Notes on home isolation

After being isolated at home for a month, I read six books about microorganisms and diseases caused by microorganisms one after another, probably because of environmental and emotional reasons. The overall feeling is:

1. Microorganisms, mainly bacteria and viruses, are everywhere and have a very close relationship with human beings. They exist around us and in our bodies. It can be said that without them, there would be no human beings. Therefore, we can't look at microorganisms from a single perspective and think that they are all bad, or that some of them are good and some are absolutely bad. But to find the balance between human beings and microorganisms with a dynamic vision.

2. In nature, any species has both biological relationship and antagonistic relationship with microorganisms. Some microorganisms can influence and change the host and realize life, such as thousands of bacteria in our intestines; Some microorganisms try to occupy and destroy the host, that is, bacteria and viruses that cause infectious diseases and epidemics. For example, in COVID-19, in the past two years.

The human immune system bears the brunt in the battle against virus. Most of the time, it can effectively resist the invasion of outsiders, but occasionally there will be system errors and downtime. For example, some autoimmune diseases, that is, the human immune system is too active to harm friendly forces in the body, and some viruses and bacteria will take advantage of this defect of the immune system to induce an overreaction of the immune system, injure internal organs by mistake, and cause casualties. However, some viruses and bacteria can pretend to be friendly forces to deceive the immune system, evade capture, and then find the right time to expand themselves, so that the immune system is defeated and the human body is captured.

Although recovery ultimately depends on our own immune system, human beings can still provide some help and support from the outside, which is the role of drugs and vaccines. The research and development of drugs and vaccines are extremely difficult and tortuous, often relying on luck, the path of success is difficult to replicate, and sometimes there are even ethical risks.

We don't fully understand the therapeutic mechanism of all drugs that have been developed and produced. For those lucky drugs, pragmatism comes first, and pharmacological research lags behind, and there is still a long way to go.

6. Vaccine is still the best weapon to resist the epidemic of large-scale infectious diseases. Vaccines are mainly divided into inactivation and attenuation, both of which are effective ways, and there is no absolute saying which is better. Vaccines are highly safe and effective, but there have been several vaccine incidents in history. For example, the vaccine used to prevent polio in the United States caused hepatitis B virus infection. Every public health incident related to vaccines will cause people to question the efficacy of vaccines and damage the credibility of the government. Some people will resist all vaccination across the board, thus taking the risk of illness and entering a negative feedback cycle.

7. In recent years, new methods and new ideas have emerged in the research and development of new drugs and vaccines, and the corresponding measures for some diseases are gradually changing from cure to disease discussion and survival. For individuals, regular work and rest, healthy lifestyle and optimistic attitude are the best measures to prevent diseases. You know, while you are adjusting your diet, you are also domesticating the bacteria born in your intestines. This is so interesting!