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| | === Protection, Pain and Allergies === | | === Protection, Pain and Allergies === |
| | | | |
| - | Pain is an unpleasant sensation resulting from the intricate interplay between
| + | [[Self-Protection|Self-protection]] can have very severe consequences |
| - | sensory and cognitive mechanisms. It is associated with actual or
| + | and side-effects if the integrity of the self is affected: if the self |
| - | potential tissue damage in natural organisms. Although it is unpleasant,
| + | is not recognized correctly, allergies and autoimmune diseases occur. |
| - | it is a necessary mechanism of systems with the capability of effective selfprotection.
| + | The system attacks itself if the self cannot be distinguished |
| - | Effective self-protection means fast self-protection. The rapid
| + | correctly from the non-self. |
| - | warning through pain is a critical component of the body’s defense system.
| + | Pain is also a consequence of self-protection, it seems to be |
| - | Pain is an unpleasant sensation resulting from the intricate interplay between
| + | a general, necessary mechanism of systems with the capability |
| - | sensory and cognitive mechanisms. A painful stimulus leads to a massive
| + | of self-protection, because it signals the place where the |
| - | activation of multiple units, and prevents at the same time any actions
| + | self-protecting mechanisms fail or where they are badly needed. |
| - | associated with it. It is characterized by a loss in the flow of information, or
| + | |
| - | in the members of the system.
| + | |
| - | | + | |
| - | * A trainer of a sports team feels pain if his players are banned from the field, and he cannot send in new players.
| + | |
| - | * A general feel pain if his army loses in a continued campaign lots of soldiers, and he cannot replace them with new ones.
| + | |
| - | * A bishop feel pain if his church loses lots of members, while the number of new members is sinking, too. A chief of a political party will do the same
| + | |
| - | | + | |
| - | Pain seems to be a general, necessary mechanism of systems with the
| + | |
| - | capability of self-protection, because it signals the place where the selfprotecting
| + | |
| - | mechanisms fail. | + | |
| - | Another negative side-effect of self-protection are autoimmune diseases
| + | |
| - | and allergies. In autoimmune diseases the body attacks the ‘self’ and its
| + | |
| - | own cells, examples are Diabetes Mellitus (type 1) or Multiple Sclerosis. In
| + | |
| - | allergies, the body attacks harmless targets which are normal parts of the
| + | |
| - | body: allergens such as dust, pollen, or certain foods. In both cases, the body
| + | |
| - | attacks parts of itself which are harmless. The distinction between self/nonself
| + | |
| - | and harmless/harmful goes wrong. In autoimmune diseases, parts of the
| + | |
| - | self are mistaken for hostile agents, and in allergies, harmless targets are
| + | |
| - | mistaken for harmful intruders.
| + | |
| - | Most autoimmune diseases are probably the result of multiple circumstances,
| + | |
| - | for example, a genetic predisposition triggered by an infection. Autoimmune
| + | |
| - | diseases result from at least three different interacting components:
| + | |
| - | genetic, environmental and regulatory. A unifying concept for the explanation
| + | |
| - | of an autoimmune disease needs “to incorporate genetic predisposition,
| + | |
| - | environmental factors and immune dysregulation”, as Ermann and Fathman
| + | |
| - | argue.
| + | |
| | | | |
| | === Rejuvenation and Cancer === | | === Rejuvenation and Cancer === |
