STRENGTHENING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

You will be surprised if you have talked to cancer survivors and found that by far the most popular reason why they take vitamins and herbal supplements is to strengthen their body's own immune system so that it can find and remove cancer cells from the body.

This goes along with the underlying belief that, "To get rid of cancer, you must change the conditions under which it thrives." In other words, it is believed that cancer can grow and survive only in certain environment, such as one that is blocked with stagnant energy, lacking in oxygen, blood circulation and nutrients and also one that is filled with bacteria and viruses, and so on. Therefore, if you change the underlying conditions of the body, so those conditions become healthier, cancer cells will naturally die off.

The analogy of a moldy room is good to illustrate the point above. Imagine going into your room and finding mold everywhere, just as a surgeon sometimes opens up a person's body, only to find cancer everywhere. One strategy to get rid of the mold is to bleach the entire room, which will certainly kill the mold. This is similar to chemotherapy and radiation, which are both strong interventions that directly kill cancer cells. To continue the analogy, imagine that the bleach has worked and there is now no more mold left in your room- or no more cancer left in your body. Now your doctor says that all you can do is hope it never comes back.

The issue with this scenario is that the mold in your room is destined to grow back as long as the conditions under which mold thrives- such as darkness and dampness- are still present. However, if you were to bring UV lights into your room and constantly run a fan and dehumidifier, then the mold would not grow back. This is the idea behind "changing the conditions under which cancer thrives," and Cancer Care Management at DamaiMedic Klinik Kota Kinabalu helps patients to achieve that goal. The only catch is that the changes must be permanent, otherwise the minute you stop the fan, dehumidifier, or UV light, the old conditions will return and mold may once again grow. That is why patients need to make permanent changes to their lifestyles, in the hope to prevent cancer from ever growing again in their bodies.

HEALING CRISIS

We live in a high-tech world of bio nanotechnology today where stem cells and genetic engineering promise hope of curing chronic diseases and cancers. Many of us are skeptical that simply changing diet and activity level would have much effect on reversing diseases.

Most of us know that processed foods, smoking, alcohol, sleep deprivation, stress and lack of exercise is bad for health. But we still choose to live that way. Doing the right things for health seemed so hard for so many when it actually cost effective in the long run.

Losing health and treating diseases are expensive but most of us are on this path knowingly. Weird! We do what we do not want (living unhealthy), we want to do the good (live healthy), but we cannot do it. And we do the very thing that we do not want (living unhealthy) [Paraphrased from Rom 7:15-20]. This sounds like addiction! The same thinking and behavioral pattern occurs in all forms of addictions you name it; drugs, gambling, alcohol and sex. It seems like 'unhealthy living' is addictive. Why?

When we are pleasuring ourselves with 'unhealthy living', we are oblivious to the end results of sickness and eventually death because it feels so good that we do not want to stop if there is no reason to do so. A sudden change to 'healthy living' would cause displeasure, pain and discomfort that we want to immediately revert back to the pleasuring sensations and maintain the status quo of 'unhealthy living'. This is what we call, "HEALING CRISIS".

When the body experiences dramatic symptoms of cleansing as a result of improved organ function and immune efficiency, it is referred to as a healing crisis-"healing" because it expels toxins and brings about improvement in health, "crisis" because the symptoms associated with toxic removal can be dramatic.

The symptoms of the healing crisis are the same as those of a disease crisis (illness). For this reason, the healing crisis is greatly misunderstood and often believed to be an illness that must be treated to restore health. The healing crisis is a positive event, a sign of improving health. Unfortunately, many people mistakenly view it as a disease crisis. One is the result of the body overcoming disease, while the other is the result of the body succumbing to disease.

The Body's Power to Heal
All natural methods of healing are based on the concept that the body is capable of curing just about any illness if it is given the opportunity- that is, if negative influences such as environmental toxins, emotional stress, malnutrition and etc. are removed.

The body has an amazing capacity to heal itself. When we get a cut, tear a muscle or get bacterial infection, the body immediately goes to work to repair the damage. We develop symptoms (fever, mucus discharge, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, etc.) to fight and remove harmful substances. The body knows what to do in every case.

When an injury or localized infection occurs, the body quickly initiates an inflammation response, an important part of the healing process. Inflammation is a process by which blood circulation in a particular area is greatly increased. This allows for the rapid influx of defending white blood cells into the affected area, Damaged cells are removed, along with any infectious organisms that may be present. Healthy cells in the area are stimulated to quickly begin multiplying to replace the damaged cells removed by the white blood cells. This way, the injured or damaged parts of the body are healed.

Similarly, cancerous or degenerative cells are also removed. All of us have cancerous cells in our bodies. The reason we all do not develop cancer is because the immune cells quickly remove these cancer cells before they become too big.

When the immune system is overworked or when nutrients essential for the production of healthy white blood cells are lacking in our diets, our immune system cannot adequately do its job, sickness and diseases results. If the white blood cells are just barely able to keep daily toxins and pathogenic invaders in check, poisons are easily trapped in tissues and build up over time. These poisons can disrupt normal cellular activity, causing degeneration and further burdening the immune system. Good diet and lifestyle choices are the keys to maintaining a strong immune system.

Treating Symptoms
Treating symptoms is easy, convenient for patients and good business for physicians because of the rapid turn over. But is this how healing is supposed to be?

Symptoms are not the cause of the disease; they are only the body's response to it. Suppressing or masking the symptoms will not cure the disease. Taking a pain killer will not cure a headache, it only numbs the nerves so that the pain is not felt. The cause of the headache remains. Taking cough medicine does not cure chest colds. Sleeping pills will not cure insomnia. Antidepressants will not cure depression. Cortisone steroid will not cure arthritis. Anti-hypertension will not cure hypertension. When the cause of the problem is not removed, medications must be used regularly to suppress symptoms. This is the current healthcare (or rather sickness-orientated) system unfortunately. Removing the symptoms brings about a false sense of well-being and perpetuates the attitude of getting a quick fix to solve medical problems. Drugs provide quick relief to many symptoms of illness but don't do a thing about curing the problem.

Drugs by their very nature are toxic to the body and add to the toxic body's load, often making health worse. All drugs have side effects! Natural healing methods focus on the cause of the problem and so their effects on symptoms are not as dramatically noticeable as drugs. When used properly, natural methods cause no adverse side effects, nor do they load the body with harmful toxins.

Symptoms associated with common illnesses are part of the body's natural cleansing process. When our bodies become dangerously overloaded with toxins, our immune systems weaken and we become vulnerable to infectious organisms. When we become sick, our body is telling us to rest so it can focus its healing energies on housecleaning (detoxification). Symptoms of sickness- runny nose, fever, diarrhea, nausea, sneezing, coughing, loss of appetite, etc.- are all process of cleansing.

The symptoms we often regard as sickness are are in fact the protective mechanism that keeps us healthy and alive. There is always an underlying cause for every symptom. That should prompt the physician to investigate further. Sometimes doctors know the causative pathogen and treat specifically and sometimes doctors do not know what is the cause and the empirical treatment approach is adopted.

A healthy protective system and process of detoxification such as fever, urination, opening bowels, sweating, coughing, sneezing, tearing, pimples and boil eruptions are always on standby mode to 'cleanse' the body. These symptoms becomes a 'disease' when the process FAILS to rid the body of the offending agents and toxins. As the result, these symptoms persist and affect more systems until it overwhelms the whole person. That is what we commonly regard as being sick.

Therefore it is crucial for us to understand the distinction between a healing crisis and a disease crisis for appropriate action to be taken.

To put in simply:

DISEASE CRISIS is the process associated with illness and the body's efforts to remove disease-causing agents and restore health. If the body is weak and unable to overcome illness, death or permanent disability may result. In a disease crisis, the body is struggling to remove toxic levels of poisons and microbial infestation in an effort just to survive.

 

HEALING CRISIS is the process associated with heightened cleansing and cellular rebuilding. It is a sign of improving health and results in better health as disease-causing factors are removed. Healing crisis only occurs to the degree at which the body can tolerate without injury and therefore will not cause harm.

The Immune System Under Attack

A weakened immune system not only reduces our resistance to infectious disease, it increases the possibility that we will experience allergies and autoimmune problems. A weakened immune system can have two effects; 

• a reduced immune response- lowered resistance with increased incidence of infections OR
• an overactive immune response- increased incidence of allergies and autoimmune disease.

Both responses are harmful. In general, things that can weaken the immune system fall into the categories of nutritional deficiencies. Often they are due to:

• incomplete digestion
• food overload
• bacterial or viral infection
• immune system toxins
• high chemical exposures
• stress

During times of stress, the body releases a steroid called cortisol, which can actually inhibit the activity of macrophage cells.

Immune systems problems of clinical significance include:

• allergies or hypersensitivity reactions
• autoimmune diseases
• immunodeficiencies
• tumor control
• transplants

Allergies

Statistics show that food-related allergies and autoimmune disease are on the rise. The incidence of allergy is much higher than most people realize. In fact, it is estimated that one in three Malaysians is currently suffering from some form of allergy.

Generally speaking, an allergic reaction is the body's response to an antigen. Allergic reactions can be divided into two broad categories:

a) Reactions to foods

b) Reactions to non-food environmental antigens

The list of non-food environmental antigens seems to be ever-growing and includes such commonplace items as household and industrial chemicals, gasoline, exhaust fumes, petrochemicals, grasses and pollens, perfumes, cigarette smoke, feathers, fabric, dust, and insect bites.

An antigen might be best described as something foreign to the body, or any foreign substance which can produce the same result in all people. As we know, not everyone is allergic to strawberries, pollen, or dust. And even though two individuals may be allergic to the same substance, the severity of their antigens are in many ways different from the immune system's response to pathogens that invade the body in the form of bacteria and viruses. 

Food Sensitivities

Food allergies often seem to be the result of a poor digestive system. When the digestive system is function properly, it excludes foods that have not been properly broken down into smaller molecules. When healthy food is not completely digested, larger-than-normal food molecules are absorbed into circulation. When these incompletely digested pieces of food molecules enter into bloodstream, they are recognized by the immune system as foreign, at they are attacked. When the immune system attacks, the body experiences a food-related allergic reaction (which has a very large range of symptoms). When proper digestion occurs and food is completely broken down, no large-food molecules find their way into the bloodstream, and our immune system is much less likely to recognize digested food as foreign. It is when the intestinal barrier breaks down, either by incomplete digestion or excessive permeability of the intestinal lining, that the body experiences symptoms of food allergy.

Some of the foods that caused allergic reactions in many people are nuts, eggs, milk, soybeans, wheat, peanuts, chicken, fish, shellfish, and mollusks. According to one investigator, 91% of reactions are caused by only four major foods- nuts (43%), eggs (21%), milk (18%) and soy (9%). Sensitivity or allergic reactions to single foods are common. In order to overcome a specific food allergy, it is necessary to first identify the food causing the allergic reaction. Once identified, the suspect food may be eliminated from the diet for a period of time and then reintroduced in small amounts. This technique is called food challenge. If the allergic reaction occurs again and is severe, the food may again be eliminated from the diet and then gradually reintroduced later. Eventually, either the food allergy is overcome, or it becomes clear that the particular food will never be tolerated. Most people have experienced some type of food-related allergic response at one time or another, and in most cases the allergies resolve themselves. Many childhood allergies disappear spontaneously (such as infantile eczema).

Some of the symptoms that food sensitivities and allergies can produce affect on certain areas:

Head

• headaches, dizziness, throbbing, ringing in the ears

Upper respiratory tract

• runny nose, blocked nasal passages, canker sores, throat irritation

Chest

• asthma, congestion in the lungs, persistent cough, palpitation

Intestines

• nausea, cramps, flatulence, diarrhea, constipation

Skin

• red spots, rashes, dermatitis, hives and itching

Extremities

• weakness in the limbs, sore muscles, aches and pains, joint pains and swelling

Miscellaneous symptoms

• chronic fatigue, excessive hunger, significant fluctuations in weight

Autoimmune Diseases

In autoimmune diseases, the body turns against itself. The immune system identifies its own body tissue as the enemy and then proceeds to destroy it. This is contrary to the normal immunological reaction in which there exists self-recognition- the tolerance of all body constituents. But, in the case of autoimmune response, there is a self-destructive reaction orchestrated by the immune system.

Autoimmune disease is not a new concept. As early as the 1850's, doctors understood that lupus was a disease affected by the immune system. During the 19th century, however, so much scientific attention was focused on solving epidemics caused by infectious diseases that science had little time to devote attention to the study of autoimmunity. In addition, technological advancement in microscopes were not refined enough during this period to allow investigation at the level required for sophisticated immunological research.

Autoimmune disease are generally classified into two categories: those that affect an entire system of the body (systemic), and those that affected only on one organ (organ-specific).

Major autoimmune systemic diseases are:

• Systemic lupus, affecting many organs including skin, joints and kidneys
• Rheumatoid arthritis, affecting the lining of the joints
• Ankylosing spondylitis, characterized by inflammation of the sacroiliac and spine
• Sjögren's syndrome, characterized by dry mouth and dry eyes
• Necrotizing angitis, affecting the arteries
• Polymyositis, causing degeneration and inflammation of skeletal muscles
• Progressive systemic sclerosis, causing thickening of the skin and several internal organs such as the gastrointestinal tract, heart, kidneys and lungs.

Major autoimmune specific organ disease include:

• Autoimmune hemolytic anemias, which fight against the body's own red blood cells
• Graves's disease, which attacks the thyroid gland
• Autoimmune encephalitis, which attacks the central nervous system
• Pernicious anemia, characterized by inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract
• Crohn's disease, which affects the intestines as ulcerative colitis
• Infectious hepatitis, which affects the liver and can cause liver destruction
• Kidney diseases (various forms)
• Myasthenia gravis, a disorder of the voluntary muscles which causes muscle weakness
• Dermatitis herpetiformis, which causes aggravating lesions on the surface of the back and arms
• Lupus erythematosus, which attacks the skin tissue with lesins and atrophy
• Autoimmune disease of the eye