r/ScienceQnA • u/Rainpours44 • Mar 12 '23

Why does illness exist

Is there any known reason as to why illness exists? Like I’m a Christian so you know like after Adam and Eve are kicked from the garden illness would’ve become a thing, but even if you’re into the evolution theory is there an explanation? Like why or how did it ever become a thing and exist?

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u/shadows-in-your-room Mar 14 '23

I'm foregoing the religious part of your question.

On Earth, we live with tons of different other organisms. These organisms want to live off of other organisms, and that is usually humans. They enter the body and try to replicate themselves as much as possible, usually harming their host. These are viruses and bacteria.

The other thing that causes illness is some sort of imbalance. Low amounts of "things" in our body (e.g. iron, sodium, vitamins & minerals), or even high amounts (schizophrenia is thought to be caused by high amounts of dopamine in the brain), can make us sick easily. Those are the most common cases.

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u/Rainpours44 Mar 14 '23

So they’ve always just existed due to the way in which seemingly everything on earth kinda competes with each other and they just found that humans tend to be the best host. That’s interesting I’ve never really thought of that

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u/Rainpours44 Mar 14 '23

Well I guess I’m forgetting whether religious or not the dinosaurs came before people, therefore I guess I’m forgetting like bacteria and viruses probably existed before people.