Can I throw into the discussion another viewpoint? One I learned of recently articulated by Dr Thomas Levy whereby Medicine needs a more functional approach "All pathogens, toxins, and poisons, directly or indirectly, promote increased intracellular oxidative stress (increased IOS causes/results in disease or susceptibility to) in the affected cells as more and more biomolecules are oxidized. One of the chief mechanisms for elevating IOS involves increased extracellular calcium entry into the cell via the calcium channels in the cell’s membrane." He goes on to discuss magnesium as a calcium regulator and moderator of IOS and IOS being best controlled with high dose vitamin C - both very hard to get in a balanced diet.
Levy, Thomas E. . Magnesium: Reversing Disease (p. 25). Medfox Publishing.
Found this article to be right in line with your previous reporting on Artemisia annua, epifriedelanol , Sarracenia and the value of plants in general in preventing and treating diseases. Dr. Joseph Mercola gives an excellent breakdown of types & natural benefits of polyphenols in certain plants we consume. A perfect example of the body's natural tendency towards homeostasis, or "balance", as we referenced in a previous comment.
“It is clear that dietary polyphenols and their metabolites contribute to the maintenance of gut health by the modulation of the gut microbial balance through the stimulation of the growth of beneficial bacteria and the inhibition of pathogen bacteria, exerting prebiotic-like effects.”
The above quote about perpetuating the good bacteria and destroying the bad brings to mind the way lactoferrin, a smart enzyme from the raw milk of mammals, exerts its influence on the body's iron stores by modulating levels in healthy cells and depriving abnormal cells of iron altogether, thus killing them. Even though lactoferrin isn't derived from a plant resource, it's still a good example of how unadulterated substances from nature, whether from plant or animal, provide a plethora of ways to maintain homeostasis and prevent disease.
Your article on the Greek word "Medicine" brought to mind the wooden cutout & painted Aesculapian staff I made in the early 1970's for my father's newly built veterinary clinic. He taught me the Aesculapian staff, consisting of a single snake coiled around a staff, was the symbol for veterinarians and the Caduceus, two snakes coiled around a staff with heads facing each other & wings on top, was the symbol for medical doctors. Your article prompted me to look the two symbols up & I learned the Caduceus is widely used as a symbol for medical doctors, organizations, etc. in the US, but it was originally considered to be a symbol of commerce & trading activities. Seems US medical organizations have mistakenly used the Caduceus bc of its similarity to the Rod of Asclepius or the Aesculapian staff. "Learn something new every day!" Thanks Charles
I though of something else very important based on Sasha's article. Sasha talked about how the bacteria in our body will normally not attack us, but when our systems are thrown off balance, they will.
That seems very consistent with the theory I wrote about the relationship between bacteria and cells, where the Gramm-negative bacteria form a "bioshield" over the diseased cells. And that's cancer. It really sounds like a mechanism of "Turbo Cancer." The bacteria either go nuts, or the immune system doesn't keep the bacteria in check, but in any case, the balance is gone and cancer emerges. What do you think?
It's my understanding that we all have cancer cells circulating throughout our bodies all the time. Whether or not they take hold & aggregate in to a tumor or start destroying healthy cells depends on the status of our immune systems or possibly the integrity of the G- bacteria "bio shield" you mentioned. To me, the biochemistry & physiology of our bodies & the unrelenting quest for homeostasis programmed into our DNA constitute a marvelous phenomenon of Divine Nature. Given all the crappy processed & genetically modified food we've consumed for decades, not to mention the possibly tainted water we drink, the polluted air we breathe & the chemicals we're constantly exposed to on fabrics, in plastics & so on & so on, I think it's a bloomin' miracle there's not a higher incidence of cancer across the board than already exists. I can't help but think back to how Dr. Robert Young explains when you have a tank of sick fish, you don't medicate the individual fish, instead you change the water in the tank to improve or detox their environment. Basically, we are what we eat, drink, breathe & think. Our bodies' immune systems, as amazing & resilient as they are, do have limitations & will eventually fold against a constant barrage of insults. The homeostatic mechanisms do have a threshold, so when they're no longer able to meet the demands placed on them, cancer or other chronic inflammatory conditions arise. That's why I've become convinced the phytonutrients from plants we consume are invaluable to keeping our immune systems intact & running smoothly. All the other variables of clean water & air, minimizing exposure to man-made chemicals, etc. are certainly an integral part of the remedy as well, but plants are an excellent starting place. I know you've been ahead of the curve on this & written extensively about this very topic. One of the most prescient points you've made that I always remember is how all the various nutrients in plants have such symbiotic relationships, so we should stop outsmarting ourselves by trying to isolate & consume individual nutrients piecemeal. It really is time to get back to the basics of whole foods and stop filling our bodies with the empty calories of junky synthetic foodstuffs & then maybe our immune systems will have a fighting chance to perform the beautifully intricate functions they're designed to do.
Can I throw into the discussion another viewpoint? One I learned of recently articulated by Dr Thomas Levy whereby Medicine needs a more functional approach "All pathogens, toxins, and poisons, directly or indirectly, promote increased intracellular oxidative stress (increased IOS causes/results in disease or susceptibility to) in the affected cells as more and more biomolecules are oxidized. One of the chief mechanisms for elevating IOS involves increased extracellular calcium entry into the cell via the calcium channels in the cell’s membrane." He goes on to discuss magnesium as a calcium regulator and moderator of IOS and IOS being best controlled with high dose vitamin C - both very hard to get in a balanced diet.
Levy, Thomas E. . Magnesium: Reversing Disease (p. 25). Medfox Publishing.
Found this article to be right in line with your previous reporting on Artemisia annua, epifriedelanol , Sarracenia and the value of plants in general in preventing and treating diseases. Dr. Joseph Mercola gives an excellent breakdown of types & natural benefits of polyphenols in certain plants we consume. A perfect example of the body's natural tendency towards homeostasis, or "balance", as we referenced in a previous comment.
“It is clear that dietary polyphenols and their metabolites contribute to the maintenance of gut health by the modulation of the gut microbial balance through the stimulation of the growth of beneficial bacteria and the inhibition of pathogen bacteria, exerting prebiotic-like effects.”
The above quote about perpetuating the good bacteria and destroying the bad brings to mind the way lactoferrin, a smart enzyme from the raw milk of mammals, exerts its influence on the body's iron stores by modulating levels in healthy cells and depriving abnormal cells of iron altogether, thus killing them. Even though lactoferrin isn't derived from a plant resource, it's still a good example of how unadulterated substances from nature, whether from plant or animal, provide a plethora of ways to maintain homeostasis and prevent disease.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n7fsPHa1mwzLI3YtjLTdkudG8Yuyiq2v/view?usp=drivesdk
Your article on the Greek word "Medicine" brought to mind the wooden cutout & painted Aesculapian staff I made in the early 1970's for my father's newly built veterinary clinic. He taught me the Aesculapian staff, consisting of a single snake coiled around a staff, was the symbol for veterinarians and the Caduceus, two snakes coiled around a staff with heads facing each other & wings on top, was the symbol for medical doctors. Your article prompted me to look the two symbols up & I learned the Caduceus is widely used as a symbol for medical doctors, organizations, etc. in the US, but it was originally considered to be a symbol of commerce & trading activities. Seems US medical organizations have mistakenly used the Caduceus bc of its similarity to the Rod of Asclepius or the Aesculapian staff. "Learn something new every day!" Thanks Charles
I though of something else very important based on Sasha's article. Sasha talked about how the bacteria in our body will normally not attack us, but when our systems are thrown off balance, they will.
That seems very consistent with the theory I wrote about the relationship between bacteria and cells, where the Gramm-negative bacteria form a "bioshield" over the diseased cells. And that's cancer. It really sounds like a mechanism of "Turbo Cancer." The bacteria either go nuts, or the immune system doesn't keep the bacteria in check, but in any case, the balance is gone and cancer emerges. What do you think?
It's my understanding that we all have cancer cells circulating throughout our bodies all the time. Whether or not they take hold & aggregate in to a tumor or start destroying healthy cells depends on the status of our immune systems or possibly the integrity of the G- bacteria "bio shield" you mentioned. To me, the biochemistry & physiology of our bodies & the unrelenting quest for homeostasis programmed into our DNA constitute a marvelous phenomenon of Divine Nature. Given all the crappy processed & genetically modified food we've consumed for decades, not to mention the possibly tainted water we drink, the polluted air we breathe & the chemicals we're constantly exposed to on fabrics, in plastics & so on & so on, I think it's a bloomin' miracle there's not a higher incidence of cancer across the board than already exists. I can't help but think back to how Dr. Robert Young explains when you have a tank of sick fish, you don't medicate the individual fish, instead you change the water in the tank to improve or detox their environment. Basically, we are what we eat, drink, breathe & think. Our bodies' immune systems, as amazing & resilient as they are, do have limitations & will eventually fold against a constant barrage of insults. The homeostatic mechanisms do have a threshold, so when they're no longer able to meet the demands placed on them, cancer or other chronic inflammatory conditions arise. That's why I've become convinced the phytonutrients from plants we consume are invaluable to keeping our immune systems intact & running smoothly. All the other variables of clean water & air, minimizing exposure to man-made chemicals, etc. are certainly an integral part of the remedy as well, but plants are an excellent starting place. I know you've been ahead of the curve on this & written extensively about this very topic. One of the most prescient points you've made that I always remember is how all the various nutrients in plants have such symbiotic relationships, so we should stop outsmarting ourselves by trying to isolate & consume individual nutrients piecemeal. It really is time to get back to the basics of whole foods and stop filling our bodies with the empty calories of junky synthetic foodstuffs & then maybe our immune systems will have a fighting chance to perform the beautifully intricate functions they're designed to do.