Ancient Medicine Vs. Evolutionary Biology

It 's bad or infectious bacteria that cause illness as they rapidly reproduce and produce a toxin that kills or mutates cells, bacteria is also self sufficient.

Dr. Sharon Moalem, the author of Survival of the Sickest, provides a fascinating glimpse into the idea that modern human diseases that afflict us actually have a significant role in the selection and the existence of our ancestors. Before reading this book, I was used to thinking of diseases as disorders that adversely affect a person. While this may be the case for most individuals, Moalem explained in his book that that there’s an underlying connection between various diseases and longevity of a species. He explained how these diseases helped fight against more life threatening situations such as the Bubonic Plague, malaria, and the ice age. Most importantly, I learned that evolution did not necessarily favor adaptations that make us better, but those that help us survive, even if these adaptations would kill us in the long run.

The advancement of medical science impacted greatly on our specie and resulted in improvised life expectancy. Though progression of medical science brings cure for unlimited eternal illnesses it doesn’t however bring any remedy for the havocs caused by aging on our bodies. There

Within the first ten years of the 1900’s, the discovery of different blood types and a cure for sleeping sickness was discovered. In 2013, doctors and scientists were able to grow a kidney in the U.S, and in Japan, scientists and doctors grew the first human liver. The life expectancy of males in the early 1900’s, 1900 - 1910, range from the age of forty six and forty eight. For females in the same time frame, the life expectancy ranged from the age of forty eight to fifty one. Now in the 2000’s, 2000 - 2010, the life expectancy of a male is anywhere from seventy four to seventy six.

Dr. Sharon Moalem has conquered the scientific arts of diseases, neurogenetics, and biotechnology. In ‘Survival of the Sickest: The Surprising Connections Between Disease and Longevity’ Moalem shares with us the importance of biological change and relationship between lifeforms of all sizes as he unravels the astounding connections between evolution, disease, and human health.. Moalem attempts to tackle the questions that drive the biological world’s exploration of evolutionary disease. Is the human relationship with disease not a simple case of parasitism, but a that of commensalism or as far as mutualism? Does the way the scientific community view desease change our knowledge of history and evolution? Could disease itself be what fuels change in not only our past but our future? In Moalem efforts to

Interestingly, the adaptation of humans to disease may date all the way back to the bottleneck that would eventually change our ancestors into behaviorally modern humans. A theory has been proposed that the activation of two genes that affect the human immune system created the modern human around 100,000 years ago. According to the study’s theory, humans have been adapting to disease for thousands of years. Clearly, disease and the adaptations of humans are correlated to their environment (LaFee, S., 2012).

Antimicrobial resistant has been called one of the world's most pressing public health problems. Every time a person takes antibiotics, sensitive bacteria are killed, but resistant ones may be left to grow stronger and multiply. Although antibiotics can help treat bacterial infections, a possible side effect is that they can strengthen certain bacterial strains. Antibiotics are supposed to be used for bacterial infections, but are wrongly being used for both viral and bacterial infections. When we use antibiotics on viral infections, deadly bacteria multiplies and becomes stronger. We can fix this problem by using antibiotics for bacterial infections only.

Darwinian medicine, unlike most medical research that is focused on the proximate causes of diseases, looks at diseases from an evolutionary perspective; it seeks the reasons behind why natural selection has favored certain characteristics that are involved in disease acquisition or prevention. It looks into several concepts of adaptation including which types of adaptations combat pathogens, adaptations that pathogens have developed to counter other organism’s adaptations, maladaptive costs of organism’s adaptations, and adaptations that are no longer useful in our present day environment. The goal of this new science is to support advancements in the medical field. The ideas presented by Darwinian medicine are highly theoretical and still at the beginning of the process of development. Although it is a new science and has been a neglected perspective in the medical field, it offers insight on why natural selection has not selected for a flawless organism, what kinds of adaptations organisms have developed to combat injury, and what kinds of adaptations organisms have developed that are viewed today as mental disorders,.

Concepts of evolutionary or Darwinian medicine will be applied as defined by Nesse (40) to understand from an evolutionary perspective why the human body is not better designed and why, therefore, diseases exist at all. Over the past 100 years, there has been a dramatic change in the physical environment, especially regarding physical activity and food availability (14). Modern society is remarkably sedentary, with at least 70% of the US population undertaking <30 min/day of moderate-intensity physical activity (53). Ironically, although the absolute caloric intake of modern humans is likely lower compared with our ancient ancestors (12), it is nevertheless high relative to the corresponding larger decrease in caloric expenditure via physical

Abstract evolution has occurred in humans for millions of years; however, in a modern society many scientists and evolutionists are now debating whether or not it is still occurring, and if it follows the same rules. With all of the new technology humans have created, some experts believe that humans have essentially conquered nature, and no further evolutionary changes will occur. Still, others hold opposing views; some experts believe that evolution is still occurring, but modern societal advancements have changed the rules. These experts say that the changes in evolution are a result of recent medical advancements that allow doctors to perpetuate genes that would not have lasted years ago. Additionally, others maintain that evolution is

Why do we get sick? The truth is our body is not a machine. With adaptations came maladaptations. Each characteristic is a compromise. [8]

Evolutionary or Darwinian medicine is a branch of medical science that aims to study all aspects of the disease in the context of biological evolution. It invites to think about the disease from a different, unusual perspective between health professionals which affects the novelty with a focus on the causes of the disease itself, its prevention and treatment (1).

While antibiotics and vaccines have numerous well-known benefits associated with prevention and recovery, what unfamiliar beneficial effects do they contribute to society? When it comes to the topic of antibiotic and vaccine use, most people will readily agree that medical treatment will greatly reduce the chance of getting ill and will improve recovery time. This agreement usually ends, however, on the question: Are antibiotics and vaccines necessary to maintain a healthy society? Whereas some are convinced that the use of antibiotics and vaccines pose a threat to society by inducing antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria and encouraging virus mutation, others maintain that resistance and mutation will occur naturally, and without advances in treatment these natural changes of pathogens are the cause of devastating epidemics.

We have more medical treatment and awareness to help us have healthy kids at a later age.

Genetics is the study of heredity and variation in living organisms. biological Anthropology looks at how biological traits from one generation to the next get passed along. The article describes gene therapy and human genetic engineering as an evolution indicating that by allowing tools such as gene therapy we underestimate the amount of influence it may have on our species. The gene therapy has helped human species develop and understand more about viruses and and certain diseases that have developed and evolved throughout evolution. Genetics also helps understand what humans have in common and what distinctive from other species. “Biological adaptations is the process in which humans, as both individuals and groups, develop biological characteristics that relate to environmental conditions”