Comments
graciousprof t1_iy4rowo wrote
Most often, the type of medicine just only affects that part of the body, or affects it more strongly than elsewhere. It will be spread throughout the whole body but not do anything except in specific parts of the body.
Different parts of the body have different receptors (for naturally produced chemicals) that can interact with medications in different ways, and a big part of creating new medicines is finding chemicals that can interact with specific receptors in useful ways
edit: also, often a medication *will* work everywhere, you just won't notice in the parts of your body that don't have negative symptoms
Target880 t1_iy4s0h3 wrote
Multivitamins can't target part of the body. Vitamins and medicine will be distributed all around the body, medicine might have been designed so they interact with a single part but it will go everywhere.
There is an exception to going everywhere that is crossing the blood-brain barrier, so stuff might reach muscles but not the brain.
Moskau50 t1_iy4se6c wrote
They cannot target a specific part of the body. However, if you have some sort of deficiency that shows up most prominently in a specific part of the body, then taking the multivitamin or supplement can reduce the deficiency and "heal" the affected part simply because that's the part that hurts. Same for painkillers; they dull the pain everywhere, but you only notice the effect where you were feeling pain.
MeteorIntrovert t1_iy50bug wrote
it's like you're taking a pain killer, this painkiller flows all over your body and is like alright! take me to the pain area so i can stop it! and whenever it flows to the affected area, it reduces the inflammation and whatnot
[deleted] t1_iy52w7d wrote
[deleted] t1_iy53m5u wrote
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Mont-ka t1_iy53y4w wrote
As a follow up. This is why "targeted" pain relievers like paracetamol/ibuprofen can actually be dangerous. Some people take 4 "different forms of paracetamol or ibuprofen for different ailments at the same time not understanding that isn't how it works. They can end up with a much higher than safe dose.
PepsiMangoMmm t1_iy56jkb wrote
It's not that it knows where the inflammation is and therefore reduces it. It reduces inflammation all over the body but since there's only one inflamed spot that's the spot that's effected
Dazzling_Ad5338 t1_iy572lx wrote
Agreed. The other parts won't be effected if they're not inflammed. Only the inflammed part will be.
hangryhyax t1_iy57qx5 wrote
NSAIDs do not target inflammation. They are delivered systemically and bind to certain molecules present in enzymes that are more abundant at the site of inflammation, inhibiting further production of prostaglandins and reducing inflammation.
In other words, it is more of a passive effect from systemic delivery, but it is not targeting. “Targeting” would imply that the medicine is taken and then goes to a specific location to create an effect; that is not what is happening here.
Even with localized delivery (e.g. steroidal anti-inflammatories), it’s more that a higher concentration is being delivered to the site and directly passing/binding whichever receptor it’s designed for, rather than wandering around until it finds what it needs, so to speak.
itsmeblc t1_iy59c5a wrote
Correct me if I'm wrong. I believe I read that there isn't any scientific studies that indicate vitamins work as described. The body tends to ignore the supplements as it is not recognized as food. Finished thinking that vitamins did more harm to the body than good.
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Tarianor t1_iy5a19k wrote
>They cannot target a specific part of the body.
Just to expand a bit, some medication can target specific parts of the body. Not in the way a layman thinks (like an arm) but in the sense it can target specific receptors only found on certain cells.
This is used in certain brain and cancer medication.
thayaht t1_iy5i3o7 wrote
Yes I believe that is correct and have had multiple well-read sciency friends corroborate that, which I’ve also read online.
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iam666 t1_iy5xowo wrote
It depends what you mean by “work as described”. If you mean that taking a B12 supplement will increase your B12 levels and accommodate for a deficiency, then yes, vitamins do work as intended.
If you mean the claims you often see such as “vitamin C cures colds” or “B12 increases energy and focus” then you’re correct in saying that they do not work that way.
Vitamins have been shown to increase factors like energy or overall health (more than placebo) if and only if the person has a prior deficiency.
Non-vitamin supplements are somewhat different as some of them are pharmacologically active and can do things like constrict or dilate your veins. There isn’t a hard line between supplements and drugs, meaning some supplements can have a psychoactive effect as well.
WantAllMyGarmonbozia t1_iy4rmw8 wrote
Anything that enters the bloodstream is quickly shared throughout the whole body (except the brain). Nothing is really targeted. When you take Advil, the chemical in it goes to all parts of your body, making your body feel less pain. You only really notice it in the spot that hurt.