VALO'S ARCHIVE

(NaturalNews) Most of our society lives with the idea that health is a state of "feeling good" and "not being sick or diseased." We fear contact with bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms. We use antibacterial soap, sprays, pills, potions and lotions. We are constantly "gearing up" for the next big flu pandemic, etc. In traditional cultures, fevers were always well respected and understood. Most people knew that the fever would build up and then break, much like a wave rolling into shore. Now, our society tries to suppress the fever immediately using antipyretics, or substances that lower temperature. These antipyretics include acetaminophen and ibuprofen. These quickly lower the temperature, but they also silence the body and hinder the development of the immune system. This allows the invading organisms to survive and contribute to the formation of chronic disease. Your immune system is a muscle: The immune system functions like a muscle in ...

This Week’s Question: I remember having lots of fevers as a kid, but, now that I’m older, I don’t get them like I used to. What gives? The immune system doesn’t function as efficiently in older adults as it does in younger people. The body's fever response to infection is not always automatic in elderly people. More than 20 percent of adults over age 65 who have serious bacterial infections do not have fevers. This brings us to germs, which are defined as microbes that cause disease. Infectious diseases caused by microbes are the leading cause of death. Microbes are microscopic organisms that are everywhere. Some microbes cause disease. Others are essential for health. Most microbes belong to one of four major groups: bacteria, viruses, fungi, or protozoa. Bacteria are made up of only one cell. Less than 1 percent of them cause diseases in humans. Harmless bacteria live in human intestines, where they help to digest food. Foods such as yogurt and cheese, are made using ba...

Nursing practice often involves procedures or management about which there is debate or uncertainty. In Practice Questions we ask experts to determine how nurses should approach these Practice question: All the nurses I know give paracetamol to lower a raised temperature even when the patient is not distressed. Some actually cause distress by removing blankets from a shivering patient with pyrexia. Surely both these actions are interfering with the body’s natural host defence response to infection? Pyrexia is a common clinical finding in illness, often indicating infection. The body’s immune response triggers heat generating strategies to kill invading bacteria and viruses. Interventions that interfere with this response may be unhelpful, particularly if they actually cause distress to the patient. Physiological response to infection Protective role of pyrexia Increase antibody production; Enhance mobility and function of neutrophils and macrophages (kill bacteria)...

Q:  If fever is a natural defense against pathogens, why do sick people take NSAIDs to reduce the fever? down vote accepte Personal comfort is the primary answer. Quite a bit of research has gone into fevers, and the current consensus is that  Fevers less than 105F (40.5C) shouldn't necessarily be treated . The primary reason the body raises its temperature (via the Hypothalamus in this case) is that  bacteria and viruses tend to optimally thrive at 98.6F , which is also your body's optimal operating temperature. By raising the body's temperature, the bacteria/viruses become less efficient, allowing your body to "catch up" since the body's immune response takes time to ramp up before it reaches its peak (which is a bit after peak viral/bacterial load). Here's an example for Hepatitis (HBxAg = the virus, Anti-HBx = antibodies against the virus): Along with the Fever, joint inflammation (part of the Innate Immune system's primary respo...

Pharmacokinetics of Alcohol, BAC, Effects At Specific B.A.C. Levels When alcohol enters your body, it isn’t digested like most substances. It’s absorbed quickly, and is seen as a toxin , so your body therefore will primarily use the liver to metabolize the alcohol. And while I don’t want to give a full biology lesson here, the liver works at about a “drink an hour” pace (which is where that age-old rate of recommended consumption likely comes from). Until it’s all metabolized, it’s all over your body, in your blood, visiting your brain, etc (3) . And, of course, because it’s in your blood, it’s therefore in your lungs. This is the cause of the alcohol breath that most people refer to. In simple terms, it’s “in the process of being processed” alcohol, and it has a distinct, somewhat sweet, odor. You probably know the smell I’m talking about (it’s also why the “alcohol smell” on someone intoxicated will smell remarkably similar, regardless if the alcohol consumed was whiskey, beer...

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Ghrelin is produced by the stomach. Among its numerous functions, ghrelin increases appetite and stimulates the release of growth hormone. What is ghrelin? Ghrelin is a hormone that is produced and released mainly by the stomach with small amounts also released by the small intestine, pancreas and brain. Ghrelin has numerous functions. It is termed the ‘hunger hormone’ because it stimulates appetite, increases food intake and promotes fat storage. When administered to humans, ghrelin increases food intake by up to 30% by circulating in the bloodstream at the hypothalamus, an area of the brain crucial in the control of appetite. Recently, ghrelin has also been shown to act on regions of the brain involved in reward processing such as the amygdala. Ghrelin also stimulates the release of growth hormone from the pituitary gland, which, unlike ghrelin itself, breaks down fat tissue and causes the build-up of muscle. Ghrelin also has protective effects on the cardiovascular system ...