Role of Oxygen (Vital Energy) in Metabolism
Although the many cells of the body often differ markedly from one another, all of them have certain basic characteristics that are alike. For instance, in all cells, oxygen reacts with carbohydrate, fat, and protein to release the energy required for cell function. Further, the general chemical mechanisms for changing nutrients into energy are basically the same in all cells, and all cells deliver end products of their chemical reactions into the surrounding fluids. Oxygen energy plays an important role in the metabolic activity of every living organism and every smallest cellular metabolism. Without oxidation there would be no energy creation and no functional activities in the organism. Every smallest organism absorbs oxygen energy through respiration and life begins from each respiratory activity (inspiration and expiration) of the organism. Oxygen plays an important role in every moment of life.
Fate of Anaerobic Metabolism:In the healthy body, most cellular metabolism is aerobic metabolism. Occasionally oxygen becomes unavailable or insufficient so that oxidative phosphorylation cannot take place and anaerobic Role of Oxygen (Vital Energy) in Metabolism 64 _ Vital Force is Oxygen metabolism results. Even under these conditions, small amount of energy can be released by the glycolysis stage of carbohydrate degradation. It generates 2 ATP molecules for every molecule of glucose whereas aerobic metabolism generates 36 ATP molecules for every molecule of glucose. This anaerobic process is extremely wasteful of glucose because only 24,000 cal. of energy are used to form ATP for each molecule of glucose metabolized which represents only a little over 3% of total energy in the glucose molecules. This release of glycolytic energy to the cells called as anaerobic energy which is only useful for few minutes when oxygen is unavailable and it can supply only a small fraction of the energy. By itself, anaerobic metabolism cannot meet the body’s energy needs. And with anaerobic metabolism, the rate of glycolysis must be greatly increased to meet the body’s energy demands. This leads to an increase in the production of lactic acid and resultant metabolic acidosis. As tissue metabolites (and hydrogen ions) continue to accumulate, they stimulate vasodilatation. This vasodilatation opposes the hormonally regulated constriction of the pre-capillary sphincters, thereby reducing the body’s ability to continue vital tissue perfusion by maintaining the proper size of the vascular compartment. This in turn, increases the capillary hydrostatic pressure. The result is fluid loss from the vascular space into the interstitial space. In addition, the insufficient energy production of anaerobic metabolism affects the cells’ ability to maintain normal sodium – potassium differential across the cell membrane. Intracellular potassium leaks out of the cell; sodium leaks Introduction _ 65 into the cell. This creates cellular swelling and a decreased transmembrane potential. Energy production is further impaired. Finally, the cells are irreversibly damaged.
Healthy functioning of cell requires uninterrupted supply of oxygen for production of ATP and lack of oxygen creates illness in the body. Increased requirement of energy during exercise calls for increase in demand of oxygen (vital force) for the purpose of energy creation.
How Symptoms Manifest in Human Body?
Usually the symptoms and the abnormal sensations indicate that there is some dysfunction in the human body. Whenever there is less oxygen supply, at that time the cells start their abnormal behavior and at the same time changes occur in aerobic metabolism. The indication of this abnormal behavior of the cell is received by the different receptors and they give information through the nerves to the brain. So the lack of oxygen is most probably responsible for all kinds of symptoms. Whenever the body is in well being state, each and every cell receives appropriate amount of oxygen via the respiratory system. Lack of oxygen leads to cell injury which depends on the duration of hypoxia and every physician must find out how this lack of oxygen occurs in the human body.
When oxygen molecules maintain their strength there is energy and life, but the breakdown of oxygen create hazards in the life through the free radicals and this is called oxidative stress. This oxidative stress is underlying cause of almost all degenerative diseases.
From Homeopathic point of view, these investigations are useful to understand the active miasm in a patient.
In short all these investigations are aimed at mapping of damaged vital energy (Oxygen energy).
Oxygen (Vital Force) and its Relation to Miasm PSORA
Psoric miasm means physiological disturbance or dysfunctioning in the organism e.g. Scabies which is an itching disorder of the superficial skin. Usually, in the healthy state the body does not express itching or irritation. If this irritation occurs in the different parts, it is expressed as symptoms and these symptoms indicate the disease. Most of the psoric diseases have tendency to recover rapidly without any medicine. They can be recovered with the help of immune response of the body. E.g., Viral fever, Viral Gastritis, Acute Tonsillitis etc. Psoric diseases present with functional disturbances with minor cell injury which is easily reversible, and it never presents with structural changes. Psoric miasm consists of simple, mild degree (I degree) lack of oxygen resulting in functional cellular disturbance. The remaining miasms, sycosis, tubercular and syphilis are having actual structural changes due to reversible or irreversible cell injury. It is responsible for bad prognosis of the disease.