Author: Philip D. Houck A seminar 25 years ago included basic scientists in biology, engineers, and a rare physician (the Houckster). This...
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A seminar 25 years ago included basic scientists in biology, engineers, and a rare physician (the Houckster). This enlightening event was the stimulus to understanding the clinical implications of the lymphangion. Entropy was also a topic, with a Texas A&M researcher demonstrating the second law of thermodynamics suggests all activity should be minimalto increase longevity. I think I have finally rebuked that concept after 25 years of effort. Exercise is the strongest predictor of negative entropy and lifespan. Repair is the next frontier moderated by progenitor cells, immune function, and electromagnetic information.
The paper summarizes my clinical knowledge of the lymphatic system, an overlooked organ in medical therapeutics. I consider it an organ of negative entropy. Although I am a retired cardiologist, the paper implies a pathway to preserve and remodel the brain in Downs syndrome and other mental disorders.
The heart is nearly a perfect organ but when compromised relies on the open circulatory system – the lymphatics. Natriuretic hormones are the means of communication. These hormones are key in any disease process that compromises the organ of negative entropy.
Processes providing negative entropy to maintain order are:
1. Utilize environmental energy to combat chaos (process energy sources - food).
2. Remove metabolic debris (take out the garbage).
3. Adaptation to the environment to maintain homeostasis (dry land requires salt and water management, calories sources changes – protein, fat, carbohydrate).
4. Protection from the environment, invaders, predators, identify self-versus non-self (fight to stay alive).
5. Repair broken parts by aiding stem cells to differentiate and reach their targets (repair battle wounds and replace aging cells) - Electromagnetic information management targets and replaces cells.
Children born with Down's have evidence of inflammation at birth. Hs-CRP a marker of of inflammation and the higher this number the greater the disability. The glymphatic system of the brain fails to remove metabolic debris. The disability in mental diseases is not a loss of intellectual potential but a fog produced by constant brain swelling. The paper suggests possible new pathways of treatments in conditions that fail to take out the garbage (2 above).
My wish is this information can be shared with researchers who can scrutinize and refine these comments.
I. Author Disclosures
The readers deserve to know financial disclosures biasing the scientific content. The author has no financial disclosures. The readers should also be advised of the mindset of the author to decide if they wish to invest time in reading 50 years of thought. Disclosures follow:
1. I do not like Nephrologists. Kidney function determines cardiac outcomes.
2. I do not like Endocrinologist. They are not present when a low-birth-weight baby is born destined to have metabolic syndrome. They are not present in the middle of the night when a young patient presents with a myocardial infarction requiring the cardiologist to diagnose insulin resistance.
3. I do not like Rheumatologist who could rule the medical community since every disease process is an inflammatory condition. Instead, they are intent on classification of major and minor criteria to diagnose a condition before a therapy is chosen.
4. I do not like Cardiologists who love to dilate coronary plaques, stiff aortic valves, and pay less attention to co-morbid conditions and preventing atherosclerotic complications.
5. I do not like infectious disease doctors who are not even a “ologists”; but are responsible for killing trillions of innocent bacteria.
6. In general, I do not like “ologists” who sit in their silos finding therapies for their specialty when solutions were already discovered in a separate silo. There is only one cell; so why do we need all of these ‘ologists”.
7. I admire basic scientists; but. I am grumpy they do not get out of bed to round with the physician who is using their knowledge to help patients. If they saw the face of those patients their research would be better directed.
In summary the author is a grumpy old cardiologist.
II. Specific Purpose
Propose a scientific approach to medicine and biology. This is a preposterous statement considering the advancements in medicine. I have been accused of thinking “out of the box”. Initially the author felt flattered by these comments. Flattery can be veiled, and these comments really should have been “that is some crazy idea, we have no idea that it would work”. Thinking out of the box is a matter of training, evaluating all possibilities, developing theories from fundamental principles, and testing the theories.
The Houckster was initially trained in engineering science with 5 other students at Penn State. The curriculum entailed physics with physics majors, math with math majors, and our own unique courses. A physics professor implied, “Your brain has limited memory. Derive any equation you may need.” Medical school training was opposite memorizing mountains of textbooks.
After 30 years of digesting mountains of medical data, the Houckster realized it was time to return to engineering principles. Medical school should attract thinkers rather than those who memorize. Every science has fundamental principles. Models are derived from the fundamental principles. Experiments test the models and when the model is validated it can be used to create new therapies, new machines. Life, biology and medicine, lacks the knowledge of fundamental principles. Medicine is therefore not a science.
To fill this knowledge gap, the Houckster is proposing 6 fundamental principles and a model of health and disease. The papers evolved and utilized these principles to examine metabolic syndrome, coronary disease, the female advantage, heart failure, risk factors, conduction abnormalities of the heart, aging and vascular disease. The later articles are invited commentaries and unfinished business as I approach retirement.
III. Research
Lymphatics
Houck PD, Dandapantula HK, Massey JM. Lymphatics: Future Perspectives Unrealized Potential. Lymphatics. 2023; 1(2):87-96. https://doi.org/10.3390/lymphatics1020009
Weather
Houck PD, Lethen JE, Riggs MW, et al. Relation of atmospheric pressure changes and the occurrences of acute myocardial infarction and stroke. Am J Cardiol. 2005; 96:45---51
Stem Cells
Jewell CW, Houck PD, Watson LE, et al. Enhanced external counterpulsation is a regenerative therapy. Front Biosci (Elite Ed). 2010 Jan 1; 2:111-21.
Unusual Case Prompting New Thinking
Houck PD, Linz W. Multi-vessel myocardial infarction a window to future treatments of myocardial infarction. Heart Asia 2010; 2:82-88
Houck PD, Strimel WJ, Gantt DS, et al. Should we establish a new protocol for the treatment of peripartum myocardial infarction? Texas Heart Institute Journal 2012; 39(2), 244.
Houck PD. Open source research: a proposed method to study peripartum myocardial infarction. J Clin Trial Cardiol 2016; 3:1: 1-7.
Laws of Biology
Houck PD. “Observational Medicine’’ should be replaced by ‘‘Real Science’’. Med Hypotheses (2015),http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1016/j.mehy.2015.05.011
Houck PD, de Oliveira JMF. Applying laws of biology to diabetes with emphasis on metabolic syndrome. Medical Hypotheses 2013; 80:5:637-642
Entropy
Houck PD. Should negative entropy be included in the fundamental laws of biology? OA Biol 2.1 (2014): 7.
Houck P.D. (2020) Making Drug Discovery More Efficient Applying Statistical Entropy to Biology. Journal of Modern Physics, 11, 1969-1976.
Heart Failure
Houck PD. An unusual case of dyspnea, Primary Health Care 2014, 4:3 1-3
Houck PD. Evolution of heart failure: crotchety old cardiologist. OA Med Hypothesis 2013; 1:1:7.
Houck PD. Alternative view of congestive heart failure exacerbations: Role of lymphatic function and inflammation. OA Med Hypothesis 2013; 1:1:6
Houck P, Dandapantula H, Hardegree E, et al. (June 30, 2020) Why We Fail at Heart Failure: Lymphatic Insufficiency Is Disregarded. Cureus 2020; 2(6): e8930. doi:10.7759/cureus.8930
Houck P, Dandapantula H, Wilkinson D (August 27, 2020) Cost to Save a Life in Heart Failure: Health Disparity Costs Lives. Cureus 12(8): e10081. doi:10.7759/cureus.10081
Houck PD, Jones B, Patel R, et al Pathophysiology of narrow complex dilated cardiomyopathy insight derived from the velocity equation: velocity = distance/time BMJ Case Reports CP 2019;12:e229339.
Houck P. Pacemaker Optimization Mechanisms in the Spectrum of Cardiac Disease Rationale to Protocol. Hearts. 2024; 5(4):448-459. https://doi.org/10.3390/hearts5040032
Houck P. Pathophysiology of Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection Determines Anticoagulation Strategy. Cureus. 2021;13(8):e17437. Published 2021 Aug 25. doi:10.7759/cureus.17437
Houck PD. Heart Rate. Am J Cardiol. 2024 Apr 15;217:161-163. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2024.02.041. Epub 2024 Mar 8. PMID: 38460830.
Houck PD. Aging and the cardiovascular system. Aging-and-the-Cardiovascular-System.pdf (utlongtermcarenurse.com)
Houck PD. Should the Six-Minute Walk Test Be Added to the Vital Signs? Why Is Walking so Beneficial? Obesity Paradox? Am J Cardiol. 2023 Aug 15;201:359-361. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2023.06.008. Epub 2023 Jul 11. PMID: 37438224.
Houck PD. Obesity Conundrum. Am J Cardiol. 2024 Oct 1;228:82-84. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2024.07.025. Epub 2024 Jul 23. PMID: 39053725.
New occupation –Physicist
Houck PD. Star Movement Is Not Predicted Two-Compartment Model of the Universe. Journal of Modern Physics. 2024 Sep 30;15(11):1679-89.
Published by Global Journals
https://globaljournals.org/GJMR_Volume25/2-Entropy-and-the-Lymphatic.pdf
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