Tag Archives: Longevity

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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: 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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Not All “Free Radicals” Are Harmful

 

Tony Pics for SA BookSome free radicals are actually essential to life. Free radicals have acquired a rather notorious reputation.  Like with the news media and worldly events, we mostly hear about all the bad stuff they do to the body’s cells and their DNA. The good stuff often goes un-noticed and untold. One such essential “free radical” is the recently discovered and celebrated Redox Signaling Molecule. Before I tell you about it, however, let me create a little context that will help you understand its importance in your body.

Your cells are micro-models of your entire body. Your body has organs and its cells have organelles: they eat, they digest, they create energy, they excrete waste, they are regenerated, and they die.  Their health depends largely on the conditions of the terrain wherein they live and carry out their various roles in the body.  This post is about the health of this terrain of your physiology. Your body is only as healthy as its cells.  It lives and dies at the cellular level.

Cells are individuals complete unto themselves.  They are also gregarious.  They form communities of organs and systems and communicate with one another and with cells in other communities, such as the immune system – or what I prefer to call “immune alliance.”  (It’s an alliance by virtue of the involvement of and dependency on every cell, organ and system of the body.)  The immunity of the body is only as strong and balanced as the health and stability of the cell and its ability to communicate with and activate protective mechanisms such as antioxidants and “T” cells, or T lymphocytes.

T cells are the body’s exterminators. They destroy harmful bacteria, pathogens, toxins, viruses and even viral-infected cells.  They are made in the Thymus gland and bone marrow.  They often depend on the secondary lymphoid organs, such as the lymph nodes and spleen as sites where activation occurs, but they are also found in other tissues of the body, most conspicuously the liver, lungs, blood, reproductive tracts, and profusely throughout the intestinal tract.

Cells can be injured and damaged by “free radicals.”  When they are damaged they cannot function normally nor communicate with the rest of the cells in the body. But not all “free radicals” are equal, nor harmful.  So, let’s take a look at what they are.

Free radicals are oxygen-carrying atoms, molecules or ions with unpaired electrons looking for other molecules with unpaired electrons to bond with. They may have a positive, negative or zero charge.  The unpaired electrons cause radicals to be highly chemically reactive.  They pair up with other molecules, such as those of the cells, to which they bond and, in most cases, do damage through what is called “oxidative stress.”  Antioxidants, such as found in fresh fruits and vegetables, including Vitamins E and C, can protect the cell from free radical damage by a chemical reaction that simply neutralizes free radicals.  This is the purpose of antioxidants.

Hydrogen, for example, is an atom with a zero charge and an unpaired electron to which free radicals are easily attracted and bond.  Once they bond, they are no longer “free” and are thus rendered harmless.  This is why it is important to keep the pH (potential of Hydrogen) of the body’s fluid internal terrain balanced with plenty of raw fruits, vegetables and alkaline-ash foods (not to mention plenty of water, which is comprised of 2 Hydrogen and 1 Oxygen molecules). Too many acid-ash foods, such as meats and grains, deplete the alkaline reserve the body draws on throughout the day in order to keep the pH balanced.  Otherwise your body’s terrain becomes acidic making the cells very unhappy as the acidic fluids in which they live and function erodes their outer wall.

Free radicals also play an important role in combustion, plasma chemistry, biochemistry, and many other chemical processes, including human physiology.  For example, superoxide and nitric oxide regulate many biological processes, such as controlling vascular tone.  Such radicals can even be messengers in a phenomenon dubbed “redox signaling.”    [Chemial reactions in which one atom or compound is reduced (gains an electron and therefore energy) and another is oxidized (loses an electron and therefore energy) are called redox reactions.]

Redox signaling molecules are produced in the mitochondria of each cell, where your energy (ATP) comes from as well.  Two kinds are produced: antioxidant activators and immune system communicators.   Here’s a graphic:   [Also, this link will take you to a power-point presentation by Dr. Rob Ward of ASEA’s Scientific Advisory Council.  Dr. Ward focuses on the powerful holistic nature of redox signaling and how these amazing molecules empower our bodies! http://www.vimeo.com/17464658 ]

Redox signaling is the complex process within the cells wherein free radicals, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and other electronically activated radicals act as messengers in the biological system. It is basically the process that shows how cells in our body respond to oxidants and free radicals. Redox signaling is a continuous and crucial process, through which human cells communicate with each other and carry out vital body functions.    [Ref:  http://www.bewellbuzz.com/antiaging/redox-signaling/]

As demonstrated here, the immune system (T cells) is one such system activated by these redox signaling molecules.  These reactive molecules attach to receptor sites on the cells and convey signals and messages to them, thereby empowering them to perform specific functions.

Redox signaling molecules also activate antioxidants that protect the cells of the body from free-radical damage.  In fact, antioxidants are functional only when activated.  As you can see, these molecules are very important to life.

For a scientific explanation of ROS, click on this website: http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_oxygen_species#Oxidative_damage

If you haven’t heard of redox signaling molecules yet and the role they play in the body’s ability to maintain a high degree ofhealth and well-being, you are not alone. Despite the fact that these molecules are relatively unknown to the general public, researchinto the critical role they play in cellularhealthhas been going on for at least 30 years, if not longer.

For a layman-friendly explanation of the Redox Signaling Molecule, visit this website: http://www.hubpages.com/hub/Redox-Signaling-Molecules-The-Next-Health-and-Wellness-Breakthrough .  You will be thrilled and thank me for bringing this information to you at this time.

This complex process, which occurs naturally within the cells of the body, slows down as we age, contributing to the ageing process.  Damaged cells fail to produce sufficient quantities of these signaling molecules, and those that are produced are often unstable and ineffective.

This slowing down and consequent ageing can now be addressed through a recent scientific breakthrough which has found a way to stabilize the Redox Signaling Molecule and synthesize it for human consumption with significant results in health benefits.

For a visual demonstration of how these radical molecules work in the body, click on this link:  http://www.dranthonypalombo.teamasea.com/science.aspx.  Scroll down and click on “View the full video.”This is my website as an associate distributor for ASEA(TM) products. After viewing the video, you may contact me for further information about this innovative approach to health enhancement. I’m taking ASEA(TM) myself and have noted an increase in energy, stamina and mental acuity and clarity. That’s encouraging to a septuagenarian. Clients report that they are able to reduce the amount of supplements they are taking.   I feel good about this product and recommend it highly to my blog readers.

I wish you each one a very joyful Christmas and a New Year of abundant and healthy living.

Here’s to your good health,

Dr. Anthony Palombo

1722 Bilbo St., Lake Charles, LA 70601. Phone (337) 802-5510 – Email dranthonypalombo@live.com