Category Archives: Reactive molecules

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Understanding “Fibromyalgia”—Part 3: The Immune Connection

Tony Pics for SA BookThere’s an old proverb that says: 

“If you make people think they think, they will love you. If you make them think, they will hate you.”  

I trust that you will not hate me for helping you think for yourself on matters as personal and intimate to you as your health.  

THE IMMUNE CONNECTION

Let’s talk about the immune connection to “fibromyalgia.”  We’re talking about infection, a crucial step in the healing process. Without infection, we would quickly succumb to the ravages of toxic metabolic waste and invasive pathogens upon the body cells.  Sounds like what “fibromyalgia” is all about—the ravages of toxic metabolic waste and invasive pathogens upon the body cells, which calls up an immune response to create an infection.  

I’ve just made another “thought-process interrupt.”  We automatically think of infections as something “bad” and a thing to “fight.”  What I said above calls for different thinking—and that’s my intent in writing this blog: to help us think again and anew about dis-ease and health, but mainly about what we’ve called “disease.”

Notice I hyphenate that word when I use it, because there is no such thing as “a disease.”  We’ve been programmed to think there is and that “disease” is our enemy that needs to be fought and destroyed with man-made chemical bullets, bombs and “surgical warfare.”  But we’re only shadow boxing.  Where diseases need to be gotten rid of is in human consciousness, where they are being  invented, labeled and “cured” (as in preserved). That’s what you do when you cure something.  You preserve it.  Well, we need to stop curing disease and start supporting the healing processes of the body, which alone knows what to do about what we call “disease.” 

There is a dis-ease created by such things as inflammation and infection.  They don’t feel good. We’re not at ease with pain, and that’s as it should be, all things considered.  Pain keeps us from hurting ourselves even further with inappropriate lifestyle activities. It should cause us to ask “Why does that hurt?” rather than “How can I get rid of this pain?”  Pain is an alarm. You wouldn’t turn off the smoke or fire alarm.  You would first look for the fire and seek to put it out. The smoke alarm will automatically shut off when the fire is put out and the smoke cleared out of the house.  It’s the same with pain. 

Our immune system creates fires all the time in order to burn up toxic waste.  The only sensible thing to do is support it so it can do its job more quickly and efficiently.  Fevers are life-savers and are not to be suppressed. They need to be allowed to burn at moderate temperatures (100 – 104).  More than that is dangerous and should be brought down with cold applications to the head especially to prevent brain damage.  Covering the body with blankets to help break a sweat will often break a fever. 

So, let’s talk about supporting the immune system.  Here’s its mechanism of action in medical terms.  Read it first then I’ll break it down to help you understand it.

Cytokines mediate and control immune and inflammatory responses. Complex interactions exist between cytokines, inflammation and the adaptive responses in maintaining homeostasis, health, and well-being. Like the stress response, the inflammatory reaction is crucial for survival and is meant to be tailored to the stimulus and time. A full-fledged systemic inflammatory reaction results in stimulation of four major programs: the acute-phase reaction, the sickness syndrome, the pain program, and the stress response, mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system.

Phew! That’s a mouth-full.  First, let’s understand what “cytokines” are.  Here’s the Wikipedia definition:

Cytokines (Greek cyto-, cell; and -kinos, movement) are small cell-signaling proteinmolecules that are secreted by numerous cells and are a category of signaling molecules used extensively in intercellular communication. Cytokines can be classified as proteins, peptides, or glycoproteins; the term “cytokine” encompasses a large and diverse family of regulators produced throughout the body by cells of diverse embryological origin

Simply stated, these are the messengers that alert the body’s immune system that the body has been invaded by harmful pathogens or free radicals.  They mediate and control immune and inflammatory responses, just as it says.  There is the “Redox Signaling Molecules,” for example. They play an important role in the body by activating antioxidants and turning on the immune response naturally to restore and maintain homeostasis—balance.

Watch this 5-minute video clip put out by ASEA as it contains a graphic demonstration of how cytokines work.  Just bear with the promo for their product, although it represents a remarkable scientific breakthrough in the healthcare field, and I use the product myself and in my practice.  This is important information to help us understand such modern-day health issues as “fibromyalgia” and “chronic fatigue syndrome.”

As you can see from the clip, the message has to get through to the immune system or else the invasion of pathogens and free radicals and the vulnerability of the cell walls will go unnoticed by the body.  

IMMUNE ALLIANCE, NOT SYSTEM

Let me explain the so-called “immune system,” which is a misnomer. We do not “have” an “immune system” as such, although the thymus gland, spleen and bone marrow play pivotal roles in producing immune-response cells to deal with “non-self” toxins in the body.  What we do have in an immune alliance which involves all the organs of the body, especially the organs of elimination, which includes the skin, by the way.  So, just keep that in mind in your approach to supporting your “immune system.”  For example, if you simply take antibiotics, pharma grade of natural, without doing something to clean out the metabolic waste with herbs, for instance, then you’ll end up crowding your lymphatic system with too much to handle on its own.  

I’ll often give a client Congaplex or Thymex, “natural antibiotics” put out by Standard Process Labs, to support the body’s immune-response to strep and staph infections respectively.  In a day or two the client often comes down with sinus congestion or swollen lymph nodes.  This tells me that the lymphatic glands are congested, so I’ll back off from supporting the body’s immune response and start supporting its elimination system.  

Standard Process and Medi-Herb provide superior products for this purpose, even natural antihistamines, like Antronex,  Allerplex, and Fen-Gre  to break up congestion in the sinuses and lymphatic glands, and ResCo, Broncafect, and PulmaCo to help clear out congestion in the bronchial tubes and lungs.  A company by the name of Energique also provides a product called Lymphapar, which almost magically opens up the lymphatic glands—very helpful with lactating mothers, for which this sublingual homeopathic was formulated.  These are all non-invasive, non-toxic, “natural medicines.”  They are also quite affordable when compared to the escalating cost of drugs.  Unfortunately, they are not covered by most insurance policies. 

Invariably, a “virus” appears on the scene from seemingly out of nowhere to scavenge the debris left by dead cells that gave their lives putting out the fire of infection.  That’s what they are and what they do—and they do appear to come from out of nowhere because they are simply normal cells of the body that have been transformed, morphed, and re-programmed as scavengers to clean up the mess left by the immune response, which I think is simply amazingly ingenious.  So, we can then turn our attention to helping the body clean house so as to eliminate the necessity for the viral activity.  This includes viruses that originate outside the body.  They are still scavengers and they will not invade your body tissues if there is nothing there for them to scavenge. This emphasizes the importance of Fall and Spring full-body purification rituals.  

Immuplex and St. John’s Wort help the body respond to viral infections.  Herbal teas are helpful in eliminating waste.  Bowel, liver and kidney detox products are plentiful.  All one has to do is use them.  Standard Process has a complete full-body Purification Kit with all the nutrients needed to clean out the body’s systems and tissues. Email me for product acquisition.  My readers enjoy a 10% discount on all supplement orders. *

ECHINACEA & IMMUNE-RESPONSE MODULATION

When we are sick we usually think in terms of “stimulating the immune system.” Well, that may or may not be the right call.  It’s far better to think in terms of modulating your immune response. Modulation simply entails balancing the immune response, which will be under-active where infections persist and over-active where autoimmune conditions persist, such as AIDS and rheumatoid arthritis.  

Echinacea herb is probably the most effective modulating botanical in Mother Nature’s cornucopia of natural medicines.  Medi-Herb, a sister company to Standard Process, has the very best Echanicea product in their Echinacea Premium—and it can be taken daily as a preventative, by children and adults alike, to keep the immune response balanced and poised to act appropriately in response to infections and autoimmune issues.

Not all Echinaceas are equal.  For example, the root of the augustifolia plant has more goodies for the immune system than the flowers of the purpurea plant.  Traditional Echinacea is made from the flowers, which is why people who are allergic to plants of the daisy family have a sensitivity to traditional Echinacea (made from Echinacea Purpurea flowers).  Echinacea Premium by Medi-Herb is made from the root of the Echinacea angustifolia.  The natives in Australia, where Medi-Herb manufactures its products, would pass over the flowering  purpurea plants and dig up the root type augustifolia plant, which resembles a carrot, because they knew it worked better than the flower type plants.  

Master Herbalist Dr. Kerry Bone of Medi-Herb has discovered that it’s the high concentrations of alkylamides that impact the immune system and not the polysacharides, as traditional European herbalists believe.  Echinacea Premium combines the roots of Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea purpurea to enlist properties unique to each one in supporting the immune system. The following are some of it benefits: 

  • enhance immune system function (particularly non-specific immune function)
  • support and promote normal interferon production
  • support and promote healthy white blood cells
  • support healthy immune response following stress, sudden changes in weather or temperature
  • encourage healthy upper respiratory tissue
  • support and maintain healthy throat tissue
  • support healthy lymphatic system function
  • stimulate the body’s normal tissue support and renewal function.

For maximum benefit, combine Immuplex and Echinacea Premium in your supplement protocol for immune response modulation and support. Email me for product acquisition and dosages.  

And friends, you just need to stock up your “Natural Medicine Cabinet” with these products if you’re going to make the break from pharmaceutical drugs and start supporting your body’s immune system naturally.  In this day and age, supplementation with wholefood nutritionals and herbs is unavoidable.  And  I walk my talk. Personally, I take up to 30 different supplements daily. That’s about 60 pills and capsules, a handfull at each meal.  But that’s not much when I compare it to the three plates full of food I eat daily—and these are essences of wholefood concentrates designed and prescribed to reverse the “disease” process by balancing body chemistry—not “vitamin supplements,” which I strongly advise against.

For a personal consultation, email me for my telephone number and to schedule a time.  My fees are very reasonable.  We’ll talk more about the inflammatory and stress response systems in connection with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, which includes the thyroid’s involvement, in my next post.  Until then, 

Here’s to your health and healing,

Anthony Palombo, DC, ACN

Email address: tpal70@gmail.com

*Network marketing products, such as ASEA and Nopalea, are not included in this discount.

Visit my HealingTones.org blog for inspirational articles about sacred energy.  The current series theme is Fourth Density Apocalypse 2012: The Science of Ascension. 

 

 

 

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The Healing Process: Series Summary Finale

THE ROLE OF THE REDOX SIGNALING MOLECULES

We have been considering the healing process in a series of articles, reviewing atomic physicist Dr. Gary Samuelson’s booklet The Science of Healing Revealed. This final installation in the series will rap up our summary of the series and review the role of the Redox Signaling Molecules in the healing process.  Enjoy!

Cleaning Up the Mess

Let us take a look once more at the cell’s clean-up crew and how important they are to the healing process. These special enzymes (proteases and antioxidants) are made to rip apart the molecules that make up the micro machinery, messengers and reactive molecules of the cell and recycle their pieces. Without them, garbage would build up everywhere inside and outside of the cells and the cells would soon die. Besides, the homeostatic balancing act in the cell absolutely depends on them. The cell is constantly manufacturing new molecules and requires a crew to take the old ones apart in order to maintain this balance.

The clean-up crew also has the job of cleaning up all of the “toxins” (left-over proteins) after the immune system or programmed suicide has kilted invaders or dysfunctional cells. In this sense, they form an essential part of the immune system also.

Regeneration of Lost Tissues

After the damage has been cleaned up and the oxidative stress condition has been corrected by eliminating the excess oxidants, there is still the job of replacing the cells that have been lost. You get the mental picture of many rows of ordered cells with holes and large gaps in them where cells have died and been cleaned up. The reconstruction is done by the cells that are surrounding the holes and gaps. Since cells are constantly sending messages back and forth between neighbors, they notice when one of their neighbors is missing. After the emergency distress condition is over in the neighborhood, the intercellular communication channels are reinforced and the holes become obvious to the neighboring cells. The cells are also free to divide and reproduce again.

At that point, the healthy neighboring cells start to divide in order to fill in the gaps, reconstructing new tissues as they go. If ample blood supply is not available for the new cells, they send out distress messengers that will cause new blood vessels to grow to supply them. The job is done when each of the cells is surrounded by their regular group of neighbors. This same simple reconstruction condition also applies to growing tubular blood vessels that supply the cells, the ring of leading cells will continue to divide and build the vessel until it encounters another blood vessel to link into.

Oxidants Play Central Roles as Messengers

How interesting it is when we can trace all of the complex mysteries of the healing process back to a simple set of rules that each of the cells follow. How interesting it is to discover the huge and important role that oxidants and antioxidants have in this healing process. When damage occurs, the oxidants become the red flags that mark out where and how much damage has been done. What would happen if the oxidants were not there to flag the damage?

Toxins, radiation, infections, cuts, scrapes, bruises, oxygen starvation and any other form of damage would go undetected and neglected without oxidants. Healing would be Impossible. It is this continual balance between the production of oxidants and reductants and their eventual elimination by the antioxidants that allows the cells to react to the damage. It is the response to the resulting imbalance of oxidants (or oxidative stress) that allows the cells and tissues to respond and heal themselves.This is the new picture emerging from the biosciences on healing.”   

This completes our series on the Healing Process.  I trust you have a better understanding of and a deeper appreciating for the healing process and the essential role the Redox Signaling Molecules play in it.  Enough, anyway, to motivate you toward ordering a couple of bottles of ASEA and keep a supply on  hand throughout the year.  Just 2 oz a day,  served up in a glass container (not metal or plastic) and taken on an empty stomach, will supply your body-cells with ample signaling molecules throughout the day. Click HERE to place your order.  

I want to thank you for your business and for following my blog.  We’re off to Colorado for three weeks vacation.  This will give you a chance to catch up with articles you haven’t had time to read or finish yet. I apologize for their length, but I wanted to be as thorough and comprehensive as possible.  I’ll be back with a new post shortly.  Until then, 

My best to you, your health and your healing,

Dr. Tony Palombo

Visit my second web blog for a meditation on Your Sacred Heart and Attunement with Sacred Sound

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The Healing Process: Series Summary

     

These next final posts will conclude my review of Dr. Gary L. Samuelson’s booklet The Science of Healing Revealed. I hope you are finding this series as fascinating as I am. Just to behold the intricacies of cellular life and understand what all goes into the healing process is awe inspiring.  So, let’s begin our summary. But first a video clip of ABC’s report on the inner life of the cell. (Enjoy the full Inner Life of the Cell with wonderful music.)

NEW INSIGHTS-THE FRAMEWORK OF THE BODY’S NATURAL HEALING PROCESS

It is now time to take a step back, and look at the whole developing picture. We have already assembled many of the edge pieces in the puzzle and put together some of the more obvious patterns. We have also placed some more pieces in this framework and examined where they might go. What do we see when we step back and stare at everything we have assembled so far? Let us look at this picture in the light that the revealed mysteries of how the body naturally heals itself will unlock the secrets of sustained health for us and the following generations.

Much of the material in this chapter should sound familiar. It is just a capitulation of the major points in this booklet all written in a few pages so that the overall picture becomes clearer.

Detecting and Locating the Damage Zone — Redox Signaling

We see a pattern: in order for the body to heal itself it must be able to detect and locate the damaged cells. This task goes to the cellular-distress messengers. These messengers are sent out in response to a distress condition inside the cell. This distress condition occurs in the cell when something interferes with the normal cellular processes and disturbs the normal homeostatic chemical balance. This homeostatic chemical balance depends on the cell being able to constantly produce the thousands of critical molecules it needs and then being able to break them down at the same rate that they are being produced. When this balance is disturbed, certain molecules are either building up in the cell or becoming depleted. These excesses or deficiencies cause transcription-factor messengers to be sent into the DNA that change certain production rates that hopefully will ultimately compensate for the imbalance. Sometimes the response includes an increase in the amount of messengers sent out to signal this condition to other cells.

We start to see that wherever we look, the most reliable indicator of cellular distress is the build-up of oxidants in the cell, a condition called “oxidative stress” that occurs universally, even in different species and plants. The simple reactive oxidants and reductants produced in the cell are formed from the sea-water molecules that fill our cells. These small reactive molecules have the capacity of strongly affecting the redox potential of the sea-water environment where all of the complex processes of life take place. They are the redox messengers that send the redox signals governing much of the healing process. These reactive molecules are mainly produced in the mitochondria during the metabolism of sugars in the same process that produces the ATP that fuels the cell.

The antioxidants that the cell manufactures in order to break down these reactive molecules are very plentiful, ubiquitous all throughout the cell. The primary function of the antioxidants is to combine and neutralize equal quantities of reductants and oxidants and keep them from damaging the sensitive areas of the cell. It soon becomes clear that these small reactive molecules, a balanced mixture of oxidants and reductants, are critical to the proper function of the cell and even more essential to the damage control mechanisms that exist inside and outside the cell.

The Cell’s Response to Damage

Careful research has been done on the effects of oxidative stress resulting from cellular damage. The overabundance of oxidants (ROS) in the cellular environment has been shown to activate several genetic buttons on the cell’s master control panel. Some of the buttons pressed are shown below (in approximate order of activation):

  • DNA Repair Button – Sends out the DNA damage detection
    and repair crew
  • Antioxidant Boost Button -Increases production of
    antioxidants
  • Stronger Intercellular Communication Button – Puts up
    stronger communication lines.
  • Increase Blood Supply Button – Opens local blood vessels wider
  • Stronger Cell Adhesion Button – Sticks the cells together stronger
  • Inflame Tissues Button – Stops the spread of damage to other cells
  • Secrete Antibiotics Button – Antibacterial countermeasures deployed
  • Stop Cell Division Button – Shuts down the cell’s ability to replicate itself
  • Send Distress Call button – Sends a distress signal to the immune system
  • More Energy to Repair Crew Button – Diverts more energy to repair processes
  • Prepare Cell for Shutdown Signal Button – Polls neighbors for final decision
  • Master Shutdown Button – Kill and dismantle the cell

If the oxidative stress condition is fixed by the repairs, then the DNA does not continue pressing more buttons; in fact it starts deactivating the buttons already pushed and returns to normal operation. It would be nice if we could press a few of these genetic buttons even if there is no oxidative stress; the “Repair DNA” and “Antioxidant Boost” button, for example, look pretty good. Perhaps we could take an “Antioxidant boost” pill that would do the job. We will discuss some of the possibilities later on.

In my next post we will review how the cell’s clean-up crew clear the way for the regeneration of new tissue and how oxidants (free radicals) play a central role as messengers.  

But before you leave my blog, enjoy Dr. Bolinski’s video clip on the fascinating life of the cell and be awed by life’s intricate design and inspired to take better care of your body. I’ve added three more clips, two that summarize what Redox Signaling is and the third one to tell you about ASEA, a  revolutionary product that I am getting behind because of its promising health and longevity benefits to my patients and clients.  I’m taking it daily and it has made a huge difference in my energy level and the quality of my sleep. Just knowing that my cells are able to communicate with one another gives my mind rest from anxiety over ageing. There’s nothing like it on the market.  Enjoy! 

Dr. Bolinski’s Fantastic Voyage inside the cell                                                  Redox Signaling Molecule     What is the  Redox Code                                    ASEA Natural Immune Support

Until next we meet, 

Here’s to your health and healing!

Dr. Tony Palombo

Click here to order ASEA: http://drpalombo@teamasea.com

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The Healing Process: Immune Response and the Redox Signaling Molecule

Wholeness Is – All Things are Connected

The Healing Process is as much an unfolding and revelation of what is already whole and holy, namely Life, as it is a mending to make whole what has become partial, fragmented and isolated from the whole, if only in consciousness and in perception.  The reality is oneness.  All things are connected and cannot be otherwise disconnected, anymore than ripples on the surface of a pond created by two or more pebbles thrown in separate places into the pond can be separated.  The ripples can be seen as vibrational waves connecting all forms of life afloat in cosmic space.  “Pluck a flower and disturb a star.”

Life is Spirit and Spirit is present everywhere as the Presence of Love.  Love is all and all is love, and the essence of Love is Oneness.  Therefore, as we give consideration to the human immune system, I would invite you to begin by seeing all of Life as ONE and as the manifestation and action of Love . . . and Love does not attack Love.

In the medical model of the immune system, as you are about to see in these next video clips, as well as in the passage from Dr. Gary Samuelson’s booklet The Science of Healing Revealed – New Insights into Redox Signaling, Life’s intricate parts are pitted against one another in a battle over the flesh-and-blood terrain of the whole organism of our physical bodies.  Pathogens are characterized as “invaders” while anti-bodies as “killer cells” bent on destroying the invaders as “enemies” to the self whom they serve at all costs.  This is all part of the drama Louis Pasteur’s germ theory has given rise to in the paranoid and morbid imagination of human hearts and minds.  This mind-set has only weakened our natural immunity by instilling fear in our hearts.  Fear shuts down our immune system.

In reality, there is nothing to fear, as nothing is “wrong.”  Everything matters.  Pathogens have as much right to existence as human beings.  They are part of the Creative Process in which they play an essential role.  What, for instance, would happen to cadavers if pathogens didn’t break them down and return them to the dust from which they were formed?  That’s their job, and if they find sick and dying cells while passing through our bodies, it is their job to take them out and scavenge the debris. They would not do so if they found no sick and dying cells, an unlikely occasion considering the oxidative stress under which our body-cells exist and operate on a daily basis.  It’s the law of the survival of the fittest at work that is operative throughout the natural world.

So, keep this in mind as we take a look at how the immune system deals with non-self visitors through the eyes of traditional medicine with its “germ-theory” mind-set that has dominated our consciousness during the last century, a mind-set that forms the basis of our so-called “healthcare system” today, which would be more accurately called a “disease management” system. Enjoy and be enlightened by what follows, remembering to see it all from a larger perspective of the Whole.

Video links:  “T” Cells and the Immune System       White Blood Cells at Work     Clonal Selection during strep infection

Comment on the video clips: Medical overlay aside, it is fascinating to see the infinite microcosm at work in such detail within our bodies, and it is all governed and directed by the law of resonance and attraction.  I see “T” cells and white blood cells, for instance, absorbing pathogens as “grist for the mill,” thereby reclaiming and incorporating their substance and energy back into the functional whole, transforming and transmuting them in the process.  Perhaps “T” cells would more accurately be called “Transmuting cells” rather then “killer cells.” Keeping this perspective in mind, let’s see what Dr. Samuelson has to say about the immune system and the Redox Signaling Molecule.

Immune System’s Response to a Threat

The immune system in higher vertebrates is complex and highlydeveloped and yet it is built around principles that exist in even the most primitive species and plants (plants really do have an immune system). The innate immune response in plants and in lower and higher animals depends on a redox signaling process (messengers of distress) to help the organism identify and destroy its enemies. The principle is simple: if anything foreign causes enough damage to result in acute oxidative stress, as explained, then it is an enemy.

It is convenient that the redox messengers (the oxidants that signal that damage has occurred) are also the most potent oxidative ammunition available with which to load the cannons and kill the enemy. The presence of all these harmful oxidants, though, requires that these forms of life produce a complement of antioxidants with the ability to neutralize any stray oxidants before they can cause damage to the organism itself. The antioxidants found in plants, by the way, are not necessarily the same as those used in higher life forms. Eating a berry that has plant antioxidants will not generally supplement the native antioxidants utilized inside your cells. Plant antioxidants, however, can be helpful as they can make it into your blood and help reduce the stray oxidants there. Note that some antioxidants, such as vitamin-C, are indeed able to be absorbed by tissues.

In humans and higher vertebrates, there are a variety of antioxidants and “clean-up-crew” enzymes that clean up the toxic mess once the battle is over. In these higher animals, there also exists an intricate adaptive immune system that can use the remaining scraps from the battle to identify, tag, and keep a list of harmful foreign invaders. This allows a quicker and more specific immune response, overall, and thus a higher survival rate. One drawback of this improved immune system, none-the-less, is that friendly and inert objects can mistakenly be identified as enemies.

One powerful advantage that the redox signaling system offers is aclear identification that the battle has been won. When the oxidative stress condition subsides, it is a sign that the battle is over and is a signal to start rebuilding. In the process of regenerating the lost tissues, these redox-induced messengers are used again to help the newly forming tissues signal that they need oxygen and nutrients. These messengers then spur on the vascular growth needed to feed these new tissues.  The healing process is beautifully simple in principle and amazingly complex in its application. Cells must be able to identify when they are in distress and then call up the appropriate action to correct the situation. Stress leads to imbalance which in turn leads to the action needed to reestablish balance. The ability to maintain balance is an essential ingredient of life.

Raspberries – Life’s perfection in an imperfect world

Of course, we do not live in a perfect world and our bodies are sometimes less than capable of handling the insults constantly being slung at them by our toxic mind-made world of chemicals, estrogenic plastics, and insecticides in our foods.  Knowing this perhaps, Mother Nature has provided us with perfect foods that have built-in immune-system support nutrients.  The humble red raspberry contains “ellagic acid” which is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-cancer, making it a natural anti-biotic.

Another anti-pathogen can be found within the seed of the grapefruit, put there, no doubt, by Mother Nature to protect the germ in the seed from destruction by fungi and other pathogens.  It’s a very bitter oil, as you know if you’ve ever bit into a grapefruit seed. The oil has been extracted and made available in various “citracidal” preparations, such as Triguard Plus ($15 plus postage).  It is anti bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-yeast and effective against some 27 different pathogens.  It is completely harmless to the body cells, just don’t get it in your eyes as it will burn.

Check out the links below for an enlightening presentation of the humble raspberry and of ellagic acid, also available in capsule form from the company who brings you these video clips.  Enjoy, and I’ll see you next blog post! Until then,Here’s to your health, healing and vitality!

Dr. Anthony Palombo

Email me at tpal70@gmail.com to order Triguard Plus.

Video clips:  The Raspberry and Ellagic Acid Part 1,   Part 2,  Part 3

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The Healing Process: Role of the Immune System, Part 1 page 2

DISEASE AN INSIDE JOB, AS IS HEALING

Tony's picture 2 from PeggyWe saw how Dr. Royal Lee discovered protomorphogens in our last post.  In this post we will look at some of the other important players at the turn of the 20th Century who pioneered health-based healthcare as opposed to traditional medicine’s disease-based healthcare. 

At the same time Dr. Royal Lee was developing his theory of protomorphogens, Antoine Bechamp (1816-1908), a French Biologist, was working on a similar theory using a different name for these nuclear mineral proteins. In Dr. Sharon Rabb‘s words: 

Antoine  Bechamp was the most notable of scientists working along the same lines as Dr. Lee. Bechamp was a contemporary (and adversary) of Louis Pasteur. Bechamp’s theory, later confirmed by other scientists, was that “disease” is not produced primarily by invading bacteria but is actually perpetuated in an unhealthy, unbalanced body by the body’s own cells. The cells themselves produce pathogens like bacteria, fungi, and viruses instead of normal healthy cells. The theory also stated that all chronic and infectious illnesses have a microbial component not currently recognized by orthodox medicine. “Non-self” pathogens may provide a template for illness, but healthy individuals do not succumb. The existing toxic internal environment allows the disease to manifest. One does not really “catch” a cold — a cold is produced due to an imbalanced, toxic and malnourished environment. (underscores mine)

 Bechamp saw what he termed “mycrozymas” in the protoplasm of living cells and considered them to be the fundamental unit of living tissue (Lee’s PMGs). Bechamp disputed the “germ theory” and stated that the cause of disease was internal dysfunction not an external invasion. Invading pathogens could only cause illness in an unhealthy body by acting as a template to dividing cells. Pasteur, near the end of his life, confirmed Bechamp’s theories; however, traditional medicine was already firmly entrenched in the “germ theory” model.  (underscore mine)

This is unbelievable but very typical behavior on the part of medicine and the drug industry who can’t wait for the final results of extremely costly research to get a pill out on the market to enhance their bottom line.  Yet they do it notoriously and repeatedly with half-baked research and premature conclusions, which too many times results in deadly side effects and recall of the medicine.

As a side note, but very pertinent to how we got pointed in the wrong direction, here’s a telling piece of history from the introduction of R.B. Pearson’s book THE DREAM AND LIE OF LOUIS PASTEUR:

 Bechamp was one of France’s most prominent and active researchers and biologists. He taught in universities and medical schools, and published widely on cell biology, disease, botany and related subjects. His would probably be a household name today if it wasn’t for the activities of one Louis Pasteur, whom history has treated very kindly indeed, considering his fake science, his tendency to steal ideas (mainly from Bechamp), falsify experimental data, and in general make claims which had no basis in fact.

I’m not running off at the mouth by saying the above. It’s all quite well documented – Bechamp and Pasteur were both members of the French Academy of Sciences, and the papers they submitted, and their correspondance, both to each other and to other people, were all recorded. Even their verbal exchanges survive in the minutes of the meetings.

To cut a long story short, and it is a long story, Pasteur basically dug up the germ theory of disease and put his name on it. It wasn’t a new idea, although he claimed to have “discovered” germs all the same. The concept had actually been outlined by other people many years before, but of course, the whole idea is wrong anyway, so it hardly matters who thought of it first. In a few years, the germ theory of disease will be out there with the flat earth theory where it belongs. . . .  Another good book is Pasteur Exposed, written by Ethel Hume and first published in 1923, which goes into all the details of exactly how Bechamp’s ideas were twisted beyond recognition by Pasteur. None of this would matter a toss, of course, except for the minor point that western chemistry-based medicine is built on a foundation of unquestioning “Pasteurism”. (underscore mine)

At the same time, Dr. Royal Rife (1888 – 1971), pathologist and bacteriologist, was developing the first 100% sure cure for cancer in the 1920’s.  Here’s a piece of his story as told by Dr. Sharon Rabb:

Royal Rife, a friend of Dr. Lee, believed as did Bechamp in the theory of pleomorphism — the ability of a microorganism to change form in a living system. In other words, bacteria could change into a fungus or virus or vice versa. He also believed that the human body could produce these microorganisms instead of normal healthy cells. Rife invented a very powerful light microscope where he could see them “pleomorph”. He also invented a machine called the Rife machine which produced sound frequencies that “burst” specific microorganisms. He was able to see these pathogens, find the “resonant frequency” of the specific organism and produce the sound frequency–thus causing the organism (and it only) to self destruct. Rife used this machine to “terminate” cancer cells in infected individuals in the middle 1900’s. Several books have been written by Barry Lyons about Rife’s story, including The Cancer Cure that Worked. Rife was discredited and was finally run out of the country, a destitute man.

His lab and all of his equipment was burned to the ground by the medical society in Southern California.  His work was not to resurface again until the late 1990’s, thanks to the viral capacity of the internet to spread the word before anybody could stop it.  Rife machines are available and being used today in private homes and in alternative healthcare centers everywhere. For a full ten minute account of Dr. Rife’s story, click on this YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AysfKyl8O9k&feature=related or copy and paste it in your web browser.  To view a picture of Royal Rife and his amazing electron Universal Microscope, along with another rendition of his story, click this link: http://www.rense.com/general31/rife.htm.

Another maverick scientist who agreed with the concept of pleomorphism was Gaston Naessens (1924). He developed the somatoscope in the late 1940s with a resolution of 150 angstroms. With the use of this scope, he identified the PMG (or somatid, or mycrozyma) and actually observed various microbes change forms to other pathogens. He clearly demonstrated the 16 stages of the “somatid cycle,” thus affirming that disease is not an issue of external invasion but an issue of weakened immune capacity. (The 16 stages show how single cells can “pleomorph” or change into other different microorganisms.)

To recap what went before and close this chapter. . . 

“. . . Dr. Lee refined the theories of Bechamp, Rife, Naessens and others and put them to practical use in formulating protomorphogens for virtually every tissue type. These PMGs have the potential to rebuild every organ and gland in the body. . . .   By providing the genetic material through the PMG, the body is able to “jump-start” the healing process and use the blueprints to reprogram healthy cell division.”  (Dr. Sharon Rabb)

For help with your particular health issue and to order supplements with protomorphogens, call me for a personal consultation at my office  (337) 497-1850, or my cell phone (337) 802-5510.  Consultations range from $45 (20 min) to $65 (40 min) and are payable by credit card. 

Join me next week as we tell the stories of  the major actors in the immune system and the role of the redox signaling molecule in immune response.  Thank you for following my blog.  I trust you find the articles interesting, informative and entertaining.  Your comments are most welcome as I love hearing from my readers.  Until my next post, 

Here’s to your health and healing,

Dr. Anthony Palombo

Email: tpal70@gmail.com    Website:HealingandAttunement.com

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The Healing Process: Role of the Immune System – Part I

  PROTOMORPHOGENS

    Here’s where our consideration of the Healing Process takes a turn away from the orthodox medical model and indoctrination and toward a more accurate understanding of the disease process : what causes it, where does it begin and how can it best be reversed by supporting the healing and re-building processes of the body. 

     Let us start with a recap of what we think we know about disease. Following Louis Pasteur’s “outside-in” thinking, medical science took off and developed on the basis of the theory that disease was brought into the body from the outside.  The “germ theory” gained popularity and soon we were developing antibiotics (literally, anti-life) to kill germs and pathogens of all kinds. We were given soaps, sprays and gels to sanitize ourselves and prevent the invasion of and contamination by these invaders.  And if we did get invaded, then we used antibiotics to “fight infection,” the body’s own natural way of dealing with harmful bacteria and viruses.  We even started “pasteurizing” our milk in an endeavor to kill the germs, only to kill the natural enzymes needed to digest the milk in the process.  Our blessed parents brought us up on whole milk we got from our cows and we gave our immune systems a good education on how to deal with sore throats (strep), boils (staph) and other symptoms of bacteria-fighting in our bodies, and we’re better off for it today.  The end result of all this waring against germs has been the adaptation of viruses and other pathogens to our powerful antibiotics and the appearance of super viruses and bacteria that are immune to our antibiotics, which has medical scientists deeply concerned.

Shortly after the time when Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) was selling his theory to medicine and the general public, another theory was put forward by Dr. Royal Lee and a scientist by the name of Antoine Bechamp.  Other important players in this arena were the renowned Dr. Royal Rife and Gaston Naessen, whose stories we will visit in my post next week.

Born the same year Louis Pasteur passed away, Dr. Royal Lee (1895-1967), a dentist who believed and proved conclusively that the health of the teeth was directly proportionate to and reflected the health of the body, developed and worked with a nutritional approach to the reversal of disease and the restoration of health.  His “Protomorphogen” discovery helped us turn the corner in our search for the real cause of disease and a natural solution to the cure of disease and to healing.  Today he is honored as the “Father of Natural Vitamins.”  His line of wholefood nutritional supplements and his legacy are kept alive and well-preserved by Standard Process Laboratories in Palmyra, Wisconsin.  

In his own words: 

“One of the biggest tragedies of human civilization is the precedence of chemical therapy over nutrition. It’s the substitution of artificial therapy over natural, of poisons over food, in which we are feeding people poisons trying to correct the reactions of starvation. You all know how ridiculous that it. But you all know how widely it’s being done.” Dr. Royal Lee, 1935

In a nutshell, here is the theory:  There are mineral protein essences secreted by the cells that carry the blueprint for cellular regulation and growth.  These “protomorphogens,” as Dr. Lee called them, help grow new and healthy cells and even help repair and rebuild cells that are damaged.  By enhancing the integrity of the body cells, invading pathogens (bacteria and viruses) are kept at bay.  They only attack sick and weak cells.  In Dr. Lee’s own words:

 A protomorphogen is a cell secretion given off by all living cells at all times in minute amounts that promotes the synthesis of protein for cell repair and cell maintenance on the outside of the cell wall, after which it is absorbed by the cell. Protomorphogens are chromosome end products, made in the cell nucleus, probably the agents by which the basic functions of the chromosome are exercised. All living proteins carry a protomorphogen component by which the protein is made specific in nature, specific in causing organic reactions, specific in function, specific in its ability to act as an antigen in provoking immune reactions. All antigens may be antigenic by reason of accompanying protomorphogens, in some cases instead of being attached to a protein molecule, the protomorphogen may be attached to a lipoid or polysaccharide aggregate. When a protein has been separated from a protomorphogen, it is said to be denatured and is no longer fully capable of antigenic action; that is, cannot create an antibody specific to it in the circumstance of its injection into an animal blood stream.

Since no cell can grow or maintain itself unless protomorphogens, as secreted by itself, are available in the pericellular [outside and around the cell] fluids, it is obvious that here we have the possible biological growth regulator. Suppose that the immune-body producing mechanism, heretofore looked upon only as a defense against invading organisms (cells) from the outside, were to be found to exert the same controlling action on every organ and cell of the body, we would have the answer to the long-sought questions of why animal organs and living creatures in general were able to regulate their cell growth exactly according to a well-ordered plan.

 We find, on investigation, that there is just such a reaction of the immune body producing mechanism (the reticuloendothelial system) and it has been described under the general designation of “Natural Tissue Antibody” (NTA).

IN CONCLUSION 

Protomorphogens are in reality mineral chains whose sequencing determine the amino acid (protein) structure of individual cell types. In living tissues these minerals are organically bound and accompanied by enzymes. . . .

. . . Dr. Lee refined the theories of Bechamp, Rife, Naessens and others and put them to practical use in formulating protomorphogens for virtually every tissue type. These PMGs have the potential to rebuild every organ and gland in the body. The concentration gradient both inside and outside the cell regulate this growth. The “health” of the cell regulates both the concentration gradient and “health” of the protomorphogen. The concentration and health of the protomorphogen also regulates the immune system in forming natural tissue antibodies (NTA). If an excess of PMGs accumulate outside the cell, normal cell division stops and an excess of autoimmune factor (NTA) can cause damage to the cell. The PMGs in living systems are “wrapped” in lipoid layers because of their potential toxicity to a living system. This is called “hypersensitivity” in immunological terms. The lipoid “wrapping” can be either incomplete or damaged in disease or malnutrition states.

Because of hypersensitivity, Lee chose not to use human genetic material in formulating his supplements – but rather to use animal tissue which would be taken orally. The PMGs are processed to be absorbed through the GI tract intact. The animal kingdom is removed from the human so that hypersensitivity is not a large issue. By providing the genetic material through the PMG, the body is able to “jump-start” the healing process and use the blueprints to reprogram healthy cell division  (underscore mine). Dr. Lee believed that every disease produced an autoimmune component which through the process of inflammation prevented normal cell division and caused most of the damage. This fact is being recognized by the medical profession more frequently in various illnesses.

Protomorphogens (PMGs) have two major functions: Control healthy cell growth and  Regulate immunity

Our own PMGs inhibit cell division. However, when taken orally in pill form (from other mammals), PMGs stimulate normal cell division and reduce the autoimmune component by reducing excessive amounts of the natural tissue antibodies. They stimulate the organ to regenerate new healthy tissue by supplying the blueprints or by “jump starting” the organ to manufacture more of its own PMG.

PMGs are taken from specific organs of other mammals. In supplying extracts of the specific organ to the organ that is diseased, we can influence the local nutrient environment of those particular cells. This increases the activity of the tissue which then increases the secretion of PMGs so that the net effect is the concentration of PMG is balanced. The tissue of the organ begins to grow and regenerate normal healthy cells and thus helps to reestablish normal growth patterns with control. . . .

. . . The theory of protomorphogens is fundamentally what stem cell research is about. 

For product information and to start benefiting from protomorphogen supplementation, simply contact me by email at tpal70@gmail.com. 

See you next week for another installation on the role of the Immune System in the Healing Process.  We will talk about other important players at the turn of the 20th Century who pioneered health-based healthcare as opposed to disease-based medicine.  

To your health,

Dr. Anthony Palombo 

Email:  tpal70@gmail.com 

Website: HealingandAttunement.com 


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The Healing Process: Role of the Redox Signaling Molecule

Redox Regulation of the Healing Process – New Science

We have come to the crux of our considerations around the Healing Process.  In this post we will see exactly how the healing process works and what players are involved.  Again, Dr. Gary Samuelson will tell the story in his own easy-to-read words.  We will start with two video clips: one of the process called “Covalent Bonding” and the other on how free radicals and antioxidants work in order to help us better understand how “free radicals” (oxidants) do their damage and how the antioxidants neutralize and disarm them by a simple exchange of electrons between “oxidants” (electron donors ) and “reductants” (electron acceptors).  At the end of the day, restoration of balance is the goal of the healing process, as we shall see, and the “villains” of the free radicals turn out to be essential players in the process of maintaining homeostasis.  This, I promise, will be a fascinating read.  Enjoy!  (Newcomers to my blog would enjoy reading the previous posts in this series on The Healing Process for background information.)

Video clips: Covalent Bonding (4:32), Free Radicals vs Antioxidants  (4:30)

Redox Regulation of the Healing Processes-New Science

Emerging science from the past five years has solidly established that the chemical balance of small reactive redox messengers is essential to the healing process and the regulation of the immune system. These small reactive “redox” molecules participate in the same homeostatic balancing act that is used to balance the proper amount of the various proteins inside the cell (as we already have discussed). These “redox” messengers are constantly being produced, mostly by the mitochondria in the cells, and then constantly being eliminated at the same rate by a variety of protective enzymes (generally called “antioxidants“) that are strategically stationed inside and outside of the cells.

Let us more closely examine these reactive “redox” messengers for a minute. They are made from simple rearrangements of the atoms in H20, NaGI and N2 and are put together by special molecular complexes in the cell. Some examples of redox signaling molecules are H202, H02, HOCI and NO. About half of the redox messengers can be categorized as “oxidants” and the other half, in fairness, can be categorized as “reductants.”  “Reductants” is a contrived nickname, the official name being energetic “electron acceptors.” Oxidants, incidentally, can also be referred to as energetic “electron donors” in the same sense.

Not much is said about “Reductants” in the literature. In fact this nickname was just fashioned to be able to talk about this group of electron acceptors in this booklet. The basic concept, however, is very familiar to chemists and physicists. The laws of conservation of charge, mass and energy dictate that every time an oxidant is made from a neutral solution, a reductant or combination of reductants must concurrently be made to counterbalance it. The electron acceptors must balance out the electron donors. The ability of the resulting molecules to oxidize or reduce the molecules in their environment is referred to as the “redox” potential, a key player and motivator for all of the chemical reactions that take place in nature.

The name “redox” itself comes from the ability of these messengers to “REDuce” and/or “OXidize” molecules in their environment. Reduction and oxidation are chemical terms that relate to the potential that the molecules have to “give away” (oxidize) or “accept” (reduce) electrons to and from other molecules in their environment. As mentioned, all chemical reactions taking place in the cell depend on this redox potential in order to happen. Redox messengers have the ability to change the redox potential of their environment, thereby altering the chemical reactions that take place. Strong reductants and oxidants can both be harmful and destructive to the cell if they are allowed to wander around at will.

The oxidants, in particular, have made a really bad name for themselves; several of them are free radicals that have high energy, unpaired electrons that will blow apart whatever they come into contact with (like tiny molecular cannons). Oxidants will damage DNA, blow holes in cellular membranes, destroy important proteins, etc. The reductants are also hazardous, they will grab electrons away from molecules (with the ferocity of small molecular sharks), thereby causing destruction. To be perfectly clear, reductants are not antioxidants. Reductants are simply the chemical counterparts of oxidants (much like acids and bases). Antioxidants, on the other hand, are a class of much larger organic molecules produced by genetic coding that act as catalysts capable of facilitating the reverse chemical processes needed to ultimately “untie” and neutralize both the oxidants and the reductants. Antioxidant cycles require both oxidants and reductants in order to work correctly.

Let us focus on the antioxidants for a minute. The antioxidants were historically considered as the heroes of the cell because they broke down the harmful oxidants by pulling them in and neutralizing them together with reductants, leaving just common harmless sea-water molecules in their wake. Over an antioxidant cycle (some of which are complex multi-step processes) the oxidants and reductants are neutralized [view clip], however the antioxidant itself remains unchanged, ready to do it all over again to the next set of oxidants and reductants. The antioxidant in this sense is a catalyst that speeds up the neutralization of oxidants with reductants and yet of itself remains unchanged. You can think of an antioxidant as a black box: reactive and potentially dangerous oxidants and reductants go into the box and harmless neutral sea-water molecules come out.

Ironically, the oxidants (that historically have been thought to be the villains) are now seen as central players to the healthy function of the cells. We have recently learned that we would not be able to live without either the reactive oxidants or the reductants. The truth be told, these tiny reactive molecules play an absolutely essential messenger role in our cells and tissues [my underscore]. The most critical aspect of healthy redox-messenger balance is in that the oxidants and reductants must be produced and eliminated in perfectly-balanced and equal portions. As long as there are equal portions of oxidants and reductants in the interior or exterior of the cell, the antioxidants can readily neutralize them both as fast as they are created. As discussed, the antioxidants need equal portions of oxidants and reductants in order to function, in the case of Glutathione (an abundant antioxidant made in our cells). The large mouth of the relatively huge antioxidant molecule lures in a reductant (that is electron hungry) and then lures in an oxidant (that has an energetic electron to donate) and then pulls them both together into the “active site” in the middle. At the active site, the reductant and oxidant are combined together, neutralizing them both. The resulting harmless molecules float away.  The antioxidant is then free to do it all again. If there is an ample supply of reductants and oxidants in the neighborhood, one antioxidant molecule can typically neutralize tens of millions of oxidant molecules every second, as measured in the lab.  [Emphasis and underscores mine]

This was a eye-opener for me when I first read it, and I believe it is crucial to a better understanding of homeostasis.  There are no “good” and “bad” players in this microcosm of the biological universe that comprises our bodies.  There’s only “appropriate” and “inappropriate” based on place and timing, balance and imbalance.  To quote a poet friend and colleague, “Nothing is wrong.  Everything matters.”  

The antioxidants are purposefully manufactured, sent to and positioned around the areas of the cell, such as the nucleus, that are vulnerable to oxidative damage. As equal portions of oxidants and reductants approach these protected areas, the antioxidants standing guard around these areas pull them in and neutralize them both. The antioxidants are thus able to keep these potentially harmful reactive molecules away from protected areas and corral and use them for their own best purposes. Consequently, the immune system uses large amounts of such oxidants, along with strong demolition enzymes, as its weapon of choice against harmful invading bacteria and viruses. The foreign invaders do not even stand a chance against these potent weapons. After the invaders have been torn apart and destroyed by the enzymes and oxidants, the surrounding antioxidants standing guard and other enzymes clean up the mess, toxins and hazards.

THE HEALING PROCESS DESCRIBED

The key to understanding how this redox balancing process helps the body heal itself comes when considering what happens when the cells become damaged or defective for some reason or another. There are thousands of different processes with thousands of different proteins taking place everywhere inside the cell. When something is not working right, how does the cell detect the damage? The answer lies in the fact that as the normal homeostatic balance that exists in healthy cells is disturbed, somewhere in the cell there is either a build-up or deficiency of the normal quantity of proteins. There is a high probability that this
growing imbalance will at some point make the metabolism of sugars less efficient. When this happens, the redox-messenger production in the mitochondria becomes unbalanced, producing many more oxidants than reductants or vice versa. In other words, the damage will ultimately manifest itself as a build–up of oxidants or reductants. This condition is called “oxidative stress” and is a real phenomenon seen (under the microscope) to occur in almost all defective or stressed cells (in both animals and plants).

An imbalance in the redox messengers, usually manifesting itself as oxidative stress, sends a clear signal that damage has occurred somewhere and that the cell is defective. The excess oxidants are not balanced by reductants and cannot be effectively neutralized by antioxidants. These oxidants end up causing even more damage to other parts of the cell. This clear signal for help causes the DNA to code for the “fix–it crew” and cytokine messengers that are sent out to alert the immune system. If this imbalance (oxidative stress condition) is not corrected by the attempts of the fix–it crew, the oxidants continue to build up. Then after about two hours, the fatally damaged cell starts a “programmed cell suicide” cascade (apoptosis) that will end up with the cell killing and dismantling itself. This is not a bad thing. Normal healthy neighboring cells will then be able to divide in order to fill in the vacancy. On the microscopic scale, this is essentially the healing process. [my underscore]

The oxidative stress condition in a stressed or damaged cell also causes the DNA to code for messengers to be sent to neighboring cells, advising them of its condition. Redox messengers can also be used as these intercellular messengers. If the damaged cell, such as those found in tumors, is not able to kill itself, then its neighboring healthy cells will send back “death domain” messengers as well as distress messengers to the immune system that will either cause the damaged cell to die or to be attacked by the immune system. This system is regularly used to detect and destroy practically all of the damaged and dysfunctional cells in the body. Remember, it only takes one undetected dysfunctional cell, out of the trillions that are successfully detected and killed, to start seeding an abnormal growth.”

This brings our series to a turning point.  The posts that will follow will look at the role of the immune system in healing and how this system is activated by the Redox Signaling Molecules.   View this video clip to prepare for the next consideration.

Clip:  The Healing Revolution – the Science Behind ASEA.

To your health and healing,

Dr. Tony Palombo

For information on ordering ASEA, click here.


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The Healing Process: Signaling Messengers and Diabetes

Redox Signaling Messengers

Like any community, the body cells depend on communication for their coordinated and harmonious function together. Communication depends on messengers, both inside the cell between the various actors and “micro machines”  and outside the cell between the one-hundred-billion cells that compose our bodies.  These next few posts will be about these messengers, most recently discovered among them being the Redox Signaling Messengers that turn out to be a most important players in the healing process.  We will have a look at a very significant scientific breakthrough in the field of health and healing.  Again, we will call upon Dr. Gary L. Samuelson to help us envision and understand the Healing Process as he presents it in his recently released booklet, The Science of Healing Revealed – New Insights into Redox Signaling.

How the Actors Work Together – The Signaling Messengers

So far in our abbreviated organization chart, a small sample of the cast of actors has been put together in order to provide a tiny taste of what they look like and what they do. There are thousands more (not listed, thankfully) that fill major roles inside and outside the cell; and the list is growing every day as new actors and roles are being discovered. The real story, however, lies not so much in what they look like or what their job description is, but in how they interact with each other and how they determine when and where to do their job.

For the most part, the cellular micro machinery is controlled by the various signaling messengers, as has already been mentioned, that go about carrying messages inside the individual cells (intracellular communication) as well as carrying messages between the cells (intercellular communication). As has also been mentioned, the very identity and behavior of the cell depends on the quantities and types of messengers being passed around in its surrounding environment.

The inner-cell (intracellular) messengers float around inside the seawater solution (cytosol) inside the cells. There are generally two types of intracellular messengers: (1) protein messengers that are coded by the DNA and built, delivered, passed around and modified by enzymes and cellular machinery and (2) a recently discovered network of messengers called “redox signaling and regulation” messengers made out of small, highly reactive molecules (ROS and RS) that are formed by the REDuction” and “OXidation'” (redox) of the very sea-water bath that surrounds all of this cellular machinery. These messengers modify the behavior of the machinery by changing the chemical potential in the salt-water environment where all of this machinery exists. Since these “redox” messengers are integrally involved in the healing process, they will be the topic of further investigation in this booklet.

The between-cell (intercellular) messengers are passed back and forth between cells. In order for them to work they must be able to leave one cell and “latch onto” or pass into surrounding cells. There are specific places built into the outer membranes of the cells, called “receptors” and “co-receptors,” where these messengers are allowed to “latch onto” the outside of the cell. Each different type of messenger molecule (called agonist) has its own custom-built latch (receptor) that allows it to pass a signal into the cell.

In many cases, the receptor itself, when latched, will cause intracellular messengers to be released to continue carrying the message into the cell. Most cells are stuck together with a scaffolding of adhesive molecules that allow messages to more easily be passed around among neighboring cells.

Redox messengers are able to alter the chemistry of the receptor latches that can either enhance or inhibit their ability to latch onto their messengers and pass messages into the cell. Sometimes the presence of these redox messengers themselves will spontaneously trigger a receptor to send messages into the cell.

In my next post we will explore further some amazing technology that has made it possible for us to enhance intra-and-inter-cellular communication.  Before leaving my blog, take a few minutes to view this video clip on the Redox Signaling Molecule (5 min).

Besides giving a visual demonstration of how these signaling messengers work, this clip presents recent groundbreaking technology that is being used to stabilize these highly reactive molecules outside the body and then use them as bio-active, non-toxic agents inside the body to assist in the healing process.

The end result of this research is a formulated “water” called “ASEA” that is now available to the public through network marketing.  I have become an associate distributor of this product because of the great promise it holds for my patients and clients at a foundational level in their healing and health maintenance, offering new solutions to longevity and quality of healthful living.  It also gives people a tool they can use safely and obtain directly from the company without the requirement of becoming a network marketer themselves, although that is available as well as a home-based business with minimal investment.  So, enjoy the clip! Until next week then, my best wishes . . .

To your health and healing,

Dr. Tony Palombo

For more information about ASEA and ordering instructions, simply click here.


Here’s a bonus for my readers concerned with their blood sugar levels and diabetes: The 39-day cure for Type II Diabetes.

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The Healing Process: The Cell, Part 3 Communication

The Signaling Messengers

We’ve been entertained and edified by the inner life of the cell — how it’s “micro machinery” makes protein molecules from amino acids in the ribosomes and produces its own energy (ATP) in the mitochondria.  We will now move on to learn how these inner parts of the cells communicate with one another, as well as how the cells communicate among themselves and with the various systems of the body.  Again, I will call upon Dr. Gary Samuelson to help tell the story from his booklet The Science of Healing Revealed – New Insights into Redox Signaling.

Looking at the simple molecular keys that control the kinase fuel gates that energize the machinery in the living cell gives us a first glimpse at a very important class of molecules and proteins that act as messengers that are sent off to make sure specific things happen or do not happen. As can be imagined, these signaling messengers serve a very important role in the working of the cells. They send signals between the machinery in the cell that determines how the cell’s machinery operates and responds to the normal changes in its environment as well as drastic alarms like threats, damage, lack of oxygen, changes in temperature, the arrival of a nerve signal, etc. They can also be sent as long distance messengers to send signals between cells and tissues, as well as general messengers released into the blood and lymph that affect the working of whole systems throughout the entire body, like adrenaline for example. A few of these are listed below. The rest of this booklet, however, is focused on the emerging science that explains, in part, how signaling messengers do what they do and the processes that keeps them controlled and balanced when the body is healthy.

Redox messengers – Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Reduced SpeCies (RS) — The smallest and most fundamental universal signaling molecules in the body are the simple but extremely important reactive molecules that are formed from combinations of the atoms (Na, CI, H, 0, N) readily found in the salt water bath that fills the inside of the cells (cytosol). All of life’s players mentioned so far float around in this bath and can be surrounded by a balanced mixture of these reactive molecules…. “

Dr. Samuelson lists a few of these reactive molecules, such as Superoxide,  Hydrogen Peroxide, Hypochiorous Acid, Nitric Oxide, only four of some 20 of them.  Then there are these players:

Charged metal ions – Their movement alone makes the electric current that carries signals along our nerves and muscles. They also play signaling roles in hundreds of different life processes. Three examples or these are the Calcium ion (Ca2+), the Potassium ion (K+) and Sodium ion (Na+).

Cytokines  – The messengers that activate and regulate the immune system, controlling inflammation, white blood cell movement and natural cell death; Interleukins (regulate immune cells); Interferons (identify invaders,viruses).

Then there are the Endocrine messengers that control and regulate digestion, metabolism and organ function: Adrenaline, Insulin, Gastrin.  And the Hormone messengers that determine tissue growth and reproductive function: Testosterone, Estrogen and Progesterone.

Another group of fascinating players in the life of the cell are what are called the “Transcription Factors.“ These messengers cause the DNA inside the nucleus to call for increased production or reduction of certain specific proteins: NF-kappaB calls for inflammation; NRF2 calls for antioxidants; and TNF calls for tumor death.

Enzymes – the “break-it-down clean-it-up and recycle-it crew.”

There are enzymes in the cell that are assigned to the clean-up and recycling crew. They speed up the elimination of the cell’s “garbage,” breaking down the unneeded or excess molecules into smaller useful components.  Without these enzymes we would quickly die from the accumulation of excessive and possibly harmful unneeded molecules inside the cells.  They also protect the cells by breaking down toxins that come in from the outside environment.

In a very real sense, these enzymes are more than just the garbage disposal crew, they form an indispensable part of the system that maintains the chemical balance needed to sustain all of the life-critical processes that take place inside the cells. In the cell, molecules (large and small) are constantly in the process of being built up from smaller pieces and then torn back down into smaller pieces again.

Antioxiants – “The clean-up crew that is placed strategically in the cell, like guardians, to break down and eliminate the oxidants that would otherwise accumulate and cause damage.” They are: Glutathione Peroxldase (GPx) that breaks down various oxidants (free radicals), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) that breaks down superoxides, and Catalase that breaks down hydrogen peroxide.

Proteases– The large protein break-it-down crew, used as digestive enzymes to break down food and used by cells to break down unneeded or defective proteins.  They are Trypsin, Chyotrypsin and Pepsinogen.

Other “Staff Members” are: Collagen, Cholesterol, Glucose, Triglycerides, Prostaglandin, Quinine, Oleic Acid, Cocaine, Caffeine, Levidopa, and Histamine.

As we can see, there are many and varied types of “actors” playing various and sundry roles to make life possible in our bodies so that we can live and serve in this earthly plane of existence.  It’s helpful to have them placed in a context the way Dr. Samuelson does in his booklet.

In my next post we will learn how all these actors work together via the signaling messengers, whose crucial role it is to keep all the actors in touch with one another and all the systems of the body well-informed on what’s going on with each part and within the whole body. Then we will be prepared to study and learn the important role chemical balance plays in the healing process, and how the body keeps everything balanced.  Until then,  if you haven’t viewed it already, take the time now to enjoy David Bolinsky’s “Fantastic Voyage Inside the Cell” (10 min).

My best to your health and healing,

Dr. Tony Palombo











 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 









 





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The Healing Process: Chemical Balance

CHEMICAL BALANCE AND HEALING

I trust you are enjoying these articles exploring the the anatomy and physiology of the cell in the context of The Healing Process.Now that we know how the cells make protein and generate their own energy (ATP), let’s look at what role chemical balance plays in the Healing Process.  Dr. Gary Samuelson explains it in layman’s language in his booklet The Science of Healing Revealed – New Insights into Redox Signaling.

The Chemical Balance-How the Body Keeps it all Balanced

Once a protein messenger has delivered its message, it does not “live” very much longer to continue sending more messages. The cells manufacture enzymes (protease “break-down crews”) that quickly disassemble the messenger proteins and recycle their parts (Amino Acids). Thus an adrenaline “burst” lasts only as long as it takes for the protease crews to break down the excess adrenaline in the blood; after which the normal adrenaline balance in the blood is restored. In the body, the phrase, “kill the messenger,” takes on a whole new meaning.

This process of continuous production and subsequent elimination of molecules is not restricted only to the messenger proteins. A careful chemical balance is maintained for hundreds of thousands of types of molecules in every cell that depends on a stable condition where the rate at which the molecules are being produced is the same as the rate that they are taken apart elsewhere. This kind of a balance is called a homeostatic balance. The secret behind almost all biological processes lies in how the body works to maintain this balance.

When the homeostatic balance inside any cell is disturbed, there is either a build-up or a depletion of certain types of molecules. This growing unbalanced condition triggers the cell to respond. If there is a deficiency of a certain type of molecule, the cell can respond by increasing production of this molecule. If there is an excess amount of a certain molecule, it can increase the production of the enzymes that break down this molecule, thus helping to eliminate the excess. The cell can also take a more complex course of action and send out messengers that will help correct a possible problem, or it can even signal for a series of more complex processes that will help the cell adjust to adverse conditions. If the action is successful, then the normal balance will be restored and all is well.

One example of this balancing act is “blood sugar” levels. If the blood sugar level goes up, then the pancreatic beta cells respond by producing more insulin. These insulin messengers speedup the sugar metabolism machinery in the body, causing it to burn some sugar and store the rest as fat. As the blood sugar level decreases, the rate of insulin production also decreases. The elevated amount of insulin in the blood triggers the production of the insulin clean-up crew enzymes. The blood insulin level will eventually go back to normal levels as the excess insulin broken down and removed by these enzymes.

It is interesting to note that if too much sugar is placed in the blood all at once (due to eating easily digestible carbohydrates and sugars, such as white breads and candy bars), the pancreatic beta cells are stressed to work extra hard and they end up producing too much insulin. Since the gross excess of insulin takes a while to clean up, it often happens that too much of the blood sugar is processed and blood sugar levels drop well below normal. This deficiency in blood sugar triggers the production of “hunger” messengers. If this cycle is continued, [and consumption of sugar and carbohydrates is how one alleviates one’s sugar cravings], it may cause obesity and may also lead to over stressing and killing the pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin, causing diabetes (insulin dependent Type I). The body is not built to handle too much blood sugar all at once.

Type II diabetes occurs when the receptor sites of the cells for insulin messengers become saturated, creating the condition of “insulin resistance.”  The only way to free up the insulin receptor sites is to stop the production of insulin by fasting from insulin spiking carbohydrates and sugars completely for 30 days, then ease back on a moderate intake of such foods as white rice, white bread, candy, sugar, Irish potatoes, pasta, bananas and other sweet fruit (plums, prunes and blueberries are okay). Refined carbohydrates the body can do without altogether as they simply do more harm than good.  Click here for proof this works.

The key to health is to make sure the cells have the raw materials they need to maintain a healthy chemical balance in the machinery that keeps them alive. If the cells are healthy, consequently the whole body is in good health. Good health then lies in being able to sustain a healthy chemical balance.

Of course, it is not possible to maintain perfect health all of the time. Eventually, some of the cells that make up the body will be damaged by injuries, infections, age, the sun, radiation, cold, heat, external toxins and even physical exertion. In fact, the cells in the body are undergoing damage all of the time; thus the body has developed methods to heal itself and thereby restore and maintain healthy balance throughout the whole organism.

Our next consideration will be “Redox Regulation of the Healing Process — New Science.”   Enjoy this video clip on covalent bonding before leaving my blog which will help you understand the chemistry involved in free-radical damaging to healthy cells and the process by which they are neutralized by antioxidants.  Until next week, then, my best. . .

to your health and healing,

Dr. Tony Palombo