Integral Approach

Inflammation and Cytokines

"Researchers are linking inflammation to an ever-wider array of chronic illnesses," reports Newsweek's Anne Underwood. "Suddenly medical puzzles seem to be fitting together, such as why hypertension puts patients at increased risk of Alzheimer's, or why rheumatoid-arthritis sufferers have higher rates of sudden cardiac death. They're all connected on some fundamental level."

Cytokines Control Inflammation

Cytokines are small molecules that are the key in understanding inflammation. Inflammation is not all bad. Inflammation is important in starting healing and in fighting off infections. But like all body processes, is a matter of the right amount in the right place.

Cytokines modulate immune cells and inflammation. Some cytokines cause inflammation while some are anti-inflammatory. Cytokines cause the actual damage in virtually every dieseae. Even in infectious diseases, it is usually the cytokine reaction which causes most of the symptoms and this reaction is often the cause of death rather than the disease organism itself.

Here is a partial list of diseases and conditions associated with an imbalance in inflammatory cytokines:

Cardiovascular disease - heart attack, atherosclerosis, stroke
Diabetes
Osteoporosis
Depression, anxiety and many neurotransmitter imbalances
Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia
Allergies
Autoimmune diseases
Cancer
The symptoms of menopause including hot flashes
Premature aging and physical decline

If you have ever had the flu you know what high levels of cytokines feel like in your body: everything aches, you feel fatigue, your brain doesn't work, you may have a fever.

Inflammatory Cytokines Cause Oxidation

Cytokines produce oxidative stress. Everyone is concerned about antioxidants these days. Inflammatory cytokines create free radical damage which is why we need antioxidants. Free radicals will oxidize the fats in the cell membranes and mitochondrial membrane causing them to become rancid. That means the cell membranes don't work as well. Mitochondria can't produce energy efficiently.

Cytokines cause leaky membranes.

They causse "Leaky gut" mainly in the small intestine, allowing foreign proteins into the bloodstream which can cause multiple food sensitivities. Normally, th
They cause leaky brain. Normally the brain is isolated from allergens, toxins a

nd many chemicals by a tight barrier between the cells surrounding the blood vessels in the brain. Cytokines cause this barrier to become leaky, allowing toxins, such as heavy metals, allergens, and chemicals into the brain.
Cytokines cause leaky capillaries. This is the normal swelling and redness associated with a minor injury or irritant

such as a cut, sunburn or a mosquito bite. On the whole body level it can alter the normal balance of fluids in the body. For example one finding is the most people with chronic fatigue syndorme have low blood volume because the blood fluid is litterally leaking int

o tissues.

Inflammatory Cytokines Interfere with Normal Body Chemistry

Cytokines are implicated in the distress many women feel at menopause. Cytokines are associated with many of the neurotransmitter imbalances that cause depression, anxiety and adtention disorders. Inflammatory cytokines are associated with osteoporosis. They interfere with EVERY body system.

What Causes Iflammation?

Stress, toxins, infections, allergies, autoimmune disease, tissue damage, oxidative stress due to poor diet, pollution, smoking, alcohol, or dysbiosis - imbalances in the intestines.

Natural compounds to the rescue.

Fortunately there are natural compounds that are effective cytokine modulators -- reducing the inflammatory cytokines and increasing and balancing the anti inflammatory kind. I use and recommend several products with demonstrated cytokine modulation which I have found very helpful in reducing general inflammation.

A new class of drugs called immune modulators is quite effective against autoimmune diseases but many of these drugs have had to be withdrawn because of deaths due to infectious disease because they suppress the immune system to the point that patients had no natural defense against infections. Inflammation is necessary, it's just that it can rage out of control. Apparently natural compounds have the effect of modifying inflammation without supressing immune function. Most of these compounds have a very long history of safe use and include such herbs as echinacea, pau d'arco, devil's claw, ashwagada as well as extracts form green tea and red wine. Resveretrol, which is an extract from Japanese knotweed, is one of the most researched and seems to be the most effective although like many herbs it seems to work best in combination with synergists.

Autoimmune diseases are an example of inflammation gone wild. It's like something struck a match and started a fire. The match can be an allergy, particularly where there is a match between the antigen and the markers on the person's cell identifying that cell as "self;" it can be a toxic exposure, a major injury or major life stressork, an infection, a major hormonal change such as puberty, childbirth or menopause, or an infection, sometimes no more that the flu. Once the immune system is triggered it burns like a fire, initiating a cycle of inflammation that feeds on itself and can continue long after the "match," the initiating event, is gone.

Because our immune systems, our endocrine systems and our neurological systems are chronically stressed, more and more diseases are associated with inflammation. Fortunately there are now lab tests and natural treatments to dampen the flames while we sort out what is the source of the inflammation and address that.

If you suspect inflammation is part of a health problem that you or someone you care for is facing, please call my office and I will be glad to discuss my approach with you.

Related articles on this site:

Cytokines, Inflammation and Sleep While I was on a backpacking trip at high altitudes last week (July, 2009), I had a direct experience of the effect of cytokines on sleep. I am fairly used to feeling somewhat achy during backpacking and I don't even think it's just age. I still have enough memory left to remember feeling that way with unusual activity when I was in my 20's. Link to pictures of that trip

Allergies, Food Intolerance and Chemical Sensitivities. Allergy has been called the great imitator because it can cause almost any symptom in any part of the body. An allergy is an out of control immune response to something that is not in iteslf harmful to the body. Allergies can vary from annoying to life threatening and everything in between. When we think of allergy we usually think of itching nose and burning eyes, but there are really several kinds of allergies. Allergies are an important cause of inflammation which is now thought to be a major cause of all chronic, degenerative diseases including everything from heart attack to dementia. The drug approach is, at best, treating symptoms and will not solve the problem of inflammaton. more...

mold plate Systemic Fungal Infections - Are You Moldy on the Inside? Molds are everywhere. Most are not a problem. But they can also cause chronic infections ranging from athletes foot and dandruff, to more serious infections affecting major organs. I find many people have fungal infections causing chronic sinusitis or chronic inflammation of the digestive system. The medical approach is to use toxic chemicals to kill the molds. The natural approach is to use non-toxic herbal and other products to suppress the fungal infection while strengthening and balancing the immune system. Since we are all exposed to fungal spores all the time fungal infections are usually mainly a symptom of a lowered immune response. more ..

Dysbiosis is the undiagnosed disease of our time Your body is an ecological system. In the large intestine alone there are normally over 500 different identified species of organisms. Our bodies are more like a coral reef, with many non-human species meant to live in balance. Many factors in modern life can throw this balance into disorder. This state of disorder is called dysbiosis. more...

Clinical Nutrition Clinical Nutrition represents a genuine revolution in healthcare. In the past 20 years that I have been in practice there has been an explosion of our knowledge of the biochemistry and physiology underlying disease and dysfunction. more...

Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis Many health problems can be prevented and managed effectively with early detection. If we apply more rigorous functional norms to conventional laboratory blood panels, we can find hidden health problems before they reach the disease state.

Why We Need Alternative Health Care We Don't Have a Health Care System, we have a disease care system and it's not working. Americans spend more than any other country on health care and have the worst outcomes of any major industrialized country. The medical system in not only an economic disaster but has been fundamentally corrupted by its financial ties to the drug and insurance industries.

Links to other sites:

Modulation of cytokine expression by traditional medicines: a review of herbal immunomodulators. Phytotherapy offers a potential therapeutic modality for the treatment of many differing conditions involving cytokines. Given the activity demonstrated by many of the reviewed herbal medicines and the increasing awareness of the broad-spectrum effects of cytokines on autoimmune conditions and chronic degenerative processes, further study of phytotherapy for cytokine-related diseases and syndromes is warranted

Dr. George Manlove

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Manlove, unless otherwise noted. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Manlove. Dr. Manlove encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products discussed in these articles are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using any product.