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Viruses - Friend or Foe?

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You can now go to the new site!
 
The New DogtorJ.com is done! Yes, the time has finally come for this homemade Website to go the way of the buffalo. I know that you all join me in looking forward to using a site that is better organized and more accessible....prettier, too! I've even corrected most of those annoying typos (I hope).

Feel free to check it out now at www.dogtorj.com. I am still working hard to populate all of the pages so don't worry if a link does not work. They should all be active in the near future. In the meantime, this current site will remain on-line until I get all of the bugs worked out.

Let me know what you think! It's not too late to make some changes.

Dogtor J

 

In this section:

 

Get Ready!!!  This is the newest and most exciting section of the site... at least to me. I have been blown away by what I have learned in the past year concerning the virus. I think you will be, too.

Most of us have long-believed that the virus is purely a pathogen...a disease entity...that does nothing more than cause illness, ranging from the nuisance cold to a life-threatening illness. But how many of you knew that this guy is vitally involved in cancer? Some of you. Good! How many believe that he is the only TRUE cause of cancer? Anyone? Hmmm... And how many knew that the virus does GOOD on this planet? Anyone? Yes, there are many that know this but the average reader has never talked to one of these scientists.

I am about to walk you through a process that will (hopefully) turn your head around in your understanding of this interesting and VITAL component of life on this planet. Are you ready? Let's get started. I can't wait.

I created this section on 2-2-06. I will be updating it regularly. Because I am in a bit of a hurry to get this section started, I am going to start by simply posting some letters that I have written to friends and colleagues discussing this situation. I will be writing a formal paper with the above title (Viruses- Friends or Foe?) as soon as I can so be watching for that. In the meantime, I hope that you are able to glean something important from these letters.

As always, I hope this helps,

John

DogtorJ. ©2006 DogtorJ.com

                                                                                                                                                                                             

* An "Epilephany"- Viruses, Serotonin, and Light Boxes to Help Treat Epilepsy (New!!!)  This is a letter that I wrote to my friend and colleague Dr. Jean Dodds today (1-12-06). It started out...innocently enough...as a question that I was posing to her brilliant mind asking whether she thought that light therapy could help epileptics as it does people with seasonal affected disorder (SAD). Once we understand the vital serotonin connection, which this letter goes into more deeply, then we can see how light therapy...the right kind of light therapy... may benefit those with epilepsy by boosting their serotonin levels. BUT, as I am prone to do, I got a little off topic and unloaded some other loaded questions and thoughts on her. It turned out to be a pretty good summary of everything I know and believe about how diseases...yes all diseases...occur. Hope you get something good from it.

* We Have Met the Enemy...and He is Us. - (New!!!)This is a piece that I wrote as the first blog on my newly created BlogtorJ. It covers the gamut on the development of disease with a focus on that so horribly misunderstood guy...the virus. They are not the culprit. WE are. 

*** The Cure for Cancer - (NEW!!!) Got your attention? Please read this. It is short and should change your life.

* Viruses and Lectins-The Missing Links-  (Link only)This paper is the manuscript for my upcoming lecture at a major veterinary conference. It covers my latest passion- studying the potential interrelationships between the lectins of the "big 4" (gluten, casein, soy and corn) and the latent viruses that are residing in our cells, some even being embedded in our very DNA. These interactions help to explain "autoimmune" diseases and shed light on the development of that dreaded diagnosis of cancer.

* A Letter to a Friend, Re: Breast Cancer - I recently started a small group at my church to discuss the food issues that I have been researching and writing about for the past 5 years. As one would expect, breast cancer popped up as one of the first big issues. Here is a letter that I just wrote to one of members that goes into what I believe is the true nature of the "culprit" we call the virus.

* Viruses as THE "Cause" of Celiac Disease- This section is one of the posts found on a thread I started on the Celiac/Gluten Sensitivity section of BrainTalk Communities out of Mass General. The thread proposes the idea that a virus could be the true underyling cause of celiac disease and the related food intolerances and that the damage done to the villi of the duodenum is more of a reaction of the virus in situ to the stimulating effects of the lectins from gluten, casein, soy, and corn as they attach to the glycoprotein receptors of the cells lining the intestinal tract. Here is the link to the site if you want to read the entire thread- http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/showthread.php?t=119291. The entire thread covers a lot of ground.

* A Little Virology For You- The last post in the series titled Viruses as THE "Cause"of Celiac Disease is a brief review of virology. Hopefully it will underscore the importance of seeing the virus as something other than a pure pathogen or parasite. He is much more...so much more.

* The Latest Epiphany- (Link only) This is my response to my friend George's letter, a wise chiropracter who is attending a Tuesday night group that I lead at my church. This Email contains many of the elements that we have covered in our group...things that have arisen from hours of discussion of how and why our body does what it does in response to what we do to it. I shared the idea that viruses were created for good with the group one night and we came up with some amazing ideas. As much as this sounds like "medical heresy", it actually dovetails perfectly into what we already know to be true in medicine. It simply takes our understanding of genetics to a whole new level, demystifying it along the way. Of course, there is no way in my mind to cover this without bringing in the Creator of the universe. And by including Him, of course we arrive at the epiphany. This letter contains strong religious references and is not meant to offend or alienate anyone. It is simply what I believe in my heart of hearts to be true and, again, "dovetails" (perfect analogy) right into our understanding of medicine, adding a new dimension to the relationship between our physical and spiritual lives. I hope that it blesses you!

*** The Origin of MS/Degenerative Myelopathy- Here is something I wrote in response to an Email I received. I thought you might be interested in this. I sent it to a number of colleagues who also have "inquiring minds".
Let me know what you think.

* Viruses and Epilepsy- A Forum Post- Here Is a post that I made on a human epilepsy forum in response to a question concerning a viral infection that later resulted in epilepsy. This is explainable. 

* Viruses and Obesity- A Forum Post- The following is a post I made on a veterinary forum that had a post discussing the role of air pollution in obesity. It was suggesting that toxins stored in fat contributed to obesity but for reasons different from the ones I wrote in my response (found below). My study of lectins and viruses has given me some ideas that I shared with the forum...and now with you. :)
 
* A Graves* Situation- This is an Email that I sent to the Friends of DogtorJ on 8-16-07 after reading an article on Yahoo Health concerning common household chemicals and their possible role in the development of hyperthyroidism (*Graves Disease) in the cat. My response covers many of the areas of medicine that I have been studying over the past 7 years that are related to immune-mediated diseases and cancer. The news article served as a great spring-board into these topics. 
 
* An important article to read- Here is a link to an article that was recently published about viruses. I do not agree with much of what is said concerning "evolution", BUT the author makes some very important points about viruses that are true, especially their role in nature. And, please make note of what they say about the number of retroviral sequences in our very DNA. This is crucial to our understanding of "genetics", one of my favorite topics.   http://www.discover.com/issues/mar-06/cover/

*** Interesting links- http://www.sciencefestival.co.uk/Events/Big-Ideas/Medical-Matters/Viruses-Friend-or-Foe

http://webapp.rps205.com/nsf/modules/Bacteria%20Viruses%20-%20Friend%20or%20Foe.htm

 
An "Epilephany"- Viruses, Serotonin, and Light  Boxes to Help Treat Epilepsy
 
 
The following is a letter that I wrote to my friend and colleague Dr. Jean Dodds today (1-12-06). It started out...innocently enough...as a question that I was posing to her brilliant mind asking whether she thought that light therapy could help epileptics as it does people with seasonal affected disorder (SAD). Once we understand the vital serotonin connection, which this letter goes into more deeply, then we can see how light therapy...the right kind of light therapy... may benefit those with epilepsy by boosting their serotonin levels. BUT, as I am prone to do, I got a little off topic and unloaded some other loaded questions and thoughts on her. It turned out to be a pretty good summary of everything I know and believe about how diseases...yes all diseases...occur. Hope you get something good from it.
 
********************
 
Hey Jean,
 
 
Happy New year! I hope 2006 is the best ever for you and your family.
 
As I am sure is true with you, my mind never seems to stop going now that I have passed through this doorway. (Sometimes I wish I could throw up this red pill, take the blue one instead, and go back into my comfy place in The Matrix. Have you seen Morpheus recently? LOL ) Actually, I have never been more excited about being involved in medicine. I just get tired of thinking sometimes. (Thank God for golf. Smile)  BUT....today is not one of those days. LOL   So, grab a cup of coffee (or three) and tell me what you think. I'll try to be brief. hahahahahaha.
 
My recent area of research has been serotonin (as well as viruses in their role in "genetics"). WOW!!! There are sooo many things about serotonin that I did not know and yet fit so perfectly into this whole puzzle. I have been flabbergasted for years by the devastation we see in human and veterinary health in the fall and winter months, knowing that the cold and flu season has good reason to occur but having never seen the full serotonin connection. I have known about seasonal affected disorder (SAD) for years, experiencing it myself to pathological levels in my 40's. I have also known about serotonin and platelet function for years. I picked up on the pattern of aural hematomas (and my own gum bleeding until I went gluten and casein free) starting in fall and peaking in April years ago but did not really know why they occurred. I had thought for years that all dogs with hematomas had a bleeding disorder that distinguished them from the other pets that beat the stew out of their ears and never developed one. Little did we know that the bleeding problem was one that we were not measuring...serotonin depletion. No wonder I was depressed and had bleeding gums for years before going GFCF.
 
BUT, I recently (FINALLY) saw the third connection...the role of serotonin in the immune response. WOW!!! Between less sunlight causing less vitamin D conversion (and IT'S profound effect on immunity) and the dropping serotonin, no wonder the immune system struggles so when the days get short, eh? I thought the cold and flu season was simply because of dropping ambient temperatures and that the subsequent drop in nasal passage temps allowed opportunistic viruses (that really hate 98.6 in people and 100-102 in dogs/cats) to take hold. And, that is partly the case. BUT, I now think it is more likely that the other two factors above determine the breadth and depth of this seasonal phenomenon.
 
So, I did a search for "serotonin, immune system" and man did I get an eyeful. You may know all of this but I didn't. It WAS an epiphany of sorts to see the vital importance of this aspect of our seasonal "bio-rhythms". Of course, this fits perfectly into the design of nature. Winter always has been and always will be the "survival of the fittest" in nature. The strongest survive and go onto to breed in spring, thereby insuring the survival of the species. Why certain species hibernate and other flourish in winter all become understandable, as well. (But that is too lengthy to get into. I did think it was cool, tho, to realize that turkeys...one of the most well-known sources of tryptophan, the precursor of serotonin...become available in fall and winter and also became one of our dietary staples RIGHT when we needed them most.)  So, it is natural for the immunity to wane in winter to facilitate this "thinning of the herd". It was done by design.
 
BUT, what man has done to himself, his diet, his environment, and the animals (and produce) themselves has amplified this situation phenomenally...almost unbelievably once this REALLY sinks in, Jean.

Where is most of the serotonin produced? By the enterochromaffin cells of the INTESTINE. It is then distributed by platelets and white cells to the needed sites. Hmmm... Why are celiacs almost universally depressed? Because we are leaking serotonin into our damaged gut, resulting directly from the action of the lectins in gluten (and casein, soy, and corn) damaging the villi AND those cells that produce serotonin. We often suffer from serious depression/SAD. We are also bleeders, bruising easily and suffering from bleeding gums with routine tooth brushing (me, me , me in the past!). We have crummy immune systems (for lots of reasons, but add to that the effect of low serotonin on T cells and the immune response). AND, we are some of the worst epileptics!!! BUT, we also get better...and quickly.... with elimination of the offending foods.
 
Here is the main reason I wrote today. How do we treat SAD (seasonal affected disorder)? Well, the main way in the literature (other than pharmakeia. LOL) is light therapy. And it works...well in many cases. (http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/sadx.htm). Of course, the main way to treat SAD would be to do what I have done to cure myself...stop the leak and increase production. This is done by eliminating the offenders of the big 4 (gluten casein, soy, corn) that are doing it. SAD would vaporize in those who did this WITHOUT light therapy, just as it has in my case. BUT, for those who won't/"can't" do the diet, then light therapy is a decent and effective back-up. That along with getting plenty of tryptophan (eat those turkeys) and maybe a melatonin supplement at night. BUT, that is like taking an aspirin for a headache caused by a brain tumor, right? Headache gone...still got the tumor.
 
BUT what else would light therapy help??? Ahhhh...that again is the main reason for this Email. Could light therapy help an epileptic  if done properly. Certainly, we know that certain frequencies of light even trigger seizures. But those light sources that have been incriminated are usually flickering sources, like fluorescent lights, TVs, computers/graphics. I had an epi person the other day have a seizure while riding in the car, looking out the window, and observing the sunlight coming through a stand of tall trees. It was like a strobe-light effect and resulted in a seizure. Would this have happened in summer when the days were long and her serotonin was higher? Could have.
 
Would light boxes used for SAD therapy trigger seizures like this? Not likely,as long as incandescent, non-flickering light was used.
 
I have had a number of seizure logs sent to me that show an increase in seizures during the short days, some very dramatically. I got one recently from a person with a Lab that had ALL of its 26 seizures from November to April...NONE in the longer days from April to November. This now makes sense. Have you been seeing an increase since, say, September? I'm sure you have. My Email box is full of them, from pets and people.
 
We know that serotonin has an inhibitory effect on seizures, moderating the effect of glutamate in the synapse. Low serotonin levels must have a great impact on the development and severity of seizures. And restoring these levels is a major contributing factor in the recovery I believe, once again helping to explain why the elimination diet works so well. So, if light therapy helps restore these levels for the depressed person, they should help the epileptic, right?
 
And how many dogs (and people) get the right amount of full spectrum light every day? The lights in our homes and offices do not come close to the amount of light in direct sunlight, do they? (200-500 lux verus the 50,000-100,000 lux that we get from direct sunlight.) How many indoor, couch-potato epi dogs get enough light, even during the summer months (especially those drugged to the hilt)?  Add to that the immunosuppressive effects of inadequate light (both vitamin D and serotonin deficiency) and we have a better idea of why these epi dogs CRASH so badly this time of year.
 
Why? Because "idiopathic" epilepsy IS viral, isn't it, Jean? It has to be. The main underlying cause of idiopathic epilepsy HAS to be a viral (or mycoplasmal) infection (e.g of the glial cells, a known target for viruses and mycoplasma). There are NUMEROUS viruses that have been proven to cause seizures, including a number of Herpes and parmyxoviruses. Even the ubiquitous Epstein Barr, Herpes simplex, and Coxsackie virus have been known to be causes/triggers of seizures. This "idiopathic" condition has virus written all over it (just like cancer and immune-mediated diseases do), from the age of onset to the varying severity to the clinical course to the remitting/relapsing symptoms. And if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck.....  Once we see that, then we can easily see how the cascade of events takes place that "unleashes" these guys...these opportunists that lay in wait for innocent blood. But do they really? Are they really "bad guys"?...all evil???
 
That is the coolest part of what I have come to see over the past year. Viruses were meant for good...yes, good...created to allow/facilitate adaptation and variation in nature. Once again, here is that link that started this whole thought process for me (http://www.trueorigin.org/virus.asp). You don't have to be "religious" to see the Truth in what he writes. And yes, they were created for good...an organism that was meant to live in a symbiotic relationship with us while FORCING adaptation of the host to insure its survival. (In that way, it has an almost "selfish"/parasitic side to it, doesn't it?). It is these very viruses in our DNA that allow/force us to adapt to the bad things that we do to ourselves. How do dogs adapt to a wheat-based diet in just 3-4 days? (How long does it take for a healthy individual to get over a viral infection. Hmmm...) Makes you think about what "genes" and our DNA really are, doesn't it? How DO genes "mutate"? Are genes alive? If genes cause disease states, why do they wait years and years to do so? Oh man, this is getting good....isn't it?
 
BUT, the bad news is that these viruses WILL survive...at all costs! Yes, they will survive even if it means the end result being detrimental to their host. After all, they are not "alive"...and thinking, right? (Well, if they are NOT alive, how is it that they do what they do? Man, we really do understand so little, don't we? We LOVE to categorize things, don't we?).
 
So, now we can see them "morph" from their friendly, helpful self...causing variation and facilitating adaptation in all realms of nature...into their self-centered, survive-at-all-costs alter ego in the face of the threats that WE throw at them. Yes, we...man...have caused them to turn on us. As we pollute our bodies and environments, we are threatening them. And they start by making us stronger, allowing...no forcing...us to adapt. That is phase one. But ,as we throw more and more at them and our bodies start to fail...the tissues becoming unhealthy and the immune system starting to fail....we enter phase two- rescue mode. The viruses step up their operation and try to overcome the greater threat. Our immune system, which has been over-seeing this whole operation from the start...our guardian...recognizes the uprising and goes into action. This is one of the causes of "autoimmune disease", isn't it? The immune system starts to attack the tissue housing the "rebels" to suppress the uprising. Of course, the presence of lectins...those inflammatory glycoproteins from food that often unleash these guys to begin with...attract an even stronger and more violent response once we become sensitized to their presence.
 
Here is what I now believe to be the connection between lectins and viruses. When you read about lectins, you will find it written that once a lectin attaches to the glycoprotein receptors of a complex cell wall, a number of things can happen to that cell. In fact, one articles on lectins stated up to 12 different reactions can take place in that cell, ranging from cell death to tumor formation. Wow! A non-living, antibody-sized glycoprotein can do all of that??? Uhhh, I don't think so. BUT, I know who could. Yep....the virus living INSIDE that cell, hidden in its very genome (which we KNOW occurs). Hey, that's what viruses do, right...inject their genetic information into our cells and then, in a tiny flash of light (as seen on the Discovery channel), that info disappears into our double-stranded helices. Then?...it waits...and they don't wear watches. :)
 
Things become pretty simple, don't they? The virus is there in situ and along comes the stimulus to send it into action. One of those stimuli is the lectin. The virus goes into action to cause adaptation to insure its survival. And, this works...for a while... UNTIL the challenge becomes overwhelming OR until the immune system fails to keep this guy under its thumb. Yes, the virus is capable of good and bad and like us in so many ways, in that without restraint, it reverts to being bad. He wasn't "meant" to be this was any more than we were. It is just in their (and our) nature to be so IF and once we eliminate the necessary restraints. So once again, our medical lives are in perfect parallel with our spiritual ones. I have now some to have a better understanding of why this is so. There are things "seen" to help us understand the things "unseen".  (e.g.  We discovered the unseen virus after we discovered the more visible bacteria which we found when we discovered the microscope, but only after we understood the grossly visible mold/fungus. Similarly, the relatively harmless roundworm and tapeworm help us understand the threat of the more serious "unseen" hookworm and whipworm.)  How cool is that?? LOL Now, if you are of the mind to, apply that to your understanding of spiritual matters. (This concludes the sermon portion of this lecture. LOL)
 
Then we come to phase three...after the adaptation (one) and following the battle of the uprising (phase two-the battle for "middle" earth)... which is immune failure. Yes, because of what we have done to ourselves, the immune system finally fails. The malabsorption caused by the big 4 food intolerances coupled with our overall poor diets, polluted environments, stressful lifestyles, shortening days/dropping serotonin, caffeine/sugar/food/tobacco/drug addictions, etc all add up to unhealthy tissues (brain, liver, kidneys, lungs, et all) and incompetent immune systems. It's amazing that we live as long as we do when I really think about it. Unfortunately, some lives are cut extremely short. Are we really surprised?  "Darn those genes". Yeah, right.
 
And what is immune failure? In a word, cancer....IF we survive phase two (the immune-mediated diseases). It's a foot race, isn't it? Who will win THIS year- lung, breast, colon, prostate, or lower esophageal cancer or heart disease (immune-mediated atherosclerosis)?  What about the millions suffering from lupus, MS, Parkinson's, ALS, and rheumatoid and epilepsy. Are we really surprised that the asthma rates are skyrocketing as our lungs are desperately trying to limit the garbage coming into us through THAT port-of-entry. The GI tract is not our only Achilles' heel, is it? And what is the biggest "organ" and most exposed part in the body? The skin, right? Hmmm...wonder what is REALLY going on in allergic dermatitis, eczemas, and psoriasis? Makes ya' think, huh?
 
So, what do you think? Will light boxes help in the treatment of epilepsy???
 
Your friend and admirer,
John
 
 
Dogtor J.

©2006 DogtorJ.com

 

 
 
A Letter to a Friend,  Re: Breast Cancer
 
 
Hey R.,
 
Sorry it took so long to get back to you. Things are going a bit crazy right now...good crazy, tho. Its like everything is happening at once.
 
Here is the site that I send women to who are dealing with breast cancer. Again, it is not there specifically for breast cancer but is a great list of the estrogen-rich and estrogen-blocking foods. (http://www.holistic-online.com/remedies/hrt/hrt_food_and_estrogen.htm ). The estrogen connection is HUGE and avoiding the foods rich in estrogen is important, not only for breast cancer, but also endometriosis, PMS, perimenopausal symptoms, and more.
 
The key to ANY cancer is taking dead aim at immune system health. We will be talking extensively about the role of viruses in cancer. If you put "virus, breast cancer" in your search, you will be amazed at what they know that they have not told us yet. Hey, they are working on a breast cancer VACCINE. Wow! Vaccine against what? Uh huh....a virus.
 
Some researchers have said for years that ALL cancer is viral and I believe that down to my socks. There ARE powerful carcinogens but they are secondary and contribute to cancer by causing chronic tissue inflammation/damage, damaging the immune system, and/or damaging the actual DNA where some viruses are "hiding". But viruses were not created specifically to do harm. They were created to help us (and all plants and animals) to adapt to facilitate variation in nature. We adapt to changes in our environment and diet because of viruses. How cool is that? BUT, because of what we have done to our bodies, environment, and the animals that HOLD many of the viruses that afflict us, they are adapting in such a way to become pathogenic. They were made with one mission...survive. And survive they will, even to the detriment of the host. Their final act is to wall themselves off in a protective cocoon. You know what that cocoon is called? A TUMOR. How's that for a different perspective. And I am totally convinced that it is the correct one. (I will add an Email that I sent to a colleague of mine at the end of this that addresses this very issue).
 
The immune system was then designed by God to oversee this process. It is simply a matter of checks and balances. The virus was given the task of helping the host adapt (and cause variation in individuals), but doing what it took to survive...no matter what. BUT, the immune system was designed to oversee the process and to keep the virus from getting out of control. (There is a direct spiritual parallel here that we will talk about in group). Immune-mediated diseases (lupus, etc) are the example of the first wave of uprising on the part of the virus. Cancer is the second and final stage. Cancer develops because the immune system fails, plain and simple.
 
The degenerative process that we have been discussing is a progressive one. The immune-mediated diseases occur while we still have a semi-competent system left...usually. But I'm sure you have heard of people who went fast from an immune-related disorder. Yes, atherosclerosis is one of those and a person every 3 secs dies of a stroke or heart attack in this country.
 
But cancer happens when there has been a serious breech in the integrity of the immune system. So, the recovery from cancer involves a concerted effort on our part to restore the immune status back to normal. Unfortunately, many of the cancer therapies used are just the opposite...seriously damaging to the immune system. But that approach is nothing new. Again, we have been taking fever-reducers for viral induced fevers for years. How "stupid" can we be when we all know that the fever is there to stop the virus??? Amazing.
 
So how do we help the immune system? First, stop doing the bad stuff we are doing. This is HUGE. Now you know where to start...the diet. The big 4 (gluten, casein, soy, corn) are doing the harm to the gut as well as showering the body with lectins that are causing chronic irritation and driving the immune system.The malabsorption of nutrients that are vital to the health of the tissues of the body as well as the immune system is CATACLYSMIC to our health. Then add to that the estrogens in the diet and the hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, colors, pollutants, insecticide residues and more and we can easily see how we are reaping what we have sown. And the viruses HATE this kind of stuff. Remember, they are a survivor...the ultimate survivor...and they will do all that they can to adapt and live, including the formation of protective cocoons called tumors.
 
The next thing we do is eat the appropriate foods and take the appropriate supplements. What are the right foods? We know. It IS common sense...meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and berries with some rice (an estrogen blocker) and some potatoes (well cooked and in moderation). Everything in moderation is the tenet, right? All you need is SIX almonds a day to get all that you need from an almond. If you are an epileptic, pain sufferer, insomniac, or one suffering from another glutamate-related disorder like ADHD, MS, ALS, Parkinson's, etc then eating more than 6 almonds could be a problem. Peanuts are the best example of how BADLY we violate this tenet. Who eats 6 peanuts, right? They are soy's closest cousin and LOADED with glutamate. I wonder why peanut allergies are such a problem now? Hmmm... :)
 
Read about vitamin D supplements....a very important nutrient when it comes to cancer fighting. Get more sunlight, VITAL in the formation of vitamin D and serotonin , also vital in the immune response. Taking a good multi, plenty of C, lots of B complex, and omega three fatty acids are all great ideas. Read about R-lipoic acid and its benefits....a phenomenal antioxidant.
 
Also, get regular exercise and, above all, SLEEP....critical to healing. I recommend getting off caffeine as soon as possible as you will never sleep as well as you could as long as you are bombarding yourself with caffeine. Caffeine consumed from 8 am to 3 PM delays bedtime and that consumed after 5 wakes us up earlier in the AM than normal. So, caffeine is robbing us of VITAL sleep time at both ends, lopping off an hour or more at night and in the early AM. Insomnia and sleep disorders are PANDEMIC in this country and our health is failing miserably from it.
 
I guess I'll stop here. I went a little farther than just giving you that link, eh? LOL But, I thought I would give you something that you could forward to your friend to read to get her interested in this crucial concept. I hope it helps.
 
May God Bless you and yours with health, wisdom, and prosperity this year. I look forward to seeing you at church and next week in the group.
 
John
 
Dogtor J.
©2006 DogtorJ.com

 
 
 
 
Viruses as THE "Cause" of Celiac Disease
 
 
The following is one of the posts from a thread I started on the Celiac/Gluten Sensitivity section of BrainTalk Communities out of Mass General. Here is the link to the site if you want to read the entire thread- http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/showthread.php?t=119291
 
 
 
Hi Guys,

Those of you who know me also know why I would post such a thread.

I have been away from the forum recently but have still been very involved in research, writing, and speaking. The most fascinating area of research has been the role of viruses in nature and their role in adaptation, variation, and in heredity, as well as the obvious role they play the development of disease states.

I have referred you to this site before (
http://www.trueorigin.org/virus.asp) to help you to see something very important (and I don't mean the religious implications of the site). Viruses play a CRUCIAL role in nature and once we see that, then we can see the important things that follow.

In celiac disease, the obvious questions are 1) Why does one person have it and another doesn't? 2) How is "heredity" accomplished? 3) Why does it wait such a variable time to raise its ugly head? 4) Why are there such myriads of symptoms and degrees of affliction. All of these questions and many more can be answered when we look at viruses as being (one of) the guys who accomplishes this.

I personally can easily believe that viruses were created for good...to create variation in the species (plant and animal) and to allow the host to adapt to the ever changing environment. BUT, they were created with the sole purpose...to SURVIVE. They allow us to adapt but only because they want/NEED to adapt to survive. They are "selfish" in this regard, even to the point of destroying their host to accomplish this end. Why do they ultimately form tumors??? To ISOLATE themselves from the immune response in a desperate attempt to survive. They aren't a thinking entity so they don't know that by killing their host that it will be their ultimate undoing. Besides, they have already "survived" by being passed on through infections, casual contact, and "GENETIC" transmission.

So, is it possible that celiac disease is simply a viral "infection" of the intestinal tract (starting in the duodenum and spreading to the jejunum in severe cases) that was acquired vertically from the parents in many cases and later in life in other cases? Is the actual "disease" simply an attempt on the part of the virus to adapt to the gluten that it comes into contact with? Isn't the lectin the trigger? How about this- The lectin (in gluten) is the gun but the virus is the bullet.

How DO lectins like those from gluten, casein, soy, and corn induce a reported 10-12 different reactions from a cell when they attach to a glycoprotein receptor on that cell. Can a little old dietary protein decide which of those 12 reactions will occur? Can the cell itself decide? How about a VIRUS(or viruses) living inside an individual cell...in the very genome of that cell? Ahhhh...now we're getting somewhere.

Here's a little article that may help this idea sink in a bit. Then, let me know what you think.

John
 
*****************************
 
Originally Posted by R.
 
 
If Celiac is caused by a virus, why would the person who stops eating gluten never have problems again like their old Celiac symptoms? I thought viruses mutated more frequently than that...

My Response:
 
 
Hey R.,

Great questions!

First of all, why do we recover? I now believe it is because gluten (the lectin) is the "gun" and the virus is the "bullet" when it comes to the damage. The lectin attaches to the glycoprotein receptor on the cell and the virus inside reacts. This would also explain why that same lectin does not do this to everyone or to every cell. How else do we explain that simple fact? The lectin is the same no matter what it attaches to. It is the CELL of the individual that is different. AND, even the cells of that individual are different. If that were not true, the damage would be much more uniform and catastrophic.

Of course, the immune system of that individual has MUCH to do with this as well. The viruses we contain (and there are MANY) are held in check by the immune system. Again, these guys are "selfish" but I firmly believe that they were designed initially to HELP us adapt. BUT, we have put sooooo much pressure on them by overloading with antigens (lectins, as those from gluten, casein, soy, corn, and others) that they are being forced to change into something undesireable. Our initially competent immune system is able to handle these guys when they first become unruly. But, as the process worsens...the malabsorption and subsequent malnutrition of every body part and the immune system...they start to take on the appearance of pathogens.

But let me say right here that it was really cool to see the BENEFITS of malabsorption. Yes, there is an upside to villuos atrophy. These same foods that are causing damage to the villi contain other undesirable components such as estrogens and the lectins themselves. Also, looking at epilepsy as an example, there is even a reason why we would "want" to malabsorb calcium. In the case of seizures, glutamate is the "gun" but calcium is the "bullet". Excess glutamate at the synapse triggers the seizure but it is the influx of calcium into the cell that actually causes the seizure. The same foods that are LOADED with glutamate actually block the absorption of calcium. How cool is that to see?

But, since we are built to survive...adapt, change, and recover...once we remove the threats, we can recover....if that bis possible...which it usually is. Its just that the threats have gotten so varied and pervasive that it seems nearly impossible to do everything right, especially when see how contaminated our diets really are and we throw in the devastating effect of air pollution. The question becoems whether we can do enough right to get better. To some of us, that would involve moving from the highly polluted city in which we live.

The gut heals QUICKLY once we do enough right. It is the fastest healing tissue in the body. But we have to do enough right. That's how I got involved on the forum to start...trying to help other who did not know to see that gluten was only one of the culprits. Many have now found just how much corn was messing them up.

And once we do enough right and remove the threats, the viral activity changes. The threat ebing gone, the "uprising"ends and the immune system suppresses/destroys those viruses and the cells involved. The more competent the immune system, the faster the response. The "worst of the worst" take much longer to get better, partly because they have been cheating (voluntarily and/or involuntarily) AND because they have concurrent food intolerances (casein, soy, corn...which are BIG factors), AND because their immune systems have become the most incompetent. The "worst of the worst" have had the worst malabsorption, malnutrition, and resulting damage to tissues and immune system. And where they live DOES play a role, as air pollution is immune supressive and affects virtually ALL tissues in the body, just as cigarette smoke does.

The spectral nature of celiac disease is actually very understandable, isn't it?

I'll give you a breather.

J.

*****************
 
Originally Posted by g.
--the autoimmune "molecular mimicry" process, such as is suspected in my neuropathy (and which may be an explanatory candidate in many other autoimmune syndromes).

Put succinctly, the theory is that a pathogen (viral, or it could be bacterial in certain cases) invades the bdoy. The body mounts an immune response, and may even succeed in defeating the pathogen. But if the pathogen happened to have a molecular structure similar to that of some tissue in that body (remember, the antibody immune response is primarily one of SHAPE recognition--the body produces proteins that "fit" into the molecular shapes of the pathogens membranes), the now activated immune system may not be able to distinguish those tissues from the pathogen, with the result that the immune response continues on those tissues and results in bodily damage.
 

My Response:
 
Thanks for posting this. I have some friends and colleagues that hold tight to the theory/concept of "mimicry". Personally, I have continued to look for a better answer because this theory suggests that our immune system makes a mistake...gets fooled by the virus, if you will. I want to believe that we are put together better than that and as long as I hold to that tenet, I keep finding more plausible answers to some of our pressing questions.

The assumption that our body makes mistakes open the flood gates for all sorts of illogical explanations (like that women with Lupus being allergic to her own body) and all manner of potentially harmful treatments (such as taking fever-reducers for viral fevers...duuuh...and using other immune suppressive drugs for conditions that are actually caused by pathogens that need to be dealt with by a healthier immune system, not one that is being artificially handcuffed.) Much is upside down in the medical realm, isn't it? What year is it again? We have landers on the moon, Mars, Titan (a moon of Saturn) and recently crashed a satellite into a moving asteroid to take sample and we're still taking fever reducers??? Hmmm...

We KNOW that chronic, latent viruses are prevalent. We know that they are the master escape artists, going dormant for months to years, only to emerge in a remitting/relapsing fashion. We are just now finding/reporting mycoplasms in interesting places (e.g. the glial cells of people with ALS) so how long will it be before we can identify the array of viruses in our body's and very genome?

The fun thing to do is to take whaqt we KNOW and apply it to what we don't know. That sounds elementary but it is amazing how few actually do it. That is why I hate the term "idiopathic". It shuts offf the brains of many who speak it. Hey, that was me for years. It was like a curtain to hide behind when a client would ask a specific question. "Uh, that is considered idiopathic. No one knows what really causes that." as if there were an unlimited number of things that could cause something. Here's the news flash I got about 5 years ago- there is a FINITE number of things that cause our problems (pathogens, foods, pollution/chemicals) and if we put our minds to it, we CAN figure these things out.

Identifying THE specific virus, for example, may be a trick but that point is almost moot in that what we do about it is the same thing in each case, right? Only a healthy immune system ...at this time... is the reliable solution to a viral infection. And what we have to do to stay healthy has just been dumped in our laps in a HUGE way...avoid the foods/food additives that are doing us in and try to clean up our environments. Simple but not easy.

And we can work backwards from what we have experienced in the way of MIRACLES that have occurred when we avoid these things. When epileptics stop seizing and schizophrenics improve on restricted diets, we should learn something vital from that, shouldn't we? When years and years of medication stops helping a rheumatoid arthrititis sufferer or can't cure an asthmatic but a diet change manages them in less than three weeks, we should learn something major from that. When an autistic child starts speaking for the first time within 2 weeks of going gluten-free/casein-free and ends up a fourth grader reading on a fifth grade level despite the horrible prognosis his mother was given earlier, then...well, you know.
 
John

*******************
Originally Posted by C. (partial)
 
I believe there is seldom a SINGLE cause for any complex problem. When it comes to Celiac Disease/Gluten Sensitivity, and my personal experience and that of others~ I see layers and layers and layers which may differ from one person to the next.

I think many things can trigger celiac disease and/or gluten sensitivity. I absolutely believe a virus can start the immune system on a wild goose chase. I believe bacteria, fungi and spirochettes can as well. And I believe food sensitivity can provoke our bodies into attack mode. Are you suggesting that a virus is responsible for the actual damage, not misguided antibodies?

I think symptoms are wide ranging, and can stem from both nutritional and immunological components. Nutritional deficiency plays a HUGE role on wide ranging symptoms...this I believe because I've experienced it...and I've seen so many things "fixed" with vitamins/supplements.


So, I'm not quite ready to narrow in on any "ONE" thing as "THE" cause of celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. I think the net needs to be broader than that, but I like to entertain all possibilities. H. Pylori is a good one . I also think sometimes there are genetic defects that may come into play...not every body is perfect. I may have dodged the essence of this discussion, but that's all I have for today

 
 
My Response:
 
 
 
Hi C.,
 
Its about time you got in on this thread. What took ya so long? :) :) :)
 
You always have great things to add. And you are right- this is a very complex situation and we need to understand all of the contributing factors.
 
But (did you feel a "but" coming? :) ), the thing that has caught my attention the most in studying all of the different medical conditions is that [I]ultimate[/I] question that people love to ask- "Why me?" Why does one individual get something and the other doesn't on the same diet, living in the same city, drinking the same water, breathing the same air, and even driving the same car (which of course has little to do with anything...just thought I'd throw that in. :)  Guess it [I]could [/I]be a factor, tho.). What ultimately causes one person to suffer from celiac sprue or one child to have autism and the other not?
 
Well, what [I]causes[/I] one person to have cancer and the other not? This is where we have to work hard to break it all down into "causes" and "contributing factors", or causes vs triggers, or in the case of [I]cancer[/I],  cause vs carcinogen.
 
In the study of cancer, we are rapidly coming to the point where some researchers have been for over 30 years- that [I]ALL[/I] cancer is viral in origin. I now believe this down to my socks. Its what the virus does...they get into the cell and boss it around, causing it to do a number of different things including reproduce the virus or cause the cell to grow out of control.
 
We just heard about viruses [I]causing [/I]cervical cancer. We have known for years that viruses cause leukemia/lymphoma in numerous species of animals and they are just now telling about those in people.  We know that viruses cause osteosarcoma (bone cancer).Just put "osteosarcoma, virus" in your search engine and read for days and days. Hey, put "virus, cancer"in your search. Wow! Got a year or two to soak it all in??? For the newest info on breast cancer, readers should put "virus, breast cancer" in their search. "Cool!  A breast cancer vaccine is coming???" Vaccine against what? Hmmm...
 
So, why have most people never heard the word virus and cancer used in the same sentence?  Are the powers at be afraid that the world will panic when they see the truth that cancer is caused by a virus? Are they afraid that they will be overwhelmed with questions about cancer being contagious or not? Or are the average doctors just as ignorant of this subject as the people they treat? The latter question is truer than you think. Most vets don't think this way, I can assure you. You can read every text book on my shelf about osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and there is NO mention of a viral etiology. BUT, do that search I suggested and you will find sites that list all of the viruses that cause bone cancer in the different species. Wow! Why the HUGE gulf between what rsearchers know and what the doctors/public know. Well, the answers are too numerous and involved to really get into.
 
But, the point is that there are many, many, many contributing causes to the development of cancer...too many to list. And they are POWERFUL contributors.  However, there is likley to be one [I]cause[/I]...the VIRUS. There are many viruses that cause cancer...lots and lots of them. But, it is likely to be a virus that is the only true cause. After all, that [I]is [/I]what they do. And they [I]are[/I] everywhere...ubiquitous in nature and in our bodies, from the blood stream to our very genome....from individual blood cells to every tissue in the body.
 
Why are they so pantropic? (infecting every cell). Now, not all viruses infect every cell but there are some viruses that do infect just about every cell ([I]paramyxoviruses[/I] being a good example. e.g. Distemper of the dog. Measles and mumps are paramyxos in people.). But, there is some virus that can infect each and every cell of the body. Why would that be?
 
We have to go back and see why the virus was here to begin with. What does he do that is good??? We KNOW that he has a GOOD purpose. We know this. We KNOW that he facilitates adaptation and variation in nature. We know that he plays a role in why there are so many different phenotypes (appearances) or butterflies...and people. This is how you reconcile Creation and "evolution", for one thing. Yes, "evolution" IS still taking place as scientists say. What is responsible for this continued change? Yep, the virus. Look at the AIDS virus...the absolute MASTER of change. WE can't get a hold of this chameleon, can we? And what IS involved in the genetic modification of foods? Better look into that right quick before we completely destroy our food supply, eh? (What the heck [I]are [/I]"genes", anyway???)
 
So, how hard [I]is[/I] it to see that the virus was made for good but has become a pathogen in response to what we have done? How hard is it to believe that viruses in the GI tract are simply responding to the challenge that we put to them in the form of gluten, casein, soy, and corn? How [I]does[/I] a dog adapt to a wheat-based diet in 3-4 days (especially when it is mixed in slowly to prevent vomiting and diarrhea)?How long does it take to get over a typical viral infection? How long does it take to respond to a vaccine? Yep, 3-4 days. How long did it take for Morgan Spurlock to adapt to the all McDonald's diet in Supersize Me? Yep...he vomited on day 3 and felt fine on day 4. How long does it take to get over a dose of gluten? 4 days. How long can it take for a food allergy to show up or go away after elimination....4 days.
 
Hmm...There is something about 4 days, isn't there? (The cool thing is that the number 4 means "new beginning" Biblically speaking.)
 
So, yes. There are a [I]gazillion [/I]things that contribute to celiac diasease. I think H pylori is like all of the other guys/bacteria...an opportunist. You'll find him in healthy stomachs waiting for his chance to dive into a superficial ulcer created by something else. And then, when the immune system crashes, he jumos intothe bloodstream and goes to some interesting places like an atherosclerotic plaque. Oh oh. Yes, in a study done by human cardiologists, a whopping 80% of plaques cultured were positive for H pylori. Wow!!! Could H pylori leaving the stomach be one of the triggers for a stroke or MI? Ever hear of heart victims having chronic stomach problems?
 
The sorting out of cause and effect is THE business to be in if you want to really help, I think. (The epidemiologists of the world should be solving most of our problems.)  And there are things "seen" to help us understand the things "unseen". Not only that, but the things seen are [I]MORE[/I] important. We have thought very superficially for years. We love to jump to quick conclusions because of what we "see". But, we have to think deeper than that, don't we? We can SEE tapeworms and roundworms in the dog. BUT, they actually do little harm. It is the UNSEEN hookworms and whipworms that do the most harm. We can SEE bacteria unde the typical microscope. BUT, it is the deadly virus that is the real culprit. The lits of examples of this amazing principle goes on and on.
 
So, I would encourage everyone to keep their thinking cap on. Try to sort out in your own mind the difference between a [I]cause[/I] and a contributing factor. Seeing that bacteria, yeast/fungi, and even viruses are [I]opportunists [/I]really helps. They need tissue damage, chronic inflammation, a change in DNA structure (e.g radiation/chemicals), or a change in immune status to take hold and do their thing. That opens up all of the possibilites for the secondary factors. These are [I]powerful [/I]factors... but secondary.
 
So, who IS the real culprit here?.......................[I]We[/I] are! (You thought I was gonna say "virus", didn't you? :) ).
 
Food for thought! (I love that expression. LOL)
John

*******************
 
Originally posted by K.:
 
It seems to me that I read something awhile ago that gave me the chills - that we are probably fending off cancer every day, and that only a strong immune system is keeping it at bay. That we all have this continuous "opportunity" to succumb to cancer...genetics plays a small role (for instance, most women who have breast cancer did not have mothers or grandmothers who had breast cancer - I think it's only like 30% had mothers with breast cancer versus 70% had healthy mothers). Eating gluten would of course put the body at risk, leaving it vulnerable to lurking viruses. Which virus gets a foothold is probably based on genetics and the environment (pollution, stress, terrible doctors...)
 
 
My Response:
 
Yes, I believe that this is true. And the "worst of the worst" get cancer early and the "best of the worst" (I'm not sure there is a best of the best anymore. ) either get it late or don't at all. Cancer is the number one killer of dogs and more would get it IF they could survive stage 2...the immune mediated diseases (with stage 1 being acquisition of viruses, stage 2 being the immune-mediated diseases and the immune system's desperate attempt to control the virus so that we don't get into stage 3...immune failure and the rise of cancer-causing viruses).

And I love studies like the breast cancer one that you stated because they give us insight into the real role that "genetics" (I always have to put that in quotes. Again, what ARE "genes"?) and environment play. You are right...its a mixture of these and other factors, just as it is in the development of personalities.

We know that viruses are acquired through vertical transmission (from parent to offspring), through natural infection, through vaccines (errrrh), and through casual contact, including airborne means, foods, and contact. Hey, there are over a billion viruses in a tsp of seawater. They are ubiquitous. Thank God that the vast majority are not pathogenic...yet!

Where have many of the pathogenic viruses come from? Animals. Hmmm... Yep, they have been harboring these guys for millennia. Can you think of examples...Swine flu, Rabies, West Nile, SARS, and now...the new Bird Flu. Where did the "Spanish Flu" of 1918...the worst pandemic the world has ever known come, from? Birds. Ahhh...No wonder they are worried about the new one, eh? (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu).

What's the key? You nailed it...a competent immune system.

John

*********************
 
Originally posted by me:
 
An Internet friend and colleague just sent me this...right on cue. Anyone ever hear of a "lipoma"...a fatty tumor? What causes tumors again?

Hi John,

Thought you might be interested in this.
regards
F.


*****
A new study has boosted the theory that some cases of obesity are contagious.

For the past 20 years, research has suggested that strains of human and avian adenoviruses can spur fat cell increases.

Antibodies to one strain, Ad-36, has correlated with being very obese, and one study has linked body mass differences in twins with exposure to the virus.

Researchers have now found that another strain of adenovirus makes chickens plump. Scientific American reports:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?cha...5683414B7F0000

Physiologist Leah Whigham of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her colleagues inoculated young male chickens with three strains of adenovirus--Ad-2, Ad-31 and Ad-37. She and her team then monitored the chickens for three and a half weeks, recording their food intake throughout. Though the infected chickens and noninfected controls consumed the same amount of food and were exposed to the same conditions, chickens carrying Ad-37 were found to have nearly three times as much fat in their guts and more than two times as much fat over their entire body at the end of the three-and-a-half week period. The other two virus strains appeared to have little effect on weight.
 

**************************

Originally posted by me:

A Little Virology For You

I thought it would be good, at this point, to review some basic virology so that you could get the most out of this thread. This is really not that hard to understand. But it is crucial that we do understand it. So, let's try this-

There are two basic types of viruses- those that infect the cells of animals and plants (those organisms with a cell nucleus) and those that infect only bacteria. The latter are called bacteriophages.

Lets cover bacteriophages first because they illustrate the principles we have been talking about above so well. Again, from Wikipedia (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteriophage )

Phages infect only specific bacteria. There is probably a phage for every species of bacterium. Some phages are viruruleny upon infecting a cell they immediately begin reproducing, and within a short time lyse (destroy) the cell, releasing new phages. Some phages (so-called temperate phages) can instead enter a relatively harmless state, either integrating their genetic material into the chromasomal DNA of the host bacterium (much like endogenous retroviruses in animals) or establishing themselves as plasmids. These endogenous phages, referred to as prophages, are then copied with every cell division together with the DNA of the host cell. They do not kill the cell, but monitor (via some proteins they code for) the status of their host. When the host cell shows signs of stress (meaning it might be about to die soon), the endogenous phages become active again and start their reproductive cycle, resulting in the lysis of the host cell.
Do you see that? They enter a cell and either kill the cell out right in order to produce more viruses OR they can remain dormant…in the very DNA of that bacteria…being reproduced by the host and wait until some STRESS comes along, which triggers the virus to reproduce and then kill the cell. Wow! (and they are called “non-living by some scientists. Maybe non-living by most of OUR definitions but they have to be alive on some level to do what they do, right?)

What about regular viruses that infect animals and plants? Well, there are basically two types: RNA and DNA viruses. Again from Wikipedia (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus )-

Because viruses are acellular and do not have their own metabolism, they must utilize the machinery and metabolism of the host for the purpose of self-replication. Before a virus has entered a host cell, it is called a virion — a package of viral genetic material. Virions can be passed from host to host either through direct contact or through a vector, or carrier. Inside the organism, the virus can enter a cell in various ways. Once attached, enzymes make a small hole in the cell wall, and the virus injects its DNA into the cell. Other viruses (such as HIV) enter the host via endocytosis, the process by which cells take in material from the external environment. After entering the cell, the virus's genetic material begins the destructive process of causing the cell to produce new viruses.

Some viruses have DNA, which once inside the host cell is replicated by the host along with its own DNA. There are two different replication processes for viruses containing RNA. In the first process, the viral RNA is directly copied using an enzyme called RNA replicase. This enzyme then uses that RNA copy as a template to make hundreds of duplicates of the original RNA. A second group of RNA-containing viruses, called the Retroviruses, uses the enzyme reverse transcriptase to synthesize a complementary strand of DNA so that the virus's genetic information is contained in a molecule of DNA rather than RNA. The viral DNA can then be further replicated using the resources of the host cell.

Lifecycle
1)Attachment, sometimes called absorption: The virus attaches to receptors on the host cell wall.
2)Injection: The nucleic acid of the virus moves through the plasma membrane and into the cytoplasm of the host cell. The capsid of a phage, a bacterial virus, remains on the outside. In contrast, many viruses that infect animal cells enter the host cell intact.
3)Replication: The viral genome contains all the information necessary to produce new viruses. Once inside the host cell, the virus induces the host cell to synthesize the necessary components for its replication.
4)Assembly: The newly synthesized viral components are assembled into new viruses.
5)Release: Assembled viruses are released from the cell and can now infect other cells, and the process begins again.


Now, for some interesting uses of viruses-

Viruses are important to the study of molecular and cellular biology because they provide simple systems that can be used to manipulate and investigate the functions of cells. The study and use of viruses have provided valuable information about many aspects of cell biology. For example, viruses have further simplified the study of genetics and have helped our understanding of the basic mechanisms of molecular genetics (DNA replication, transcription, RNA processing), Translation (genetics), protein transport, and immunology.

Viro-therapy (Using viruses as treatment against various diseases) is not a new idea. In cancer therapy for example it was recognized as early as the mid 20th Century, when a number of physicians noticed an interesting phenomenon: some of their patients, who suffered from cancer and had an incidental viral infection, or subjected to vaccination, were now improving, experiencing a remission from their symptoms. In the 40's and 50's, studies were conducted in animal models to evaluate the use of viruses in the treatment of tumors, and in 1956, one of the first human clinical trials with oncolytic viruses ("onco" meaning cancer, "lytic" meaning "killing") was conducted in patients with advanced-stage cervical cancer. Nevertheless, systematic research of this field was delayed for years, due to lack of more advanced technologies. In recent years the research in the field of oncolytic viruses began to move forward more quickly and Researchers are trying new ways to use viruses for the therapeutic benefit of mankind. Current thinking is that viruses will one day be created which can act as agents on behalf of bio-mechanical healing devices giving humans or other animals extended life.


Now read this link. Hmmm… (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_gene_transfer )

So, are you getting the picture? These guys enter a cell and can start producing viruses right away or they can incorporate their material into the very genome of a cell and wait for some “stress” to come along and then start replicating. What a guy, eh? And WE are studying them to help understand “genetics”. Of course we are…they are in our very genome, being reproduced with each cell division, and can erupt at any time when there is enough “stress” (challenge and/or immune suppression) to cause them to spring into action. Wow!

AND, there are viruses out there that we KNOW do good…they actually kill tumors. How cool is that? So, could some viral infections that we acquire be for our own protection…making us a little ill so that we can be stronger, like a vaccine is supposed to do? You betcha! Ever hear the expression “What doesn’t kill ya makes you stronger?” Yup. In fact, that is not only true of many viral infections but also one of the bases of homeopathic medicine.

So, I would suggest that we stop looking at viruses as purely bad guys. We know that at least some of them are there to do good. We know this, as illustrated above in cancer therapy. Then, when we go back and read about how viruses facilitate adaptation and cause variation in nature, we start to see a bigger picture, don’t we? (I hope, I hope.)

These guys are here for many reasons, mostly good. The vast majority of viruses are not pathogenic to us or animals, at least not yet. They are ubiquitous and present in unimaginable numbers (a drop of water can contain millions of them). So, why do they rise up occasionally? Why do they wait? Why do some people get the flu and die and others are not affected? Why does the incidence of leukemia spike up at 5, 15, and 40 and then take off like the space shuttle after 60? Why are we just now even hearing the word virus associated with the word cancer?

I could write for days on this subject. Better let this soak in first.

Hope this helps,
John
 
Dogtor J.

©2006 DogtorJ.com

 

 

*********************
 
Originally posted by me:
 
How Slooooow Can We Go-
 
What we knew then versus what they know now versus what the public knows now-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus_cancer_link

What year was it again that they discovered that viruses could cause cancer?(1911) Just out of interest, what year were hydrogenated oils invented? (1901) What year did they hit the shelves as cooking oil? (1911) What year was the Spanish Flu? (1918). ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu )

But...What year was the very first myocardial infarction described in medicine? What year was the very first case of type 2 diabetes? What has happened to cancer rates since this...the worst of man's inventions...was created?

You must read this paper-
http://www.dldewey.com/hydroil.htm.

Here is an excerpt-

During the late 1930's and early 1940's, a dramatic increase was seen in the following diseases. First was a disease that looked like diabetes, looked like diabetes, but was not caused by a deficiency of insulin. The medical profession was dumbfounded. All they knew was that a person produced enough insulin, but it was not effective in reducing sugar in the blood. They did not know what caused the insulin to be resistant. The medical establishment named this new disease non-insulin dependent diabetes, type II. The second and third diseases that increased dramatically were heart disease and cancer. This is the period also where new diseases which fell into the auto-immune classifications were being seen for the first time and named. The medical profession also did not know what was causing these new auto-immune diseases. They placed blame on the faulty genetics of the immune system. There is a correlation here. The increase of these new diseases began shortly after the introduction of hydrogenated oils in the food supply.


During 1973 to 1994, there was an increase of 364.3 various cancers to 462.0 various cancers per 100,000 population, a 22% increase. This information is available from the National Institutes of Health. More alarming is that from 1973 to 1992, an increase from 364.3 various cancers to 530.33 cancers per 100,000 population was seen. This was a 31% increase, an additional 9% increase from the previous years.
__________________

**********************
 
Originally posted by me:
 
 
Hi Everyone,

I now contend that gluten, casein, soy, and corn are not GOOD for anyone. Its just that some tolerate them better than others. The lectins of these foods are inherently bad for simple-stomached animals, especially in the quantities that we now consume.

Original wheat was 1-2% gluten. In the mid 400s AD, our northern Germanic ancestors had the "brilliant" idea of mixing two strains of Triticum with what I like to call "God's wheat" and they created "common wheat", from which our current wheat is derived. Much of our wheat now contains a whopping 55% gluten. BUT, look at the bread bag labels. The second ingredient is wheat gluten. Wow! Only God knows how much gluten is now in a slice of bread.

There is an exact parallel with casein in cow's milk. Goat milk had 1-2% casein, if that. Some species of goats have no casein. And yet, a whopping 80% of the protein in cow milk comes from casein. See the parallel?

But add to that the incredibly sad and startling fact that nearly 75% of the calories in the American diet come from wheat and dairy alone. Now add to that the fact that 40% of first degree relatives to a celiac will have celiac disease (and I would contend that casein intolerance is the same). So, the problems with these foods are skyrocketing and VERY explainable.

What is the only safe way to consume these foods? Ferment them. Only fermentation inactivates the lectins to a reasonable degree. Who can ferment these foods naturally? Only ruminants can in their forestomachs. So, when someone says logically that cow milk is made for cows, they are right. Only the cow (or another ruminant) can ferment that milk. That is why fermented dairy products have been used through the ages. Same for weeds like triticum. Who can digest them? Cattle, sheep, and goats. Hey, that is why sourdough bread became more popular, right? But even more interesting, that is why cornbread was developed in the South. The new arrivals...the slaves...had never had wheat before they were taken from their homeland. They did not grow the whitemans common wheat in Africa. And it has been reported that 40% (there's that number again) died of dysentery on the slave boats before they ever reached port. Wow! What did they get on the boat to eat...bread and water? What did they die of...acute celiac disease?

We have to face it. Man has made some serious mistakes in the past and we continue to do so. Amen? First, we create common wheat 'cause we get tired of "breaking bread". Then we jump ship from goat's to cow's milk (about 1300-1500AD). Bad mistake. THEN, we start eating soy..the "third plague" as I call it. Then, we take corn...which was bad enough as it was...and genetically modify it to death over the past 20 years. Hey, put "corn gluten meal" in your search and see what you get. Yep...it KILLS other plants. Hmmm... Look up Starlink corn (CRY9C). Woof...what a story.

These are the four foods that induce villous atrophy. And there is a reason for that. They contain things that will harm us. As much as we don't like that villous atrophy, it actually happens for a reason...to warn us and to block the absorption of things like lectins, estrogens, excess glutamate, and other things that the foods contain. How cool is that to see?

And what about "outgrowing" these things? I don't think we outgrow them. At best we "adapt" to them. How do we do that? (See the virus thread I have going.) I counsel people all of the time in their 40s and 50s who are having dairy issues who can state definitively that they were dairy intolerant as babies and kids but "outgrew" those symptoms. Here's the scary part- Our body doesn't always keep warning us in the same way.The warning signs change, going from colicky babies to chronic Strep throat/otitis media to asthma to heartburn to IBS to colitis. We adapt and the signs change but if you understand ALL of the signs, there is usually some sign that persists.

But here is the REALLY cool thing to see. I discovered this as I started to study homeopathic medicine. There is a saying that we use- "What doesn't kill you makes ya stronger". There is some truth in that, especially when it comes to homeopathy. In some homepathic remedies, we administer small amounts of something that would otherwise be toxic in higher doses to help us get over certain conditions. How does THAT work? By forcing us to adapt and that adaptation makes us stronger...in some cases. In others, it simply postpones the inevitable. It would ALWAYS be better to eliminate an offending substance outright than to try to force an adaptation to it, wouldn't it?

And here is the cool thing- The trace amounts of gluten in early wheat and the trace amounts of casein in goat milk PREPARED us for the coming mistakes that we were about to make that I described above. Yes, homeopathic principles were taking place for millennia, preparing us for the impending challenge. Wow! I love it. If we had not been exposed to gluten and casein in small quantities, think of the devastation the consumption of those would have wrought had it been done suddenly.

AND that explains why, every time you read about immune-mediated diseases and cancer rates, we see the same at-risk groups leading the pack- Black Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native American Indians. Why is that? They have had the least amount of time to adapt to the diet of the ancestors of caucasian Americans. Plain and simple!!! Look at the health of Asians in their native land on their traditional diets (no gluten, casei or corn and very little but fermented soy) compared to what happens to them when they come to America and eat our diet. Wowser! Asian American women lead the pack in breast cancer now where in their homeland on their diet they haved a 15 times lower breast cancer rate. How can that be? Think about those slave ships again.

So, for those that have a hard time seeing that these foods are bad, give 'em a history lesson. If they haven't seen man's MO yet...that when it comes to "nature", we mess up just about everything we touch...then they will either have a hard time seeing this or this will be JUST the thing to snap them out of the dream world...the Matrix...they are living in.

Hope this helps,
John

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Originally Posted by R.
This is a fascinating thread. Got thinking about some of the things mentioned here and came up with some more questions:

When we take antibiotics, are we actually giving the viruses an 'edge' - either to gain an advantage with causing an infection, or in enabling them to incorporate more of themselves into our cellular DNA?.

Perhaps indirectly we are giving them an edge through the use of some antibiotics by upsetting the balance in the body and through direct "irritation" of these guys. I now look at lectins, chemicals, pollutants, and even antibiotics as challenges to the cell and thereby to the virus inside the cell that we and they have to deal with. If we make the virus "mad" enough (stimulate it long enough and force it to mutate in order to adapt) then we will see the consequences of that. If the
uprising" is not to the liking of the immune system...the check and balance system to all of this...then it will kill the cell and attempt to subdue the cell. This, again, is what I believe is occurring in many of what we "autoimmune" or immune-mediated disorders such as lupus, rheumatoid, type one diabetes and many more.

Quote:
Originally Posted by R.
On a similar note, since cellular mitochondria seem to be bacterial in origin, or at least contain similarities to bacteria, do we inadvertantly kill off some of them when we take antibiotics for an infection?.

I think Mrs D. did a great job of answering this, with a great point being the difference between bacterial cells and ours. If it was as easy to damage our mitochondria as it was the bacteria's then we would have many more serious reactions to antibiotics, wouldn't we? Most of the antibiotics reactions we see are explainable through simpler means...again, disrupting the balance between good and bad bacteria (and yeast which are held in check with the help of bacteria), irritating the intestinal tract, causing allergic reactions, and other common reactions. But how and why do even these simpler reactions take place. Certainly, some in fact may result from the adaptive efforts on our part, facilitated by the virus as we've discussed.


I
Quote:
Originally Posted by R.
s the identification of a gene in a specific illness (such as HLA-DQ2 in Celiac) really the identification of the viral portion of our genetic code that corresponds to that particular disease?.

THIS is my favorite question. This is the crux of the matter right now, I think. What are genes? Do our genes kill us? Are the genes as we have thought of them in the past really programmed to cause us to become ill? OR, is there something in your genes that does it? If you were wearing a pair a jeans and had a gun in your pocket and it went off and shot someone, did your "jeans' injure that person or did something IN your jeans do it???

That idea is the whole reason for this thread and has been the focus of my attention recently. I have been thinking this way for quite some time, but some recent events and knowledge sent me into a whole new realm.

But first, we have to grasp a few basic tenets. We have to see the fact that viruses can do good. To really grasp this, we also have to believe that they were created FOR good as I (and Dr. Jerry Bergman) described. Then all we have to do is re-ask those questions that are on all of our minds. "If something is "genetic", why does it wait for years and years to manifest? What makes it stop waiting? What is actually waiting?" Then, we can ask "Why would our double stranded DNA want to make us sick or even die?. Why doesn't everyone with the "gene" for something get it? If breast cancer is genetic, why do only about 30% of women with it have a family history of it?"

There are a whole bunch of questions we can asl about genetics, aren't there? For people asking those questions, I started telling them a few years ago to put put the word "virus" wherever they bread the word "gene" and that medical article may make a whole lot more sense.

But back then, I was still thinking about them being simply like all of the other opportunists...the bacteria/myoplasma, yeast, fungi, Rickettsia/Chlamydia, etc etc...in that they were just "laying in wait for innocent blood" and took the first opportunity to do what they "wanted to do...create disease. And that is partly right.

However, once we see the balance and the "ying and yang" of all things...that even bad things serve a purpose...then we see that the more likely thing is that all of these opportunists have a good purpose and that WE force them into doing bad things by our own actions...the horrific diets, exposure to chemicals, pollution, hydrogenated oils, etc etc. They rise up because that it was they were designed to do to cause warning signs, symptoms that are therapeutic (we don't like to vomit or have diarrhea but they serve important functions), and to force us to adapt...get stronger...when possible.

And once again, this is all overseen by the immune system. And it works as long as that system is healthy. THAT'S the key word right there, isn't it? It works well for a while, but as the cascade of events takes place in the gut that leads to malabsorption, it starts to fail. Like I wrote in The Answer..."The immune system gets over-worked and under-paid". That's a bad combo. It tries hard in phase two (the immune-mediated diseases) to re-establish balance but we handcuff it with immunosuppressive drugs like prednisone and more powerful chemo agents, don't we? We have thought that this whole process was a genetically flawed immune system.

What do you think now?


I
Quote:
Originally Posted by R.
If Cancer is caused by viruses, are "benign" tumors & cysts also caused by viruses?.

Exactly. I have seen this for years in veterinary medicine, the wave of benign tumors that precede the malignant ones. And many of those are preceded by the cysts. Papillomas (warts) are a great example. Warts are usually experienced by children and young dogs. They are also usually self-limiting. Those with lots of warts or those that have a hard time shaking them need to have their immune system looked into, I think. Sebaceous gland (oil gland) cysts and tumors are another example. The development of cysts often precede the tumor formation in these breeds.

And we see breeds of dogs that are gobbled up with tumors, both bengin and malignant. Why certain breeds? Well, the most afflicted breeds are clearly the ones with the worst food issues/allergies. So, the process we know of as students of celiac disease all apply here. That is why I am working HARD to get veterinary pathologists to reopen the books on celiac disease in the dog (with the Irish setter ebing a known celiac. Where have all of the Irish setters gone, anyway? Yep, that's what happens when you feed them wheat-based dog foods...they die off.)

I now look at cysts as the body's attempt to wall off the virus and tumors as the viruses attempt to wall itself off. Could a "tumor" be the viruses desperate last attempt to save itself...a protective cocoon..to isolate itself from the continued bombardment of things that we are throwing at it? This starts to make some sense when we look back at the circumstances that led up to this, doesn't it? I used to think it was purely immune failure that "allowed" the virus to form a tumor. There is some truth to this, but I now think I see the virus for what he is...a chameleon......an adapter...but above all, a survivor. That is what he was designed to do.

Hope this helps,
John


 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by k.
I hope you wont mind if I ask a question ........ you refer to air pollution and I am glad to see you mention indoor air quality as part of the cause of this epidemic of health problems ......... but you dont mention pesticides ? surely the pesticide residues in our food must contribute a LOT plus all the exposure to airborn pesticides ?

and with regard to cancers what about th multitude of carcinogenic mutagenic chemicals in products people come in contact with everyday like perfumes , personal care products and (again) pesticides etc etc ? I have to admit until I read what you say I always thought the virus theory of cancer was just a ploy to deflect the blame from all the carcinogens companies are producing and selling us while hiding the dangers they are exposing us to


k.

Hi K.,

Great points and questions.

First of all, the virus in not only a well-known cause of cancer in both human and veterinary medicine but has been called the ONLY true cause of cancer by some medical researchers for over 30 years. I believe they are right. It is just that the public (and many health professionals) have not been told the VITAL importance of this fact. Why that is brings up a whole 'nother subject that I won't bore you with right now.

BUT, that does not take away the tremendous importance of carcinogens. It simply puts them in their rightful place. They facilitate the virus' action by causing chronic tissue damage (something that the virus "thrives" in), by damaging the immune system (something that "unleashes" the virus), and by damaging our very DNA (where many of the viruses are "hiding"). Carcinogens as you mention are very real and powerful things, but without the virus would not cause cancer (at least as this line of thought goes).

So, carcinogens are the gun and viruses are the bullet. Without the bullets, the gun is relatively useless. It could still cause tissue damage if one was hit with it but it would take a major pistol-whipping to die from this.

And you are very right about chemicals, pesticide residues etc. I usually list them all each time I get into this but, for the sake of TRYING to keep these posts shorter ("Yeah, right. LOLOLOL") I don't always list them.

Pesticides and their residues are very important, as you mention. For one, many of them have major estrogenic activity in the body which is both inflammatory and immune suppressive, a deadly combo when it comes to viral involvement. Some pesticides are both powerful carcinogens and major triggers for immune-mediated disease. Why both? Because viruses are involved in BOTH. As I wrote above, it is clear to me that the immune-mediated diseases are the immune system's attempt to clear the body of these viruses before they DO cause cancer.

And again, I used to think, as most still do, that viruses were completely "evil"...opportunists just waiting to cause problems. But that is not it at all. Again, they are what helps plants and animals to ADAPT to changes in their environment. We KNOW this from a biological point of view. So, how hard is it to see that once we have done enough wrong to our bodies (and the environment and the animals that house many of the potentially pathogenic viruses) that they continue to adapt into something that is stronger and stronger and harder and harder for the immune system to control?

It is then the subsequent immune failure that is paralleling this process that finally allows them to overrun us. It is like a rebellion. The virus HATES what we are doing to our body. And he was designed to adapt/survive...at all costs. This was meant to be a good thing for us...help us to adapt to things that are happening to us (like diet and environmental changes). BUT, we go waaaaaay overboard, don't we? WE throw everything we can at these guys...a horrific diet, cigarette smoke, pollution, chemicals/preservatives/artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, estrogens, drug after drug, etc etc... and are SURPRISED at the results???? Not me.

Yes, I believe down to my socks that the TUMOR they produce is simply their desperate attempt to wall themselves off. The virus is simply doing what he was designed to do...adapt. We...WE...are the culprits, not them.

How is that for medical heresy? But I'll bet many of you are starting to see the truth in it, aren't you?

And I could easily believe your history and their assessment of your condition. I have spoken with people who work in and live around major chemical plants and heard this story waaaaaay too many times. And look what happened to many of our servicemen who were exposed to Agent Orange. Wow! Agent Orange was a "machine gun" (using our analogy) and the many of the bullets were provided by the modified live virus vaccines they received when they went into the service and got shipped over there. Uh oh! Yes, service men have alarming rates of things like ALS. Mycoplasma-contaminated vaccines have been incriminated as being a big part of that. So, the Agent orange was the gun and the viruses/mycoplasma were the bullets. And THAT is why the powers at be defended the chemical itself. It wasn't the chemical that did it alone. You had to have the "bullets" and some people did and others didn't. Otherwise, EVERYONE exposed to the chemical would have gotten sick.

THAT is the defense for just about all of these drugs and chemical reactions. If it was the drugs fault, why don't all who take them get sick or injured. Ahhhhh....now you know why, right? Either they did not have the "bullets" in them OR their immune system was still competent enough to handle the rebellion. The latter is a HUGE factor...absolutely paramount in importance.

There is a BIG difference between a healthy and an unhealthy individual being exposed to a live vaccine or potentially harmful chemical. And we are all on a spectrum as far as our immune system's health. The worst get the most ill the fastest and the healthiest can smoke for 90 years and never get lung cancer. BUT, if you want to smoke, you better not live in a polluted city. The additive effect is potentially cataclysmic.

This is not that hard to understand, is it? We are all on a spectrum of wellness/illness. And that spectrum is determined by many things, many of which we have MAJOR control over. Diet (huge), lifestyle (huge), environment (huge), and exercise (huge) all play major, major roles. Where does that place "genetics"?(especially when you see what genetics really are...opportunists, waiting for us to do enough wrong so that they can be manifested).

Yep, we reap what we sow in medicine. We just didn't know that we were sowing such bad seeds, did we?

Hope this helps,
John

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