Relentless Regeneration

Abstract

Regenerative Medicine is a branch of medicine holding promise for the repair of cells, tissues, and organs to effective function. Much of the field has been developed in response to damage sustained by injury and disease. However, the body is under constant maintenance with a natural ebb and flow of dying and renewing cells. In addition, cells, tissues, and organs are constantly responding to routine demands to accommodate great variations in signals and responses. Remarkable examples are the cells composing the blood vessels and airways of the lungs. The ability to regulate, maintain and respond to changes in blood pressure and gas exchange across the blood-air interface illustrates the relentless ability of our bodies to self-adjust and self-renew throughout life. Likewise, the earth in which we live is under constant change and remodeling. Natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, with time, recover and become incorporated into the rhythm of daily life. Initial recovery may be brutal but in both cases, the body and the earth have an amazing power to heal.