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Science behind immunopathology

Related articles: Managing immunopathology, Immunopathology

When patients on the MP kill bacterial pathogens they experience a reaction called immunopathologyA temporary increase in disease symptoms experienced by Marshall Protocol patients that results from the release of cytokines and endotoxins as disease-causing bacteria are killed.. Immunopathology is an increase in one's present symptoms of Th1 inflammationThe complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli such as pathogens or damaged cells. It is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli as well as initiate the healing process for the tissue., or a return of previous Th1 inflammatory symptoms, that is caused largely by cytokinesAny of various protein molecules secreted by cells of the immune system that serve to regulate the immune system. generated by the immune response and endotoxins released from dying bacteria. Occasionally, immunopathology will consist of a new symptom or abnormal lab value (e.g., elevated creatinine, elevated liver enzymes, low white blood count, etc.) due to the occurrence of subclinical bacterial inflammationThe complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli such as pathogens or damaged cells. It is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli as well as initiate the healing process for the tissue. that has been revealed by Olmesartan's activation of the immune system. Immunopathology is a necessary part of recovery. The amount of immunopathology a patient experiences on the Marshall ProtocolA curative medical treatment for chronic inflammatory disease. Based on the Marshall Pathogenesis. (MP) is correlated with disease severity and bacterial load. Patients who are less sick will have comparatively less-strong immunopathology.

Immunopathology is sometimes used synonymously with the “Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction” or “herx.”

Many MP patients who have experienced prolonged periods of immunopathology have reached stages of significant improvement or remission. This serves to validate the conclusion that immunopathology is a necessary result of chronic bacterial death, and a precursor to disease reversal. The MP is not unique in this regard. A number of other diseases and/or therapies generate immunopathological or immunopathological-like reactions.1 2 3

Lab work and patient reports can be used to track clinical signs of immunopathology.

Molecular nature of immunopathology

In patients suffering from any of the Th1 diseases, pulsed low-dose antibiotics and frequent administration of olmesartan (Benicar)Medication taken regularly by patients on the Marshall Protocol for its ability to activate the Vitamin D Receptor. kill intraphagocytic and other pathogenic forms of bacteria. When bacteria die, endotoxins and inflammatory cytokines (signaling molecules) are released at the site of infection. Cells with a significant bacterial load will be destroyed along with the microbiotaThe bacterial community which causes chronic diseases - one which almost certainly includes multiple species and bacterial forms., and this adds to the immunopathology.

Example of immunopathology – Members of the observational cohort tend to experience temporary increase in several antibody titers, and a decline in latter stages of treatment.4

Cytokines

Related article: Innate immune response and Th1 inflammation

During immunopathology, cytokines, are elevated. Cytokines are released by the inflammatory process.

The release of cytokines appears to be essential for recovery after an infection. One study found that the cytokineAny of various protein molecules secreted by cells of the immune system that serve to regulate the immune system. TNF-alpha was essential for the proper expression of acquired specific resistance following infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis.5 6 7 For this reason among others, TNF-alpha inhibitors, drugs which suppress the cytokine, are contraindicated for MP patients.

Endotoxins

Endotoxins, sometimes referred to as lipopolysaccharides, are proteins associated with bacteria and bacterial communities (microbiota). When these bacteria are destroyed by the innate immune system, as will happen during the MP, endotoxins are released causing a spike in symptoms known as an immunopathological reactionA temporary increase in disease symptoms experiences by Marshall Protocol patients that results from the release of cytokines and endotoxins as disease-causing bacteria are killed..

The body responds to the presence of endotoxins by producing cholesterol8 and C-reactive protein,9 among other defense mechanisms.

In immunology, the term “LPS challenge” refers to the process of exposing a subject to a lipopolysaccharide that may act as a toxin. Injecting mice with LPS has been used as models for preterm labor,10 hyperactivity,11 lung injury,12 and periodontitis,13 to cite just a few examples.

Exacerbation of symptoms

The increase in endotoxin and cytokines causes a corresponding increase in symptoms. Sometimes the symptoms are generalized and may include pain and fatigue. Other times symptoms occur at the site of infection. Patients with the lung disease sarcoidosis may notice that their coughing spells get worse. Those with psoriasis may notice a flare in their skin symptoms.

Cardiac, neurological, and respiratory immunopathology should be of particular concern to healthcare providers as they can be life-threatening.

Occasionally, patients may notice new symptoms occurring in organs not known to be infected. The MP cannot create new infection, such symptoms are due to exacerbation of previous sub-clinical microbiota.

The strength of an immunopathological or herx reaction is associated with the severity of disease.14 15

Other examples of immunopathology

The Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction is similar if not identical to immunopathology. These reactions have been accepted as an indication of progress and, according to the literature, have been observed in at least ten different diseases and conditions:

  • syphillis including neurosyphillis16 and syphillitic alopecia17
  • Lyme disease18
  • Borrelia infection19
  • multiple sclerosis20 21
  • tuberculosis22
  • leptospirosis23
  • Whipple disease24
  • sarcoidosis25
  • relapsing fever26
  • kidney disease27

Recovery from other infections and diseases also entails an immunopathological-like response:

  • fever – Fever, a natural increase in one's body temperature, has been conserved during evolution through millennia, because of its advantage for host defense.28 Important immunological reactions are sped up by temperature, and some pathogens with strict temperature preferences are hindered.29
  • immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) – a condition seen in some cases of AIDS often following the use of antiretroviral drugs, in which the immune system begins to recover, but then responds to a previously acquired opportunistic infection with an overwhelming inflammatory response that paradoxically makes the symptoms of infection worse.30
  • common cold (rhinovirus) – Another example of immunopathology can be observed in the body's response to the rhinovirus. The symptoms of the common cold, which is caused by the rhinovirus, are an indication that the human host is in the midst of an activated immune response. Researchers have shown that during the common cold, the expression of many genes associated with the immune response, including chemokines and antivirals, are altered.31 It's important to note that the rhinovirus doesn't exactly cause the immune response so much as trigger it. Similarly, olmesartanMedication taken regularly by patients on the Marshall Protocol for its ability to activate the Vitamin D Receptor. Also known by the trade name Benicar. and MP antibiotics do not cause the immunopathological reaction so much as trigger it.

Immunopathology reveals disease

Given its pervasiveness across diseases, immunopathology belies the common assumption that feeling well is the same as being healthy.

In observing a set of worsening symptoms, patients and clinicians may be tempted to assume that the disease itself is worsening. Even a small number of researchers are mistakenly convinced that antibiotics cause or exacerbate chronic disease. The best example of this may be so-called “minocyclineBacteriostatic antibiotic used by Marshall Protocol patients.-induced lupus.”32 In fact, there is no reasonable mechanism, proven or theoretical, which explains how minocycline, the primary action of which is to block the 30s ribosome of bacteria, can cause lupus – or any other disease.33

Edward L. Krawitt, M.D. has it right when he suggests the possibility that minocycline, an MP antibiotic, “unmasks” autoimmuneA condition or disease thought to arise from an overactive immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body hepatitis.34

In the same vein, a so-called “allergic” reaction to minocycline or any of the other MP antibiotics is invariably due to the immunopathological response generated by taking olmesartan (Benicar) and antibiotics.

Immunopathology can be suppressed

Two German papers have noted that the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction can be suppressed with the administration of different kinds of prednisolone, a powerful corticosteroidA first-line treatment for a number of diseases. Corticosteroids work by slowing the innate immune response. This provides some patients with temporary symptom palliation but exacerbates the disease over the long-term by allowing chronic pathogens to proliferate..35 36

One of the factors in the incidence and prevalence of chronic disease is that the immunopathological reaction is being systematically inhibited on a population-wide basis. There are a broad range of substances including prescription drugs, supplements, and foods that inactivate the innate immune responseThe body's first line of defense against intracellular and other pathogens. According to the Marshall Pathogenesis the innate immune system becomes disabled as patients develop chronic disease.. These include, among many others:

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References

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Last modified: 06.29.2010
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