Ó Katherine
Poehlmann, Ph.D.
[This article summarizes Dr. Poehlmann’s
presentation at the annual CCMRF Conference
held in Windsor, Ontario, August 26-28,
2005]
Bacteria span a
huge range of sizes and forms. The smallest bacterial forms are almost
viral-sized, and are often characterized as artifacts in microscope views.
Microscopes need supplemental ultraviolet light to examine the smallest
bacterial forms, since the human eye cannot see ultraviolet light.
Complete life cycle of some bacteria can take many forms such as colonies,
cell wall, L-forms, cell wall deficient (CWD) forms, intracellular colonies,
plasmids, macrophages, emergent “hatchlings”, and dormant stages (seed, bleb,
cyst, spore, etc.). Many bacteria (some unsuspected) have the potential
to develop any of these forms. At any given stage, their genes may be missing
or turned off, waiting for internal or external activation by plasmids. Thus
the possibilities are endless for identifying, or worse, for missing diagnosing
the presence of bacteria. Physicians should remind themselves that absence of
evidence is not evidence of absence.
One example of changing forms is Malaria plasmodium.
Vectors and hosts range from insects to animals. Transmission is a microbe’s
way of re-colonizing in a new host. Transmission can be via food, air (e.g.,
sneezing), water, bites, or sexual contact. The forms then replicate and
transmit their genetic recipes (DNA/RNA/etc.)
Malaria plasmodium has been well studied as a pathogen that colonizes the liver and
other organs. Its actions are very complex, but the same “tricks” are used by
simple viruses.
Viruses,
macrophages, and plasmids invade both host cells and large bacterial forms,
changing their DNA and/or RNA. The host cells invaded are important immune
system components: B-cells, T-cells, and red blood cells. T-cells (white blood
cells) are monocytes, which are mononuclear
phagocytes.
This
invasion can either be helpful or harmful to the host. E. g., Mycoplasma kills
HIV-invaded immune cells, but there is the risk of trading one pathogen for
another.
Plasmids
convey antibiotic recipes to bacteria so they can learn to resist future
assaults. Plasmids commonly cross species in nature. Transmission happens in shared locations such as the gut, ear,
urinary tract, and in research labs. Crossing in the
lab increases the odds of combination, and in turn, mutual potentiation.
Dietary enzymes
such as papain and bromelain are beneficial countermeasures. A traditional folk
remedy for gut worms in developing countries is to eat papayas, which are rich
in papain. These natural enzymes promote sports injury healing and can mitigate
the effects of bee/spider venom by disabling the foreign proteins.
Vitamin C
disables hyaluronidase (generated by the invading bacteria) and by doing so,
indirectly stabilizes collagen, the major building block of cartilage in a
matrix form. Hyaluronidase also attacks hyaluronic acid (HA, produced naturally
by the body) by chopping it up. HA is made by a mass of protective “spinner”
cells on the surface of the collagen matrix. If those are gone, through erosion
by improper joint use or nonstop inflammation, there is nothing to chop up.
Long chains are excreted and new molecules are regenerated every few days. If
too many enzymes are active, too many smaller fragments are produced that can dynamically
crosslink and clog the lymph system.
SYNVISC is the
synthetic crosslinked form of HA engineered to have the correct viscosity for
the lymph system. Treatments only last about 3-6 months, and cost $300 for a
series of shots.
To do a
creditable job of fighting hyaluronidase, Vitamin C must be taken daily in much
larger doses than found in standard daily multivitamins, which is 100
milligrams or less, the amount needed to stave off scurvy. One-tenth gram is
not nearly enough to combat destructive enzymes. The author takes 4-5 grams
of Vitamin C daily. Her husband Karl’s intake is 7-8 grams.
Diet May Help
Control Microbes
It is well known that
internally, sugar(s) promote bacterial proliferation,
especially yeast overgrowth. Here are the steps from overload to inflammation:
·
Candida
filaments puncture the gut;
·
unfiltered
food seeps through these openings and enters the blood;
·
the immune
system reacts, generating food antibodies;
·
inflammation
is amplified at already inflamed sites.
When the inflammation
manifests in the joints, arthritis may be diagnosed. When the site is the
stomach, a physician might label the conditions Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
or a severe allergic reaction. Candida infection is often unappreciated, and
its symptoms mimic other ailments. Normal gut function produces enough “good”
bacteria to aid in proper digestion and to control Candida. Imbalance in
good/bad bacteria leads to Candida overgrowth.
Fortunately, there
are ways to suppress yeast (Candida) and restore digestive bacteria balance:
·
probiotics
(acidophilus, yogurt, buttermilk, etc.);
·
cut out
sugar to starve the parasites (the Atkins ketosis theory applies);
·
avoid excess
estrogen (including soy products).
Ultimately,
antibiotics are needed to control bacteria but antibiotics are not effective
against dormant forms. Long-term, pulsed, low-level tetracycline antibiotics
are especially effective for Rheumatoid Arthritis infections, when they attack
bacteria at vulnerable stage(s) of their life cycle such as emerging
“hatchlings”. The Candida suppression methods listed above are vitally
important if antibiotics of any kind are used.
I believe the
medical establishment is anti-antibiotic for two main reasons: (1) physicians
are adverse to prescribing long-term AB treatments and multiple ABs because
they have to spend time monitoring and testing progress, and (2) doctors prefer
pills, not shots, patches, or intravenous methods because writing a
prescription takes less time. The convenience of gut administration leads to AB
resistance.
Because
antibiotics are prescribed excessively and impulsively, without determining the
actual cause of the condition, and Candida countermeasures are not suggested to
patients, bacteria have evolved AB-resistant strains to ensure their survival.
Also, failure to advise on the importance of gut bacteria balance can lead to
serious conditions such as Dysbiosis.
Improper use of
certain antibiotics such as Cipro (Ciprofloxacin Hydrochloride) can be ineffective and even harmful.
Doctors know that Cipro hastens the onset of Osteoarthritis, but nothing
appears on the prescription label to warn consumers and patients are rarely
told about this side effect. Antibiotics are routinely prescribed for
children’s ear infections, although these are often viral or fungal.
Antibiotics are not suitable treatment except for bacterial infections.
Intravenous AB
protocols may, in some cases, be more effective, but this method is overpriced.
Separate ABs may lead to antibiotic resistance because a plasmid can convey
only one resistance recipe. Scientists now endorse multi-AB protocols because
they are shown to work in “heroic” situations and the probability of drug
resistance is much, much lower. After many years and dozens of credible
studies, controlled AB protocols are slowly being acknowledged by medical
schools.
This is an
example of a multi-AB protocol that uses tetracycline effectively against
Sarcoidosis bacteria. The Marshall Protocol is similar to the treatment for
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Fibromyalgia described in Appendix II of my book,
Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Infection Connection.
According to
Dr. Trevor Marshall, who developed the Marshall Protocol, Benicar (a drug for
lowering blood pressure) blocks the Herxheimer reaction and mitigates
inflammation. He asserts that some infections are characterized by unbalanced
vitamin D. His thesis is that:
·
macrophage/monocyte
intracellular bacteria make active vitamin D;
·
high active
D enhances inflammation (this explains sun sensitivity);
·
D-ratio =
active / inactive vitamin D concentration ratio
The D-ratio is
highly testable, but few labs get it right. The blood sample must be
immediately frozen and kept cold until the actual test is performed. The test
measures the size of bacterial colony(ies) and treatment progress. Viral and
bacterial infections have different D-ratios. Specific infections with tipped
D-ratios are RA, Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia, Sarcoidosis, and many more.
Mild
inflammation is beneficial, and often heals minor infections. Chronic
infections lead to persistent inflammation – this is destructive.
Doctors
usually assume that ubiquitous microbes are harmless and not causal factors
(e.g., Mycoplasma). Too often, test results that show evidence of Mycoplasma or
the Epstein Barr virus are dismissed because these microbes are present in
about 70% of the population.
Some
combinations amplify virulence, but are undiagnosed because our knowledge of
cofactor mechanisms is fragmentary. E.g., Crohn’s Disease/Irritable Bowel
Syndrome can be complicated by:
·
Candida,
other yeasts/fungal forms
·
Mycobacteria
paratuberculosis
·
Klebsiella
pneumonia
·
Escheria
coli (especially the
hemolytic strain, is prevalent in cattle and destroys blood cells)
·
Coxsackie
virus
·
Yersinia
enterocolitica
Co-infections
lead to concurrent epidemics. Two examples are (1) Mycoplasma and Parvovirus
B19 (which may have links to Lupus), and (2) Coxsackie and Yersinia (each of
these attacks the pancreas, leading to diabetes). Both of these examples
suppress thyroid function. Hundreds of strains capable of crosslinking means
that accurate tests are impossible because tests must cover all combinations.
The following sections will
show how Crohn’s Disease can be seriously complicated by any one of these
infections as a cofactor: Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, Yersinia enterocolitica,
and/or the Coxsackie Virus.
Jonne’s is
epidemic in dairy herds at a 10-35% rate. Pasteurization of milk from infected
cattle often fails because it is designed for Mycobacterium tuberculosis,
not M. paratuberculosis, which is heat resistant and is present
at greater than 90% levels in Crohn’s patients but not in others. This explains
why not all milk drinkers get Crohn’s disease.
Here is a
Catch-22: the pasteurization process should use higher temperature for a longer
time, but this curdles milk, making it unmarketable.
Crohn’s
symptoms include a respiratory phase followed by persistent gut inflammation.
Usually, cross-species virulence decreases. One exception is the genetic
predisposition of Crohn’s patients to develop the condition.
Yersinia is a very bad actor. It colonizes monocytes
and disables them. Antibodies then trigger autoimmune allergies. Just as
Mycoplasma has an affinity for synovial tissues, Yersinia inflames the
following:
·
heart
(pericardial irritation)
·
spine (arthritis, cartilage destruction)
·
nerves (central nervous system (CNS) excitation
complications, autism)
·
lymph nodes
(infection)
Many conditions like Crohn’s
have symptoms that infer Yersinia but it is very hard to test accurately. The
test panel for IBS covers Y. enterocolitica, Klebsiella pneumonia,
and various endotoxins and exotoxins. Immunosciences Lab performs comprehensive
Yersinia panel tests for about $200. This is a full test, not just Yes/No. See
website www.RA-Infection-Connection.com
for other test labs.
Similar to Y.
enterocolitica, Y. pseudotuberculosis is a food-borne infection that generates
a toxin which attacks nerves’ myelin sheath. It is characterized by a loss of
neural transmission capability that can lead to Multiple Sclerosis.
During the Cold
War, the Soviets experimented with several myelin-destructive toxins. In one of
these experiments, they moved the M1 toxin gene to Y. pestis (a plague
organism). Y.pestis overlaps some Y. pseudotuberculosis genes,
but 13% of these are inactive (dormant). Other crosslinking could trigger
activation.
This finding suggests questions about the characteristics of the
many strains of Yersinia, but only a few are identified and sequenced. Which
are active? Which are inactive? What happens when two or more strains are
present?
Crohn’s Link to the Coxsackie Virus (CV)
The Coxsackie
Virus is named for the city in New York where it was first discovered. It is an
enterovirus similar to echovirus and poliovirus that inflames muscles
(especially the heart), brain, and the CNS.
CV is a
generalized disease of newborns to 3 years, characterized by high fever, rash,
and sore throat. The infection can be pre-natal if the mother is infected.
About 30
strains of CV-A and CV-B lead to multiple infections and cross strain
re-infections, including: conjunctivitis, Reye’s syndrome, exanthem (blooming
rash), infectious lymphocytosis, myocarditis, pericarditis, pleurodynia,
herpangina, and Diabetes mellitus.
In 1980 UK
scientists discovered an association of CV-B with CFS/Fibromyalgia. In the UK,
Fibromyalgia is called “post viral muscle fatigue syndrome”, which implies
multiple viruses. Researchers also found that other viruses emerge/persist when
CV-B is active. The evidence is antibodies all appearing at the same time,
which is a big strain on the immune system, and worse if monocytes are
compromised.
The table below
shows the relationship between CV-B and various conditions.
CV-B
Serotypes Primary Acute Condition/Disease
1 Hepatitis
1,2,4 Pancreatitis
4 Diabetes
4,5 Upper
respiratory tract infection and Pneumonitis
1,2,5 Macular rash
(neither raised nor indented; blotchy, discolored)
1 to 5 Pleurodynia,
Peri/Myocarditis, Myalgia
1 to 6 Aseptic
(non-bacterial) Meningitis
This virus is very difficult to
treat if well entrenched. However, quercetin and Vitamin C supplements can help
alleviate symptoms.
Herbal remedies with general anti-viral properties
are: Bitter Melon, St. John’s Wort, Olive Leaf extract, Licorice root, Ginger,
Rosemary, Oregano, Garlic, Green Tea extracts, Shiitake and Porcini (boletus)
mushrooms.
Chinese
Medicine specialists suggest sophora root (kushen), astragalus (huangqi), and ginseng (renshen).
In Germany, CV
sufferers are given Pleconaril anti-viral for Picorna Viruses and
anti-inflammatories. In contrast, in the U.S., the usual advice is merely to
“get some rest”.
Gene Research. Clearly, with so many new
threats in terms of co-infections and drug-resistant bacteria/viruses emerging,
there is an important challenge to identify more bad strains and how they
become pathogenic. This means a need for:
·
better
taxonomy, gene mapping, molecule cataloging;
·
more
complete gene sequencing and differential analysis;
·
developing
control of genes to deactivate pathogenic ones.
Recent gene
research has discovered siRNA (small interfering RNA) that can block an
invader’s replication, metabolism, and toxin generation. Great strides in disease
prevention and treatment could be made if genes could be customized to make
siRNA on demand to disable intracellular forms of pathogens.
A first step to this goal
is to devise better tests to span all strains/phases of pathogenic microbes.
Ideally, multiple tests should be developed, perhaps on a chip, at lower cost.
We need more enzyme balance tests to prove microbe activity and avoid faulty
diagnoses. The tests now are simply “yes/no” and must reveal more detail if
disease treatment is to be effective.
Pathogen Sources. Another important and
necessary step it to find source reservoirs of pathogens and reduce them. This
means including cleaning up all aspects of the dairy and livestock industry,
e.g., feed lots and animal housing. This would result in better health for our
food animals and ultimately for us.
Vector control
specialists should seek to breed mosquitoes with new and different internal
attachment-point shapes. The redesigned mosquitos’ gut reservoir shapes will
not match pathogens’ shape, so attachment will fail and the mosquito will not
be a disease carrier.
One way to
attack dormant forms of pathogens is by purging/replacing infected bone marrow,
the source of immune system’s infection fighters (B-cells). This method is now
used against leukemia. Killed cells are repopulated with transplanted healthy
cells. It should be possible to replicate B and T immune cells outside the host
so infections will not deactivate or compromise them, then infuse the host with
repaired immune cells. Use stem cell gene augmentation to fix host gene errors
Vaccines. Genetic scientists should seek ways to
manufacture empty virus “shells” that can convey vaccine-like immunity. These
shells would have an outer coat only (no enzymes) – like a car without an
engine – to be a virus lacking the DNA that makes it harmful. The shell could
contain added helpful genes, custom-made anti-toxins, or other positive results
of gene manipulation.
Presently,
vaccines are risky and not dependable. Adverse reactions are often a surprise
in clinical trials as the vaccines trigger activation of a dormant form of a
pathogen. These unintended consequences make vaccines very expensive because of
liability insurance. We need to develop vaccines with alternatives to current
high risk of inflammation and latent factors. To his credit, Bill Gates has
given hundreds of millions of dollars to vaccine research support.
Improved
Antibiotics. The goal is
not only to block antibiotic resistance but also to enhance apoptosis (programmed
death) of invaded cells. Newer antibiotics are based on other principles,
including the use of ligand blockers and siRNA molecules. Natural antibiotics
are being discovered in seed shell extracts, bitter foods, and mushroom
extracts. With seeds, the premise is that there is natural AB protection in the
shell to ensure germination.
Research is
underway to model molecules based on microbes’ shapes. We are seeing more and
different antivirals from outside the USA, and hopefully our medical establishment
will stifle its “Not Invented Here” prejudice to make these treatments
available.
Better
antibiotic application protocols are being developed. Multiple antibiotics are
seen to act synergistically, attacking all phases of organism at same time.
This method allows better targeting of intracellular forms.
Long-term
antibiotic protocols like Dr. Thomas MacPherson Brown’s or Dr. Trevor
Marshall’s recommend using anti-inflammatories together with antibiotics for
maximum effectiveness.
Resources. As we look to the future for answers to
polymicrobial infections, we would do well to revisit valuable resources from
the past and update them in terms of the knowledge and technology we now have.
The medical establishment has over 100 years of veterinary medicine and
research findings to re-examine and catalog in shared data banks. Researchers
should rediscover the Materia Medica to find forgotten, effective
remedies. Amazing findings in veterinary research, past and present, may hold
answers to human maladies.
***************************************************************
Dr.
Poehlmann is the author of Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Infection Connection,
available on Amazon.com and at major bookstores, or click here to order now.
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