evolutionary medicine vs addiction, inflammation, & oxidative stress

(A letter to a functional medicine practitioner):

I value specific goals that are measurable. Over time, the priorities of the goals WILL change as each new goal is attained and a new goal rises in to the spotlight. Overall, our target is optimal health, not just “treating” for an isolated remedial recovery.

Infected ingrown toenail showing the characteristic redness and swelling associated with acute inflammation (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In my reading, the subject of inflammation has seemed interesting, especially as an INDICATION of stress. The migraines and so many other symptoms are all forms of what can be called localized inflammation (or auto-immune distress). Generally, we know that in a healthy person, inflammation stimulates pain signals. So, reducing inflammation reduces pain.

English: Post waxing inflammation of a males torso (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What causes inflammation? First, inflammation itself is a not disease or a demon that possesses people, like “gastritis” or “gastralgia” or “humanitis.” That is the  voodoo witchcraft of mainstream remedial practitioners who are not relating to physiology from deep roots of comprehension.

Inflammation is simply a biochemical effect. In fact, inflammation appears to be a less technical word for “oxidative stress.”

Once we are clear on how WE have been causing inflammation, we can ask “how can the production of inflammation be decreased/ reduced?” (For instance, if we find that H. Pylori populations are high, then why? Are we throwing wood and gasoline on to a fire while trying to turn up the air conditioner in a desperate panic to reduce the heat?)

English: Photograph of typical, mild dermatitis (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The most startling thing I have read about inflammation is in the grounding literature, which I will get to in a moment. First, inflammation can be from “injury,” like in the case of sunburn (or exposure to intense radiation, a lightning strike, etc). Other “injuries” can be high-carb diets which are fuel for the burning of fires (pathogenic fires), as well as from other toxins and medications like hormone-based birth control pills (if I understand correctly).

English: Taken by me, no usage restrictions. Image for tonsillitis page which does not have a photo yet. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Because of “environmental stress,” resources that would be used to heal inflamed (injured/stressed) tissue may be redirected elsewhere. So, stress (like loud noises and a new marriage) can worsen inflammation (or slow the healing of it). Biochemically, cortisol seems to PRODUCE stress, and that is why light exposure at night is such a factor in sleep/insomnia.

On a biochemical level, when there are available electrons, there is no inflammation. Anti-oxidants are “anti-inflammatory” because they provide 1 electron at a time, including those consumed in diet (like turmeric or resveratrol) or those that can be produced within the body like glutathione. The CDS we are taking apparently provides 5 electrons per molecule of CD. [Correction: CD is an electron stealer, but a very selective one, which turns out to have some very favorable results, which are especially well-documented for children experiencing the symptoms labeled autism.]

Even better, grounding to the earth provides a constant current of electrons from the earth. That’s not an electron converted from fat or carbohydrates through “expensive” metabolic processes. That is just a freely available electron.

The use of grounding relieves local inflammation and, with sufficient hydration to allow the electrons to move throughout the body, relieves inflammation anywhere in the body. That is the big deal about grounding. Even someone with a good diet will typically produce some systemic inflammation unless they do what humans have done for millions of years and at least occasionally make an electromagnetic connection directly with the earth.

An infant with mild blepharitis (inflamed eyelids) on his right side (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

However, all of that still does not address the question of how we have been producing so much inflammation. What I have read recently on “SIBO” (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) is that eating carbs is what feeds the bacteria at the top of the small intestine. Thus, people that MIGHT have a SIBO situation can STOP eating carbohydrates for a few days (for instance) as an experiment.

I also remember reading a long time ago that eating carbs floods the blood with glucose, so then insulin is flooded in to protect the tissues from the toxicity of so much glucose (like the one Halloween when I ate so much candy that I got sick, had intense pain, and eventually threw up… to my great relief). Then, what I did not know is that the body dumps adrenalin in to the blood to clear out the insulin. THAT is apparently “sugar high” from eating carbs, which is not a high from sugar at all, but from adrenalin.

So, I am getting more related to the issue of hormones. However, I am clear that I do not know much about them. What I have read in the last few days about birth control pills (and alternative methods of contraception) seems quite simple. Clearly, birth control pills are not part of a paleo/evolutionary protocol.

Electron micrograph of H. pylori possessing multiple flagella (negative staining) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But parasites have been around a long time. In studying the cures of autism (and malaria) relating to the cleansing of parasites, I also read a list of symptoms of parasitic infection that is extremely consistent with my wife’s list of symptoms.

Parasites are the one situation that does generally correspond to the “demonic possession” model so popular in remedial medicine (of “having rickets” rather than “not having sufficient access to an important hormone called Vitamin D“). By the way, I did not know that Vitamin D was a hormone until the last few months. Anyway, I’m concerned about parasites because I’ve seen the pictures and videos about kids who totally recovered from regressive autism (and all of the neurological inflammation and dysfunction) through a protocol to (1) stop feeding the parasites and (2) remove them slowly, because of the potential toxicity of removing them too fast (“die off/herxheimer effects”).Again, I also have an “evolutionary medicine” perspective, so I respect that humans evolved with parasites. There could be symbiotic interactions. I respect the very clear VALUE of having SOME presence of parasites, like in Helminthic therapy, which I had never heard of until last week when I was researching online. I addressed that here: https://jrfibonacci.wordpress.com/2013/12/08/making-peace-with-demonic-possession-by-symbiotic-parasites/

Foot deformed by inflammation of the joints (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By the way, I have not seen my wife drink coffee in weeks. Drinking coffee was one of the practices that, according to our reading, was connected to some symptoms that she would like to stop producing. She stopped eating eggs and dairy and corn. Why? They were identified as potential sources of inflammation (oxidative stress).

It is appropriate to think in terms of addictions. People may be addicted to aspartame, gluten, grains, dairy, coffee, and even birth control pills (as in an emotional dependency rationalized by a concern for a very heavy detox/menstruation). These addictions are stressful to maintain and can be stressful to interrupt.

So, it is valuable to have someone involved who is familiar with typical sequences in the interrupting of addictive habits. Detox/withdrawal symptoms may be monitored and slowed down (or perhaps even sped up).

In closing, we are dealing with CHRONIC inflamed oxidative stress, which I will give the diagnostic label “oxygenitis.”
That means inflammation of the oxygen (AKA combustion, burning, irritation, dehydration, heat, fever, rash, redness, etc…).

That oxygenitis is the product of specific actions. We do not have to stop all of the actions that produce SOME oxygenitis if we are just trying to reduce the oxygenitis to a moderate level. Or, we could stop the various creative actions to make oxygenitis all at once. Of course, we could only stop a few of the reliable ways to create oxygenitis and then see how that goes.

However, in severe cases of chronicoxygenitis, it is good to know lots of possible causal actions, stop them all, and then, once a SPECIFIC set of targets has been reached (such as HS-CRP below 4) we can begin re-introducing one or two of theoxygenitis-causing behaviors in moderation to assess the optimal long-term practices. That is my plan generally.I know that I can look here to find support for this:
http://www.jackkruse.com/jackkruse-com-practitioner-directory/
I also think that this is a great opportunity for our current doctor to move towards being on that list (which is a rather short list so far of exactly one physician).

Helicobacter pylori bacteria (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Tags: evolutionary medicine, Inflammation, oxidative stress, Stress