WISDOM

I don't think I'm being silly about cilia. (cilia pronounced silly- ah plural of cilium)   This is my attempt to save the world from one of the major health problems it cannot control.  

Stick with me on this.  Cilium is what we call the little hair-like structure protruding from most cells in our body.  These cilia look like fields of wheat (which sway in the breeze) or trees (standing up stiffly) depending on the type and location.  They're so small you wouldn't notice them unless you were looking for them with a big magnifying glass.  They serve quite a few different functions; they keep things clean or send signals to other cells or parts of your body.  Someone allergic to gluten is signaled that from cilia located in the small intestines.  

I'm thinking about the ones that exist in our respiratory system - mouth, nasal cavity, sinus, trachea,  bronchi and lungs.  There's more cilia here than anywhere else in our body.  Okay, one of the important purposes of these cilia is to keep these passageways clear.  The little hairs make a smooth path for the junk we breath to get through the upper respiratory area and into the stomach instead of into our lungs.  Too much junk in our lungs is bad and by junk, I'm talking about germs and bacteria and their friends.  This is why mouth washes and nasal sprays work so well against an oncoming sickness.  

 Picture these little cilia waving in the wind trying to shuffle bad junk along to the right path.  They do a good job most of the time but, of course, one of your friends breaths or sneezing bad stuff in front of you and, bang, the little hairs are overloaded and can't do the job.  Result:  the common cold.    

Okay, here's my stroke of genius.  I think we can help the little fellers do their job by vibrating them.  You heard me, vibrate them.  And how do you do that?  Sing, whistle or best of all, hum.  Hum your little heart out.  Make sure the front of your face is vibrating; get all those cilia waving and pushing the junk on to where it belongs.  Help them do their job.

You may laugh, but I may get a Nobel Prize for curing the common cold.  Next time you see me you may hear me humming - humming away the bad gunk.  Try it yourself. 

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm