(1)Medicine as a support to your natural healing power
1. Abnormal symptoms as the defense mechanisms of your body
It is your natural resistance and healing power that treat diseases. For example, your body temperature increases when you catch a cold because it is better for your body. Although microorganisms cause infectious diseases, their optimal temperature range for proliferation is surprisingly narrow. Therefore, increased body temperature inhibits microorganism proliferation and promotes antibody production in your body.
Taking an antipyretic only because you have a fever may compromise your natural healing power. However, because a continuous fever exceeding 40 C may cause encephalopathy followed by death, first reducing the body temperature is important. 2. Effective symptomatic therapy
Unfortunately, we still have no medicine for treating a cold. Cold medicines only suppress its symptoms. For example, a bad coughs prevents you from sleeping and depletes your energy, worsening the cold. Therefore, an antitussive not only suppresses the cough, but also helps you recover your energy, enhancing your natural healing power.
Such symptomatic therapy to suppress attacks and symptoms supports your natural healing power, although it does not eliminate the causes of diseases.
(2)How does a medicine take effect?
1. Medicinal properties entering the blood flow to exert their effects
Oral medicines are primarily absorbed in the upper small intestine, from which they enter the blood flow. They circulate in the body to kill microorganisms or exert their effects on cells. When a medicine takes effect, this is called a pharmacological effect, and it varies depending on the medicine. There are various pharmacological mechanisms specific to medicines.
2. Antibiotics that kill pathogens
Antibiotics, such as penicillin, have potent effects on diseases, such as pneumonia and tuberculosis. They have the simplest pharmacological mechanism among all medicines: they treat diseases by killing pathogens or inhibiting their growth.
3. Vitamin and hormone agents as a supplement
Vitamins and hormones are different in that the former is taken from foods, while the latter is produced in the body. However, the lack of either of them will result in disease. Therefore, vitamin and hormone supplements are available. They are essential for patients with deficiency diseases.
The most common medicines currently in use are those that bind with receptors on cell surfaces to exert their pharmacological effects.
Receptors are located on outer cell membranes, and bind with medicines with specific chemical structures. Therefore, chemical compounds are not effective when they do not bind with their receptors.
4. Medicines that act on cells
The most common medicines currently in use are those that bind with receptors on cell surfaces to exert their pharmacological effects.
Receptors are located on outer cell membranes, and bind with medicines with specific chemical structures. Therefore, chemical compounds are not effective when they do not bind with their receptors.
