Lymphology |
Date Written |
7-16-09 |
| Author |
Joe Holmes |
Date Revised |
8-1-09 |
This page is a study
and evaluation of lymphology as presented by Dr. C.
Samuel and Stephen E. West. Everything on this
site must pass the test of scientific proof or I will
remove it or report it as a fraud. Lymphology
has a lot of scientific proof and some claims that at
this time I am researching for validation. I will
either find the proof or make rebuttal statements so
you can be assured if and when lymphology is scientifically
valid.
The following are my notes from Dr. West’s training
materials about Lymphology. See his web site at http://zerodisease.com/
I have added some items I have discovered along
with the concepts of Dr. West. Example the discussion
of oxidants vs. antioxidants, Dr. Emoto’s pictures
and the picture of how the immune system works. I recommend
you visit Dr. West’s web site and study the information
he provides for a greater understanding of this important
concept of Lymphology.
Dr.
West claims his lymphology course will teach everyone how to remove,
and eliminate every disease and become disease free.
 |
This picture courtesy of Dr. West.
It represents a healthy and unhealthy lymph system. Zero
Disease
The top is the blood system and the bottom is the lymph system.
When excess water accumulates in the body the blood and lymph
systems have greater separations that according to Dr. West
causes disease.
His educational information teaches what He claims is a means
to reduce the swelling which in turn restores health.
This process suggests that it is important to eliminate bad
foods and eat good foods but that they alone will not repair
the lymph system. |
 |
NASA
says rebounder
is 65% better
than jogging and will burn more calories than jogging!
NASA's
Report
|
|
Dr. West recommends using a rebounder
similar to the one pictured to the left to stimulate the lymph
system. He teaches it may causes the lymph system to remove
toxins and increase electrical energy. See
collections of info. to support this threory. His system
adds deep breathing and verbal statements that may multiply
the healthy benifits of bouncing. Zero
Disease |
| Don't make my mistake of buying a cheep rebounder
from Wal Mart. It uses bungi straps not springs, is too stiff
and is not comfortable and is difficult to exercise on. It does
not allow the body a cushioned bounce and thus does not facilitate
the better health benefits of one with good springs. |
This is a list of some web sites
by others that promote bouncing to improve lymphology and health.
healingdaily.com
Complete Health
Rebounder Exercise
Rebounding
for Health Blog Rebound
Weight
Loss Sources Energize
For Life |
Our health and life span is completely related to our lymphatic
system and its health and ability to function. The lymphatic system
runs throughout the body in vessels parallel to the blood circulatory
system.
The circularity system contains blood plasma containing
the proteins of albumins, globulins, fibrinogens with
91% water. It carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells.
This process irrigates or nurtures our cells and in
its process places excess water and proteins between
the cells. This is where the lymphatic system plays
one of its important roles. (See research report # 4
below ) It picks up waste excess nutrients, proteins
and water, then purifies it by destroying harmful bacteria
then dumps it back into the blood stream at the base
of the neck. It is the lymph system that purifies the
blood, removes bacteria and creates antibodies. If we
have a swollen lymph node it is a sign that it is working
to remove infection. The build up of these proteins
and water between the cells is what causes diseases.
If the lymphatic system fails to remove these proteins
and water we can die within 24 hours.
Just how important is this system
of removing proteins from the blood vessels and retrieving
them to the lymphatic circulatory system?The blood loses
half of its proteins every 24 hours and we would die
in just a few hours if it is not restored by the circulatory
system. And the water goes with it. In other words this
is the key to all diseases and health.
Dr. West states the AMA still
teaches the old outdated and proven wrong concept that
blood proteins are too big to pass through the capillaries.
Note; there are three types of blood vessels; arteries,
veins and capillaries. The arteries and veins have a
muscle layer around them which prevents them from leaking
the blood proteins and fluid we're talking about. It's
at the capillary levels which are the very smallest
blood vessels that reach right down to the bed of the
cells. They are are full of holes called capillary pores
and this is where all the cells are washed, fed, and
purified. It is in the capillaries where the cells get
the oxygen and nutrients from the blood and this is
where the blood proteins leak out. The capillaries are
normally barely small enough to leak out the proteins
in a single file and the water goes with them.
Documented scientific tests as
far back as 1940 with radioactive iodine has proven
that protein leaks out of the circulatory system.
In 1964 the AMA journal Today's
Health published "Your Other Circulatory System"
written by Dr. H. S. Mayerson about his research that
proved proteins leak from the circulatory system. (4)
Then in 1989 in their Home Encyclopedia page 182 they
ignored the proven research and printed "the large
protein albumins prevents blood loss into the tissues."
They knew this statement was a lie and to this day they
still present this lie. Dr. Samuel West states the truth
is that the albunins are the smallest of the three proteins
in the blood stream not the largest. Doctors use a drug
version of albunin to resolve the loss of albunins instead
of recognizing that the problem is an ineffective lymph
system. Why is the AMA and doctors treating this symptom
with another altered drug instead of fixing the problem?
Why is the AMA still obscuring and ignoring the proven
research that proteins leak from the circulatory system
and are repaired by the lymphatic system?
Statement by Dr. Stephen West http://zerodisease.com
In 1930, Dr. Cecil K. Drinker of Harvard Medical
School was the first to challenge the old theory
that the blood proteins were too large to escape
from the blood capillaries into the tissue spaces.
From 1948 to 1963, Dr. H. S. Mayerson scientifically
proved that Dr. Drinker was right by tagging the
blood proteins with radioactive iodine and measuring
the rate at which they left the blood stream and
Mayerson's work was published in Scientific American,
June 1963. In December 1964, The AMA published
Mayerson's work which revealed the truth only
once in their official journal, Today's Health
in an article called, "Your Other Circulatory
System", by J. D. Ratcliff. “Loss of
blood proteins through capillary walls would be
particularly disastrous. Recently, Dr. H. S. Mayerson,
of Tulane Medical School, tagged blood proteins
with radio active iodine, then measured the rate
at which they passed into lymph vessels. Calculations
indicated that half of our blood protein is lost
from the blood every 24 hours! But for the prompt
retrieval of the protein by the lymphatic system,
this constant loss would spell swift catastrophe.”
“If the lymphatic system did not carry a
large portion of the remaining seepage back to
the blood stream, we would all bleed to death
internally in a matter of hours.” the last
paragraph of this article says, “Thus this
great river of mystery may well hold the key to
dozens of disease riddles. That is why it is getting
ever-increasing research attention. Inevitably,
discoveries of vital importance to all will be
made.” Again, the last paragraph of Your
Other Circulatory System states, "This great
river of mystery may well hold the key to dozens
of disease riddles. That is why it is getting
ever increasing research attention. Inevitably,
discoveries of vital importance to all will be
made." And that's the first and last time
the AMA has told the truth about this. The following
month, January 1965, Readers Digest published
a condensed version of the AMA article called,
"Our Amazing White Bloodstream", in
reference to our lymphatic vessels, which basically
said the same thing as the AMA article.
Above "In 1964 AMA published the truth and
in 1964 published a lie to cover up the truth
of the lymph system. " Should be noted that
they have published false information in place
of the truth ever since.
Then in 1966 was the largest medical research
project ever pulled off in history - still today
- and it was to cover it all up and bury all the
truth about blood proteins leaving the blood stream
to cause disease and death and what we do to either
cause or prevent them from getting trapped around
our body cells along with the excess fluid and
excess sodium they bring with them, which is shear
disease. In 1966, With the help of international
military forces, all the top medical minds in
the world who studied anything about blood proteins
and water leaving the blood stream and lymphatics
were gathered together. (Even from behind the
Iron Curtain, of approximately 370 members, only
about 65 from the United States.) Most members
were department heads of Universities and Medical
Schools - the cream of the crop. They met in Dr.
H. S. Mayerson’s home, located at Saint
Louis, MO, in 1966, and founded the ISL. Lured
with the idea of sharing research with each other,
while by-laws specified the ISL was not a pure
medical society, so they can’t publish their
research findings in medical journals any more.
Is this their way of telling us it isn't their
cup of tea? Or should it be called the greatest
mass-murder plan in history being unveiled?
Meanwhile health care costs have continued to
double and triple every ten years since 1950!
And for every dime we have spent, the death rates
have risen! Who wants to spend more money in health
care?
The American Medical Association Home Encyclopedia,
published in 1989, includes the following statement
about the albumin: “The large size of the
protein molecules prevents them from escaping
from the blood into the tissues.” Which
is a total lie when you read what they published
in 1964 above, stating "Calculations indicated
that half of our blood protein is lost from the
blood every 24 hours!" and “If the
lymphatic system did not carry a large portion
of the remaining seepage back to the blood stream,
we would all bleed to death internally in a matter
of hours.”
It took many years for Dr. C. Samuel West, Dr.
Stephen West's father, to uncover these articles
revealing the secrecy of the medical establishment
even with the current onslaught of terror, Doctors
having sick family members too! This research
has been kept away from them too! Because if one
of their family members ends up with something
like Cancer, they care right away - and if there's
anything they could do about it, they would. That's
why in order to keep this research away from the
public, they had to keep it away from the Doctors
too.
In this statement "It alone causes or removes
disease. In other words it causes organs to fail
or other conditions that lead to illness or death.
It is the fundamental cause of cancer, diabetes
and every other disease.", It is the key
to understanding the cause and elimination of
disease. The blood proteins and water have to
be retrieved by the lymph vessels. In other words,
trapped blood proteins are the cause organs to
fail and they cause other conditions that lead
to illness or death - they are the prime cause
of disease and death, although any time we break
the pure laws of nature, they all cause trapped
blood proteins somewhere in our body, it's the
trapped blood proteins, excess fluid, and lack
of oxygen that shuts our body cells off. And since
oxygen = power, when we are living in harmony
with the Pure Laws and Principles of Nature, and
when we otherwise learn how to activate our lymphatic
vessels, we are actively preventing, removing,
and eliminating pain, loss of energy, and disease
from our body.
Since the science of lymphology lays the scientific
foundation of all the healing arts and all personal
development, it adds clarity and power to every
healing modality ever invented.
Since there are an infinite number of things we
can now talk about, "Let's consider three
primary things" - add to - "There are
three primary things that affect it the lymphatic
system; they are water, proteins, and electricity."
Trapped Blood Proteins = Excess Fluid around the
cells = Lack of Oxygen = Damaged or Dead Cells
- "Excess water around the cells" -
add to - "Excess water in the lymphatic vessels
cause it to swell and renders it less able to
function." "causes the tissues to swell
and renders them less able to function."
"excess blood proteins" - add to - "We
have all heard the term cell to cell communication
but never that it fails due to excess proteins
due to the lymphatic system not working. "
- you may also add - These are not the proteins
we eat, we eat lots of kinds of proteins. The
blood proteins hold water in our blood and wherever
they go, the water goes.
"between the lymphatic capillaries and blood
capillaries" - "as well as a greater
distance from cell to cell making it more difficult
for the cells to communicate with each other"
- add to - "Second the excess water and proteins
create a greater distance between the lymphatic
and circulatory system making the lymphatic system
less able to communicate with the circulatory
system. "
The lymphatic system also holds the key to the
body's electric generator" - add to - "The
lymphatic system is the body’s electrical
generator. " [each cell has a Sodium Potassium
Pump, which is the electric generator for every
cell in the body]
excess positive sodium ions out from the blood
around the outside of the cells - fix - "
. positive sodium ions out of the cell"
When this delicate balance is altered, this electrical
process is altered and the cell does not have
the power work properly" - add to - "When
this process is altered the cell does not work
properly"
with pH alone can produce limited results because
pH is only one of the - add to - "trying
to manipulate the pumps with pH alone is only
one of numerous factors that must occur." |
The AMA used to be a small association of doctors who joined to
promote health and their craft. They have become an illegal police
agency who sanction and remove licenses from any doctor who will
not follow their agenda. They have become our worst nightmare for
the good health in America. They prosecute any clinic or doctor
who successfully prescribes natural healing especially if they are
providing safer and better health care. It does not matter if the
dr. or clinic is safer, healing better and even doing so with proven
research. In fact it is exactly these dr's and clinics that are
number one on their hit lists because they are a threat to big profits.
Their mission is to protect big profits of the health industry by
stopping anyone who heals. They work in conjunction with drug companies,
insurance companies, the FDA, NHC and FTC. to stop anyone that is
a threat to their profits. All of them work together to control
the information and education given to doctors. Because they are
now so powerful they can get away with covering up health research
that heals and promoting things including altered drugs that are
more harmful than natural compounds in order to keep us sick. Many
reject this information thinking it is not possible and that they
would not do that.
Dr. West's research above is just one of numerous examples
of how they perform their subversive tactics to police
doctors in order to keep us sick. A sick people is very
profitable and all one needs to do is follow the money
to verify this corruption. Another proof of this is
in the scientific reports by doctors about herbs that
are proven to heal better than altered drugs and without
the terrible side effects of the altered drugs. The
FDA cannot or refuses to accept this proven research,
then the AMA polices anyone who uses anything not approved
by the FDA. See two of our pages that prove these facts.
Prostrate Cancer and
Liver If the AMA was interested
in health they would be endorsing these cures. Instead
they are fighting them and even prosecuting doctors
and others that promote them. If you or a loved one
has prostrate cancer and your doctor will not or can
not prescribe a cure proven by doctors to kill it up
to 100 million times better than the leading chemo drug
how would you feel? That is what is happening in America
and lymphology as an educational tool can change the
health of everyone.
The lymphatic system is the ultimate regulator of all
our health. It alone causes or removes disease. In other
words it causes organs to fail or other conditions that
lead to illness or death. It is the fundamental cause
of cancer, diabetes and every other disease. Doctors
treat pain and symptoms with altered drugs, surgeries
and hospitalization and never look at the foundational
cause. The health of the lymphatic system is the most
important focus we must have to maintain good health.
It means everything we have thought about health must
take a whole different view. It means instead of focusing
on symptoms and even what we have formerly thought as
causes must be revised. It means we must learn what
makes the lymphatic system work and what causes it to
fail if we want to be healthy.
There are three primary things that affect it the lymphatic
system; they are water, proteins, and electricity.
Excess water in the lymphatic vessels cause it to swell
and renders it less able to function.
Remember we stated the function of the lymphatic system
is to remove the excess water and proteins between the
cells. First this means the proteins that have not entered
our cells are now blocking cell to cell communication.
We have all heard the term cell to cell communication
but never that it fails due to excess proteins due to
the lymphatic system not working. Every cell and every
organ in our body works from the chemical transfers
between cells. If these transfers fail our body gets
sick. (see our picture of
the immune system)
Second the excess water and proteins create a greater
distance between the lymphatic and circulatory system
making the lymphatic system less able to communicate
with the circulatory system.
The lymphatic system is the body’s
electrical generator. Every cell and organ in the body has electrical
energy pumps as part of the lymph system. These pumps are called
sodium potassium pumps and discovered by Dr. Samuel West. A Nobel
prize was awarded in 2003 for this discovery. See animations and
info about the sodium potassium pump sodium
potassium pump (5-9) Unfortunately none of these animations
include its ability to generate electricity. The sodium potassium
pump generates the power in cells to allow us to see, move our muscles
and think. The animations also do not include the information that
the pump is part of the lymph system. Dr. Samuel West stated there
are two questions that need to be found. FIRST what turns the pumps
off and SECOND what turns them on. If we can resolve these two questions
we can control every disease in the body.
(Fact 1)
WHAT TURNS THE PUMPS OFF: Dr. Samuel West went on to discover trapped
blood protein shuts the pumps off because they have a negative charge
that pulls the positive sodium ions out of the cell. There is a
delicate balance between sodium and potassium. When they are balanced
and being rotated through the pump they generate power or electricity.
See the animations referenced in (5-9)
below. When this process is altered the cell does not work properly.
sodium
potassium pump
(Fact 2)
WHAT TURNS THE PUMPS ON: It takes oxygen and glucose to feed this
process which creates Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which is the
substance that turns the pumps on. It is the lymph system's responsibility
to pull out all the excess blood proteins, water, dead cells, poisons
and excess sodium. It is this process that allows oxygen and glucose
to feed the cell, turn on the pumps and create a healthy cell to
cell communication process. When this process is functioning correctly
pH levels will be in the correct ranges and trying to manipulate
the pumps with pH alone is only one of numerous factors that must
occur.sodium
potassium pump
These two facts are not being
taught to our doctors and are being ignored by modern
medicine. These two facts result in all disease by swelling.
When the lymph system is healthy it does not have excess
swelling, when it is not functioning it is because it
is swollen with excess water and proteins. The
definition of cancer is to swell. This
means every disease is the result of excess water and
proteins accumulating in the cells, surrounding tissues
and the lymph vessels. This then shuts off the pumps
and causes disease in the effected cells. Where ever
the cell resides that is swollen is where cancer and
other illness occurs. This is the source of every diseases
and we all know modern medicine treats the symptoms
while ignoring the source cause. It is no wonder since
they are not being taught this process. If they were
practicing the effective treatment of these two facts
it would eliminate the need for drugs and extensive
hospital visits. This in turn would lower our health
care costs and dramatically effect the profits of the
multi billion dollar health care industry. It
means if we can treat these two facts we can be disease
free.
Dr. West states, "What we have discussed to this
point demonstrates the extreme importance of the lymphatic
system and how it regulates every cell and system in
the body. Nothing in the body is more important for
daily health.We have discussed how water, proteins and
electricity are part of the lymphatic system but not
how to repair it or keep it in good health."
HOW TO TURN ON THE LYMP
PUMPS:
- STEP 1:
First we must remove negative things that harm it. No repair
is of any value if we continue to ingest things that harm.
- Oxidants such as tea, coffee, alcohol, tobacco, and
drugs both prescription and illegal will shut off the
pumps. Salt, candy, sugars, soft drinks, caffeine, cake,
excess meats especially those with altered feed and
injections and food additives will also shut off the
pumps. Another big factor that will shut off the pumps
is stress factors such as anger, hate, and loss of temper,
resentment, judgment, stress and abuse. See our pages
on Oxidative Stress
and Antioxidants
- Each of these things creates havoc in the body and
only a state of positive energy will turn on the pumps.
Everything in the world is either positive or negative.
Everything has an opposite. Light vs. darkness, good
vs. evil, love vs. hate and oxidants vs. antioxidants.
Oxidants are atoms with unbalanced electrons vs. antioxidants
with balanced electrons.
- Most foods and nutrition can change from an antioxidant
to a negative oxidant state. A fruit, vegetable or meat
full of antioxidants must destroy all antioxidants in
order to spoil. An example of this is that green tea
is full of oxidants and black tea is the same leaf but
put into piles to rot and ferment until it turns black.
One is healthy and one is harmful.
- When we eat negative things or harbor negative thoughts
we shut off the pumps and positive things turn the pumps
on. In the positive state the lymph system pumps work
to give us a healthy state and prevent or remove every
disease. To see how powerful our thoughts and positive
vs. negative effects our body fluids. see (Dr.
Emoto,s water pictures)
- STEP 2:
Bring oxygen to the cells. Dr. Otto
Warburg made a statement about oxygen and cancer. "As
emphasized, it is the first precondition of the proposed
treatment that all growing body cells be saturated with
oxygen." (10)
- This requires a combination of deep breathing, bouncing,
stroking, energy, and compressing tissues.
- Getting oxygen to the cells and turning on the pumps
cures every disease including cancer and diabetes. When
an accident such as an auto whip lash occurs and one
learns how to get oxygen back to the cells and turn
on the pumps the injury can disappear within a short
amount of time possibly within minutes or a few hours.
This is without drugs or a chiropractor.
The cause of all disease is based on Dr. C. Samuel
West's outline that he calls the seven plus one.
| This outline of the seven plus one is my research
to prove or disprove Dr. West's research by my scientific research. |
| Outline with my comments and descriptions to help understand
each point. Maroon color is from Dr. West comments and are occasionally
paraphrased my me, green are my comments based on Dr. West's
articles. |
Additional comments and research findings |
- Every cell generates an electrical
field with a
sodium potassium pump that is
in every cell.
- Thought wave is electrical and
every cell, organ, eyes and muscles work by electricity.
- Eye to eye contact between
two people is a transfer of electrical energy.
- The electrical energy or
the lack of it regulates every part of the body.
- The electrical energy is
processed by the brain in both the conscious and
unisonous and it moves every muscle and regulates
every cell and organ.
- Our thoughts which are electrical
may cause illness or health.
|
The link on the left to the sodium potassium
pump is a graphical illustration of how the pump works. see
items (5,6,7 & 8) at the bottom of this page. The claim
that there is a sodium potassium pump is well documented. See
report #5 below and these links.
A site that demonstrates how neurons produce electricity
---------------- Computational
explorations in cognitive neuroscience By Randall C. O'Reilly,
Yuko Munakata-2.4
---------------- Why
does the brain need electricity?
---------------- |
The information above is my an overview
of the concept of lymphology presented by Dr. Stephen West.
I am studying the home study course of lymphology
that consist of numerous videos, audio's and articles that may take
several months to complete.
I suggest that you visit Dr.
Stephen West's web site http://zerodisease.com
for more information. Look at
his event calendar and educational materials.
Below are references and research to support the above
information.
1. "Dr.
C. Samuel West announced: Every healing art on earth
involves getting oxygen to cells! This site teaches
the Medical Research that reveals: 1) The cause of pain,
cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and every other degenerative
disease on Earth; and 2) How it is now possible for
you to relieve pain and suffering at home faster and
easier than you've ever dreamed possible; and 3) How
to keep your body free from pain and disease as long
as you live. (1)
2. "The
sodium-potassium PUMPS in every cell generate the ELECTRICITY
that gives the eyes the POWER to see and the brain the
POWER to work. These same pumps in the cells of the
muscles are able to generate the ELECTRICITY that gives
the muscles POWER so you can walk and run. This is how
the heart gets the POWER to beat, and how the pancreas
gets the POWER to produce insulin; and this is how the
white blood cells get the POWER they need to kill the
cancer cells and all viruses etc. (1)
3. "Lymphatic
massage is a massage form that addresses the movement
of lymph fluid. It is a rhythmic technique that gently
imitates the body's way of moving its fluids. It moves
lymph from the tiny lymph vessels that bath each cell
to the 500 lymph nodes onward to the six major lymphatic
trunks. As the lymph is aided in moving thorough out
the body, it cleanses and purifies, removing bacteria,
infection, and diseased cells along the way. Because
lymph cleanses nearly every cell in your body, symptoms
of chronic lymph blockage can be a feeling of general
tiredness and fatigue with a heaviness in the abdomen.
Accompanying this can be such symptoms as food allergies,
frequent colds, joint pain, headaches, fatigue, tissue
swelling, and depression. On an everyday basis, regular
lymphatic massage can be great preventive health maintenance.
It is especially helpful for any form of edema, poor
circulation, a need for detoxification, and for post
traumatic injury or surgery as it will reduce the swelling
and speed up the healing time. We invite all lymphologists
to join us as we educate the world on the importance
of the lymph system in maintaining general health. (2)
4. "The
entire lymphatic system flows toward the bloodstream,
returning fluid from body tissues to the blood.
If there were no way for excess fluid to return
to the blood, our body tissues would become swollen.
For example, when a body part swells, it may be because
there is too much fluid in the tissues in that area.
The lymph vessels collect that excess fluid
and carry it to the veins through the lymphatic system.
This process is crucial because water, proteins, and
other molecules continuously leak out of tiny blood
capillaries into the surrounding body tissues.
This lymph fluid has to be drained, and so it
returns to the blood via the lymphatic vessels.
These vessels also prevent the back flow of lymph fluid
into the tissues. The lymphatic system also helps
defend the body against invasion by disease-causing
agents such as viruses, bacteria, or fungi. Harmful
foreign materials are filtered out by small masses of
tissue called lymph nodes that lie along the network
of lymphatic vessels. These nodes house
lymphocytes (white blood cells), some of which produce
antibodies, special proteins that fight off infection.
They also stop infections from spreading
through the body by trapping disease-causing germs and
destroying them." (3)
5. "So
how does cells become electric? Similar to the way that
there are positive and negative particles in an atom,
there are both positive and negative ions inside and
outside the cell. The cell literally pushes the positive
ions out across its cell membrane. Specifically, it
pushes Potassium and Calcium ions out (among other ions).
What this pushing does is tip the balance of positive
and negative ions inside and outside the cell. Since
the cell pushes out positive ions, the outside becomes
more positive than the inside. Since we often think
of the cell as being surrounded by a big ocean of stuff,
we look at the cell's perspective: the cell is negative
relative to its environment (the same as the outside
being positive relative to the cell). This imbalance
of electric charge is called Electrical potential, and
is quantified in Volts (like in a 9 Volt battery). Since
this electrical potential is formed by different ions
on either side of the cell membrane, we refer to it
as the membrane potential. This potential is the “electricity”
we speak of when we say that cells are electric. It
is a form of energy that the cell can use – I’ll
talk about that in a bit.
As you may know, cell membranes don’t let many
things flow through them, so ions and water don’t
just cross the cell membrane. The cells push out the
ions by special molecular pumps. These molecules are
proteins which are able to grab some ions from the inside
of the cell and let them pass to the outside of the
cell. This process often requires a lot of energy. The
more positive particles you push out of the cell, the
harder it becomes to push more out. A good portion of
the cell’s energy is spent on keeping these pumps
working.
Cells also have specialized, strategically placed holes in their
cell membranes that allow ions to come back into the cell, known
as ion channels. Why? you might be asking. What a waste of energy,
to pump out all these ions just to let them back in! But this re-entry
of ions is highly regulated. This close regulation of ion re-entry
allows the cell to control specific aspects of its function. It’s
as if the cell uses ions as logs to light a fire in the fireplace.
You keep all the logs outside until you want them, and then you
go grab a few; just enough for the fire that you will be lighting
that night. If you had all these logs around your house, not only
would things get really cluttered, but you might accidentally set
one of these extra logs on fire and burn your house down! Cells
are really finicky about what ions they let in and when they let
them in. If too many ions come in, it can kill the cell!" (11)
|