While we think that going gray is a sure-shot sign of aging, there might be other things that your body could be trying to tell you. A recent study shows that any severe illness or infection can make your hair turn gray. This is said to be caused due to the response of the immune system. Read on to know more:
How the Immune System Functions
The immune system in your body protects you from any dangerous virus or bacteria that enter your body, much like The Avengers protect the earth from foreign elements. When this happens, the pathogen (infectious bacteria/ virus) starts spreading through the cells in your body. This leads to interferons, that is, proteins, being produced to help in the defense. Other than this, interferons have been deemed so vital that they have also been examined as the treatment for diseases and disorders.
Gray Hair and Your Immune System
During a study of stem cells and their maintenance in our bodies at the National Institutes of Health at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, a surprising link between going gray and the body’s immune system was discovered. Melanocyte cells give our hair its natural color. Published in PLOS One, the 2018 study, examining melanocyte stem cells, i.e., the cells in our hair follicles, revealed that they work well when the interferons inside are under control. However, if they are not, melanocyte cells and stem cells start to die, making hair turn gray. If this happens, the graying might stay forever.
The Link
This new discovery shows that the immune system genes that help fight against infections also maintain the color of skin and hair. This also leads us to the conclusion that when defending against harmful bacteria, the body prioritizes, very correctly, the immune system over the hair color function. This can easily be observed when you go gray when going through an infection or illness.
Artists Brighten Up This Manchester Suburb With Colorful Artwork
Marvelous things can happen when you broaden the boundary of imagination. A small suburb in Manchester is doing just that by letting artists loose on roadside walls and shop shutters. The results are stunning! It’s even spreading inspiration to other neighboring towns.
The Project
Withington Walls, founded by Ed Wellard, is a creative art project based in the Withington suburb of Manchester. The project is run by volunteer artists and is backed by business support funds and public donations. Wellard heads up a group of artists who are doing what they do best- create. Only this time, their canvases are the walls and shop shutters of the town. With colorful paintings and graffiti, the artists have brightened up the neighborhood. Wellard has imagined this vibrant public art project as a powerful catalyst for change.
The Artwork
The community street art project started around 18 months ago. Since then, a wide range of artists have created 15 murals on the walls and have painted around 45 shop shutters. The project is still ongoing, bringing up more color and creativity into the otherwise mundane suburban scene of Withington. As Wellard rightly puts it, the village has since really changed for the better, with a changed look and feel. Reimagining the bricks and tins has done magic!
The Objective
Ed Wellard hopes that the small suburb of Withington will become well-known for the project. As he explains, the intention behind the project was to create a sense of place, reinvigorated with character and vibrancy, through an injection of colorful street art. The artists were given free rein to imagine and create quality artwork, best suitable to uplift the community. According to Wellard, the project, which is already a source of pride for the local people, has the potential of being hugely inspirational to other small towns.