Drug Information Q&A Q8: What is the relationship between the power to heal illness naturally (spontaneous healing power) and drugs?
Answer
Drugs are intended to help people heal illnesses and injuries on their own. The role of drugs is to restore our natural healing power through their effective use.
Explanation
It is said that natural healing power is one of the abilities inherent in human beings.
As the old saying goes, when you have a stomach ache, you can put your hand on the affected area and keep it still, and the symptoms will subside.
Also, when you catch a cold, eating something easily digestible and sleeping warmly may help you recover. This is thanks to our natural healing power.
When we experience pain or other stressful situations, the pituitary gland secretes a substance called endorphins. These endorphins have the same effect as the narcotic morphine, i.e., they have the power to alleviate pain and anxiety.
It is said that the typical pain experienced by women is childbirth, and it is known that the activity of endorphins begins to increase before delivery and reaches six times the normal level during delivery. In order to cope with the stress and pain of childbirth, the human body produces its own endorphins.
As this shows, it is safe to assume that the body's "internal medicine," which the body produces to survive illness and injury, plays a major role in natural healing power.
In addition to endorphins, substances that have the same effect as digitalis, a cardiotonic drug, and nitroglycerin, which suppresses angina pectoris attacks, are known to be secreted from the inner surface of our blood vessels (endothelial cells).
Also, when we are injured, the wound may fester and produce pus. Pus is the result of white blood cells fighting against invading bacteria. Phagocytic cells such as white blood cells prevent disease infection by eating bacteria that try to enter the body.
This type of resistance is one of the natural healing powers of the human body.
Although the human body is equipped with such an excellent healing power, sometimes pathogens that are stronger than the body's ability to heal itself may invade the body. In addition, the body's natural healing power can be weakened by continuous stress. When illness strikes at such a time, the body is unable to resist with "internal medicines" and white blood cells alone, and requires the help of medicines.
Chart/Column
8｜The Concept of Spontaneous Healing
When the body's response is smooth, it is healthy (normal). However, if for some reason the body's reactions become sluggish, the body becomes ill (pathological condition = abnormality). At that time, the body's internal reactions always work to return to a healthy state. This is called "homeostasis.
For conditions that greatly exceed the ability to maintain homeostasis, it is necessary to use the power of drugs to return to a normal (healthy) state.
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