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Unlocking the secrets of the innate
immune system will allow medicine to go beyond treating cancer and
prevent carcinogenesis from happening in the first place. Since
studies have provided ample evidence that carcinogenesis arises
from abnormalities of immune TH-1/TH-2-mediated immune responses
and ion deregulation, understanding these deficits will help us
slow down or halt carcinogenesis.1-6,20-25 Multi-layered and multi-microbial
biofilm infections cause chronic, silent infections that promote
endotoxicosis, a process that generates inflammation and causes
damage to the organism. Could a deficiency of commensal cell microflora
caused by taking antibiotics or anti-infective botanicals/minerals,
at any point in one's life, promote disease-causing inflammation,
biofilm infections, and ignite the process of carcinogenesis?
To answer this question, I will define commensal microflora (normal
microflora, indigenous microbiota) as living cells present on body
surfaces covered by epithelial cells and exposed to the external
environment (gastrointestinal and respiratory tract, vagina, skin,
etc.). The number of commensal cells that colonize mucosal and skin
surfaces exceeds the number of human cells by a factor of ten. When
plentiful, these resident microflora contain a number of components
that activate innate and adaptive immunity and can eliminate a diverse
range of pathogens. Since commensals can ramp up or quiet down inflammation
and fight cancer in innate imunological warfare, they offer enormous
therapeutic benefits. Simply using common probiotic products is
not enough, as commensals need to be in an appropriate non-competitive
balance and be nourished with synbiotics and marine plant flora
to successively thrive and flourish in the body. Positive Ionic
Poisoning (PIP) is the number one enemy of commensal cells, as it
promotes biofilm infections and prevents commensals from being able
to proliferate and find permanent residence in the body.7-10-13
The gastrointestinal tract (GI) is a complex ecosystem with a diverse
assemblage of commensal cell microflora that produces supermedicines.
The interactions that occur between commensal and human cells have
been studied in cases of deficient commensal microflora (e.g., gastrointestinal
tract infections, inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease
and ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, antibiotic-induced
diarrhea, constipation, food allergies, cardiovascular disease,
and colon cancer).1-6 Dysbiosis, or an imbalance between human and
commensal cells and pathogenic microbes, has been correlated with
gut inflammatory responses and carcinogenesis.15,16 Since commensal
cells have a rich genetic diversity and can produce anticancer and
antiviral compounds, they have the amazing potential to wipe out
some of the scariest cancers and viruses known to humankind. Moreover,
commensal cells are vast reservoirs of essential hard-to-get nutrients
and anti-inflammatory compounds that soothe inflammation with more
clout than any kind of anti-inflammatory drug.
Refurbishing commensal cells with synbiotic nutrients can give new
life to any cell and is particularly important to neurons that do
not get replaced. When commensal cells die from antibiotic or anti-infective
botanicals, autophagy becomes defective, causing problems with how
efficiently cells clean house. A breakdown in autophagy has been
linked to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington diseases, cancer,
and accelerated aging.17-19 By keeping the cell free of detritus,
toxicants, and malfunctioning cell parts, autophagy can create a
major barrier to invasion by pathogens and capture and destroy unwanted
cancer cells and parasites while building highly specific adaptive
immunity.17
The importance of commensal cells in developing an optimally functioning
mucosal immune system has been seriously overlooked in clinical
practice. Commensal microflora have strong immunoactivating properties
(e.g., LPS, peptidoglycans, superantigens, bacterial DNA, Hsp),
and when deficient or out of balance ,they can cause complex, multifactorial,
and multigenic diseases, including inflammatory bowel diseases,
cancer, periodontal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis,
and allergies.20 Regulation of microflora composition (e.g., by
probiotics, synbiotics, and prebiotics) offers the possibility of
influencing the development of mucosal and systemic immunity while
slowing down and even halting carcinogenesis.
Commensal cells can be viewed as the "topsoil" or biological
terrain that gives nutriture and power to the human immune system.
Over a decade of my research has focused on acquiring an understanding
of gut microflora composition, loops and processes such as intestinal
adherence, colonization, translocation, and immunomodulation in
ways that restore immunological competence and provide the scientific
basis for the development of innovative biotechnology-based products
tailored to prevent diseases and promote overall human gastrointestinal
health. Symbiotic microflora provide a gut defense barrier by normalizing
increased intestinal permeability through a balanced control of
pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytocines.2,6
Is Carcinogenesis
a Result of Disrupted Polarities and a Resultant Loss of Reciprocity?
Positive Ion Poisoning (PIP), as termed by Albert Krueger, MD (the
late UC Berkeley researcher), is a toxic condition caused by toxicants
with a positive ionic charge, many of which are known or potential
carcinogens. Systemic ionization disrupts the mitochondrion electron
transport chain (ETC), causing free radical pathology (oxidative
stress), extreme chaos in the nervous system, chronic fatigue, hormonal
chaos, prolonged inflammation, and destruction of gut microflora,
allowing stubborn biofilm infections to proliferate.14 All man-made
synthetic chemicals, including USP vitamins, amino acid-chelated
minerals, colloidal minerals, and pharmaceuticals carry a toxic
positive ionic charge, which can disrupt the polarities that are
fundamental in augmenting innate intelligence and healing and in
balancing TH-1/TH-2 cytokine responses.
Nature's supercontinuum of reciprocal and harmonic polarities entwines
us with nature and weaves the web of our existence. Indeed, today's
toxic and electro-polluted world necessitates that we address and
restore reciprocal physiologic-bioenergetic functions. When we fail
to do this in clinical practice, we tend to move away from our symbiosis
with nature; commensal cells become dysfunctional; and maldigestion
and toxin-induced inflammation become the predominate clinical issues
we are faced with in everyday practice. When this happens, we can
expect any genetic potential we have for cancer to play itself out
while our physical shape, the quality of our movement and flexibility,
and even our nourishment become seriously compromised.
Since quantic harmonic polarities are the driving force of innate
healing, shouldn't we be finding effective ways to restore nature's
polarities and remove PIP from the body? If we see nature as an
ally rather than an adversary to be overcome and conquered and do
not respect the innate healing powers of commensal cells, we will
constantly engage ourselves in modes of symptomatic treatment. Fragmented
and mechanistic approaches do not go far as reducing the body to
functional parts and putting undue emphasis on any one organ or
system of the body cannot restore the multiple functions of the
body's inner physician.
Cancer is a complex process that involves acute and chronic cell
injury and what researchers are calling "ion deregulation."
Citing over 30 scientific papers, Dr Benjamin F. Trump and colleagues
at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine state, "We
propose that ion deregulation is a major mediator in the process
and, therefore, provides a critical link between acute cell injury,
tumor promotion, and carcinogenesis."21-25
PIP can act as receptors for certain pathogenic microbes, causing
free-floating yeast, fungi, and bacteria to form treatment-resistant
biofilms (Figure1). Large amounts of exopolysaccharide are produced,
which envelop biofilm, making it extremely resistant to antibiotics
and any kind of anti-infective treatment. PIP disrupts the network
of ion channels, allowing for the circulation of water and nutrients
through the biofilm, which grows and flourishes on the byproducts
of maldigestion and dysbiosis.27-31 PIP also diminishes the greater
splanchnic nerve/celiac plexus (especially around T-8) functions
and generates inflammation that locks infections deep in the abdominal
viscera, causing maldigestion.
In battling biofilms, immunological warfare is against microcolonies
that cause some of the most tenacious infections known (ostitis
or cavitations, chronic gastro-duodenitis, colitis, UTIs, etc).
The weapon is knowledge of the enemy's communication system, involving
ion channels that bathe and nourish biofilm microcolonies. The dense
aggregation of slime surrounding the biofilm is the organic matrix
that acts as a barrier to antibiotics or natural anti-infectives.
Hence, aiming anti-infective treatments only at the biofilm without
addressing PIP tends to drive the infection deeper into the body.
It only takes one antibiotic treatment or one anti-infective treatment
to cause these persistent and chronic infections. Hence, it is erroneous
and potentially harmful to believe that biofilms can be conquered
with the use of anti-yeast, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial approaches,
bee propolis, allicin, colloidal silver or ionic footbaths, and
RIFE treatments. Because a wide diversity of microbes is closely
juxtaposed in a biofilm, killing off some of the microbes provides
nutrients for surviving ones in the microcolony. Instead, an Achilles'
heel or a fragile target for knocking out stubborn biofilms involves
simultaneous detoxification of PIP with specific marine fermented
substrates and full-spectrum probiotics.
Clinicians have struggled for years against the evasiveness of biofilm
microcolonies of yeast, fungi, bacteria, and parasites. Unrestrained,
these microcolonies secrete a steady flow of endotoxin-generating
inflammation. Only commensal cells have the genes necessary to block
the acute lethal effect of biofilms, which can provoke the formation
of scar tissue damage to organs, as observed in many diseases. A
lack of commensal cells can "blind" and disable the immune
system so it has no power against cancer or other infections. When
this happens, biofilm infections can put on a cloak of invisibility,
as they develop thick mucus-type armor against immune attacks.
How cells clean house depends on nourishment like active polar lipids
and synbiotic marine food substrates carrying quantic harmonic polarities.
When nutrients are scarce, commensal cells starve and disrupt the
balance between autophagy and cell death or apoptosis.17 A shortage
of nutrients can prolong the life of a cancer cell, which can induce
autophagy excessively. When this happens, a cancer cell can break
down its own macromolecules for food and spread uncontrollably.
When cells cannot cleanse themselves effectively, mitochondria can
get damaged and flood the cell with ten times the usual release
of reactive oxygen species, thereby accelerating carcinogenesis
and damaging neurons. Since PIP is insidious and ubiquitous in today's
toxic environment and is a major barrier to the proliferation of
commensals cells, finding effective clinical ways to detoxify PIPs
and activate the essential housekeeping functions of cells may minimize
uncontrolled cell division and tumor formation that happens with
cell toxicity and oxidative stress.
In summary, regeneration and healing take place primarily through
the action of commensal cells when they are in symbiosis or balance
with one another and free of the negative influences of PIPs. Our
long-range clinical success depends on being able to eliminate microbe-microbe
competition and finding innovative ways to rapidly feed, cleanse,
and fortify commensal cells. Synbiotic nutrients, predigested by
probiotic-commensal cells with appropriate marine plant synergists
have proven in thousands of doctor-patient interactions to have
powerful effects in eradicating all microbial stressors.8-10,32-35
Clearly, the immunological power and teamwork of these cells, comprising
over 90% of the body's cells, exceeds anything we can do as practitioners
and can potentially elicit a goldmine of anticancer agents and detoxifying
enzymes as part and parcel of the body's immunological weaponary.8-10,32
Deferral of normal and natural innate immune reciprocity can induce
an ever-widening, self-propagating wave of tissue destruction and
degeneration that underlies carcinogenesis. On the other hand, restoring
healthy and powerful immune responses via commensal cells can manintain
optimal rebalancing of reciprocal TH-1/TH-2 responses and give the
innate immune system its best shot at conquering cancer and quelling
the fires of inflammation that underlie dengerative diseases. Rather
than use fragmented, single nutrient or anti-infective approaches,
might we address the abberant core physiological issues underlying
carcinogenesis, demonstrating that we truly respect the body's inner
physician? Following nature's recipes for nourishment and detoxifcation
can activate the full operational complexity of the immune system.
By approaching cancer this way, we remove ourselves from the realm
of performing unethical and potentially lethal oncological or other
medical treatments.
Detoxification can be a double-edged sword. While attempting to
detoxify and control oxidative stress are important and indispensible
clinical goals, we must examine our methodologies and be certain
that malignancies are not amplified by our efforts to cleanse the
body.8-10 This means focusing on immunorestoration instead of excessive
immunomodulation to elicit a strong protective immune response.
As I mentioned in earlier columns, aggressive detoxification without
insuring that hepatocytes can produce ample bile can kill commensal
cells, promote carcinogenesis, and sabatoge our best clinical efforts.8-10,14
Finally, in studying living cells with new powerful imaging techniques,
scientists are observing fascinating and hidden processes of cellular
life that were once impossible to observe or understand. Previously,
the only way to observe the inner workings of cells was to kill
them, and this has lead to all sorts of erroneous conclusions about
how cells get nourished and cleanse themselves. But now, as advanced
microscopes and sophisticated lab tests can view the living cell
in action to see how a hormone binds to a receptor and how living
nutrients can enter a cell and detoxify it, we can expect to see
more evidence in the directions of aiming our clinical efforts at
living human and commensal cells and the restoration of optimal
and healthy TH-1/TH-2 cytokine responses.40-41
The author is supported in part by American
Academy of Quantum Medicine, a non-profit foundation dedicated to
frontier research in Quantum Medicine. The author is affiliated
with QuantaFoods, LLC, a firm that develops and researches probiotics
and fermentation to develop novel forms of mineral-ligand and protein-bound
synbiotic nutrients. He is also a research consultant for several
independent, university-based laboratories. The content of this
article was neither influenced nor constrained by these facts.
Notes
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