First, briefly explain the benefits of bloodletting and
how bloodletting is useful in treating hemochromatosis (be sure to relate it to
iron in the body).
Dr. Moalem also mentions other conditions that bloodletting
is used to treat: heart disease, high blood pressure, and pulmonary edema. Pick
one of these conditions and describe how bloodletting is used to treat it and
why specifically it is useful in treating the condition.
(Sanika Bhargaw--sbharga4@students.d125.org)
Bloodletting is the bleeding of a person in order to force some of the iron contained in the blood to leave the body. This is beneficial for hemochromatosis patients because these people have excess iron buildup in their body. The extra iron can be harmful to their organs, so they need a way to get rid of the iron. By forcing a person to bleed (bloodletting), the body loses some iron. This causes the iron concentration in the body to decrease and bring the iron levels back to relatively normal. Other than treating just hemochromatosis, bloodletting in general decreases iron levels which means that infections and diseases lack the iron they need to spread and threaten the body. According to WebMD, heme, the molecule that carries oxygen in red blood cells, is preferred by some diseases and because bloodletting causes the body to lose heme, the disease cannot thrive and its chance of survival greatly decreases (men.webmd.com). Bloodletting, therefore, is advantageous to fight almost any disease seeing as they generally need the iron supplied by our body to thrive.
ReplyDeleteBlood pressure is the force of blood pressing outwards against the arterial walls (heart.org). High blood pressure means that your blood is pushing a lot against the arty walls. This may very well be caused by the excess of blood in the body. Bloodletting, therefore, relieves the body of the extra blood that causes too much pressure on the arty walls so that the patient is less at risk for heart disease or failure due to excess pressure.
A recent study in Berlin, Germany attempted to see if bloodletting is beneficial to obese people suffering from high blood pressure, high blood-sugar levels, and excess iron in their blood. The experiment observed a “significant reduction of blood pressure” after four to six weeks of bloodletting (dw.de). This conclusion is confirmed by dailrx.com which claims that “researchers have found that the practice of removing blood could improve blood pressure” (dailyrx.com).
Bloodletting and its benefits relate to Big Idea 4 for our AP Biology class because the excess iron and excess blood required for the necessity of bloodletting are part of the biological system that leads to a domino effect through the body. This means that blood, which carries both oxygen and iron, is a art of other biological systems that need these substances to function. For example, the oxygen carried by blood is fed to muscles in the body with help power them. Therefore, the system of oxygen carrying, delivery, and usage interact together to create a complex series of events the eventually led to the exertion of energy. More related to hemochromatosis, the system of gene expression interacts with the production of iron for the body and forces the body to absorb more iron to ‘satisfy’ it (even though the body is fully satisfied). These systems of absorbing the iron and tricking the body into turning on the gene for absorbing of the iron interact to create a complex system lacking any type of negative feedback.
(Morgan Eisenstot – mesiesn4@students.d125.org)
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ReplyDeleteAs Dr. Moalem says on page 16, "bloodletting is one of the oldest medical practices in history". Doctors and even barbers used leeches and other methods to bleed a patient. Within the last century, bloodletting has been looked down upon as "barbaric", and doctors choose newer medical technologies instead of bloodletting. But recently, scientists have found many benefits of bloodletting, especially to treat hemochromatosis, that suggest doctors thousands of years ago may have been on to something. According to the American Diabetes Association, Hemochromatosis is characterized by the “excessive accumulation of iron in the body”, and can be treated with frequent bloodletting, also known as phlebotomy.(http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/related-conditions/hemochromatosis.html) As Morgan said above, bloodletting allows for iron in the blood to leave, which helps hemochromatosis patients because they have too much iron in their bloodstream. On page 18 Dr. Moalem states that for hemochromatosis patients, iron build up in organs will eventually damages them. That’s why bloodletting is a common treatment for these patients, because it keeps their iron levels normal.
ReplyDeleteOther than hemochromatosis patients, bloodletting can help a person’s immune system. When a pathogen is in the body, iron can actually "feed the invader" (Moalem 18). Moalem talks about the body's "natural tendency to hide iron" (18) when it recognizes an invasion. By decreasing the amount of iron in the blood through bloodletting, this assists this natural defense mechanism. Bloodletting aids the immune system in fighting off pathogens by limiting their source of food.
These uses and benefits of bloodletting relate to big Idea 4: Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties. When a hemochromatosis patient gets blood taken, it affects their entire body and all of its complex processes by lowering their iron levels and protecting their vital organs. For other patients, getting blood taken also impacts their entire body by reducing iron levels. This can help their immune system more effectively fight off invaders and help reduce the risks for diabetes and heart problems.
Bloodletting also prevents high-blood pressure. According to ScienceDaily, bloodletting can reduce the risk of diabetes, as iron is often associated with diabetes. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120529211645.htm) In a study conducted by the American Diabetes association, 28 males with type 2 diabetes were subjected to iron depletion over the course of two weeks. As a result, it was shown that reduced iron levels “improves vascular dysfunction in type 2 diabetics with high ferritin concentrations” (http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/25/12/2249.full) Vascular dysfunction is “characterized by poor function of blood vessels" (wisegeek.com). This study showed that bloodletting can help improve the function of blood vessels in diabetic patients. Even more so, bloodletting can greatly lower high blood pressures. As Morgan mentioned, high blood pressure means that the blood is exerting a lot of force on artery walls, which could be caused by too much blood in the body. According to deutsche-welle, a German news company, a study over the effects of bloodletting in people with high blood pressures took place in Berlin, Germany. As a result of the study, it was shown that the experimental group, that had blood regularly drawn for 4-6 weeks, had significantly lower blood pressure from the control group that had no blood taken. This really shows that frequent bloodletting can greatly reduce the blood pressure in one’s body. (www.dw.de/ancient-bloodletting-practice-making-a.../a-16416231)
Bloodletting helps many hemochromatosis patients maintain healthy iron levels and may help aid a person's immune system. Furthermore, it can reduce the risk of diabetes and significantly lower a person's blood pressure.
(Julianna Holzer- jholzer4@students.d125.org)