THE DOCTOR IS IN

What’s that? You still haven’t had all your queries about the human body answered? Is that even possible? Well, good news! We’re certain that by the end of this final segment, we’ll have answered every question about the human body you could possibly have.

Is it possible to get a disease you have been vaccinated for?

Sydnee: While vaccines are a life-saving scientific achievement that prove humankind is capable of amazing things, they are not always 100-percent effective for all people. A vaccine is designed to stimulate your immune system to generate antibodies against a certain disease by exposing it to parts of the virus or bacteria that cause the disease. This is a predictable response in most people. However, there are some whose immune systems will not respond as we would expect. This can be due to immune deficiencies, illnesses, medications, or just genetic differences in the way an immune system responds. We are able to test if a vaccine is working with a blood test called an “antibody titer.” If your antibody levels come back too low, you can always consider a booster vaccine to try and get those levels up to where they should be.

Justin: Alternatively, I have perfected a method of boosting my resistance to many common airborne illnesses called “staying on my couch unless I am physically forced to do otherwise.” It’s hell on my social life, but I haven’t sneezed in thirteen years. Well worth it.

Why does chemo cause your hair to fall out?

Sydnee: Not every drug used for chemotherapy will cause this effect, but it can be life-altering for patients that are affected by it. The reason this occurs is intrinsic to they way many chemo drugs are designed to work.

Many agents target fast-growing cells, because cancer cells are fast growing. But that can turn other fast growing cells—like those cells at the roots of your hair—into collateral damage, resulting in hair loss. The cells that line your GI tract are also fast-growing, which is why chemotherapy can cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

While this sounds discouraging, these side effects are usually temporary and worth the risk due to the comparative risk of the cancer itself. This is also why researchers are always hard at work searching for new, better, less-toxic cancer treatments that will save even more lives.

Would a person with situs inversus require a donated organ to also come from a situs inversus donor?

Justin: I’d like to take a crack at this one, Syd. And I’d like to begin, question asker, by asking a question right back to you. What when we really come down to it . . . is . . . situs inversus? Hmm, it’s a thinker isn’t it? Syd, before I monopolize the whole thing, I’d be really interested in hearing your take.

Sydnee: Well, Justin, situs inversus is a condition in which a person’s internal organs are basically a mirror-image of most humans’ anatomy. The heart, lungs, liver, and digestive organs are all on the opposite side from where they generally exist. On its own, this condition is harmless. The organs still function the same, they just aren’t where you would have guessed. This is usually caught incidentally when a patient has a chest x-ray, or some other kind of imaging done for other reasons. It is fairly rare (about 1 in 10,000 people), and it may have some genetic component. But that isn’t entirely clear yet.

The question as to how this would affect an organ transplant is really interesting and couldn’t really be predicted until it was attempted. There have been very rare cases of transplants, specifically heart transplants, in these patients, and the surgical team did not have to use a donated organ from another situs inversus patient. This did present extra challenges for the surgeons, as they had to reconfigure all of the veins and arteries in terms of attaching the new heart in place. This also involved using grafts from elsewhere in the body. However, this has been achieved and could be with other organs from non-situs-inversus donors.

Does the human body absorb any even remotely substantial amount of water through the skin? For instance, if one were dehydrated, would submerging oneself in water help in any way?

Sydnee: The skin is not a very effective route of water absorption. While it is not completely waterproof, it is fairly water resistant. This is due to the layer on the outside of our skin known as the “stratum corneum.” This layer of keratin, dead skin cells, and oils protects our deeper layers of skin as well as regulates our hydration by keeping water in. While a small amount of water can get through this barrier with some prolonged exposure, it is not a significant amount and certainly not enough to combat dehydration. Other substances, like certain medications and toxins that are oil-based, can get through this layer of protection to varying degrees. This allows up to apply some medications as ointments to treat localized conditions, but it also puts our bodies at risk for toxic and occupational exposures through our skin. Overall though, if you are thirsty, have a drink, not a dip.

Justin: This obviously does not apply to Gatorade, which is able to hydrate topically through the power of electrolytes. Especially lemon-lime.

So here’s a quick one: What is the adjective form of the word “pus?”

Justin: What a weird question, wouldn’t it just be “pu”—Oh, Syd! Please, please tell me it—

Sydnee: Sorry, J-Man. If a wound is full of pus—a thick, white drainage with a high concentration of white blood cells—then the medical term for it is “purulent.” This typically indicates infection, as all those white blood cells have arrived at this location in your body and heroically given their little cellular lives in order to protect you from some sort of invader.

Justin: This is, literally, the worst day of my life.