pro-inflammatory cytokines

There is a lot to be gained from suppressing inflammation, especially when it affects the brain. I saw some astonishing recoveries in the 1980s and 90s, removing inflammatory foods from the diets of kids with autism. I was one of the leading pioneers, worldwide, in treating autism holistically. Here’s a completely novel way to suppress brain inflammation is autistics! Deliberate infections with parasitic worms! Last year a case was published in The Scientist (Feb 2011) of a father’s search for a cure for his autistic son, Lawrence, which led him to the “helminth therapy”, or the deliberate infection of the patient with worms; in this case Trichuris suis, the pig whipworm. No question the patient, Lawrence Johnson, was in a bad way. By his teenage years, he had veered into the dangerous realm of self abuse. He smashed his head against the wall dozens of times a day. He bit himself until he bled. He gouged at his eyes and tore at his face. A normal school experience was virtually impossible. He couldn’t walk a single block from the family’s Brooklyn brownstone without kicking and screaming when a traffic light changed at the wrong moment or streets were crossed in an unacceptable order. Over the years, the Johnsons tried several treatments to curb Lawrence’s violent and disruptive outbreaks, including every pharmaceutical that could potentially treat his problems—antiseizure medications, serotonin-reuptake inhibitors, atypical antipsychotics, lithium, and others in various combinations. At best these heavy medications offered momentary reprieves from what the Johnsons called Lawrence’s “freak outs.” But any improvements in the boy’s behavior were usually short-lived. [http://the-scientist.com/2011/02/01/opening-a-can-of-worms/ accessed 1/22/2012 2.38 pm PST]

There is a lot to be gained from suppressing inflammation, especially when it affects the brain. I saw some astonishing recoveries in the 1980s and 90s, removing inflammatory foods from the diets of kids with autism. I was one of the leading pioneers, worldwide, in treating autism holistically. Here’s a completely novel way to suppress brain inflammation is autistics! Deliberate infections with parasitic worms! Last year a case was published in The Scientist (Feb 2011) of a father’s search for a cure for his autistic son, Lawrence, which led him to the “helminth therapy”, or the deliberate infection of the patient with worms; in this case Trichuris suis, the pig whipworm. No question the patient, Lawrence Johnson, was in a bad way. By his teenage years, he had veered into the dangerous realm of self abuse. He smashed his head against the wall dozens of times a day. He bit himself until he bled. He gouged at his eyes and tore at his face. A normal school experience was virtually impossible. He couldn’t walk a single block from the family’s Brooklyn brownstone without kicking and screaming when a traffic light changed at the wrong moment or streets were crossed in an unacceptable order. Over the years, the Johnsons tried several treatments to curb Lawrence’s violent and disruptive outbreaks, including every pharmaceutical that could potentially treat his problems—antiseizure medications, serotonin-reuptake inhibitors, atypical antipsychotics, lithium, and others in various combinations. At best these heavy medications offered momentary reprieves from what the Johnsons called Lawrence’s “freak outs.” But any improvements in the boy’s behavior were usually short-lived. [http://the-scientist.com/2011/02/01/opening-a-can-of-worms/ accessed 1/22/2012 2.38 pm PST]

You won’t need telling what probiotics are. But it is always helpful to be reminded how powerful they can be. Hippocrates said “all diseases begin in the gut.” He was not wrong. We now know that inflammation from the intestinal tract is a major factor in almost all ill health. We also know that inflammation is probably the number one aging factor. Forget telomeres: they can be rebuilt (good science on that). But inflammation damages and ages tissues rapidly and permanently. Think of arthritis, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). These are all inflammatory diseases. Even cancer has an inflammatory element. These are also the diseases typical of aging. So anything which helps quench inflammation is a good thing, right? Back to the probiotics story…

You won’t need telling what probiotics are. But it is always helpful to be reminded how powerful they can be. Hippocrates said “all diseases begin in the gut.” He was not wrong. We now know that inflammation from the intestinal tract is a major factor in almost all ill health. We also know that inflammation is probably the number one aging factor. Forget telomeres: they can be rebuilt (good science on that). But inflammation damages and ages tissues rapidly and permanently. Think of arthritis, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). These are all inflammatory diseases. Even cancer has an inflammatory element. These are also the diseases typical of aging. So anything which helps quench inflammation is a good thing, right? Back to the probiotics story…