acquire any of these, they have passed through thousands of hands, most of them dirty and contaminated, as all hands are. Unfortunately, some people do not even wash their hands after using the toilet. Our hands, our entire skin surface, for that matter, have bugs on them at any given time, except when we wash them properly, and the number is lessend. When we do not wash them regularly (at least 8 times in a normal day), the germs multiply.
In public places, we touch door knobs, hand rails, posts, tables and chairs, and almost anything else, which are all teeming with bacteria. At home, bacteria abound, especially in the kitchen, worst than in the toilet, believe it or not. That has been scientifically proven. Even our mouth has plenty of germs in it, which, if not reduced by good oral hygiene daily, can cause halitosis (bad breath), tooth decay, and gum diseases. And, as we have written in our previous column a few years ago, dental infection can cause heart disease.
As long as our skin is intact, the tens of thousands of bacteria on it cannot penetrate the skin to cause infection, unless the skin is cut or is bruised, breaking the skin’s protective barrier.
The reason why some people are less prone to developing a cold, the Flu, or other illnesses is because of the uncompromised integrity of their DNA and their fortified immune system, as a result of a healthy lifestyle. This alone can help us maximize longevity.
The self-healing or auto-repair and regeneration of the body can be maintained or even made more efficient through wholesome behavior and habits. Anything to the contrary will, obviously, have the opposite effect.
The human body is truly magnificent and fabulous, unequalled. It has the power to think, to feel, to love, to reason, its appendages are versatile and very useful, it comes with a built-in chemical plant, it can adapt, and it possesses the enormous ability to repair, regenerate, and replicate itself. It is astonishingly unique. With great awe and surrender, I bow to its Designer/Architect/Builder.
Just like most things in life, we reap what we sow, and the power, most of the time, is in our hands. We must not neglect or abuse this gift of wonder.
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Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: [email protected]
