Nature, Reality, & Buddhism

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Naga (2024-07-11 @ 16:17)

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Guan Yu (關羽) 2024-07-12 @ 13:42

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2024-07-15 @ 10:10

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Chi Lin (2024-07-17 @ 09:50)

2024-07-17 @ 11:29

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2024-07-18 @ 13:11

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2024-07-23 @ 16:59

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2024-07-24 @ 11:31

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Stem Cells: The Saviour

 

Every human experiences different life stages, known as the human life cycle.  At the start of our life in our mother's womb, we are a zygote, a mixture of cells formed by the egg and sperm in the prenatal stage.  After birth, we transition from a baby to a teenager.  When teenagers go through puberty, they undergo many changes that transform them into adults.  As we age and our bodies slow down, we eventually reach the elderly stage and the end of life, which is commonly known as death.

 

Cells are the basic building blocks of life and are commonly depicted as tiny packages that include factory buildings, warehouses, transportation systems, and power plants.  They operate independently, producing their energy and reproducing themselves.  The cell is the tiniest form of life that can reproduce.  The human body contains over 200 distinct cell types that can differ in size, number, structure, and use.  In the small group of human cell types, you will find stem cells, bone cells, blood cells, muscle cells, sperm cells, female egg cells, fat cells, nerve cells, and others.

 

According to recent estimates, the average human body has around 30 trillion cells, which are replaced regularly.  Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel have made a significant discovery about the speed and scope of this “changeover” after years of research.  About 330 billion cells are replaced every day, which is roughly 1 percent of our total cells.  In about 80 to 100 days, 30 trillion will be replenished, equivalent to someone being born.  Furthermore, the human body's capacity to replenish relies heavily on stem cells.

 

Stem cells are a distinct type of cell that possess two significant features.  They can generate cells that are similar to themselves, which is called self-renewal, and they can differentiate into different cells that do different things in a process known as differentiation.  Stem cells are found in almost all body tissues and play a significant part in the human body's ageing process.  To put it differently, ageing is associated with a decrease in the ability of stem cells to regenerate.

 

As a result, we need to revisit our current understanding of the human life cycle.  To assess life expectancy, we frequently employ a life table, a tool that shows the chance of a person dying before his/her next birthday based on his/her age.  This measurement, however, may make it challenging to comprehend the actual situation.  In reality, we face both life and death at the same time and any given moment.  As previously mentioned, approximately 330 billion cells are replaced daily, which is equivalent to approximately 1 percent of our total cells.  This context sheds light on the fact that we don't live and die at different times. 

 

In Chinese philosophy, everything is a mixture of yin and yang. The yin-yang principle states that when a quality reaches its apex, it inevitably begins to change into an opposing quality.  The union of the two results in something, just like the success of democracy rests in large part on both the opposition and the government.  It is all about striking a balance between the competing and complementary forces of yin (decay) and yang (flourish), which will lead to the victor claiming the throne.  For instance, in Hisashi Ouchi's case, the stem cells that were introduced were wiped out by the excessive radiation flowing through his blood.  Ultimately, the doctors managed to keep him alive for 83 excruciating days. (Note: If we remove the stem cells, our body system will expire within the next 80-100 days, which is what occurred).

 

To end on a positive note, it is crucial to take care of the stem cells in our body to delay the ageing process and increase life expectancy.  It is untrue that a 70-year-old human body is made up of 70-year-old body cells.  The reason is that a new person is created inside a person's body every 80 to 100 days.  To put it differently, our body cells have a lifespan of only 80-100 days.  Nurturing and sustaining the healthy growth of stem cells in the body is the key to resisting ageing and prolonging life expectancy.  

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Age is simply a number that indicates how much time a person has spent on Earth.  The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  Ultimately, our birthday should be celebrated on a 100-day cycle since our entire body takes around 100 days to rejuvenate; in contrast to a 365-day cycle, which is the time it takes for the Earth to orbit around the Sun (a.k.a. the Earth's birthday cycle).  The ageing process can be delayed with the help of stem cell treatments.  A sophisticated shield can be created by a stem cell infusion and anti-ageing genes to prevent or slow the effects of ageing, which can prolong our lifespan.

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