Evidence of Design

We all know how important communication is in a family, a business, a country. But this is not a man-made idea. God thought of it long ago.

The circulatory system is one of the communication systems for the body. It starts in our 12 ounce heart that pumps about 72 times a minute, 100,000 times a day, 40 million times a year. About 2100 gallons of blood go through it every day with blood exiting the heart at 40 miles/hour with a force equal to a 10 pound weight being lifted 3 feet off the ground twice each minute, without stopping! Mild exercise increases its output to 20 pints/minute, and strenuous exercise to 42 pints/minute. That means a blood cell will make the round trip to the feet and back in 17 seconds.

All this pumping would be fruitless apart from the blood. A 160 pound person has about 5 quarts of the red stuff. It is made up of several parts- red cells, white cells, platelets, and plasma- that we have discussed before. A red cell is the oxygen transport from the lungs to the cells. These blood cells are available to all 5 trillion living cells in the body by means of the capillaries.

Without plenty of oxygen, all living cells in the body would die. The red cell is perfectly designed in a donut shape to carry the maximum amount of oxygen. You blood contains 150 million red cells in every ounce. They live about 90 to 127 days and then are remade in the liver and long bones. Your body must make about a billion new red cells each day, 12,000 a second, to keep you alive.

These red cells contain hemoglobin that gives them the red color. Hemoglobin greatly enhances the ability of blood to absorb and thus transport oxygen, in fact, 60 times better than water. This means that a 160 pound person would need 300 quarts of blood to do the same work that 5 quarts does. Of course, our bodies couldn’t contain that 75 gallons of water! Thus, hemoglobin must have been present from the start.

The Bible clearly states, “The life of the flesh is in the blood.” (Lev. 17:11) Yet not long ago standard medical procedure was to remove the sick blood so the body could get well. George Washington died from such a treatment. Today we transfuse blood into a sick or weak person to restore life. This is just another example of the Bible’s accurate scientific statements as opposed to science’s changing theories.

The Bible is more up-to-date than the morning newspaper. Take, for example, the matter of laughter. Solomon said in the book of Proverbs, “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance:” (15:13), “. . .he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast” (15:15), and “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” (17:22) Though written nearly 2000 years ago, recent research has proven how scientifically accurate these statements are.

Laughter reduces certain stress hormones that suppress the immune system and raise the blood pressure. It also enhances our immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells.

Laughter not only lowers blood pressure but also increases blood flow through the body thus providing increased quantities of oxygen to the cells. This aids in clearer thinking and faster healing to name just two.

Laughter causes the body to produce more immunoglobulin A in the saliva. This is vital in killing off pathogens that enter through the respiratory system.

Laughter is good exercise! One estimate is that 100 good laughs equal 15 minutes of workout on an exercise bike, and it’s much more fun! Laughter exercises muscles in the back, legs, face, respiratory system, abdomen, and diaphragm. This is why we can feel tired after laughing through a comedy.

Laughter provides mental health. No, I’m serious! It reduces the destructive presence of anger, frustration, or even bitterness. A good laugh can help someone think more clearly. Dr. Hunter Campbell “Patch” Adams, founder of the Gesundheit! Institute in 1972, has invested his award-winning career in medicine based on this principle. His book is entitled, Gesundheit: Good Health is a Laughing Matter (1998). To prove he was serious about the medicinal value of laughter, he and his wife named their sons Atomic Zagnut Adams and Lars Zig Edquist Adams. “Each year he organizes a group of volunteers from around the world to travel to various countries where they dress as clowns, to bring hope and joy to orphans, patients, and other people.” (Wiki)

Laughter involves the contraction of 15 facial muscles and the rapid repetition of short vowel sounds (repeated every 210 milliseconds). Early in life we learned to laugh and the average person, we are told, laughs 17 times a day the rest of their life. Laughter is so important that laughter clubs are formed in various parts of the world. However, to follow the above formula to force a laugh does little to benefit the body. In fact, Proverbs again says, “Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.” (14:13) In other words, we can still be sad, even when we are laughing. The most beneficial, healthy laughter comes from a heart of genuine joy because that person is at peace with God through Jesus Christ.

Several years ago I noticed a rapid decrease in my ability to hear from my right ear. I resigned myself to partial deafness and wondered how this handicap would impact my life. Then I went to the doctor and, after a brief irrigation (spraying water into my ear), I could hear normally again. I almost felt a miracle had been performed! Actually no miracle was involved at all. Instead my earwax had built up and clogged the auditory canal. When it was removed, sound could once again get to my eardrum. But earwax is not must a nuisance. It is a gift from God.

Earwax, or cerumen, is formed in the outer third of the ear canal. It has several purposes. First, it is an agent of cleaning the ear canal. Assisted by chewing and jaw motion, old earwax is constantly being transported from the ear canal to the ear opening where it usually dries, flakes, is washed out, and falls out. The wax is not like candle wax. It is instead a filamentous wax and this gives it a high electrostatic charge. This charge attracts the dust and dirt that gets into the auditory canal. The skin in this canal is unusual in that it grows sideways. This aids in this conveyer-belt-like movement of the wax and dirt out of the ear.

Earwax also acts as an insect repellant. Something about it is repulsive to insects and this keeps them out of that protective cavity. Earwax also lubricates the ear canal so that it stays flexible. This is important for it does flex when we grin, or move our jaw or head in certain ways. Cerumen also has anti-bacterial properties, meaning, it helps keep infection out of the ear. When infection occurs, extra earwax is produced and this may be a cause of ear canal plugging such as I experienced.

Since earwax is produced in the other third of the ear canal and moves outward, it is important we don’t force it deeper into the ear, especially with sharp objects that might damage the eardrum. God placed the delicate organs of the ear deep within the skull for a reason. Our smallest finger is still too large to reach into its ¼ inch diameter or one inch length to damage the eardrum.

Earwax is an illustration of one of thousands of little details that make the body perfectly adapted and functioning in its environment. Even if someone could prove that one of these minute details developed by accident, the sheer weight of examples just in the human body shouts that random accidents cannot explain their existence. To believe otherwise is not being honest to the facts.

Recently I had a routine check of ears to see if my hearing was all right. First I went to a test by the audiologist. Then I talked briefly with the otolaryngologist who said I was fine. While in the office, I was intrigued by the long name of his title and picked up a brochure describing it. An otolaryngologist treats ears, nose, throat, and the head and neck. It does not deal with the brain or with organs below the neck and throat. It normally does not deal with the outward appearance of the external organs but just their functioning.

Here is a quote from the brochure: “Otolaryngologists are ready to start practicing after completing up to 15 years of college and post-graduate training. To qualify for certification by the American Board of Otolaryngology, an applicant must first complete college, medical school (usually four years), and at least five years of specialty training. Next, the physician must pass the American Board of Otolaryngology examination. In addition, some otolaryngologists pursue a one- or two- year fellowship for more extensive training in one of eight subspecialty areas.” These deal with children, balance, allergy, reconstructive surgery, head and neck, throat, nose, and sleep. The paragraph concludes, “Some otolaryngologists limit their practices to one of these eight areas.”

Does something about this strike you as inconsistent with evolution? A man or woman finishes high school and then continues with intensive college and post-graduate studies, not to make these organs, but just to understand them and how they can be treated when not functioning normally. Yet evolution states this complexity came about through random mindless accidents over time. That is not even logical. How could such order and complexity come about accidentally?

One of my sons was born with a misshaped left ear. When he was five, a plastic surgeon promised to do his best to cut and sew it into the shape of a normal ear. But he promised, “It will never look like the other. Only God can make an ear.” He did a wonderful job. But he was right. It didn’t look like the other, and his limited hearing could not be improved. Only a wise Creator can make these marvelous organs that enable us to live and learn.

Those of us who believe in design have no surprise that the flowers, stems, leaves, fruits, roots, and bark of many herbs have great medicinal value. After all, God is a loving Creator and, even when sin ruined the creation, He still had a heart to provide a remedy for sin in sending His Son. He also provided remedies for some of the resulting health issues. Here are a few examples.

The Foxglove plant is used to make medicine to treat heart disease. Neem trees from India are used to make soap and shampoo (as is the oil from coconuts), and can also help with digestion and diabetes. When the oil from the Neem tree, taken from fruits and seeds, is rubbed into wounds, it helps stop infections and is also used to treat malaria. Mint, chamomile, myrrh, sage, eucalyptus are all used in toothpaste. Some use the white liquid from the trunk of the banyan tree to stop a toothache. The seeds of the opium poppy, though misused throughout history, do contain a milky juice that is made into morphine, an effective painkiller. The original aspirin was a chemical taken from the white willow tree. Elderberries and echinacea are effective disease fighters. Quinine, one of the best treatments for malaria, is extracted from the bark of the Cinchona tree.

Garlic is famous for its pungent odor. But garlic is effective is warding off colds in ways more than just keeping sick people away from you! It also is used to treat heart disease and asthma. Ginger is used to treat arthritis and can help with digestion. Cranberry juice helps treat urinary infections, Periwinkle plant to treat leukemia. Primrose helps people sleep and is used as a painkiller. Cayenne or red pepper is excellent to help in clotting blood.

Aloe vera is used in cosmetics, skin creams, and as a drink to help in digestion. When the leaves are broken, they ooze a clear liquid that is excellent in treating sunburn, wounds, bruises, insect stings, and acne.

Even the ‘cow food’ alfalfa has great value to us. The Chinese use it to treat kidney stones, the ancient Greeks bladder and kidney conditions. It has been called Buffalo Herb, Lucerne, and Purple Medic, but is best known as alfalfa, Arabic for ‘father of all foods’. Alfalfa is rich in vitamins A (eye health), E (heart and cardiovascular health), U (treats peptic ulcers), B6 (stimulates protein and fat metabolism), K (blood clotting and liver functions), and D (regulates the use of calcium and phosphorus in the body). Alfalfa also contains many valuable minerals such as calcium and phosphorus (bone and teeth health), iron (needed in hemoglobin), manganese (lowers blood sugar levels), potassium (muscle tone and nerves), chlorides (regulates fat, sugar and starch metabolism), sodium (regulates fluid balance), and silicon magnesium (stimulates brain function).

“Today about one quarter of all modern medicines are either made from plants or based on plant products. About 50,000 different types of plants are used to make medicines and herbal remedies.” (How We Use Plants for Medicine and Health, Salley Morgan, p. 5) I can’t help wondering if the good Lord has not provided cures for many of the world’s present plagues in the plants He made. Instead of spending so much money on artificial medications, perhaps we should invest more time and money in finding natural cures.