Physical and Biological Science
Maybe this will explain some inflammatory issues you may have, or know about.
We are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made. We are made in the image of God and as such we are destined to walk upright in his commandments. I am posting this on a Sunday…
But walking upright has some challenges. Neurological, muscular, and of course cardiovascular. Think about it.. The heart pumps blood out and around the body through the arterial circulation (bright red oxygenated blood)..and the blood goes through tiny capillaries, where the red blood cells line up single file and squeeze along the capillary wall, pushing oxygen out into tissue and allowing for CO2 to return into the circulation in the liquid part of blood, unlike the oxygen which has taken a piggyback ride on the hemoglobin in our red blood cells. Then the dark blue blood has to get back to the heart to do it all over again.
But wait, there are some physics we need to realize. If we are standing upright, then gravity is pulling down on the column of blood trying to climb up the veins in our legs on the way back to the heart. As it moves it encounters check valves every 10 or 15 cm. Also the muscles in our legs push the blood upward through these same valves as we walk or stand or run. That actually contributes about 15% to our cardiac output. As we age, those valves in the legs often get weak, become incompetent and the blood ends up falling back down toward the feet due to gravity. Varicose veins may then develop, more valves become incompetent and before we know it we have venous hypertension… Then as the pressures rise and backup more into the capillaries at the bottom of our leg, the pressure eventually actually ruptures the capillary so the red cells push through and get into the extracellular fluid space..between the capillary and the cells needing the nutrients and oxygen. As the space fills up, with more and more fluid, there is a resulting “edema” and at the end of the day on your feet you can press on the inside of your ankle and there is a noticeable dent where you have pushed the extra fluid aside. With time, even red blood cells get into the ECF and break apart. So along comes the “clean up” cavalry and these circulating white blood cells, recruited from various sites (Thymus, spleen, bone marrow) come gobble up all the junk protein, and even hemoglobin residue. Eventually it gets taken back into the system and recycled, where the bone marrow and spleen make new red blood cells with the hemoglobin. Now I used to explain this to patients and point out the hemoglobin contains iron, so that rusty iron discoloration on the medial ankle is basically also - rust. Oxygenated iron molecules.. The first step in treatment is wearing “support hose” with external pressures of 20-30 or 30-40 mm. I point out that this is a challenge for putting them on and taking them off, but that is another explanation I need to deal with some day.
If the patient continues to have edema, don’t wear support hose, other side effects of those circulating clean up white cells come into play. The enzymes they release damage other proteins, cell membranes, and eventually damage things so badly, ulcers can occur. Venous ulcers create billions of dollars of health care charges yearly. They are disabling, very unsightly and once ulcers get big, they can be infection sources. Some require hyperbaric oxygen to heal properly.
And untreated, ulcers can occur— “Wear your hose!!”
But if one wants to know the details more scientifically..here is a recent publication, hat tip to cousin Bert… This is a more scientific explanation of the processes going on down at the ECF fluid level causing these skin changes and ulcerations!
Imagine these if it is in the lungs, or surface of the heart! And yes, some of the COVID shot side effects are just that. I picked the ankle only because it is common, can be seen and thus understood when we talk about inflammation going wild. I can describe “cytokine storm” in the lungs, but just imagine that ankle tissue - being your lungs.
A picture is worth a thousand words…
So the question you should ask is.. Does my doctor know anything about these inflammatory changes, or do they just read radiology reports? When was the last time your doctor removed your sock and looked at your ankles and felt your ankle pulses? Or listened to your chest with a stethoscope? If he/she doesn’t touch you.. maybe you need another doctor.