Catch 22: Herpes or liquorice/licorice?
Catch 22: Herpes or liquorice/licorice?
When I read my favourite news magazine online (www.spiegel.de), I came across an article on liquorice and how it kills dormant/inactive herpes. Pure curiosity made me read this article, which basically summarises an academic paper. Actually it is one of those papers, which I usually read before I go to bed: Francesca Curreli, Alvin E. Friedman-Kien, and Ornella Flore, “Glycyrrhizic acid alters Kaposi sarcoma–associated herpesvirus latency, triggering p53-mediated apoptosis in transformed B lymphocytes”, Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2005 115: 642-652.
Okay, admittedly, I do not even understand the title and it became no better when I tried to read the first paragraph of the text. So I stopped this excursion and went back to the German summary.
It was the powerful headline, which made me open the article: liquorice makes cells commit suicide. “Yes, I can’t stand liquorice, either”, I thought. So why should little cells like liquorice, if I don’t. I continued reading and learnt that it was about herpes cells. And then I stopped and realised how lucky I have been: I have never had herpes and I do not like liquorice. The first might be due to my boring lifestyle. But anyway this lifestyle helps to avoid the terrible situation like: herpes or liquorice – I thought. But since I have never thought about herpes and never cared, I thought it might be due time to do some research on it.
And, whow! What a terrible virus, it is: http://www.cdc.gov/std/Herpes/STDFact-Herpes.htm
One source even said that 90% of the human population has had herpes in one way or the other (HSV-1 or HSV-2, oral or genital). Hm, maybe it is due to my origin: Bielefeld in East-Westphalia, which might help to explain. We are just special and the city is the naval of the world, so why should I get it.
Honestly, I was astonished, that it is also a STD (sexually transmitted disease – this abbreviation is already part of my active vocabulary, but, hey, I am in Uganda). So, I guess my dream to study medicine would not be a too stupid decision. I have so much no clue about biology and all related fields. I should do something to catch up at least some knowledge. One idea would be a biology or medicine book, the other would be to marry or at least start dating a biologists or a medical doctor, then I could take some lessons and learn all those things that one just needs to know: How does my brain work? What happens, when I cut my skin and how does it grow together? Why does it not bleed if you remove those kinds of stapler-like things, which I had had so many times somewhere in my body?
By the way: How would you interpret a situation, in which someone shows you her “fever blisters”? Did the person do that to prevent me from trying to kiss her? Well, fortunately I did not intend to do it and now I would even have a medical reason for not even thinking about it.
Anyway, I will now search for some nice pictures so that I know, which lips should not be kissed ;-) Or do I just have to overcome my hate of liquorice? No, coming back to the article, I have to disappoint you. Fortunately, the necessary doses of liquorice sugar to cure a herpes infections is too high than it could be provided by common liquorice and besides the ingredient, which initiate the suicide of herpes cells only works for inactive herpes.
Therefore, I do not have to import liquorice to Uganda, just in case I might decide to change my lifestyle. But since I now know that the virus can be inactive, I am worried; however, at least I will not have to face a catch 22 situation. Liquorice is out of the game, but herpes is still in … I should stop reading medical stuff, it can be horrifying.
When I read my favourite news magazine online (www.spiegel.de), I came across an article on liquorice and how it kills dormant/inactive herpes. Pure curiosity made me read this article, which basically summarises an academic paper. Actually it is one of those papers, which I usually read before I go to bed: Francesca Curreli, Alvin E. Friedman-Kien, and Ornella Flore, “Glycyrrhizic acid alters Kaposi sarcoma–associated herpesvirus latency, triggering p53-mediated apoptosis in transformed B lymphocytes”, Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2005 115: 642-652.
Okay, admittedly, I do not even understand the title and it became no better when I tried to read the first paragraph of the text. So I stopped this excursion and went back to the German summary.
It was the powerful headline, which made me open the article: liquorice makes cells commit suicide. “Yes, I can’t stand liquorice, either”, I thought. So why should little cells like liquorice, if I don’t. I continued reading and learnt that it was about herpes cells. And then I stopped and realised how lucky I have been: I have never had herpes and I do not like liquorice. The first might be due to my boring lifestyle. But anyway this lifestyle helps to avoid the terrible situation like: herpes or liquorice – I thought. But since I have never thought about herpes and never cared, I thought it might be due time to do some research on it.
And, whow! What a terrible virus, it is: http://www.cdc.gov/std/Herpes/STDFact-Herpes.htm
One source even said that 90% of the human population has had herpes in one way or the other (HSV-1 or HSV-2, oral or genital). Hm, maybe it is due to my origin: Bielefeld in East-Westphalia, which might help to explain. We are just special and the city is the naval of the world, so why should I get it.
Honestly, I was astonished, that it is also a STD (sexually transmitted disease – this abbreviation is already part of my active vocabulary, but, hey, I am in Uganda). So, I guess my dream to study medicine would not be a too stupid decision. I have so much no clue about biology and all related fields. I should do something to catch up at least some knowledge. One idea would be a biology or medicine book, the other would be to marry or at least start dating a biologists or a medical doctor, then I could take some lessons and learn all those things that one just needs to know: How does my brain work? What happens, when I cut my skin and how does it grow together? Why does it not bleed if you remove those kinds of stapler-like things, which I had had so many times somewhere in my body?
By the way: How would you interpret a situation, in which someone shows you her “fever blisters”? Did the person do that to prevent me from trying to kiss her? Well, fortunately I did not intend to do it and now I would even have a medical reason for not even thinking about it.
Anyway, I will now search for some nice pictures so that I know, which lips should not be kissed ;-) Or do I just have to overcome my hate of liquorice? No, coming back to the article, I have to disappoint you. Fortunately, the necessary doses of liquorice sugar to cure a herpes infections is too high than it could be provided by common liquorice and besides the ingredient, which initiate the suicide of herpes cells only works for inactive herpes.
Therefore, I do not have to import liquorice to Uganda, just in case I might decide to change my lifestyle. But since I now know that the virus can be inactive, I am worried; however, at least I will not have to face a catch 22 situation. Liquorice is out of the game, but herpes is still in … I should stop reading medical stuff, it can be horrifying.
posted by Torsten at 10:00 pm
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