The Science of Healing Places was on the radio this morning. A statement near the end to the effect that healing is life or a part of life reminded me of something. Entropy, aka the Second Law of Thermodynamics, is the force behind why when you break a glass it cannot be reversed and come back together. Similarly, it works on our bodies and cells to destroy them. Bonds break. The odds of them joining without an intervention is low.

Yet the organization of our cells runs counter to entropy. Bonds regularly join and break on what seems like demand. Take breathing as an example. Red blood cells enter the bloodstreams of the lungs. Oxygen collected there takes the places of carbon dioxide by bonding with iron. Those red blood cells travel to different parts of the body where cells strip off that oxygen and carbon dioxide joins up with the iron.

Healing though is cells recognizing a malfunction of the body and bringing resources to bear in restoring the organization of the structures. Amazing to consider this goes on without our conscious consideration.

So, death is when these reorganization mechanisms have shut down. Entropy can then break down our cells at as normal.