Biofilm wars

 Biofilm wars - from one end to the other (a doctor’s trained perspective).  Whooooops!

 In health, we host a diverse symbiotic biofilm that partners with us so that together we become a colonial organism and form a single cooperative immune system. 

 Do you really want to clumsily attack your entire biofilm with antibiotics (your most intimate partner and protector) to fight a local problem?  For most apparent infections, a safer point of view supports changing the environment and instead of suffering the ‘friendly fire’ of a war, start a subtle skirmish between hosted microorganisms!

The germ theory of disease (where the environment is little considered) is theoretically the most important contribution from microbiology and Western medicine to society’s general welfare, perhaps the most significant gift from modern science.  Killing germs almost defines the current Western dominant perspective on health with the emphasis on sanitation and invention of Pasteurization and antimicrobials as well as the supposed protection offered by vaccines.

 The emergence of the ‘hygiene hypothesis’ tells us that we have been overly fearful and gone too far with the killing (antimicrobials, antibiotics, pesticides and herbicides or vaccines).  Although our attitude and environment are primary influences on health, big Pharma and vaccine makers have influenced publicity (even outcomes) as well as governmental and health agencies; creating modern myths that scientific pharmaceuticals are effective and vaccines eradicate disease.

Dr. Eli Jones wrote "Cancer Drops" a century ago.  His theory was that certain treatments cause problems that would normally be acute to become chronic.  He observed that people who had been vaccinated, usually only for smallpox, had deeper levels of infection than those who had not been vaccinated.  Officially, smallpox has been eradicated.  However, when modern medicine claims a cure, new cases are given different names.  For example, polio might be called meningitis.

 Looking back, the widespread use of pesticides like dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and heptachlor after World War II exacerbated outbreaks of viral disease.  Polio became a nerve problem after the 1940s, when chemical companies began to produce large amounts of DDT, heptachlor, dieldrin, tetraethyl pyrophosphate (TEPP), malathion, benzene hexachloride (BHC) and other nerve damaging organophosphate pesticides for general use.  Before that, polio did not present a public health problem and was not nearly as virulent or problematic.

 Yeasts and bacteria float and help form the clouds; the very air we breathe is full of them and they are in the food we eat (one third of the diet of primitive man was likely microorganisms).  Most are beneficial.  With us as host, some cooperative types (that can morph due to attracted viruses) take up communal residence and invite others that help to create a complex intimate invisible sentient being (and its awareness is an integral part of our consciousness). 

 Biofilm markedly supports and extends our human ‘layered’ genetic capacity for survival adaptability.  The environment of the initial encounter between a microbe (with its viruses) and its host (with its accompanying biofilm) dictates the direction of the interaction, symbiotic or parasitic.

 Biofilm is mostly friendly bacteria (along with many viruses and assorted yeasts as well as occasional parasites) that colonize us; biofilm partners with our cells and help form the entrance, exit and linings of the intestines, respiratory tract and urinary system, out-competing potentially harmful microbes, providing and contributing to host immune defense, hydration, digestion and assimilation.

A healthy gut is a multi-species society: it is the cooperative product of the human immune system and trillions of microbiological cells from many species.  An unhealthy gut is usually because of a breakdown in collaboration.  Often, it is triggered by displacement of cooperative commensals by pathogens, fungi, viruses and/or protozoa (parasites).  This is why a course of antibiotics or too vigorous a killing of commensal bacteria is often the prelude to bowel ailments.

The death toll from infectious diseases in general (the same infections that were going to be eradicated by antibiotics) is back again.  Hospital-acquired resistant infections, by conservative estimates, are the fourth leading cause of death in the US.  Originally limited to patients in hospitals (the primary breeding ground for resistant bacteria), by the 1970s such strains had begun appearing outside hospitals.  Now resistance is common throughout the world.

It is clear that antibiotics are not going to be used any less and in fact they are being used at far greater rates than they were 15 years ago.  The human species has never really been known for doing the sensible thing before it is too late.  We will stop using antibiotics only when they truly fail to work.  And even then most who believe in Western science will still try antibiotic therapy and medicine’s flawed approach to bacterial disease.

 Virulent microbes are relatively few in an environment conducive to our survival.  Viruses, bacteria, yeasts and parasites are our simplistic categorization.  Microorganisms have their own survival strategies and potentially wreak havoc when they opportunistically invade our biofilm-integrated borders.

 Plants and friendly microorganisms make a varied arsenal of substances (antibiotics are just one that is patentable), which fight stress and virulent microbes.  Some of these phytochemicals send quorum-sensing signals, which tend to stop (or slow) the formation of harmful biofilms (thus making potential pathogens into harmless targets for our roving white blood cells). 

 Providing our commensal biofilm (we are a human brain-driven bacterial composting system) with water, soluble and insoluble fiber by eating lots of fruits and vegetables, with their assorted phytochemicals along with some of their dirt and microorganisms seems to make both of us happiest and offers the best protection against diarrhea.

 Blueberry, raspberry, cranberry, blackberry and strawberry extracts were effective as quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs).  Common herbs such as oregano, basil, rosemary and thyme were also effective. Turmeric, ginger and kale also contain QSIs.  N-acetylcysteine (NAC) can destroy or inhibit biofilms.  NAC also increases glutathione production reducing our inflammatory response and extra mucus production.

 Synergistic herbs increase the activity of other herbs. These three will boost inactive resistant bacteria mechanisms, increase the presence of antibacterial agents in the body and enhance immune function: Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra and G. uralensis), Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and Black pepper (Piper nigrum and P. longum).

 Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a synergistic herb used for colds and flu, nausea and poor circulation. Benefit from this culinary herb by taking the fresh juice of the root as a hot tea (its most potent form). However you use it, ginger root is the active portion of the plant.

 Geographic patterns exist in spice usage.  Local herbs and spices are antibiotics against local human pathogenic bacteria, but other combinations aren't always effective.  It seems that our traditional cuisine was optimized for dining safety.  Spices are natural antibiotics.

 People with healthy gut flora can subsist on very little without deficiency.  Biofilm genetics are complex allowing bacteria synergistically living together to be very resourceful and adaptable.  As a group, they can metabolically compost our food as well as derive nutrition from us or the air.  Necessary nutrients are produced by and can be obtained from biofilms intimately growing in and coating our gut lining.

 Friendly flora enhancing foods are alfalfa, greens, kefir, miso, sauerkraut, wheatgrass, kefir and yogurt. Eat mostly fresh vegetables or give your digestive system a rest by not eating for a time (stronger beneficial microorganism types survive) so that your body can put its energy into combating parasites.  Not eating also deprives the parasite of some of the food it needs for energy and growth.

 An excellent home remedy includes the three main ingredients of garlic, apple cider vinegar and honey (8 cloves of fresh garlic, 1 cup of unfiltered, unpasteurized organic apple cider vinegar, 1 cup  of raw, unpasteurized honey).  One can add ginger (1-2 inches) in the blender with the garlic and/or some cayenne pepper.  Typical dosage is 2 tsp in a glass of water, daily, first thing in the morning.  The mixture is very strong, and best diluted.

 When you drink a fermented beverage or eat cultured vegetables, you are sending strong and well-equipped beneficial microbes into your digestive tract.  A probiotic diet, rather than a probiotic pill, is stronger in rebuilding the biofilm and restoring immunity.

 Probiotic supplements do help.  Most yogurts on the market are pasteurized after they have been fermented, which kills all bacteria (kefir generally has more live cultures).  Instead, try fermented beverages and cultured vegetables that will support your biofilm with strong, beneficial bacteria. Fermented foods will also increase the nutritional value of your food, support detoxification, and flush harmful chemicals out of your body.

 Biofilms are complex communities of many different cooperative viruses, bacteria, fungi and are likely to be farmed by parasites (some beneficial, some pathologic, and all send false signals to our immune system).  Microorganisms synthesize polysaccharides in which they and other life forms become embedded.  Biofilms metabolize our food and release nutrients that are taken up by intestinal cells and symbiotically provide for the host.

 The chemical signals used in quorum sensing and biofilm maintenance are often vitamins.  Our intestines exploit the presence of biofilms and their vitamin secretions.  Vertebrates need not synthesize vitamins, because they are always produced by gut biofilms as an essential function.  Confusingly, our genetic production of ‘necessary’ nutrients adapts and diminishes if they are easily accessible in the environment or supplied by our biofilm.

 Bidirectional brain-gut interactions regulate host function in both healthy and diseased states.  The enteric flora (including both commensal and potentially pathogenic organisms) plays an important role in these interactions.

 The brain influences commensal organisms in the biofilm (enteric microbiota) indirectly, via changes in gut motility and secretion and permeability; or directly, via signaling molecules from the lamina propria (enterochromaffin cells, neurons and immune cells which may migrate, produce cytokines or selectively phagocytize).

 Communication from biofilm to the host occurs via multiple mechanisms (and influences the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic dominance in the autonomic nervous system), including epithelial-cell, receptor-mediated signaling and, when intestinal permeability is increased, through direct stimulation of host cells.

 Enterochromaffin cells are important bidirectional transducers that regulate communication between the gut and the nervous system.  Vagal, afferent innervation of enterochromaffin cells provides a direct pathway for enterochromaffin-cell signaling to neuronal circuits, which are important in pain and immune-response modulation, control of background emotions (mood) and homeostasis.

 Disruption of the bidirectional interactions between the enteric biofilm and the nervous system is involved in the development of acute and chronic GI disease states, including appetite as well as functional and inflammatory bowel disorders.

 Acidic polysaccharides are produced by bacteria and divalent cations cross-link the polysaccharides into a matrix.  The bacteria have agglutinins to attach to the matrix.  Gut pathogens produce agglutinins that they use to attach to heparan sulfate (HS), the major acid polysaccharide of the intestinal epithelium.

 Mast cells of the intestines normally release heparin, which is a mixture of HS fragments, to stick to the agglutinins and block attachment to the HS of the epithelium.  Many bacterial species form complex communities on the polysaccharide matrix which prevents access by antibiotics.  Biofilms are not planktonic bacterial cells growing on an artificial substrate, but much more complex and thus require 100X the antibiotic concentrations and a cocktail of different antibiotics to eradicate the bacteria.

 The Achilles’ heal of biofilms is the ionic interaction between the acidic polysaccharide and divalent cations.  This interaction can be attacked by both small fragments of similar acid oligosaccharides, by organic acids that can solubilize the cations, e.g. acidic acid in vinegar, or by chelators, such as EDTA or chlorophyll.  These treatments can remove the calcium, magnesium and iron that strengtens the matrix.

 Small molecules, such as glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate fragments, heparin and pectin, can disrupt biofilms.  Molecules that bind to heparin or nucleic acids, e.g. berberine, quinine (tonic), methylene blue are effective in disrupting biofilms. [The similarity between amyloid production and biofilms means that treatments are analogous.] Lactoferrin works because it both binds iron and acidic polysaccharides via its heparin-binding domains.

 Resident gut bacteria that produce organic acids, e.g. lactic acid or acetic acid, provide protection against pathogenic biofilm.   Examples are the bacteria present in common forms of fermentation and food preservation, e.g. Lactobacillus sp., and the bacterium present in exclusively breastfed babies, Bifidobacter sp.  Formula-fed babies rapidly develop inflammatory biofilms, which explains their high rates of intestinal and respiratory diseases, as well as increased inflammatory diseases.

 Haemophilus ducreyi is the bacteria linked to Chancroid, a sexually transmitted genital ulcerative disease.  Some females exposed to H. ducreyi undergo rapid recovery or remain asymptomatic.  The dominant bacterial genus of vaginal biofilm is Lactobacillus, which is not typically present on male genitalia.  Common Lactobacillus byproducts, hydrogen peroxide and lactic acid, as well as spent supernatant of two Lactobacillus isolates were tested on two strains of H. ducreyi.  Relatively low amounts of hydrogen peroxide and lactic acid produced by Lactobacillus proved lethal to both strains of H. ducreyi.

 Attacks on parasitic gut biofilms with relatively non-intrusive treatments, such as vinegar, EDTA or chlorophyll, lactoferrin (in whey) and proteases (amylases),tends to lower the total resident pathogen load and make subsequent antibacterial treatment more effective.

 Most plants provide antimicrobial effects.  Selected for us through the ages are our common fresh fruits and vegetables as well as culinary herbs and spices, such as garlic, basil, ginger, thyme and cinnamon.  That means you can find an herbal ally at the local store.  From the medical perspective, antibiotics can sometimes save lives.  However, herbs produce fewer side effects and rarely cause antibiotic resistance.

 When you take antibiotics, beneficial bacteria are decimated along with the pathogenic ones (except for the survivors), thereby upsetting biofilm balance.  As a result, yeasts tend to grow unchecked into large colonies and take over.  Using their tendrils (hyphae), yeast can literally poke holes through the gut.  With yeast overgrowth and poor barrier function, you become susceptible to many health problems.

 Besides their many well-known side effects, macrolides are proarrhythmic (erythromycin and clarithromycin).  These antibiotics actually increase risk to cardiovascular death.  Risk is greater with azithromycin than with ciprofloxacin, while levofloxacin and clarithromycin are similar (about 2½ times more than amoxicillin).

 Use of any antibiotic (a response to pathogenic biofilm that further disrupts beneficial biofilm) significantly increases the chances of being diagnosed with cancer the following year.   Healthy bacteria help form our immune system -- or they did until we took antibiotics because antibiotics regularly kill our healthy bacteria.  And that can set us up for numerous problems down the road.

 Antibiotics are indiscriminate bactericides, meaning they kill bacteria, both good and bad, and that causes many of the immediate and long-term side effects, as disrupting your biofilm is dismantling your primary ally and has a negative effect on immunity.  Why not do a fiber-based colon cleanse?  Besides herbs, pepita seeds, soaked seeds (chia, flax, sesame), psyllium (plantago) and broccoli stems promote and bulk bowel movements.  One can try digestive advantage "chronic constipation" pills, which contain yam fiber and probiotics.

 Advantages of consuming fiber are largely provided by one’s biofilm and include the production of healthful compounds during the fermentation of soluble fiber, and insoluble fiber's ability to increase bulk, soften stool and shorten transit time.  A diet high in fiber has the potential for significant intestinal gas production and bloating.  Constipation can also occur if insufficient fluid accompanies a lot of fiber.

 Psyllium can be a severe allergen for some (maybe it is the pesticides).  Psyllium also demands a large amount of water with it for it to be properly digested.  Oat bran contains about five grams of fiber per third cup, whereas psyllium provides more than 10 times the fiber.  Rolled oats contain soluble fiber which also provides beta-glucan, not contained by psyllium.  A single cup of legumes (soaked and simmered) provides about 2/3 the daily goal for fiber.

 The large intestine is where additional nutrient absorption occurs through fermentation of undigested food.  Fermentation occurs by the action of colonic bacteria on the fibrous food mass, producing gases and short-chain fatty acids.   

 Shorter-chain carbohydrates (a type of fiber found in plants) cannot be digested by host enzymes, but are changed via bacterial fermentation (mostly in the proximal colon) into short-chain fatty acids and gases (which may serve as gasotransmitters and are typically expelled under partial autonomic control as flatulence).  It is these short-chain fatty acids—butyric, acetic (ethanoic), propioniic and valeric acids—that are important nutrients (and act as hormesis-inducing histone deacetylase inhibitors).

The greatest societal danger posed by antibiotics does not come from prescribed antibiotics, but rather from the food you eat.  Antibiotics and pesticides found in both conventionally-grown meats and vegetables have the potential to throw off intestinal balance and create subsequent immune system dysfunction.   Arsenic is used in chicken feed.  Arsenic both kills bugs in the feed and hormetically promotes growth in chickens (although nobody has checked chicken eaters).  Similar promotion of growth with low dose antibiotics in factory farming accounts for 70-84% of our total antibiotic use.

 With antibiotic treatment, around 40% of UTIs recur in women within six months and up to 50% within one year.  Infections are usually caused by the same bacteria.  People can and do have two or three infections going on at the same time.  Since antibiotics don’t change ecology, antibiotics only suppress bacterial infection temporarily.

Since 2002, we have known of the existence of the drug-resistant superbug CC5.  So far, a dozen cases have been reported.  The superbug is very good at picking up resistance genes, which includes the one that makes it resistant to vancomycin, the last-line antibiotic used against hospital-acquired MRSA.

Mayo Clinic has noted that 96% of chronic sinus infections and URTis are fungal (they see mostly those medically-managed with antibiotics).

 Antibiotics tend to worsen things, since they are designed to kill yeast’s primary competitor, bacteria.   Probably, the reason that ‘too much’ refined sugar and processed foods are linked with poor health is that those are yeast’s favorite foods and the beneficial bacteria don’t thrive, so that their relative populations become topsy-turvy.

The beneficial yeast saccharomyces boulardii relieves many chronic sinus infections and URTs (as well as much digestive difficulty).  This microorganism grows easily and survives antibiotics while it eats harmful yeast like candida and pathogenic bacteria like clostridia difficlcle (that can cause killer diarrhea).  This yeast then dies out easily, allowing bacteria to maintain ascendancy.

C. difficile is the cause a spectrum of diarrheal illness, from mild self limiting diarrhea through pseudomembranous colitis to toxic megacolon and death.  It elaborates toxins while overgrowing other colonic flora after surviving antibiotic therapy.  All antibiotics are capable of causing this problem with broad-spectrum cephalosporins and clindamycin being most associated.

 Diagnosis centers on the toxin in stool samples from patients who recently had antibiotic therapy.  The finding of the organism is of little diagnostic help as it may only reflect colonization, which is common.  Spread of C. difficile among hospital patients is a problem and with the intense antibiotic use of modern medical care, outbreaks frequently occur.  This is a common infection and one of the reasons for prudent prescription of antibiotics.

 Escherichia coli and salmonella typhimurium, two pathogenic bacteria often linked with acute infectious diarrhea, strongly adhere to mannose identifiers on cell membranes or the surface of S. boulardii via lectin receptors (bacteria as well as inflammatory cells both use this sugar-glue for attachment).

 Dietary alcohol sugars as well as lectins in many foods can compete for attachment and bind bacteria as well as slow mannose-receptor induced inflammatory response.  Once the invading microbe binds to supplemented sugar (or food lectins or glucosamine) it won’t attach to your cells and tends to be easily washed away.

 Phagocytic cells (gobblers) evolved long before the complex immune reactions of higher vertebrates. Vertebrate white blood cells are not unique in their ability to farm our biofilm and consume pathogens through phagocytosis. This ability is possessed by many microorganisms, such as parasitic amoeba.  All animals possess amoeba-like cells (similar to white blood cells which perform phagocytosis) which float in the fluid around body cells.  However, the body will not make new immune cells without ingesting a sustaining breakfast with enough protein early in the day.

 Encourage the microscopic world to do the fight for you.  Lymphocytes handle most bacterial and viral infections.  Assist supplemented probiotics with fruit and vegetable fiber and fermented foods (like unpasteurized pickles, sauerkraut or kefir) as well as beneficial bacteria (like acidophilus).  Fermented foods are both potent chelators (detoxifiers) and contain many more beneficial microorganisms than probiotic supplements, making fermented foods ideal for maintaining optimal gut flora.

Many shelter dogs develop acute stress colitis from the shock of being abandoned and then relegated to a kennel in unfamiliar surroundings.  The usual treatment for stress colitis in shelter dogs includes anti-parasitic drugs and antibiotics.  Dogs received either a probiotic or metronidazole to treat shelter diarrhea.  Some dogs treated with metronidazole were unresponsive.  They were then given probiotics.

The fecal scores of all three groups of dogs improved significantly, even when the antibiotics were not effective.  Even dogs infected with parasites showed much improvement at the end of treatment.

If you have not eaten fermented foods for a while, a large portion may provoke a healing crisis (when probiotics kill many pathogens).  When pathogens die, they often release potent toxins.  Start gradually with fermented foods, beginning with as little as one teaspoon of unpasteurized sauerkraut with one meal.  Observe your reactions for a day or so before proceeding with another small portion.

 Because antibiotic drugs indiscriminately kill the good with the bad, they are an inherently a clumsy tool.  Yarrow (an anti-infective herb) is a favored antiseptic.  Echinacea, the purple cone flower, makes a tincture that is safe to use liberally hourly if infected.  Dandelion, burdock, astragalus, aloe, plantain and many others extend Nature’s arsenal against pathogens.

 Neanderthals ate cooked plant food that was high in starch and perhaps also nuts, grasses and green vegetables.  Tooth scrapings from primitive man contained azulenes and coumarins (found in yarrow and chamomile), two types of herbal remedies.  Chimpanzees and other animals chew on non-nutritive plants that have medical effects.  These herbs are bitter, so they must have been selected for reasons other than taste.

 Yarrow is an astringent that's long been used to cleanse wounds when used externally, or counter internal bleeding when ingested.  Chamomile is best-known today as a soothing tea, but that's because it has a settling effect on colds, headaches, intestinal distress and menstrual cramping.  Both plants have anti-inflammatory properties.

 Dried herbs in capsules are the least effective physically, the most expensive financially, and the most dangerous way to take herbs (reasons to avoid dried herbs).

 Garlic is more effective than antibiotics in fighting the effects of food poisoning.  Garlic has a potent effect against Campylobacter jejuni, a leading cause of intestinal illness caused by eating undercooked poultry or foods that have been contaminated (the most common bacterial cause of food-borne illness in the world).  Although raw garlic or garlic oil can burn, fermented garlic barely smells and is both powerful and safe, Kyolic is available worldwide.

 Other killers (to be used in moderation) are colloidal silver, iodine, magnesium chloride, old man's beard (a type of lichen), burdock flowers, goldenseal, coconut oil and oil of oregano.

 The effects of garlic’s diallyl sulfide and the antibiotics ciprofloxacin and erythromycin were compared on biofilms (a thousand times more resistant to antibiotics than cultured bacterial cells) formed by Campylobacter jejuni.  Cell death following diallyl sulfide occurred at a concentration of resveratrol (a hormetic phytoalexin) that was 100-fold less than either antibiotic, and often worked faster!

 Mustard oils derived from horseradish root and the nasturtium herb can be used as treatment for UTI.  Cruciferous vegetables have it all: vitamins, fiber and disease-fighting phytochemicals.

Grape seed extract may also effectively treat UTI and other infections.  Grape seed extract promotes activity to fight pathogenic bacteria. Grape seed extract also acts as an antifungal and antiviral. One takes 100mg capsules or 5-10 drops of liquid grape seed extract three times a day to treat infections.

Antibiotics are but a single patentable weapon.  Nature uses multiple ways to control pests.  The anti-infective properties of each fruit, vegetable, spice or herb tends to be improved by their synergism.   Golden seal can do more harm to gut flora and the liver than many antibiotics.  Antibiotic use is known to disrupt gut flora and produce vitamin deficiencies.

Multidrug resistance pumps (MDRs) protect microbial cells (or tumors undergoing chemotherapy) from both synthetic and natural antimicrobials.  Amphipathic cations are preferred substrates of MDRs.  Berberine alkaloids, which are cationic antimicrobials produced by a variety of plants, are readily extruded by MDRs.  Berberine has a strong yellow color; under UV light it shows a strong yellow fluorescence.

 Berberine suppresses proinflammatory cytokines, E-selectin and genes, and increases expression of adiponectin which partly explains its versatility. Berberine is a nucleic acid-binding isoquinolone alkaloid with wide therapeutic properties.  Berberine can effectively reduce intracellular superoxide levels in LPS-stimulated macrophages.  Such a restoration of cellular redox by berberine is mediated by its selective inhibition of gp91phox expression and enhancement of SOD activity.

As a traditional medicine (or dietary supplement), berberine works against fungal infections, yeast, parasites (entamoeba histolytica, giardia lamblia and plasmodium) and bacterial/viral infections.  Berberine exerts synergistic effects with fluconazole even in drug-resistant Candida overgrowth.

 Some plants that make berberine synthesize an inhibitor of the NorA MDR pump of a pathogenic Staph.  The inhibitor 5'-methoxyhydnocarpin (5'-MHC) is a minor part of chaulmoogra oil, a traditional leprosy therapy.  5'-MHC is an amphipathic weak acid and is very different from the cationic substrates of NorA.

5'-MHC has no antimicrobial activity by itself but strongly potentiates the action of berberine and other NorA substrates against S. aureus and microcystis aeruginosa, a toxic cyanobacterium.  MDR-dependent efflux (pump driven) of ethidium bromide and berberine from S. aureus is stopped by 5'-MHC.

Evaluate your biofilm

An ideal bowel movement is medium brown, the color of plain cardboard.  It leaves the body easily with no straining or discomfort, with the consistency of toothpaste, and is about 4-8 inches long.  Stool will ideally enter the water smoothly and slowly fall in the water.  Proper feces produces little gas or odor.

About 50-75% of feces is water.  Water is absorbed as a joint effort of bacteria and our cells out of fecal material as it passes through the large intestine.  The longer you take to "go," the drier your poop will be.  The stool is mostly comprised of dead bacteria that helped digest our food as well as living bacteria, protein, undigested fiber, waste material from food, cellular linings, fats, cholesterol, salts, protein as well as substances released from the liver and the intestines (such as mucus).

Herbs can promote intestinal health, especially those with laxative, restorative and soothing properties, such as plantain seed, marshmallow root and fennel.  Plantain seeds, commonly called psyllium, are used as a laxative due to high mucilage.  Marshmallow root also contains mucilage, but it is milder.  Fennel is carminative (eases flatulence) and lessens colic in the intestines, due to its volatile oils.

Aloe vera resolves many chronic digestive disorders.  The internal of this leaf is very beneficial for indigestion, leaky gut and ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.  Aloe is a strong anti-inflammatory.  Aloe (the outer leaf contains emodin which vigorously encourages peristalsis) is also safer than cascara or senna for constipation relief because it is less likely to cause dehydration.

Because of turmeric, bile is more efficiently excreted, promoting proper digestion of fats.  Turmeric has anti-inflammatory action and offers special benefit to those suffering from colitis and irritable bowel.

 Digestive health is also promoted with turmeric’s close relative, ginger.  Ginger is commonly used for nausea relief.  If you have cramps because of constipation, think parasites and try ginger.  A use for this spicy herb is for the dissolution of harmful parasites and their eggs.

 Since parasite infestation is so common and rarely detected, a seasonal herbal detoxification program including a parasite formula and colon cleanser that promotes proper elimination is recommended.

Many culinary spices help preserve food due to their antimicrobial effects.  For instance, the two main species of cinnamon both have antibacterial and antihelminthic (anti-worm) effects.  Other culinary spices and herbs that also help include clove, nutmeg, chili peppers (including cayenne), horse radish, cumin and tamarind.

 Several mints counter infection.  Mints owe their characteristic tastes, smells, and medicinal effects to their essential oils, some of which are antimicrobial.  Examples include thyme, sage, oregano, rosemary, basil, lavender, peppermint and spearmint.  Thyme, bee balm and oregano contain the potent antimicrobial thymol.

 Taking vitamins may disrupt normal biofilm formation.  Supplements add to the confusion as the host automatically adjusts and makes less ‘essential nutrients.’

 Get plenty of sleep.  Physiologic irritability and/or negative attitude magnifies our response to stress and resultant stress hormones (along with six-sided sugars) are pathogenic biofilm’s favorite food.  

 Antibiotics, silver, iodine, fluorinated or chlorinated water, too many digestive enzymes, high doses of chelating agents, excessive alcohol sugars, too many refined foods or sugars) do disrupt harmonious gut biofilms and often cause vitamin deficiencies and immune dysfunction.   Biofilm repair is enhanced by ingestion of plant fiber as well as multiple missing bacterial species.

Dressing a wound

 A poultice can draw infection, treat boils and abscesses, relieve inflammation or a rash or simply draw the poison from a bee sting! A poultice is made by mashing herbs, plant material or another substance with warm water or natural oils to make a paste.  The paste can be applied directly to the skin and covered.  A moistened bag of almost any kind of tea makes an excellent poultice.   

 If the herb used is potent such as onion, garlic, ginger or mustard, you may want a layer of thin cloth between the skin and the herb.  The cloth can then be covered with plastic wrap to hold in the moisture.  The poultice can be changed every 3-4 hours or whenever it dries out.

 A compress is used the same way but usually warm liquids are applied to the cloth instead of raw substances.  Tinctures or herbal infusions are great for compresses.  A castor oil pack is an external application of castor oil. A piece of wool flannel is saturated in castor oil and applied to the abdomen with a heating pad. The Cayce readings recommend castor oil packs to improve assimilations, eliminations and circulation (especially of the lymphatic system).

Hikers are often aware of the blood-clotting and antimicrobial benefits of applying yarrow to their cuts. Yarrow may be applied directly, or used in a salve or poultice for cuts and wounds.  Yarrow is also a remedy for cold and early fever, due to its diaphoretic properties.  A tea may be prepared by steeping 1 teaspoon of dried yarrow in 1 cup of boiling water for 10-15 minutes. Drink 3 cups per day.

These three localized herbs treat resistant infections of the GI tract, urinary tract and skin.  Goldenseal is also particularly active against most food poisoning bacteria like E. coli and salmonella: American goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), Juniper (Juniperus spp.), Usnea (Usnea spp.) and Honey (with pollen).

 Honey, table sugar or xylitol can cover a wound and all are antibacterial.   Lactobacillus plantarum is inherently sticky and helps knit and cover wounds.

Oceanzyme is a commercially available gentle cleansing and soothing wound treatment.

Ear pain and/or swelling

 The most common type of ear infection is otitis media (an inflammation/infection of the middle ear).  The middle ear is just behind the eardrum.  The Eustachian tube runs from the middle ear to the throat.  Besides equalizing air pressure, this pipe cleanses and drains fluid from the middle ear.  If blocked (usually by inflammation and thickened mucus), local environment changes to favor pathogenic growth of microorganisms and pressure tends to mount.

 Similar to the protective ring of tonsils, adenoids are two pads of immune tissues high in the back of the throat particularly vulnerable to infection and inflammation.  Because adenoids are located near the opening of the Eustachian tubes, enlargement may block the tubes, contributing to middle ear infection. 

 Reviews (prejudiced in favor of antibiotics) have repeatedly shown that antibiotics are not very useful for most children with acute otitis media.  Garlic is actually quicker and more powerful at fighting ear infections than pharmaceuticals. Quick relief of ear swelling and associated pain often occurs within 30-60 seconds after applying a vibrator to the skull’s mastoid process for just a minute.

Garlic or onion oil (which is simply garlic or onion infused into olive oil) can be warmed and dripped in the ear.  Even more effective is a combination of garlic with mullein flowers and/or St. John's wort flowers.  The garlic oil can also be rubbed around the ear itself and massaged along the side of the neck to aid lymphatic drainage.  Raw garlic or onion can burn.  Even the aroma of aliums is therapeutic.

If you don't have onions or garlic handy, then you probably have some cinnamon.  Sprinkle a little cinnamon into some warm oil and use as ear drops.  Olive oil carrying various essential oils, like lavender, cajeput, tea tree and thyme are all very effective for earaches.

Sore throat

Sore throat responds nicely to chicken soup made with vegetable bouquet, green tea, a chewable vitamin C, a 15-30mg tablet of zinc dissolved on the tongue, honey (with its pollen) mixed with garlic, onion or cinnamon.

Swollen/painful gums (teething) calm down with a moist green tea bag.

Lung congestion: use therapeutic air, carrying the aroma of garlic, onion or mustard.

Vomiting

Emesis is vomiting, which can be beneficial for the body (when it is not done too often).  Some ancient people downed emetics before ritual vomiting as part of purification ceremonies.

 The gut is surrounded by enterochromaffin cells, which release serotonin in response to food, which makes the gut contract.  Platelets in the veins surrounding the gut collect excess serotonin.  If irritants are present in food, the enterochromaffin cells release more serotonin to make the gut move faster (to cause diarrhea), so the gut is emptied of the noxious substance.  If serotonin is released in the blood faster than the platelets can absorb it, the level of serotonin in the blood is increased, which activates 5HT3 receptors that stimulate vomiting.  The enterochromaffin cells not only react to bad food, but they are also very sensitive to irradiation and chemotherapy.

Tummy in uproar

 Diarrhea’s most significant problems occur because of loss of water and electrolytes.  In diarrhea, fluid passes out of the body before it can be absorbed.  When one can’t drink fluids fast enough to compensate for water loss (due to diarrhea), dehydration can result.  Most deaths from diarrhea occur in the very young and elderly who are at more risk to dehydration.

 Raspberry tea reduces fever and calms diarrhea.  A good tonic herb with a rich supply of vitamins and minerals that help build strong bones and general good health.

 Diarrhea is our immune system dealing with an imbalanced biofilm.  Watery stool is caused by increased secretion of fluid into the intestine, reduced absorption of fluid from the intestine or rapid peristalsis.  Diarrhea is one of Nature's defense systems used to help rid the body of toxins and poisons as quickly as possible.    Diarrhea usually goes away by itself, and recovery occurs without any remedies. 

The salivary glands and, the mucous membranes of your mouth, stomach, and liver and pancreas produce liquids which are used to break down food and compost it cooperatively with bacteria and assimilate it using yeast-like techniques.  When diarrhea strikes (it is a sign of stress), the saliva dries up and the digestive process is interrupted.  Diarrhea (like stress) also depletes the body of many minerals.

 Most probiotics contain Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium.  Although actually pleomorphic, these species are specialized for digesting milk; they populate the guts of infants as they start breastfeeding, and are used by the dairy industry to ferment cheeses and yogurt.  These supplements are very effective at fighting acute diarrhea from most food-borne infections.  A fistful of probiotic capsules taken every hour will usually quickly supplant many pathogens and end diarrhea.

However, against more severe bowel diseases (‘itis’s) linked to chronic infections and damaged intestinal mucosa (with associated BBB difficulty and immunity upset), these species alone are often not as helpful.  One issue is that such probiotics provide only a tiny part of a healthful adult microbiome.  Therapeutically, fermented foods carry many different beneficial microorganisms (tiny workers and warriors) and vinegar is their tonic.

 Juniper (Juniperus spp.) is a localized antibacterial that is high in vitamin C.  Its berries and needles are typically used, although its bark, wood and root are also active.  To use, prepare chopped juniper needles as a standard infusion, or eat a small handful of berries.

Slippery elm is used to treat chronic diarrhea, gastritis, peptic and duodenal ulcers, and ulcerative colitis.  Geranium is a traditional remedy for diarrhea (anti-infectious, anti-spasmodic and astringent).

 Taken internally, oak bark stops the acute diarrhea of gastroenteritis.  It is used as a douche and as a hemorrhoid ointment.  Externally a cold compress promotes healing of burns and cuts.

 Goldenseal (which contains berberine) performs at least as well as pharmaceuticals against diarrhea and other GI bugs, and is therefore dangerous.   Oregon grape root (which contains berberine) stops diarrhea by slowing passage through the small intestine, but it also keeps bacteria from implanting in the gut lining.  As a bitter tonic, barberry (which contains berberine) aids the liver, regulates digestion, and if given in larger doses, kills too much and acts as a mild purgative, removing constipation.

 Besides availing oneself with the modern miracle of availability of fresh fruits and vegetables, water, teas or soups, fermented foods and probiotics, diarrhea can be treated by eating ripe banana while unripe banana can treat constipation.

 Constipation can mean the need for more water and fiber.  With water, the seed husks of P.psyllium provide fiber for a laxative effect.  Constipation alternating with diarrhea is a classic sign of intestinal parasites and indicates the need for at least more fiber and water and maybe your seasonal parasite cleanse.

 Diarrhea is often caused by intestinal parasites.  If you have any of the following symptoms: gas, diarrhea, chronic constipation, bloating, fatigue, skin rashes, nail biting, mood swings (as seen by others, or self congratulations at ‘hiding’ irritability at incompetence of those closest to you), insomnia, getting up during the night to urinate, dry skin, brittle hair, hair loss, weight gain, bad breath or muscle cramping, you are likely host to parasites.

Itchy rectum can indicate pinworm infestation and/ or yeast overgrowth.

Food-grade Diatomaceous Earth (Skin or Tummy)

 Diatomaceous earth looks like sharp cylinders when magnified thousands of times.  These powdered microscopic shells of ancient freshwater plants called diatoms also have strong negative charges.   It is very effective as a treatment on the skin for the mites of Morgellons disease.

 The negative charge on clay particles makes beds of clay excellent for adsorbing toxins while water evaporates to form sea salt.  Clays (if you can find a source you trust) are a good source of minerals and excellent cleansers of the body.  Clays can be the base of toothpaste (or part of a poultice) or be swallowed or applied directly.

 Food-grade diatomaceous earth is made up of millions of ground up powdered silica shells.  As they move through the digestive tract, diatom fragments attract and absorb bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, pesticides, endotoxins, drug residues, heavy metals as well as E-Coli.  These are trapped and passed out of the body.  Also, any larger parasites that happen to be in the digestive tract are “cut up” and killed by the sharp edges of the diatomaceous earth.

 However, diatomaceous earth works only dry in the garden (and it is wet in the body).   It would be so nice if we had science supporting all its uses, but there is no harm in taking food grade diatomaceous earth, so why not try it and see what happens.  Most say, “I just feel better” with 1-2 teaspoons a day of diatomaceous earth in their favorite juice or liquid.

Mysterious pain indicates the need for an all out war on biofilm

 There is a need for a long-term war on pathologic biofilm using many strategies (enzymes, chelators, berberine, anti-bacterials, antibiotics, anti-fungals, fasting, fiber, fermented foods, probiotics) and it is not being fought.  Degrading pathogenic biofilm is a slow, steady attempt.  Antibiotics by themselves (whether high dose or low dose and long-term) will not effectively control microorganisms protected by most biofilms.

 Surprising (primarily to doctors trained in using symptom-suppressive drugs for such complaints), arthritis (and many medical conditions including asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, cancer or dementia) is usually due to our confused immune-regulated inflammatory response to a clever parasitic biofilm (indiscernible to current medical diagnosis) that grows wherever it can. 

 Humans spring from about 22,000 genes.  We are colonized at and after birth and partner with a symbiotic biofilm as we develop (this invisible life-form has about 8 million genes) for mutual benefit. 

 Our immune system will attack a biofilm that supports virulent pathogenic organisms wherever it finds it (and cause an ‘itis’).  Parasitic biofilm is not seen by usual medical diagnosis (and the doctors suspected infection and did try antibiotics, but they alone wouldn’t provide the cure).  It seems that the immune system is attacking itself.

 The body's immune system does not attack itself, although antioxidants (varied consumption of spices and herbs seems hormetically best) can protect against ‘friendly’ fire.  That our own cells seem to do so and cause damage discloses that there is something there "not-self," whether or not it is visible to (or acknowledged by) such experts.

 The disease is called "auto-immune" because current allopathic medicine believes it is the immune system attacking itself (but instead it is trying to destroy this invisible enemy).  In the first dental journal, in the article about diagnosis, Davy Crockett was quoted, “If you don’t look, you won’t see.”

There are many ‘auto-immune’ diseases (best known is arthritis).  Some others are heart and artery disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, allergy, Lyme disease, tooth decay, periodontal disease, celiac disease and myasthenia gravis.  Probably there are many others, including many of the exotic-sounding diseases that didn't exist a hundred years ago.

 More than four decades ago, I was a bright young doctor and an ‘expert’ within dentistry on ‘TMJ’ (a facial pain syndrome that revolves around painful muscles and temporomandibular joint and medically includes arthritis, fibromyalgia and migraine as well as a pathogenic biofilm). 

 In preparing for a lecture on ’TMJ,’  even after a thorough search of the scientific literature, I could find no consistent physical characteristic that defined a ‘TMJ’ patient (except that they were complaining).

 It took years (and many more lectures) to wake one morning knowing the answer.  The underlying physiologic cause of complaining is irritability; and decades more of traveling to seminar after seminar to discover that the cause of unrelenting pain is uncontrolled inflammation (generally because we can’t make or recycle enough glutathione to quench the oxidative fire); and what commonly exhausts our coping mechanisms is our invisible partner and beneficial biofilm turning from symbiotic to parasitic. 

Most microorganisms (viruses, bacteria and yeast) will build fortresses for themselves, called biofilms. These are polysaccharide and protein mesh-works that, like bone, become mineralized with calcium and other minerals. These mineralized mesh-works are built on bodily surfaces, like the gut lining or joint surfaces, and protect pathogens from the immune system, antibiotics and other microorganisms.

Pathogenic species that generate biofilms include many viruses and tiny life-forms as well as Legionella pneumophila, S. aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter spp., E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhimurium, Vibrio cholerae and Helicobacter pylori.  Biofilms favor the species that constructed them.  So, once pathogens have built biofilms, it is difficult for commensal species to displace them or for our immune system to eliminate them.

 Herbal systemic antibacterials are moved about by the blood, affecting every cell and organ, and are active against many bacteria.  These herbs treat infections like MRSA that are not responding to multiple antibiotics.  These five herbs can be very helpful in treating systemic infections such as resistant staph, MRSA, TB and malaria: Cryptolepis (Cryptolepis sanguinolenta), Sida (Sida acuta), Alchornea (Alchornea cordifolia), Bidens (Bidens pilosa) and Artemisia (Artemisia annua).

The aqueous root extract of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (nibima, kadze, gangamau, Ghanaian quinine and yellow-dye root) is a popular antimalarial in West African ethnomedicine.  Cryptolepine, the plant’s major alkaloid, is a cytotoxic DNA intercalator that shows promise as an anticancer agent.

Sida acuta is shrub belonging to Malvaceae family.  The plant is widely distributed in the subtropical regions where it is found in bushes, in farms and around habitations.  Indigenous use varies from one region to another.  The most cited usages are fever, headache and infections.

 The ethyl acetate extract of Alchornea cordifolia leaf is antimicrobial against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans   All fractions show antimicrobial activity.

 B. pilosa occurs in gardens, cultivated land and open waste places.  It is a very common weed of 31 crops in more than 40 countries.  Single plants produce up to 6000 seeds, many of which germinate readily, permitting 3-4 generations a year.  In some parts of the world, it is a source of food or medicine.  Root extracts inhibit both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as some fungi.

 Artemisia (Artemisia annua) is a systemic antibacterial that contains artemisinin, an active constituent known as a pro-oxidant that is effective against iron-rich cells found in cancer, malaria and other parasites.  The aerial parts, including the flowers, have the highest artemisinin content.

 D’Adamo has been using this herbal combination (andrographis, Chinese  skullcap, schisandra, atractylodes, Siberian ginseng) for chronic, stubborn or otherwise long-lasting infectious states.

 Andrographis exhibits antityphoid and antifungal activities as well as hepato-protective, antibiotic, antimalarial, and anti-inflammatory properties.  Andrographolide acts by inhibiting the bacterial quorum sensing system.  Andrographis has unquestioned activity in chronic respiratory problems. 

Chinese Skullcap flavonoid is a mint and is used in traditional Eastern medicine to normalize an over-active digestive system.  Scutellaria decreases inflammatory cytokine production from human mast cells. Scutellaria also has a cell-regulating effect; encouraging the body to more efficiently remove cells which have become dysfunctional, either though age or malformation.

Baicalein, a flavone in the leaves of Scutellaria, blocks antibiotic resistance by inhibiting the removal of the drug through MDR (multiple drug resistance) pumps.  When used with antibiotics, Baicalein noticeably increases the efficacy of several antibiotics.  There is also some evidence that Chinese Skullcap is directly damaging to the bacteria outer membrane as well.

 Schisandra invigorates RNA-DNA to reconstruct cells and enhance the fitness of the adrenal glands. Adaptogens, like schisandra, improve our ability to respond to stress.  The major constituents in schisandra are lignans (schizandrin, deoxyschizandrin, gomisins, and pregomisin) found in the seeds of the fruit.  Schisandra lignans have a protective effect on the liver and an immunomodulating effect.

 Atractylodes affects the Spleen and Stomach meridians (Eastern energy pathways) in the body, serving as a "Spleen Qi tonic."  It rebuilds metabolic function by enhancing nutrition, increasing energy and regulating fluids.  White Atractylodes also has restorative, normalizing effects on digestion and liver.  

Siberian ginseng parts used are root and leaf.  The lignin sesamin, and the phenylpropanoid syringin are stimulatory to immunity.   An adaptogen, Siberian Ginseng modulates stress, including optimization of the HPA (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal) "fight or flight" stress axis.  Siberian ginseng and Schisandra chinensis stimulate heat shock proteins (Hsp70, Hsp72) involved in the chemical defense against stress.

D’Adamo uses these herbs together in a rather "allopathic" formula.  Tissue repair and healing is critical to preventing recurrence.  Stress seems to really impact biofilm formation, so controlling (modulating) noradrenaline levels in the gut “makes a lot of sense.”

 Therapies that dissolve pathogenic biofilms can improve the likelihood of success of probiotic and fecal transplant therapies.  Strategies include enzyme supplements, chelation therapies, and avoidance of biofilm-promoting minerals like calcium.

 Human digestive enzymes generally do not digest biofilm polysaccharides, but bacterial enzymes that can are available. Helpful enzymes include hemicellulase, cellulase, glucoamylase, chitosanas, and beta-glucanase.  Non-human protease enzymes, such as nattokinase and papain, might also help.

 Since biofilms collect metals, compounds like chlorophyll that “chelate” or bind metals will tend to gather in biofilms.  Some chelators – notably EDTA – are toxic to bacteria.  So EDTA tends to poison biofilm, driving bacteria out of their fortress-shelter.   Chelation makes the biofilm more vulnerable to digestion by enzymes and commensals. It also tends to reduce the population of pathogens.

 The supply of minerals, especially calcium, iron and magnesium, can be rate-limiting in biofilm formation.  Removal of calcium can cause destruction of biofilms.  One can limit calcium intake while bowel disease is being fought, since the body can meet its own calcium needs for a long time by pulling from the bones.   Upon bowel recovery, bone can be replenished.  Iron also promotes biofilms and often can be restricted.  Magnesium is in everything green and is continually needed and not to be restricted (and is best supplemented if there is irritability, spasm or pain). 

Fulvic acid is a by-product of small organisms in the soil and an electrolyte.  It helps with human enzyme production, hormone structures, and is necessary for the utilization of vitamins.  Fulvic acid is essential to the metabolism of living cells.  It maintains the ideal environment for dissolved mineral complexes, elements, and cells to bio-react electrically with one another causing electron transfer, catalytic reactions, and transmutations into new minerals.

 Fulvic acid is also a most powerful antioxidant and free radical scavenger.  It has the unique ability to react with both negatively and positively charged unpaired electrons and quench free radicals.  It can either alter them into new useable compounds or eliminate them as waste.  Fulvic acid can similarly scavenge heavy metals and detoxify pollutants.  Fulvic acid helps to correct cell imbalances.

 Fibromyalgia is one of the most common pain syndromes, and it still lacks treatment protocol by most doctors! Fibromyalgia is now linked to small intestine bacterial overgrowth (which is another name for parasitic biofilm). 

“Long-term antibiotics have treated all kinds of rheumatoid diseases including scleroderma, lupus, chronic Lyme, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.  Sometimes the results are absolutely awe-inspiring.  Sometimes people do not have the patience to continue antibiotics until they get better.”

 A third generation female doctor says, “As a family physician, I tend to look at the whole person and ask a lot of questions before starting antibiotic therapy, if it is appropriate.  The hardest part is rethinking the (trained, taught and ingrained) illness patterns.  Is there really such a thing as autoimmune disease? Maybe it's all triggered by infection.”

 “Each person is different.  Someone who had recurrent and severe strep infections as a child is likely to have strep-caused arthritis (whether or not ASO titers are elevated).  I will more likely treat them with amoxicillin or Zithromax or Biaxin that hits the strep-type bugs hard. The tetracyclines (which often relieve inflammatory symptoms) don't work as well on strep-type infections.”

 Biofilm colonies have many strategies to resist poisons or antibiotics.  Sub-minimal inhibitory concentrations of some antibiotics can actually promote bacterial biofilm formation.  Low-dose antibiotics induce bacterial biofilm formation.   The vast complexity of microbial populations suggests that small molecules in biofilm ecology are mostly cell–cell communicators and not primarily killers.

 Antibiotics are all anti-metabolic in some way.  Besides antibiotics’ well-known bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects, they have many other biological, physiological and immunological properties (many of which are anti-inflammatory) that could have a significant impact on various host defense mechanisms (as well as symptoms). 

 Antibiotics (1) suppress many virulence factors ( quorum sensing and exotoxins, exopolysaccharides, pili, flagellin and lipopolysaccharides); (2) accumulate in inflammatory cells, providing more efficient delivery to sites of infection; (3) down-regulate integrins (leukocyte adhesion and accumulation of immune cells at infections); (4) inhibit maturation and proliferation of subsets of T lymphocytes, and influence immunoglobulin secretion and isotype class switching by B lymphocytes; (5) defend from bacterial injury by interfering with adherence and colonization; (6) inhibit neutrophil migration; (7) reduce adhesion molecules and lessen chemotaxis at the inflammatory site; (8) increase inflammatory cytokines (IL-8, IL-1b and TNF-a); (9) increase IL-2, colony stimulating factor, and other cytokines that modulate TH1 and TH2 lymphocyte activity; and (10) cause significant reductions in the number of lymphocytes and the ratio of CD4+CD8+ T lymphocytes.

 These compounds exert antibiosis at high concentration but have a stimulatory effect at low concentration (hormesis).  Both the target pathogen and the host exhibit transcriptional changes; it is likely that all types of living organisms have specific responses to such small molecules.

 Scientific approaches to the discovery and application of natural products for antibiotic use, albeit successful, have obscured the complicated interplay of these small molecules which are as critical to cell function and survival as DNA, RNA, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids.

 Ignoring the undiagnosed causative biofilm, cancer is typically treated with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and/or transplantation of bone marrow or blood stem cells.  Each of these approaches batters immunity and leaves a patient more vulnerable than a healthy adult of similar age.

 Cancer is an immune response to something that won’t go away, the tumor is a reaction.  The growth is a whole ecological system, which is made up of a range of cell types.  Because of the way tumors are built, each cell experiences different levels of nutrition, oxygenation and amounts of poisons.  Current cancer treatment makes no sense, since these gradients rapidly drive evolution, so that some cancer cells tend to survive chemotherapy, even stronger leaving both one’s immune system and competing friendly biofilm in tatters.

Steven N. Green, DDS, August 7, 2012, stevenngreen@hotmail.com