Plechner Findings Presented at International Integrative Oncology Convention

By Al Plechner, DVM

Dr. Al Plechner has been researching severe allergies, autoimmune diseases, and cancer in animals and humans for the past 50 years. He has found, in animals and humans, that the endocrine system regulates the immune system and, normally, the immune system does not function on its own. His endocrine-immune blood studies have involved over 100,000 human and animal patients.

In humans, his studies have identified an endocrine-immune imbalance that occurs from a cortisol imbalance, resulting in elevated adrenal estrogen, tested as total estrogen. Dr. Plechner calls the imbalance Atypical Cortisol Estrogen Imbalance Syndrome (ACEIS). Many times, the general public finds ACEIS hard to remember, so they call it Plechner’s syndrome. Dr. Plechner has found the following endocrine-immune imbalances in the patients that he tested:

• Deficient or defective cortisol,

• Increased amounts of total estrogen,

• Thyroid hormones that were either deficient or bound, and

• Decreased immunoglobulins.

His studies in humans have identified an elevated total estrogen (adrenal) imbalance in the following chronic diseases:

• Many different types of cancer,

• Many different types of autoimmune diseases, including autoimmune thyroiditis,

• Multiple sclerosis (MS),

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS),

• Epstein-Barr virus,

• Fibromyalgia,

• Chronic Lyme disease,

• PMS, and

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS.

Recently, Dr. Plechner has been collaborating with a noted integrative oncologist by the name of Richard Pooley, MD, regarding some of his autoimmune, cancer, and MS patients. Dr. Pooley recently gave a lecture that included Dr. Plechner’s endocrine-immune discoveries at an international convention for MD integrative oncologists in San Diego, California.

Dr. Pooley noted that Dr. Plechner had worked with five human male patients who all had prostate cancer. All five males had normal estradiol, which is usually the only measured estrogen. However, their total estrogen was over 500pg/ml. Normal total estrogen values in a human male may vary from 80 to 115pg/ml.

Once it was identified that each male was either deficient or was producing a defective cortisol, cortisol replacement with a thyroid supplement reduced the total estrogen and reduced the growth of their prostatic tumors.

The results caused Dr. Pooley to investigate ACEIS and collaborate with Dr. Plechner. Dr. Pooley, along Dr. Plechner, decided to check Dr. Pooley’s patients for total estrogen and immunoglobulins. Up until this point in medical practice, only estradiol, estrone and estriol are measured, and not, total estrogen. Dr. Pooley has found that half of his patients so far, that range from 17 to 84 years, all have uncomplicated thyroid and cortisol deficiencies, that led to severe allergies, autoimmunity, and cancer. He also found that his patients’ total estrogen normalized routinely as the hydrocortisone dose was normalized.

In his own words, Dr. Pooley said the following: “It behooves us to measure total estrogen for our patients who have allergies, autoimmunity, and cancer.

“Although the level of estradiol may be low, the level of total estrogen may be high because of excessive amounts of total estrogen production, presumably caused by continued ACTH stimulation of all layers of the adrenal cortex by the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. The pituitary gland, unsuccessfully, tries to stimulate production of more cortisol. By increasing the hormone binding globulin, this excess of estrogen results in the suppression of thyroid function, which suppresses immune function causing a depression of the immunoglobulins.”

Dr. Pooley’s case reports indicate the importance of measuring total estrogen, not just the three ovarian estrogens, which includes a very small amount of these three estrogens that are thought to be produced in the brain, fat, and skin. Dr. Pooley presented the following cases.

Case #1

: This was a 44-year-old female with breast cancer. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with an extensive ductal mammary carcinoma that occurred in her left breast and left axillary lymph node. A PET scan revealed numerous metastatic lesions in her liver and in multiple lymph nodes in her mediastinum, axillae, and neck. She was placed on Tamoxifen and underwent a complete ovario-hysterectomy. No chemotherapy was prescribed. She was referred to Dr. Pooley, who determined that she was hypothyroid and hypoadrenal. Dr. Pooley placed the patient on appropriate amounts of hydrocortisone, and NP Thyroid. For four years, the patient did very well, until three months ago, when her quiescent, pulmonary metastases began significantly rapid growth and she developed a persistent cough.

Dr. Pooley measured her estradiol, estrone, and estriole, and all were very low. Her total estrogen, however, was 181; the normal levels in a postmenopausal woman, or a woman with no ovaries, should be 40 or less. Her elevated total estrogen was causing the growth of her pulmonary tumors. Dr. Pooley increased her hydrocortisone until her total estrogen dropped to 37, and her cortisol binding globulin became normal. Her tumor markers became normal, and her PET scan revealed significant decrease in size, metabolic activity, and prominence of all pulmonary metastasis with no evidence of extra pulmonary activity. The patient is feeling fine and no longer coughing. Her total estrogen will be monitored very carefully.

Case #2

: A 67-year-old, female patient was seen in November 2015, for autoimmune thyroiditis. She was taking 3 grains of a natural thyroid supplement that was given to her by another practitioner. She was still having major fatigue and brain fog. Dr. Pooley included Dr. Plechner’s testing for total estrogen and immunoglobulins before beginning any medication. This is what he found:

• Total estrogen = 113 (normal = 40 or less);

• Estradiol = 18 (normal = 6 to 54);

• Immunoglobulin G = 657 (normal = 700 to 1600).

Dr. Pooley started the patient on 20 mgs of hydrocortisone with divided doses. One week later all the patient’s prior clinical symptoms disappeared. At two weeks after beginning the hydrocortisone, these were the blood test results:

• Total estrogen = 57 (decreased from 113);

• Immunoglobulin G = 667 (increased from 657).

Dr. Pooley increased her hydrocortisone to 25 mgs with divided doses; and four weeks later, these were the blood test results:

• Total estrogen = 38 (initially 113, then 57);

• Immunoglobulin G = 782 (initially 657, then 667).

“This is the exact, dramatic change that Dr. Plechner has found in thousands of animals with severe allergies, autoimmunity, and cancer,” Dr. Pooley told lecture attendees.

Case #3

: An 84-year-old hypertensive female with a severe bronchiectasis is legally blind with pigmentosa retinitis and underwent a hemicolectomy due to cancer. She was given Gleevec, 40 mgs, on March 15th; and it was discontinued on July 20th when a CT scan indicated that there was a residual tumor. An October CT scan indicated a left adnexal tumor in her abdomen. Two months later, a CT scan showed another adnexal tumor on the right side of her abdomen and a tumor in her posterior pelvis. The patient was referred to Dr. Pooley in November 2015.

Dr. Pooley diagnosed her with an adrenal-thyroid deficiency, causing a very elevated total estrogen and a very low IgA. Dr. Plechner has discovered that the IgA in a human must be at 68mg/dL or higher for absorption of a steroid to occur. In canines and felines, their IgA level must be at 58mg/dL or higher for their steroid absorption to occur. Since the patient’s IgA was below 68mg/dL, 20 mgs of intramuscular Depo-Medrol was given to bypass her gut and reduce her total estrogen and increase her IgA. Dr. Pooley worked the patient up to 3 grains of NP Thyroid and 40 mgs of hydrocortisone with divided doses in order to normalize her endocrine-immune imbalance.

A PET scan was performed three months later that indicated resolution of all the lesions and no residual evidence of any lesions in her abdomen or her lungs. “What Dr. Plechner has found is very significant,” said Dr. Pooley, “and, hopefully, you will include a total estrogen and immunoglobulins when you are testing for severe allergies, autoimmunity, and cancer. Dr. Plechner does have a list of tests that can be included with other tests that might be indicated.”

The recommended tests are as follows:

• Total estrogen,

• Estradiol,

• Estrone,

• Estriol,

• Cortisol,

• Cholesterol,

• T3,

• T4,

• Iodine,

• TSH,

• TBG,

• Reverse T3,

• IgA,

• IgM, and

• IgG.

Hopefully Dr. Plechner’s discoveries will help many, many humans and animals with their allergies, autoimmunity and cancer. It also should be applied to any and all diseases that are caused by inflammation, due to an elevated, total estrogen.

Please have a very happy, healthy future.

Bio

for Dr. Plechner (from January 2017)

Dr. Alfred J. Plechner, DVM, has practiced veterinary medicine for 50 years and performed clinical research on the causes of allergies, autoimmunity, and cancer in animals and humans. He discovered an endocrine immune mechanism that contributes to these disorders using a simple endocrine immune blood test on 90,000 animals and 2,000 humans. Dr. Plechner has published more than 30 clinical papers and six books. In addition to his work as a practicing veterinarian and researcher, Dr. Plechner was a pioneer in the development of non-meat and healthy pet foods for dogs and cats, creating Nature’s Recipe formulas over 40 years ago. He also had a wildlife preserve, Stone Wood Meadows, in the Santa Monica Mountains for 35 years and was licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the Federal Wildlife Service. For more information about his life and work, please go to www.drplechner.com.