I have a disease and regret not paying attention more in biology class

For everyone who forgot 11th grade science class, this is for you! Easy, simple definitions of basic terms of biology

Hi readers! I was so encouraged when my aHUS disease explainer did so well… I thought I would do another SUPER BASIC, VERY GENERAL explainer of science terms.

THE VERY BASICS OF BIOLOGY AND THE BODY

(for folks with a disease… or anybody who needs a refresher…)

Here are the foundations of biology for the body. I made it especially for when the docs are trying to explain something to you, and you’re not really sure what an antibody or protein actually is… and you’re truly regretting barely remembering the two semesters of biology you had to take.

This is my VERY simplified version of these definitions… to all the doctors or biologists reading this, I’m sorry… or you’re welcome!

I often imagine my entire body being an office building in a way. It’s a detailed communication system and every cell has a role to play.

So, we’ll start very tiny and zoom out.

What is an atom?

The building blocks of the universe. They are the tiniest of the tiny. They make up all things. It’s tough to conceptualize but very small dots make up the universe. They are every ingredient. Small but mighty.

What is a molecule?

A group of one or two atoms held together by an attraction or bond.

What is a cell?

These are the basic tiny things that make up all living beings. A cell is made up of various molecules.

Every cell has a structure. The membrane is the wall that holds the structure together. It’s the walls of the building.

It’s got a nucleus inside, or the head office of the cell. That holds the DNA. DNA is essentially the instructions or blueprint for, well, all of us. Who we are and what we are. If DNA is the whole owners manual, each individual instruction is a gene (like, Taylor will have blue eyes! Taylor will be short! Taylor will be moderately good at singing but she’ll never be a professional no matter how many voice lessons she takes although she’s very fun at karaoke!).

Some cells are told to be arms, some are told to be part of the heart, and some are told to be a big toe.

Our genes and DNA are kept inside a file cabinet or chromosome. Imagine each set of your parents gave you a file cabinet. Each cell has two, one from each parent.

And the cell also has something called cytoplasm- that’s the swirling goop inside the cell that everything is swimming in.

There are other things inside a cell that help the cell achieve its purpose or job.

What is a protein?

Proteins are molecules inside the cell and do most of the cell’s work.

They are vital to the body being able to work properly as they basically control the body’s tissues and organs.

If your body was an office building, these are the staff.

What is an antibody?

So this is one of the important jobs of the protein work-crew. If a foreign invader comes into the body (or an antigen), antibodies are created to bind or attach to the invader to stop them from doing harm.

Diffusing danger with a big hug.

What is an enzyme?

This is another gig of the protein crew. It’s a little chemical reaction. They’re like the chefs of the cell. They cook up a reaction and that reaction leads us to do things like breathing or digesting food.

What is blood?

Blood is like the transportation system of the body. If there’s traffic or an accident and the cells can’t get to work or the supplies they need, we have a problem. When the freeway or cardiovascular system is working correctly, nutrients are getting to where they need to go and waste can exit the body.

Red blood cells are the most common. They carry oxygen to everybody so every cell can do their jobs. They bring it in a container aka hemoglobin. The container is made of iron which is why blood is red.

White blood cells are part of the security team fighting against invaders like bacteria.

Platelets are the construction crew of the highway. They are tiny and plug the potholes or repair the roads if something breaks down.

In a sense, blood pressure is the speed limit. Too high, everyone speeding - not safe for the body. To slow- also not good.

What is bacteria?

Okay, these are living beings made up of one cell. They’ve lived on Earth for about as long as life has existed. They aren’t able to grow big because of their cell structure, but they sure can multiply. Some bacteria aren't even harmful. However, some that are harmful will start to disrupt the normal workings of the body. Sometimes they make their own by-products, or toxins, which are damaging for us. Often, they even destroy our cells and then our body can’t work correctly.

What is a virus?

Viruses are smaller than bacteria. Bacteria can live almost anywhere while viruses need a host. They are moochers. They need to be inside a living cell to survive and reproduce. Antibiotics don’t work on viruses. The common cold is an example of a virus moocher moving into our cells and being super annoying because no one invited them.

The reaction or symptoms are similar to a bacteria because the immune system jumps into action to kick them out.

What is the Immune System?

It’s a complex network that keeps us healthy and fighting invaders. It’s the whole system of white blood cells, proteins working as antibodies (like, I mentioned above), and certain organs (like the lymphatic organs) that stop infection.

It’s like the high tech security department for the body. It’s excellent at record keeping. It remembers every invader it’s ever met.

The complement system is a part of the immune system. I explain an analogy for that here. Scroll down to the football metaphor.

What is disease?

A disease is the disorder of the normal function of the body. It can be due to an outside invader or just a mistake/typo, or mutation, in the basic instructions or DNA inside the cell. Cells can be damaged but external factors like chemicals as well.

Anything that messes up the job of each cell in the body can really cause issues. It’s a delicate, miraculous system. For example, cancer is abnormal cells that take up space and multiply incorrectly. Anything that causes a disruption on the molecular level, has consequences for the whole body.

When everything works correctly, it’s called homeostasis. And that’s a miracle.

We often take for granted when everything works like it should. I know I did.

I’m gonna stop here for now because I don’t want to overload folks. I think the above is a good foundation to visualize what’s happening.

---

Thanks for joining me for this mini-biology lesson. It can be so overwhelming getting a diagnosis. I know I was in the dark and really having a hard time visualizing what was happening… I just knew it wasn’t good.

And doctors operate at a high level and it can be very difficult for everyone to get on the same page. Sometimes the best doctors are poor at explaining. I hope this helps you visualize how the body works.

Share it with anyone who could use a reminder.

Did you find this helpful? Anything else that has been confusing? Let me know! I can try to explain it… but know, I’m not a doctor. I got a theatre degree and a dance minor and I work in podcasting- but I do like making confusing things clear!

Thank you to Richard Burwick, MD for your founding level donation! You not only supported the team saving my life, you’re amazingly supportive of my writing.