Health Archives

October 6, 2025October 6, 2025

The Eyes of Golden Apple Snails

In many regions, apple snails are considered an invasive species and pest. However, scientists are studying one freshwater species, the golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata), for its unique ability to regenerate a lost eye. Researchers hope to learn from the eyes of golden apple snails something that could have potential applications in preserving human vision.

Apple snails have eyes that resemble cameras, similar to human eyes. A golden apple snail’s eye can heal itself if damaged. If the eye is completely removed, a new eye will grow back in less than a month. Of course, human eyes cannot do that. Researchers studying the eyes of golden apple snails hope to find new ways to treat human eye injuries or diseases like macular degeneration.

By using the gene editing tool CRISPR/Cas9 to disable certain genes, scientists are searching for the genes responsible for the snail’s remarkable eye recovery. Disabling the snails’ PAX6 gene prevented them from developing eyes. That same gene is crucial for human eyes. Due to the similarity, further research may lead to new breakthroughs in treating eye diseases.

Humans cannot regrow damaged parts of the eye, and doctors have yet to perform an eye transplant that communicates with the brain. God has given humans curiosity and intelligence to explore life’s mysteries. In the eyes of golden apple snails, He has provided us with a model to study and potentially learn how to restore lost or damaged vision.

References: sciencenews.org and nature.com

September 29, 2025September 28, 2025

Cancer Is a Darwinian Evolutionary Process

Most people today are or will be affected by cancer. If they don’t experience it firsthand, they probably have friends or family members who will. Billions of dollars and countless hours have been dedicated to finding a cure. So far, the ultimate cure remains elusive. One challenge is that cancer is, in a sense, many diseases because it affects different parts of the body in various ways. A cancer tumor is a cluster of cells growing uncontrollably. Various factors can cause this, but a cancer expert explains that cancer is a Darwinian evolutionary process.

Karl Krueger, a former senior manager of cancer research at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, has authored two peer-reviewed papers describing cancer in Darwinian terms. Our cells have fail-safe mechanisms to prevent them from entering a state of runaway replication. If these mechanisms are disrupted, cells can begin to reproduce through cell division, similar to bacteria, resulting in what we call a cancer tumor.

The human body is a multicellular organism in which all components, down to the cellular level, must cooperate for the body’s health. When normal regulatory controls fail, tumor cells become selfish, cloning themselves without regard for the host. Darwin’s concept of natural selection and survival of the fittest, when applied to cancer cells, becomes out-of-control growth.

At the cellular level, according to Krueger, “Those cells which proliferate at faster rates and maintain this growth process at their site of origin, or beyond in the case of metastasis, supersede the role of natural selection. In this game, it is not survival of the fittest but rather the fastest proliferating cells that present themselves most prominently in tumors…” In other words, cancer progression is an evolutionary process.

Krueger’s insights align with Michael Behe’s 2019 book, Darwin Devolves. Behe argued that at the molecular level, the Darwinian mechanism more often breaks features rather than creating new ones. The bottom line is that cancer is a Darwinian evolutionary process, and natural selection is not a creative force because, in all biological systems, there is a natural tendency toward disorder. We refer to this as entropy, or simply aging.

Reference: scienceandculture.com

September 23, 2025September 22, 2025

First Responders in the Body

David Coppedge wrote a very interesting article about the body’s “first responders.” He described four instances where the body has its own superheroes ready in advance to handle and prevent crises that could lead to life-threatening diseases, such as cancer. These first responders in the body had to be present before they were needed. They are like police or firefighters who need the skill and training to come to the rescue when necessary. Planning and preparation indicate design.

One line of defense against infections is provided by cilia, which sweep the airways clean with wave-like motions. These hair-like structures are familiar, but recent research has shown that they provide upward as well as lateral flow to push fluids away from the airway surface. This action helps prevent bacteria, viruses, and harmful particles from reaching the cells of the airways and causing infections.

Another first responder removes toxic waste called reactive oxygen species (ROS) that develop in the cell’s mitochondria. Since these are toxic substances, ROS must be handled carefully. Organelles called peroxisomes detoxify these dangerous chemicals, sparing mitochondria from oxidative stress. This process requires two proteins that are resistant to toxins and produce a bridge that allows ROS to move safely between organelles.

This line of defense has been compared to the comic superhero, the Incredible Hulk. Dendritic cells that are part of the immune system travel through tissues looking for problems to solve, like cops on a beat. Usually, they slip through tissues, removing “bad guys” one at a time. However, when they come across a “mob” in their way, these narrow and flexible immune cells expand like the Incredible Hulk, with bulging muscles to push obstacles out of the way.

One of the first responders in the body is compared to Spartan warriors. It is the critical enzyme SPRTN. Before a cell divides, its DNA must be copied for the new cell. Unwanted proteins can latch onto the DNA strand and clog the copying machinery with cross-links called DPCs. That can lead to premature aging, cancer, or other problems. The SPRTN enzyme finds and repairs the clogs by degrading the proteins that cause them. SPRTN must degrade the clog without harming the surrounding tissue, and it does that by detecting ubiquitin tags that the DPCs carry. Understanding how SPRTN works enables scientists to develop strategies to enhance defense against age-related diseases and tissue damage caused by cancer therapies.

All of these discoveries were made through empirical observation by competent and respected scientists and reported in science journals. The first responders in the body are ready and prepared to serve and protect the human body. Like first responders to natural disasters, they are not there by accident but by a designed plan for defense and protection.

Reference: evolutionnews.org

September 16, 2025September 15, 2025

Natural Environment and Pain Relief

Experience has shown that spending time outdoors in a natural environment can help relieve stress and promote relaxation. A new study indicates that there is also a connection between the natural environment and pain relief. It may be surprising that enjoying the beauty and peacefulness of God’s creation can actually reduce the sensation of pain.

To create a controlled laboratory test, the researchers used images and sounds. For a natural setting, the test subjects were exposed to images of a lake surrounded by trees and hills, accompanied by birdsongs and wave sounds. For an urban setting, the subjects viewed an urban lake surrounded by tall buildings with traffic and construction sounds. The third group saw an office scene with computer and fan sounds. The researchers performed MRI scans on the brains of dozens of test subjects while they were exposed to these fake laboratory environments.

For the test, the subjects were exposed to shocks of increasing intensity while the researchers monitored their MRIs. The test subjects exposed to the urban and indoor environments showed the expected brain activity when sensing pain. However, the areas of the brain that receive pain stimulus (nociception in medical terms) were dulled when viewing the natural environment. You could call it “natural” pain relief. According to Maximilian Steininger, who authored the study, they found that the pain relief was not just a placebo effect. It really worked.

The results of this study could be helpful for healthcare facilities and hospitals. Perhaps that’s why my dentist has a nature scene picture on the ceiling above the patient’s chair. Perhaps he should add some natural sound effects. However, creating a natural scene in the lab (or dentist’s office) cannot compare with the real thing. When feeling pain (or stress), getting outside to enjoy God’s creation might be the best medicine. A real connection exists between the natural environment and pain relief. Enjoying God’s creation also inspires us to worship and thank Him for the beauty we enjoy in the outdoors.

Sources: Discover Magazine September/October 2025, page 20, and nature.com

August 19, 2025September 12, 2025

Only a Mind Can Create a Mind

Did the universe originate with matter or with a Mind? If matter was the starting point for all things, then we are simply matter. In that case, how can we have a mind? Are our minds just collections of cells formed from molecules that consist of atoms, which are made up of subatomic particles? Could unguided matter create our minds? Do we merely imagine that we have minds?

It seems more reasonable that a Mind was the starting point for all things. In that case, the Mind initiated the matter that formed the entire cosmos, all living things, and us. That Mind gave us minds, because only a Mind can create a mind.

The human mind has two parts working together. The physical part is what we call the brain. Materialists try to tell us that the brain is all there is. The brain handles material processes, including sensory and motor functions. It also influences emotions and memory. The other part, the soul, is not made of material substance. The soul performs abstract reasoning, makes moral choices, and exhibits free will. It is what makes us different from all other animals.

This non-material part of our mind works in conjunction with the physical brain. The brain controls our physical movements but deciding what to do is primarily under the influence of the soul. Reasoning and decision-making are activities of the soul, but damage to the brain can severely affect our ability to reason and make moral choices.

The physical and spiritual aspects of our minds must work together to make us fully functioning humans. For that reason, a person who experiences brain damage from stroke, brain cancer, severe brain injury, Alzheimer’s, or other causes struggles with abstract reasoning and decision-making. Dementia also results in loss of memory, sensory awareness, and motor skills, and it affects our emotions. However, physical factors such as fatigue and illness can also impact those things.

It’s essential to understand that despite physical impairments, whether temporary or permanent, we remain the same person with the same soul. For those suffering from dementia, regardless of its cause, loved ones need to realize that the soul, the spiritual part of that person, is still present. Malfunction of the brain makes the person seem very different, but the person’s soul is still present. We are all made in the image of God, who is a spirit (John 4:24), not physical. We are spirits functioning within a physical body. In this life, a damaged brain can limit the functioning of a person’s soul. However, we can thank God that the soul is freed from the brain at the moment of death, and those who have accepted the salvation Jesus offers will spend a blissful eternity with Him.

For more on the reality of the human soul, watch this video.

June 24, 2025June 23, 2025

Sperm Cell Design for Reproduction

With the number of children born every day on planet Earth, it is easy to miss the complexities of human reproduction. All animal life on our planet radiates this complexity, and the sperm cell is the most complex of all the cells in the body. Science is still struggling to understand sperm cell design, but we are learning more about how it functions as technology opens doors that were previously unavailable.

The sperm cell has three parts: (1) The head, which contains a haploid nucleus carrying half the normal number of chromosomes. It also has an acrosome, which contains enzymes that enable it to penetrate the egg. (2) The middle, which is packed with mitochondria to provide energy for the sperm’s movement. (3) The tail (Flagellum), which allows the sperm to swim through the female reproductive system.

Sperm cells are also biconcave or disk-shaped, allowing them to absorb oxygen more quickly and rounded to flow easily through the tiny capillaries. Sperm cells can swim fast thanks to a tail, a streamlined shape, and a high concentration of energy-transferring mitochondria.

The sperm cell design is just half the story. The egg becomes concave at one spot, allowing a single sperm cell to complete fertilization. All animal life depends on this design. The mechanism by which this happens is not understood and is the subject of modern research. We take for granted the fact that animal life can reproduce, but the design that makes it possible speaks eloquently about the existence of God.

Reference: Wikipedia and Michigan State Genetics Course Notes.

June 18, 2025June 17, 2025

Animal Pathogen Transmission to Humans

The World Organization for Animal Health and the World Health Organization released data on the number of illnesses and deaths caused by pathogens transmitted to humans from animals worldwide each year. They gathered data from 183 member states, showing that a billion illnesses and millions of deaths occur worldwide due to animal pathogen transmission to humans.

The recent data was triggered by the outbreak of bird flu known as H5N1. That virus has sickened millions of birds, dozens of mammalian species, and people worldwide. This strain of avian influenza has threatened food supplies and pressured governments to take a serious look at food security and public health.

When God created life on Earth, He planned it to meet the needs of humans. Long before modern science, God gave dietary instructions to the ancient Israelites. Skeptics today may consider those instructions archaic; however, they were far ahead of their time, and many of them remain applicable today. We see the consequences of not following wise dietary and health instructions.

Animal pathogen transmission to humans is not the only problem we face today. Every time humans have discarded the Bible as a guide for life, the consequences have been dire. We are seeing that again in the tragedies of humans suffering because of the rejection of God’s design for healthful and moral living.

Reference: WHO and WOAH public health assessment, April 2025

March 25, 2025March 24, 2025

Alzheimer’s Disease in America

A major health issue in America today is dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s kills more Americans than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. One in three seniors dies from Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Of the total U.S. population age 65 or older, about one in nine is living with Alzheimer’s. A total of seven million Americans have Alzheimer’s, and two-thirds are women.

Your author is 87 years old, and Alzheimer’s has touched my family in several ways. I have several friends and business partners battling with Alzheimer’s. One of the tragedies that I have seen is people who chose to end their lives prematurely when they learned they were facing Alzheimer’s disease. In 1998, an American pathologist named Jack Kevorkian was arrested for participating in 130 physician-assisted suicides. His arrest came when he assisted in the voluntary euthanasia of a man named Thomas Youk, who had ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and served 8 years in prison. Kevorkian’s records show that many of the 130 suicides were people who found out they had Alzheimer’s and didn’t want to be a burden on their families.

First Corinthians 3:16 tells us, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit has His home in you? If any man desecrates the Temple of God, God shall ruin him, for the Temple of God is sacred, and so are you.” Nothing in that description says that a person’s mental capacity affects the fact that God’s Spirit is in His temple. My son was born blind and mentally challenged, with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and schizophrenia. Was God’s Spirit in him? He brought a doctor and several nurses to Christ and was a significant force in the sheltered workshop he attended.

As Christians, we serve God by how we deal with people, no matter their mental state. Alzheimer’s disease can be challenging, but so was raising a young man who didn’t die until he was 50 years old as a victim of COVID. Treat someone who has Alzheimer’s with love and compassion. That is a ministry that will bring its own reward.

Reference: Alzheimer’s Association for February 2025

January 31, 2025January 28, 2025

A Pregnant Woman’s Brain

In our day of surrogate mothers, in vitro fertilization, and abortion, we need to understand how a pregnant woman’s brain functions. Many husbands will describe very different thinking in the minds of their wives during pregnancy.

Dr. Liz Chrastil, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of California, Irving, realized she could be her own study subject when she became pregnant. Chrastil exposed herself to four MRI scans before pregnancy, 15 during pregnancy, and seven scans in the two years after the baby was born.

The data on Chrastil was astounding. Pregnancy caused a 4% reduction of gray matter in 80% of Chrastil’s brain. At the same time, some of her white matter tracts that carry information around the brain grew stronger, reaching a peak in the second trimester. By the end of Chrastil’s pregnancy, the white matter returned to the pre-pregnancy level. Her gray matter changes seem to be permanent.

This research on a pregnant woman’s brain has enormous implications. As we have said before, If a woman has an abortion, the vestiges of her pregnancy continue with her for life. Pregnancy permanently alters the brain of a surrogate mother. Those who ridicule the biblical design for motherhood and families are encouraging great risk to women who choose to alter God’s plan. Humans cannot improve on God’s system for families. When they try, the result harms everyone.

January 30, 2025January 28, 2025

Collateral Damage from Using Marijuana

This ministry is located in the marijuana capital of Michigan, and the quantity of marijuana sold in this state is vast and growing. Widespread marijuana use in America has not been around for a significant amount of time to see the effects. The New York Times has been surveying doctors, hospitals, and psychiatrists as more and more people have collateral damage from using marijuana.

Psychiatrists are seeing a massive increase in the number of people who have had delusions, paranoia, and other symptoms of psychosis from marijuana use. Hospitals and urgent care facilities are dealing with patients who have severe vomiting induced by marijuana.

Marijuana is a thirty-three billion dollar industry that is “turning out an ever-expanding range of cannabis products so intoxicating they bear little resemblance to the marijuana available a generation ago.” Cannabis addiction is common in our world today, and the medical profession is just beginning to understand the extent of it.

The collateral damage from using marijuana is very similar to that of alcohol. People turn to drugs or even to common substances, which, when misused, produce consequences for the users. Many years ago, when I was a teenager, a cough syrup called Hadacol had a high percentage of alcohol. We teens would buy a case and use it as an alcoholic drink. In my teaching experience, I had students getting high on everything from peanut butter to laundry detergent, frequently with negative results.

God tells us to treat our bodies as temples, and one part of taking care of God’s temple is to add only those things that will help it. In 1 Timothy 5:23, Paul tells Timothy to “use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.” If marijuana is used as a medical treatment, that can be a good thing. However, we must avoid the collateral damage from using marijuana as a recreational drug.