MSN Home  |  My MSN  |  Hotmail
Sign in to Windows Live ID Web Search:   
go to MSNGroups 
Free Forum Hosting
 
Important Announcement Important Announcement
The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More
The Scientific Debate Forum.Contains "mature" content, but not necessarily adult.[email protected] 
  
What's New
  
  Disclaimer: Read this page first.  
  Links  
  Messages  
  General  
  Nutrition  
  "Mission Statement."  
  Why the "germ theory" is not science.  
  The Underlying Cause of "Disease."  
  The Scientific Method.  
  How dangerous are bacteria and viruses?  
  The Contributions of Hans Selye and others.  
  How direct effects are often ignored, and indirect markers used  
  Understanding "disease" at the molecular level.  
  Understanding disease at the molecular level, part II.  
  What the "common cold" can teach us about illness.  
  The AA connection to today's common "diseases."  
  How easy the key experiments would be to do.  
  The best practical diet and the explanation for it.  
  Fish oil quotes you might want to read  
  Where the "immune system" fits into this view of "disease."  
  How many 'scientific studies' violate the scientific method  
  Why you have to be careful with antioxidants.  
  Why Cancers today are more aggressive than those of the past.  
  The Latest Evidence.  
  Some studies worthy of note.  
  HSWC "in action."  
  How language can impede science.  
  How language impedes science, part II.  
  More on why "germs" don't cause "disease."  
  How a latent virus actually causes "disease."  
  A new report that "says it all."  
  The science "show" must go on?  
  Odds and ends  
  Some thoughts on a book by Robert Gallo.  
  Saturated fatty acids are the solution, not the problem.  
  It's stress, not "germs" that causes disease.  
  Epidemiology: Facts versus "factoids."  
  It's stress, not germs, part II.  
  The latest on "inflammation."  
  Why many nutritional claims make no sense  
  The use of hypotheticals in science.  
  What "viral infections" really do to the body.  
  What determines longevity?  
  An example of an anti-"saturated fat" study that is flawed.  
  A Rough Guide to a Gentle Diet.  
  A unified "AIDS" hypothsis without "HIV."  
  A unified "AIDS" hypothsis without "HIV." Part II.  
  Okay, so when is this diet going to kill me?  
  Scientific Debate Forum Pictures  
  The EFA Claim Was Refuted Long Ago  
    
  
  
  Tools  
 
General : "Infectious disease" and inflammation.
Choose another message board
 
     
Reply
 Message 1 of 4 in Discussion 
From: MSN NicknameHansSelyeWasCorrect  (Original Message)Sent: 6/19/2007 5:55 AM
I've pointed out in other places on this site that inflammation is what usually does the damage in "infectious diseases," and that the wrong conditions stress "germs," make them "clingly," and this prompts the body to generate the inflammatory response. All this is now known, and I certainly will not claim to be the first to state this. In fact, scientists who did experiments have noted this phenomenon appeared to be surprised by their results. However, I have found evidence that one can modify this inflammatory response by simple dietary changes, and the only advice currently being given that is based on this general idea is for people to consume fish oil, though this substance is far too dangerous for people to consume in large enough amounts to counteract the arachidonic acid overload condition, which is what allows acute inflammation to be too strong or for chronic inflammation to occur.

However, it seems that most doctors and scientists do not see any connection between "infectious disease" and "chronic inflammatory disease," and so the idea that one can make oneself much less susceptible to "infectious disease" by avoiding the arachidonic acid overload condition (and also not consuming fish oil, which is also dangerous in this context) is not something you will likely hear from your local doctor any time soon.

On another newsgroup, there was a thread started by someone who appears to believe that "germs" are a myth, and that "infectious disease" is probably due to toxins. I tried to point out that toxins can make the "germs" clingy, leading to an inflammatory response, but this person seems to have convinced himself that he must be correct, despite his only evidence being what he thinks is the bad evidence of the "germ theory" proponents. I suggested to him that while he might be able to find example of scientists jumping to conclusions, as they did with "HIV/AIDS," it is highly unlikely that all the evidence of "germs" causing disease (directly or indirectly, co-factors necessary or not) is basically total fiction. In any case, I found some interesting material while writing up posts on this thread, and I'll present it all below:

First post: I agree with Lanka in that passage you quoted, so far as I know. That is, experiments should be done where animals that are ill are exposed to members of the same species in a natural way, and not injected with the "germ" and other substances. Since the "illness" that results is likely due to the inflammatory response, it could be the "germ," or the preservatives, etc., or the combination, or it could be the location (that is, if it is being injected into tissue that would normally never encounter the "germ" and/or other substances). I was just reading a new book called "How Doctors Think" and the author talks about a case of babesiosis. They tried to find the "germ" in the patient, but the test was negative. The doctor then did his own test, looked in the microscope, and found it. However, when you look on the Wikipedia.org site, you find the usual for "infectious diseases:"

QUOTE: Infection with Babesia parasites can be asymptomatic or cause a mild non-specific illness, and therefore many cases go unnoticed. Most diagnosed cases occur in the very young, very old, or persons with underlying medical conditions... Babesia parasites reproduce in red blood cells, where they can be seen as cross-shaped inclusions (4 merozoites asexually budding but attached together forming a structure looking like a "Maltese Cross") and cause hemolytic anemia, quite similar to malaria... UNQUOTE.

However, let us "dig" further:

QUOTE: The symptoms of babesiosis normally begin about a week after a tick bite with a gradual onset of malaise, anorexia and fatigue. This is followed several days later by high fever, chills, drenching sweats, muscle pain, joint pain and headaches. As with malaria, these symptoms can continue over a protracted period (several days to several months) or can abate, then recur. Sometimes, a person can be infected with the parasite but not show any symptoms. In some cases it may take from 1 to 12 months for first symptoms to appear after infection with the parasite. UNQUOTE.

Source: http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C353711.html

So what we see here coincides well with what is in "infectious disease" textbooks. That is, first there is the "germ" reproducing until it sets off the inflammatory response, which is where the fever, chills, etc. originate. However, as they state is also that one can be asymptomatic for a long time, and most likely many people never develop symptoms.

Anemia can result because the immune system destroys red blood cells, which "host" the "germ." My point here is that since not everyone gets ill, some other factor(s) is involved, most likely stressors and/or certain kinds of biochemical activity (which could be one and the same, for example, lipid peroxidation reactions). This generates the fatigue type of symptoms, but then there is:

QUOTE: Making matters worse is the fact that animals [dogs in this case] seem to get sicker than the degree of anemia would suggest so that there is more to this infection than the actual destruction of red blood cells. The severe inflammation that is associated with this parasitism can be overwhelming and completely separate from the anemia. UNQUOTE.

Source: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_babesia_infection_in_dogs.html

Here I would suggest that it is diet that is largely responsible for such dangerous inflammatory responses, which is why I changed my diet. In any case, I am not claiming that the the textbook type descriptions of Babesiosis are incorrect, but that they emphasize the "germ" rather than the inflammatory response. The advice then becomes "lets kill all the germs," which may make the "germs" more dangerous (such as with antibiotic-resistant bacteria), whereas if the inflammatory response was reduced in such cases, the "germ" would be much less of a problem and there would be only very minor symptoms (at worst), except in a few rare cases.

Second post: On the vitamin A idea; I found the following, which again is connected to "inflammation:

QUOTE: ...researchers showed that by manipulating the amount of retinoic acid in mice, they could affect the number of pro-inflammatory T cells, a type of white blood cell responsible for several autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The finding is an important first step that, if eventually found to be true in humans, points to the potential of a new avenue of therapies using retinoic acid to treat these diseases.

"What's exciting about this finding is they've found that retinoic acid plays a role in modulating the switch between these two distinct (T cell) lineages -- the induced regulatory T cells, which are anti-inflammatory, and the TH-17 lineage, which promotes inflammatory responses..." UNQUOTE.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070614151809.htm

Third post: Also on sciencedaily today is the following:

QUOTE: Universitätsmedizin Berlin report that the molecule known as TRAIL can limit excessive immune responses in bacterial meningitis and as such may be of use to control inflammation of the spinal cord and brain, which causes brain cell death in this life-threatening disease.

Pneumococcal meningitis involves inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord and is caused by infection with the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. The observed swelling of the brain is largely the result of the excessive immune response to infection... UNQUOTE.

So where do I take issue with this kind of report or study?

1. They say it's caused by infection, but many people live with "germs" without any problems, and it is now known why; conditions can make the "germs" clingly, which sets off the inflammatory response.

2. The inflammatory response can be controlled by simple means, whereas even if they design drugs to control something like TRAIL, it might lead to long-term damage to the body, if not short-term.

3. They act as if there is some sort of TRAIL (or other molecule) dysfunction, and that this is the root cause. In reality, there is the wrong kind of biochemical activity going on (often lipid peroxidation/"chronic inflammation"), and this activates or damages these molecules (or causes an "autoimmune response" against them).

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070617164102.htm

Fourth post: "From what I have looked at in regards to viruses it seems much more likely that they are involved in a cellular repair or fixing process than in causing a disease." [this was a quote from one of this person's previous posts]

This is consistent with the view that "inflammation" is doing the actual damage. Keep in mind that "infectious disease" is a process. When "germs" are reproducing, one may not feel any symptoms, or very mild ones, but it is only when the inflammatory response occurs that there are undeniable symptoms. Thus, what you see depends upon when you draw blood (if that is where you are looking for the "germs"). "Syphilis" seems to be a case where a "germ" may be blamed when it is not doing anything harmful at all, because of the symptoms and how long they can take to develop. In the typical "infectious disease," there is the reproduction, which can cause things like fatigue, and then there is the inflammatory response, which produces obvious symptoms. On the other hand, something like asbestositis/mesothelioma does not produce the fatigue, and the inflammation is chronic and the damage limited to a particular tissue/organ, at least at first.


First  Previous  2-4 of 4  Next  Last 
Reply
 Message 2 of 4 in Discussion 
From: MSN Nicknametaka00381Sent: 9/6/2007 3:23 AM
Another bad example of the germ theory:

CATCH A COLD

Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

Do you believe that you will catch a cold when you go out in the cold without warm clothing or when you have wet hair? If you say no, you are correct.

Colds and pneumonia are caused by infection. You do not pick up infections from cold weather, you get germs from other people who sneeze or cough in your face or transmit germs with their hands to objects that you touch. Research shows that the most common way to get a cold is from someone who has a cold, sneezes on his hands, and then shakes yours. You can also get a cold when a person blows his nose or coughs into a handkerchief and gets some of the germs on his hands, then touches a door knob, and hours later, you touch the door knob and put your fingers in your nose. So the only way that you can get a cold is for someone to give the germ to you directly or by putting the germ onto something else that you touch.

The real question about colds is whether chilling the body hinders your immunity so that you can't kill the germs in your body, so the germs that you can normally control suddenly become pathogens and make you sick, because your immunity is suppressed by you being cold. That question has been answered many times. Chilling does not hinder your immunity as long as you aren't so cold that your body defenses are destroyed. In 1958, H.F. Dowling, and his friends wrote a paper in the American Journal of Hygiene, (Vol. 68, pp. 659-65) : "Transmission of the Common Cold to Volunteers Under Controlled Conditions". More than 400 volunteers were exposed to viruses that cause colds. Some were exposed to very cold temperatures while wearing heavy coats, some to 60 degree temperatures while wearing underwear, and some to a very warm 80 degrees. All had the same rate of infection. This shows that the crucial factor that determine whether you get a cold is being exposed to the virus that causes the cold.

Then in 1968, R.G. Douglas, Jr., wrote a paper entitled, "Exposure to Cold Environment and Rhinovirus and susceptibility to the Common Cold," in the New England Journal of Medicine. Inmates at a Texas prison had the cold virus placed directly into their noses. At varying times after their exposure to the viruses, they were exposed to extreme temperatures, with varying amounts of clothing . Being cold or warm, being dressed, or undressed, and having wet hair or dry hair had no effect on their infection rate.

If you do not want to get a cold, stay away from people. You can get a cold from anything touched by a person who has a cold: your door knob, your pencil, your phone, desk, spoon, table cloth, or anything else. Pepole who are afraid to get colds should never shake hands with anyone.

SOURCE: http://www.drmirkin.com/morehealth/9941.html

Reply
 Message 3 of 4 in Discussion 
From: MSN NicknameHansSelyeWasCorrectSent: 9/6/2007 4:16 AM
Well, it's a good example of how an "expert" does not even consider inflammation, despite what the "bug hunters" point out in their books, and is now known, due to molecular-level experiments. Also, there are books written about germs, as I've pointed out in some essays, where the author keeps going back and forth; "germs" are everywhere yet dangerous infectious disease is rare in healthy people, but then we are told how incredibly deadly "germs" can be. They don't seem to be able to consider the possibility that it's the conditions that make the "germ" dangerous. One might call the "germ theory" stuff an exquisite kind of propaganda, because just about everyone believes it, despite how it can easily demonstrated to be false.

Reply
 Message 4 of 4 in Discussion 
From: MSN NicknameHansSelyeWasCorrectSent: 9/6/2007 11:41 PM
In a new report, we learn that researchers found a way to "cure" rabies in some animals by "opening" the blood-brain barrier:

QUOTE: ...They found that by opening the central nervous system’s (CNS) protective blood-brain barrier, powerful infection fighting substances can swarm in, essentially driving off the invading virus....

The researchers thought that if some rabies-infected PLSJL mice died because the virus overwhelms the immune system T and B cells already in the brain and CNS, then opening the barrier even more would enable more immune cells to reach CNS tissue and fight the virus. They subsequently gave animals experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE), which causes an inflammatory response and the barrier to open. As a result, a higher percentage of animals survived the infection.

“In the future, one of the things we want to do is tone down the inflammatory response caused by EAE and minimize the pathogenesis, yet deliver immune cells to the CNS,�?says Dr. Hooper, who is also associate director of Jefferson’s Center for Neurovirology. “The trick to survival might be to open the barrier and deliver effectors to the CNS... UNQUOTE.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070904164525.htm

I cite this because it is typical of "modern medicine," that is, many researchers are trying to do things that the body would never do on its own, due to the potential danger involved. While it's certainly true that if someone has AA in their cells and comes down with rabies, this type of approach may be the only good attempt at saving the person's life, most people could be helped by teaching them about the dangers of having AA in their cells, and how to safely get it out.

First  Previous  2-4 of 4  Next  Last 
Return to General