Week Seven: Cell Biology and Cancer

1 and 2. How sophisticated is our understanding of cancer and How does a TCM approach to cancer differ?

I must say this topic is strangely synchronistic. I think I mentioned in class that my friend has recently been diagnosed with her second brain tumor.

So I have spent the last four hours reading about cancerous brain tumors. I have read about treatments, diagnoses, and the fact that "they" don't know what causes brain tumors (though some others have theories). I read story after story of people dealing with this diagnosis, or trying to find support when a loved one has this diagnosis. There have been a few miraculous cures as well, which is quite hopeful.

Western medicine knows how the cancer acts, what it looks like, and what the prognosis generally is, but they don't know what causes it, how to prevent it, or much about alternative treatments. Typically they focus on removal of the tumor and poisoning any remaining cancerous cells. There has been much research, and many research dollars, toward finding a cancer cause and a cancer cure. Without tons of success -- but some (someone diagnosed with cancer now has a greater chance of surviving).

Happily, I had the feeling that the researchers actually really care about finding a cure, and the neurosurgeons seemed to really care about their patients well being. A lot of patients reported how "warm" and "kind" their doctors were. That was good news. There are even some neurosurgeons who recommend that their patients seek acupuncture to help support the immune system through chemotherapy, and also as a way to cope with pain.

Then I searched for brain tumors and "Chinese medicine." The Chinese medical practitioners also suggested that acupuncture would be a good way to manage pain and boost the immune system.

Chinese medical practitioners seemed to have a greater confidence in defining what might cause cancer than the Western physicians did. The explanations had a lot to do with the body being out of balance and a stagnation of qi. Chinese medical theory speaks to treating the whole person when treating a cancer patient -- not just focusing on the tumor--balance the body and get the qi flowing and you will strengthen the body, allowing it to bring itself back into balance, and thereby creating less favorable conditions for growing cancer (in addition to strengthening the immune system).

The real question here, however, is how do you treat --in an emotional way-- someone who has been diagnosed with cancer? Especially when it brings up your own issues of mortality, fear of change, attempts to restrain the “bad” stuff in your life? How do you -- as a practitioner or a friend -- maintain open heartedness and not get too caught up in your own stuff? How do you remain solid, but not robotic? Helping someone to face a serious illness is a pretty heavy thing and requires a big heart and some wisdom, I think --whatever type of medicine you choose to administer.

3. Are our genes still being shaped by natural selection?

Though I’m not entirely sold on “natural selection” to begin with, if it has indeed been true in the past, it certainly is still true now. Just because we believe we have conquered nature does not mean we actually have. We are still part of nature. We are still animals. We might be more successful as individuals for the time being -- able to survive longer and to reproduce despite having physical maladies that might have killed us off in the past before having a chance to reproduce, but if you take a long view and view humanity as one gigantic organism, our “success” will ultimately lead to our downfall. Already people are starving from not enough food. And we are making the planet an inhospitable place for any life. Much of this is because we have been able to reproduce with such dazzling success! We will eventually succumb to the power of nature, even if we think we are tricking it for the time being.

Then again, maybe we are not still being shaped by natural selection....and maybe our opting out was not such a good idea.

Lions and Tigers and Bears!

Here is the clip I was trying to explain tonight in class. The part I like best is the smile of love and knowing on the one guy's face. Such confidence in love!

Week Six: The Nature of Life

1. How do you distinguish between living and nonliving systems?

LIVING...

Something alive: my dog Pepita:



Something alive: the flower seedlings I planted yesterday when I was supposed to be doing my homework.

Something alive: the energy in the room last night when we were downloading theme songs from seventies TV shows and dancing like crazy people to Sanford and Son...well maybe I was the only one dancing like a crazy person...

Something alive: a virus?

NON-LIVING...

Something non-living: my coffee cup



Something non-living: my little green blanket that I wrap around people and dogs when they are sick or feeling blue

Something non-living: this here computer

Something non-living: that cool slate gray stone that somebody once upon a time gave me and told me that it was magical



Something non-living: that secret pile of teddy bears I keep in a wicker laundry basket and put out of sight so people don't think I'm a dork


(okay, so I have more than just teddy bears...)

Something non-living: a virus?

ONCE ALIVE, now non-living (DEAD)...

Something dead: my fingernails and hair

Something dead: that poor squirrel that Daisy killed yesterday



Something dead: the Gardenia that took more water than I had time to give it. I'm sorry Gardenia. I was looking forward to your beautiful scent.

Something dead: a virus?


What is the difference? First, "non-living" and "dead" are two different things. A a key, a dish, a car...these are all non-living, but not dead. My fingernail is non-living but also dead. John McCain's poor wife is living but also looks dead--her spirit seems crushed.

And what about viruses? And what about a cut flower? What about the wood that our homes are built of? What about that piece of garlic that will begin sprouting if you leave it sitting there too long? Are these alive, dead, living, non-living?

What about the energy that hangs in a room? What about your most prized possession? What about that dirty sock I keep seeing in the bathroom and don't stop to pick it up -- the one made of cotton that came from a once-living plant?

Something that is alive, I think, can usually move from an internal source of energy, even if just by growing. Like that lichen that grows 0.5mm per year, getting nutrients from dust in the air, and living for 4,500 years. Wow. It is "animated" -- which comes from the latin and greek words for "give life to" "air" "breath" "soul" and "wind."



Something dead used to breathe and exchange energy and matter with the rest of the world, but now is still and decaying. It now continues to give out, but not take in. Therefore, my secret stuffed animal collection might be considered "dead" because many of them are made from cotton, which is a plant material.

Something that is non-living has never breathed. Like rocks and metal. But does this mean that it lacks consciousness?

AND WHAT ABOUT CONSCIOUSNESS?

That there is another question all together. Usually living things are thought to possess some level of consciousness, particularly if they are biologically "complex." Of course some people still reserve consciousness just for humanity. But others might extend it to dogs or even to rats, but not to bacteria, ants, or plants. Some--from mystics to shaman to even some modern scientists-- extend consciousness to rocks and electrons:

“If evolution is to work smoothly, consciousness in some shape must have been present at the very origin of things. Accordingly we find that the more clear-sighted evolutionary philosophers are beginning to posit it there. Each atom of the nebula, they suppose, must have had an aboriginal atom of consciousness linked with it; ... the mental atoms ... have fused into those larger consciousnesses which we know in ourselves and suppose to exist in our fellow-animals.”

--William James, “The Principles of Psychology,” 1890


William James (above) -- dead, but once alive...

Here are some choice excerpts from a 2007 New York Times article "Mind of a Rock":

(for full article see: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/magazine/18wwln-lede-t.html)

And the part of our world that is most recalcitrant to our understanding at the moment is consciousness itself. How could the electrochemical processes in the lump of gray matter that is our brain give rise to — or, even more mysteriously, be — the dazzling technicolor play of consciousness, with its transports of joy, its stabs of anguish and its stretches of mild contentment alternating with boredom? This has been called “the most important problem in the biological sciences” and even “the last frontier of science.” It engrosses the intellectual energies of a worldwide community of brain scientists, psychologists, philosophers, physicists, computer scientists and even, from time to time, the Dalai Lama.

So vexing has the problem of consciousness proved that some of these thinkers have been driven to a hypothesis that sounds desperate, if not downright crazy. Perhaps, they say, mind is not limited to the brains of some animals. Perhaps it is ubiquitous, present in every bit of matter, all the way up to galaxies, all the way down to electrons and neutrinos, not excluding medium-size things like a glass of water or a potted plant. Moreover, it did not suddenly arise when some physical particles on a certain planet chanced to come into the right configuration; rather, there has been consciousness in the cosmos from the very beginning of time.

...Take that rock over there. It doesn’t seem to be doing much of anything, at least to our gross perception. But at the microlevel it consists of an unimaginable number of atoms connected by springy chemical bonds, all jiggling around at a rate that even our fastest supercomputer might envy. And they are not jiggling at random. The rock’s innards “see” the entire universe by means of the gravitational and electromagnetic signals it is continuously receiving. Such a system can be viewed as an all-purpose information processor, one whose inner dynamics mirror any sequence of mental states that our brains might run through. And where there is information, says panpsychism, there is consciousness. In David Chalmers’s slogan, “Experience is information from the inside; physics is information from the outside.”


2. What do you feel is the significance of the use of language and tools in chimps?

Some humans are searching for a connection with the other. This is strictly a judgmental opinion, but I think some of us feel more comfortable with, and more compassion for, living beings that are not human because humans can be very cruel. Therefore we want to spend more time with non-human animals. Those who spend more time with non-human animals are often surprised to find how similar they can be to human animals. Particularly other primates. Because we as a species have for so long separated ourselves from non-human animals it is surprising to find language and tool-use -- things we believed to be unique to ourselves -- happening in other animals.

What is of the most important significance with this discoveries is that perhaps -- perhaps! -- others will become convinced that non-human animals are worthy of compassion. Because some people don't seem to value anything that is *other*. So, hopefully, slowly non-human animals will be given the right they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect if we prove how similar they are to us.

Other animals besides humans and chimps use tools:

Crows:


Elephant painting:



Other animals have language (even though it is not English!!!)

Check out this link about prairie dog nouns, verbs, adjectives:
http://www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/lds/meridian/2005/prairie_dog.html



Humpback whale communication:



3. "Chinese Medicine Gaining Respectability in the West?"

Frankly, I fear Western science prying into the Chinese medicine. The basic tenets of Chinese medicine, from what I understand, link back to a much different philosophy than that of Western science and medicine. Western science tends to take a role of domination, making other philosophies and cultures submit to it. Bending and shaping other philosophies to fit into its framework in order to deem them acceptable. Just like with the topic of animal language -- most other animals are assumed not to have language because they don't speak English. Western scientists tend to judge other things based on its world view. How can you fairly evaluate something from a perspective other than the one from which it is born? It this possible?

Though perhaps my fear is linked to a fear of change and a naive idealizing of Chinese medicine and villifying of Western science.

I just hope that the concepts of Chinese medicine, and other traditional medicines being sought out by Westerners, are not too watered down and re-formed so as to lose their essence, becoming that which we are trying to seek an alternative to.

It would also be interesting to explore this question in reverse -- how have the Chinese accepted Western medicine into their world view and health care system?

Heart Transplant Presentation

Hello wonderful AIMC biology classmates:

I forgot to bring your e-mail addresses to work (unloaded all that heavy school stuff from my bag!) but will forward the stuff I promised tonight to all of you. Here, though, is the link to the HeartMath Institute: www.heartmath.org. There's lots of really inspiring research there!

A bit on Chinese Medicine and heart energy that I found on the Internet -- funny, this sums up my whole presentation in a nutshell (or at least what I was shooting for):

"In Taoist Chinese medicine, heart (shen or spirit), soul (mind/emotions) and the physical body are entwined as one. Ancient tradition teaches us and modern research now shows that as our hearts become clear, filling with gratitude and loving-kindness, this engages the higher cognitive functioning of the brain. This resonance of inner peace and love affects every living cell in our body and allows us to live life in harmony with grace. Thus, the essence of healing is rooted in Spirit"

“The heart is the sovereign of all organs &
represents the consciousness of one’s being.
It is responsible for intelligence, wisdom &
spiritual transformation.” Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine

“Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life” Proverbs 4:23

Week Five: The Complexity of Life

1. Can diversification save species?

Apparently species diversification is necessary for life to thrive - otherwise living species would procreate asexually, there would be nothing such as male and female and everything would be a clone. This seems to be very simple and straightforward logic. The way things are set up, you need to cross-pollinate with another member of the species in order to recombine dna and create a new life that is different from its parents.




Troubles from not following this logic, created simply by greed, have cropped up on many occasions but apparently those in the business of mass food production, and mass lumber production, are not interested in learning this lesson. The world's food supply in the hands of so few is kind of a scary thing--large monoculture crops are easily destroyed by disease (what one is prone to, so all of them are).



What we can do is plant our own food. During the Second World War American's grew something like 60% of their own food in backyard Victory Gardens. There are people who are saving a diverse seed supply, and buying and growing these seeds will be a help. Also, the localvore movement is a good idea. The closer you are to your food supply, the better.

It certainly makes the world richer, more beautiful and interesting!


2. Do you vote for the chicken or the egg?



Personally I vote on the sage grouse. If the chicken/egg question is literal, it couldn't be the egg because the new chicken would have no one to mate with and would die off without reproducing its kind. It couldn't be the chicken because where would the chicken have come from? The sky?

So by giving the answer "the sage grouse" what I am saying is that the entire chicken species is just part of a continuum of all animal life which gradually, gradually shifts from one species into the next. Slow motion shapeshifting. With chickens, I suppose humankind captured some of the wild "chickens" (something like a sage grouse) and the brighter and more fussy of the bunch escaped or were kicked out of the coop. The more vacant of the clan stuck around to become our domesticated chickens. That's my guess, anyway.

3. Eating my broccoli...

Funny enough broccoli has been a feature of my meals for the last week. It's not really my favorite though. There are so many different opinions and theories about what is good for you and what is bad for you. I just try to pay attention to how my body feels. I became a vegetarian at about the age of nineteen because my stomach hurt after I ate meat. I became a vegan about six years ago because of the bodily disagreement I have with dairy. I started to eat meat on occasion about a year ago because my iron levels were dangerously low which may have contributed to not being able to carry a pregnancy to term (according to my doctor). Through all these dietary shifts, I know my body well and know that I feel most energetic when I eat a diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables, adequate protein, but no meat. However, I'm no longer so meticulous about what I eat. I've become a little more flexible which has resulted in being a little more relaxed, which was necessary.

Best of all, I like to eat the food I grow myself:

Week Four: The Pattern of Life

1. Is there a drug around for just about everything?

Probably. There's also a poem for just about everything. What you use to cure what ails you, depends on where you look. If you see the body as a chemical body, then yes, you can find a drug to try to address that chemical. If you see the world in poetic terms, you'll probably read Rumi or ee cummings or Emily Dickinson or go listen to some Curtis Mayfield or Mozart or Dolly Parton, depending on the need.

In the drug industry there is something called "The Orange Book" (http://www.fda.gov/cder/ob/) which provides a listing of approved drug "products." This book is updated *daily* and contains approximately 10,000 approved drug products, 7,000 new drug applications, and 5,500 discontinued drug products. That's a lot of drugs for a lot of ailments. You can get drugs for restless legs, bad behavior, genetic troubles, cancers, peeing too much, peeing too little, not being able to sleep, having a sore thumb, and for uncontrollable swearing and sweating (including eyebrow sweating).

Likewise, I found poems about lyme disease, chronic pain, seasonal affective disorder, and bad knees. There's a whole website devoted to "poetic healing." Here is a poem from that site, just for Indian Summer:

MEDICINE MAN:
THE HEART OF HEALING
(G,A)

Born of mud rising to the sun—
Bark and stone
The deepest beauty curls within my blood
Resounds like thunder, deafening time.

Grunting savage of earth and beast
Slowly wading the thick forest mist
Incarnating a language centuries past—
Breath so green, dark and laden
Mist and sweat develop my scent.

Before me, within me, maps and layers
Evolving, turning, weaving a wisdom
I cannot say.
Skin of layers, darkened soil
Breasts like memory I hold within
Peeled from time, dissolved to soul, flesh and love.

Millennia tinged a verdant spark, pulse a landscape
Inside I see the world before me—
Gathering roots, smelling leaves
This is home eternity says
Never a choice from heaven unknown.

I hold my heart so you may see it
Let go, let go
A depth inside I cannot say.

We are creative beings and apparently desparate for healing. We'll try anything, and maybe everything. So, it's not surprising there is indeed a drug for everything. It just depends which medicine chest you stock. Poems? Sounds? Needles? Prayers? Clozapine? Chicken noodle soup?



2. Can we raise our levels of dopamine ourselves?

Yes, we can. It is produced in the brain, so it seems reasonable that we can raise the level of this hormone/neurotransmitter ourselves. I found lists of ways to do so:

Fish, red meat, chicken, turkey, eggs, beans and legumes, fermented soy like tempeh and miso, and beverages like coffee, black tea, green tea and milk; seeds such as Sunflower, Pumpkin and Milk Thistle; herbs such as Ginseng, Nettles, Red clover, Fenugreek, and Peppermint. Exercise will help and eating foods rich in protein will increase dopamine levels. Orgasm is perhaps one of the quickest most intense ways to raise dopamine levels.

The question is, do we want to keep raising dopamine levels? Some say that we can become addicted to higher levels of dopamine, such as those levels achieved by orgasm, and as addicts we will do anything to get "high." The problem with orgasm and dopamine is that what follows is a release of prolactin, which can lead to a greater need to get the dopamine fix. Being addicted is being addicted and it's just as damaging to become addicted to something natural as it is to something illegal (or legal).

I discovered an extremely interesting website that has a very different take on dopamine, prolactin, sex, and lasting human bonds. The key, according to this website, is actually to try to raise oxytocin levels, and not dopamine levels. Oxytocin is released as the result of loving bonds, and therefore will lead to greater overall health. Chasing after increased levels of dopamine will only result in acting like a crazy addict. http://www.reuniting.info/science/oxytocin_health_bonding

3. How do you think chimps and humans diverged as a species?

Probably it happened on the borderland of forest and grasslands. Probably the human-chimp species population grew too large, like beehives do at the end of a good summer, and part of the population took off into a place that had no trees. The lack of trees led to more of a need to walk, hence the bipedalism. It's easy to be spotted in the grasses, so the smarter you are, the better weapons can be made, and you survive if you're a warrior. All of our current human fears and psychological problems extend from those early days in the grasslands. That's kind of a joke. But so there you have it. The need to survive. We're all perfectly adapted to some past time and place running through the grasslands. Now we're trapped in an urban jungle, which we're not so well adapted to. And chimps are trapped within our urban jungle too- mostly in cages in zoos or in our ivory towered research labs helping us to cure ourselves. We're still involved in hating the other. The ones who chose to stay, or maybe who actually kicked us out, of the trees that couldn't hold all of us.