MODULE #1 - Lesson 2 - Amazon S3

[Pages:12]MODULE #1 - Lesson 2

How Nature Produces Energy and How We Can Harness It

Module 1 - Lesson 2 How Nature Produces Energy and How We Can Harness It

In this lesson we will learn how nature produces energy and how we can harness that energy. I will explain why the process of photosynthesis is important for energy production in our bodies. We will also discuss the role electromagnetism plays in our bodies. As you can see the overall theme of this lesson is energy. Before we delve into these topics, I want to make sure you understand one of the laws of thermal dynamics called conservation of energy. This law states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Energy can only be transformed from one form to another or transferred from one place to another. In other words, we never create new energy; we can only move it from one form to another.

Conservation of Energy

Imagine if all countries stopped producing money we just had the exact amount of money we have today till the end of time. That money will move from person to person, causing a shift in wealth. That's exactly what happens with energy, it shifts from one person to another, from one form to another.

Photosynthesis

Now we are ready to move on to photosynthesis. This energy producing chain of events occurs in plants. Plants harness sunlight and in combination with carbon dioxide (CO2) and water, produce energy in the form of sugar and oxygen. Plants are constantly taking in CO2 and releasing oxygen while also storing sugars in their leaves and roots.

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Basically, plants need 6 molecules of CO2 and 6 molecules of water (H2O) in order to output C2H1206, known as glucose. In other words the end product of this process is glucose and oxygen. Here's a diagram of a leaf. Sunlight hits the leaf, and, that energy is taken into the protein complexes known as chlorophyll. Plants have different pigments each one represent different colors in order to absorb the UV light at different ends of the spectrum. Since chlorophyll absorbs light at the upper end of the spectrum it give off a green hue. Carotene is an orange pigment that gives off an orange hue. Xanthophylls have a yellow tinge and Anthocyanins are more red while Tannins more brown. In Fall, when the weather is cooler and there's less daylight, chlorophyll in plants work less while the pigments work more, leading to a shift in color. Chlorophyll absorbs photons, the basic unit of light energy, into a light reaction center. Essentially, plants take in photons which then get turned into chemical energy. These pigments are like mini farms that turn light energy into chemical energy. Sunlight arrives in these pigments and then the photons start to excite the electrons, a basic element of all atoms, within the plant. The electrons start jumping around and through a series of complex reactions; energize the pigments triggering the reactions that produce glucose and oxygen. This is, very simply, how photosynthesis works

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Why Does Photosynthesis Matter To Us?

We consume plants either directly by eating them or indirectly by eating animals that have eaten the plants for fuel. On the left side of this equation, we have C6H12O6, which is sugar and if we add water the byproduct of photosynthesis, what we get in return is carbon dioxide, water, and energy known as ATP. This is the exact same equation as photosynthesis, just in reverse. We use sugar and water to produce energy and give off carbon dioxide and water as a byproduct. As you can see the sun is the ultimate source of energy. Since plants can convert sunlight into a usable form of energy that we can use to create ATP. This is important because ATP is what our cells use to produce energy.

But....

Eating plants in their raw state equals a greater intake of sun's energy. When plants take in the sun's energy and produce energy, we are able to consume more of that energy. This image shows what light energy in the form of photons would look like. This photon is bouncing all around, exciting electrons. When things bounce around, energy is high. If you're feeling lethargic, you're not bouncing around. You're just sitting down. If we eat foods in their raw state we will benefit from this energy more than if we cook these foods. We are getting a higher vibrational energy. On the left we have a molecule called heme, the main component of hemoglobin, the molecule that carries oxygen throughout our body via the blood. On the right, we have chlorophyll. If you look at their molecular structures, you can see that they are almost identical. The only difference is the core atom in the heme, is iron and in chlorophyll it is magnesium.

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Blood For Energy

In Eating for Energy, we learned how red blood cells transport energy. On the right you will see an image of red blood cells. Each red blood cell has a negative charge around it causing them to repel each other. This is why they do not stick together.

This is important for two main reasons: 1. Flow and 2. Size. If our red blood cells were to clump together it would affect the ability of our blood to flow freely. If they did not have a negative charge it would lead to a stagnant flow throughout your body. Since they carry oxygen throughout your body this would have a negative effect on your energy level.

Second, if blood cells were able to clump together they would not be able to fit into our capillaries. This is important because they lie the closest to all your cells. Since capillaries are small and thin, nutrients and oxygen flow across with ease. Capillaries are only about five microns wide. If your red blood cells were stuck together they would not be able to fit.

Red blood cells must also be flexible in order to squeeze into these small openings. This is why they have a hexagon protein structure, called a hexagon lattice, which allows them to fold and bend so they are able to infiltrate the capillaries more effectively so they can deliver the oxygen and move on.

Better flow means more oxygen to the cells, which equals more energy. We

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need oxygen and glucose to produce energy inside the cells. If we are not getting enough oxygen to the cells, cellular restoration will be compromised.

There is both healthy and unhealthy. The images on the right show both. Top right, we have healthy red blood cells. They're not clumped together and they're moving around. The bottom right, we have unhealthy red blood cells, this is when they start to lose their negative charge. They clump up, pile up and do not flow, but how does this happen?

An amino acid called sialic acid is what creates the negative charge found around red blood cells. In studies they've been able to remove this amino acid in order to produce coagulation or clumping of the red blood cells together. One study used an enzyme called neuraminidase in conjunction with a poly saccharide, a type of carbohydrate called dextrin.

In combination, these two remove the sialic acid and the negative charge around the red blood cell causing them to clump together. The same thing happens when your blood is acidic or when there are high amounts of yeast, mold, bacteria, or microorganisms in the blood. When your blood is acidic, your red blood cells will lose their negative charge, which will cause a negative effect on your blood flow.

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Building Healthy Blood

Blood is formed primarily in the bone marrow, but new science shows it might also be produced in the small intestines.

The villi, or the microvilli are the projections on the inside wall of our small intestines that absorb nutrients. If we look at the heme and chlorophyll molecules again, does it make sense to build a molecule from scratch? Or, what if the body said, "Hey, here's some chlorophyll. It's almost the exact molecular structure of hemoglobin. What if we just take this and use that as kind of the foundation barebones to build hemoglobin from?"

As your small intestines absorb nutrients from fruits and vegetables you eat your body can use the chlorophyll to begin the production of hemoglobin. Now, the same thing might also be happening from B12.

If you don't have enough B12, you can become anemic. B12 has the exact same molecular structure as hemoglobin and chlorophyll. The only difference is that B12 has a cobalt iron core, instead of iron or magnesium. Hemoglobin, chlorophyll and B12 are almost identical, structurally, and they all produce energy.

Hemoglobin is produced in our blood, chlorophyll in plants, and B12 in animals and bacteria and they all produce energy. It all revolves around hemoglobin and its ability to carry oxygen throughout the body. So, we need to do whatever we can to utilize these three molecules in a synergistic way through our diets and the health of our blood in order to be as energetic as possible. Now, can chlorophyll build human blood? There is controversy associated with this idea. Some research that shows chlorophyll is a huge benefit to human blood.

I firmly believe that hemoglobin, chlorophyll, and B12, have an impact. People go to doctors for B12 shots because they want more energy, right. Since B12 has the exact same molecular structure as hemoglobin its core, it makes

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sense. It also makes sense that if you want more energy and healthier blood, you should add more chlorophyll to your diet.

Hans Fisher, who won the Nobel Prize in 1930, discovered the structure for heme and how to synthesize it. He had already done studies showing improvements in anemic patients when given chlorophyll.

This research furthered by Frans Miller, who stated chlorophyll builds human red blood cells based on his research. In 1916, Dr. Emil Burgi found that anemic rabbits recovered faster when fed chlorophyll. And, there have been many other researchers since then that have shown anemic patients given chlorophyll show more improvements than controls.

Even if you're not anemic, you can still benefit from the power of greens by either eating more greens or drinking liquid chlorophyll. You can buy liquid chlorophyll at health food stores; just make sure it's pure. Add a tablespoon to your water and you'll benefit from the liquid life of plants.

Energy Beyond Blood & ATP

This is a diagram of the cell membrane within the cells in our body. Sodium and potassium ions are on the left side and on the right we have the outside of the cell. The inside of the cell is slightly more negative than the outside of the cell. This is important because our body communicates by electrical signals made possible by ATP.

ATP triggers a cascade of events that allow contraction to occur. When we die, we no longer produce energy because we're not breathing. This causes rigamortis to set in.

Our body communicates by electrical signals. The cells in our body have a negative charge of about negative seventy millivolts. Remember on the left side of this diagram is the inside of the cell, which is negatively charged at

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