META-ENVIRONMENT THEORY

Abstract

Relevance. Over the past half century, the structure of morbidity and mortality has shifted from acute infections and injuries to chronic non-communicable diseases – cardiovascular, metabolic, neurodegenerative, autoimmune, oncological. However, the dominant medical paradigm remains organo- and cell-centric. Aim. To propose a new scientific addition — the concept of meta-environments of the organism that provide integrative communication between cells, tissues and organs. To substantiate that the control of the parameters of these environments opens up new opportunities for prevention, early diagnosis (5–15 years before the onset of symptoms) and effective therapy of chronic diseases, potentially allowing to ensure a pain-free life of a person. Results. Up to 95% of the burden of chronic diseases can be explained by five sources of fundamental importance: disorders of the body's meta-environments (≈60–65%), intracellular dysfunctions (≈20–25%), genetic defects (≈5–7%), acute infection (≈4–5%), and trauma (≈2–3%). The definition of the meta-environment as a functionally distributed system that meets four criteria is introduced: omnipresence, functional integrity, communicative nature, and intrinsic pathology. A list of 20 meta-media is presented, from blood to glycocalyx. The need to correct the anatomy textbook. Classical anatomy traditionally studies organs as discrete units — the heart, liver, kidneys, brain, lungs. Meta-media (blood, fascia, interstitium, extracellular matrix, glycocalyx, glymphatic system, and others) in this approach remain a "background," an auxiliary tissue, or simply a space between organs. The proposed classification changes this optics: meta-environments become equal, and in many cases primary objects of anatomical study. A new generation anatomy textbook should include not only the sections "Cardiovascular System" or "Nervous System", but also separate chapters on each of the 20 meta-environments with their distributed anatomy, physicochemical properties and the range of pathologies. Without this, the idea of the body remains incomplete, and the future doctor is not ready to understand the true causes of chronic incurable diseases. Conclusion. The proposed classification provides a new structural language for preventive and system-oriented medicine, shifting the focus from "fixing" individual organs to restoring the integrity of the environments in which these organs exist.