Immunology

Many of our lectures involve discussion of various experiments that have been aimed at determining what causes a particular disease. Different treatments will aim at blocking particular mechanisms so that the body doesn't respond detrimentally. While there is no doubt that some of this research has lead to remarkable progress in treatment (for example, rheumatoid arthritis). I often wonder how much of these new drugs/therapies, while precisely targeting the molecular causes of a disease, are also merely addressing the symptoms of greater lifestyle issues. I know that saying that a person has disease "x" because he eats Oreos everyday isn't altogether true, but by the same token, I wonder if for the individual, the sandcastle of medical research is only as good as the periodic tides of social ills allow it to be.

In other news, school wraps up on the 22nd and it looks like I'll be spending some time in Detroit, the city that everybody is fleeing, and Irvington, IL, a rural town where few live to begin with. In between, I'm looking forward to spending time at home before heading out to Peoria in August.