The Stem Cell Cure. Kerry Johnson MBA PhD
What is the impact of the disease on local tissues as well as the remainder of the body?
3. How does your body cope with 1 and 2 above?
Let’s look at these in further detail.
What Triggers Disease?
The disease triggers in any organ system can be broken down into:
• Trauma and injury related to sports, automobile accidents, and extreme temperatures.
• Congenital defects or genetic predispositions. These are conditions we are born with, such as sickle cell anemia and cerebral palsy, or conditions that we have a tendency toward because of family history, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and certain mental illnesses.
• Environmental influence: pesticides, bacteria, viruses, fungi, alcohol, smoking, drugs, stress.
• Lack of blood flow (arterial blockage) leading to heart attack, stroke.
• Malnutrition, which can cause deficiency (lack of vitamins, protein loss) or excess (obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol).
• Autoimmune responses. The body reacts to its own cells. The most common examples are allergic reactions, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus.
• Abnormal multiplication of cells due to a variety of factors, some listed above, which results in cancer.
• Aging. As we age, there will be a gradual decline in our ability to renew our cells, although healthy diet and exercise can markedly slow down this decline.
How Disease and Aging Affect Your Cells
Whatever the cause or mechanism of any condition, ultimately it’s the local cells that get affected. When the damage is minimal or reversible, we recover. We get some rest and take minor medications, and we are good to go. Natural regeneration and repair occur, and our body is able to replace the mildly damaged cells, thereby restoring our functional capacity. In fact, that’s how we all survive the rigors of daily life. But when the damage is significant and/or repetitive, inflammation develops among the local cells within the affected organ. This is due to certain chemicals released from the affected cells and buildup of toxins. The toxins and chemicals also attract pro-inflammatory cells to the affected area. A combination of these sends your local cells into “inflammatory shock.” This inflammation does not necessarily mean you see a visible red swollen organ. This inflammation is at the level of your cells. Such inflammation manifesting only at the level of the cells is more sinister and can go undetected for many months to years. Inflammation along with the chemicals released locally by the affected cells causes two main things. One is that it produces symptoms, of which pain is the most common and profound.
Second, inflammation shuts down the local regenerative process through “inflammatory lock.” Our own cells become overwhelmed by the damaged cells. Our ability to self-regenerate and repair is markedly decreased. This sets up a vicious cycle of events that lead to further progression of the disease process and injury, which leads to more symptoms and further diminishes our capacity to function. When this process is not addressed in time, it becomes chronic. With the loss of function, the cells lose their ability to replicate. If left untreated, ultimately cell death follows.
Each organ and its cells have different capacities. Depending on what initiated the disease or injury, cell responses may vary. But the underlying theme is inflammation at the cellular level. That is why anti-inflammatories have worked for so long. But now we are starting to understand their side effects and the overall impact on the body. Cortisone and other steroids are very powerful chemicals that suppress inflammation. But their harmful side effects cause weakening of the very cells that are being treated.
An inescapable event is aging. As we age, our cells do slow down a bit. But our ability to regenerate and repair stays strong. Studies have shown that the ability of stem cells to replicate is not impacted as much by aging as are other cells. However, poor diet, lack of exercise, and stress have been shown to suppress the stem cells’ ability to function. This not only can impact a cell’s capacity to replicate, but also can damage our DNA and shorten chromosomes. This further decreases our cells’ ability to replicate and ultimately shortens our life.
Similarly, chronic inflammation anywhere in the body can make our stem cells run out of steam early, impacting not only the quality of our life but also longevity. This highlights how important it is for us to not let any chronic inflammation take root. On the flip side, we can slow down the destruction of our cells and further strengthen our stem cells by watching what we eat, exercising regularly, and managing stress. These three mixed together are the recipe for the best anti-aging cocktail out there!
How the Body Responds to Damage
The body attempts to cope with disease and injury to a certain extent, provided we let it. Rest, proper diet and nutrition, mental clarity, and calmness, along with proper physical exercise, can all help the body heal itself. As inflammation settles down, pain starts to lessen. It is extremely important we let the inflammation subside completely, preventing the condition from progressing to a chronic state.
The body will respond to damage in two ways:
1. When injury or damage is mild, the cells will regenerate.
Or
2. When the injury or damage is profound, the loss of tissue will result in declining function, and if the decline is extensive, then death will result.
When possible, it is important to focus on regenerative repair and healing by replacing damaged native cells. This process helps us return to optimal function and performance. The rate of tissue regeneration and repair varies in different organs. Bone marrow cells, skin cells, and the lining of our gut replace themselves at a high rate. Organs such as the kidneys, liver, and lungs repair at a much slower pace. Tissues such as brain cells (neurons) or heart cardiac muscle cells do not regenerate on their own. Injuries in these organs generally end up in scar tissue formation with loss of function.
CASE STUDY: REZA
Reza, a 32-year-old software programmer, started feeling cramping abdominal pain accompanied by loose stools about six years ago. At the time he was a sales manager for a reputable pharmaceutical company. His erratic bowel movements interfered with his job. He was always on the lookout for a nearby restroom. He inconveniently had to plan ahead on most of his sales trips. He tried some dietary modifications, but the symptoms persisted. He also noticed some blood-stained stools. After a colonoscopy and biopsy, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis.
With medications, Reza would feel good for a few months. But his symptoms would return with a vengeance. He eventually had to give up his sales career and retrained as a software programmer in an effort to work from home. He became physically, psychologically, and socially devastated. Last year, reluctantly, he agreed to undergo colectomy surgery in which nearly his entire colon was removed. He has some relief now but has to deal with the side effects of such a major surgery.
Along with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis is part of the spectrum of inflammatory bowel disease that affects about 2 million people in North America. And the incidence of these maladies is rising in many developing countries. In this disease, the lining of the bowel is inflamed and starts destroying local cells. The exact cause is unknown. But family history, immune reaction, and environmental bacteria or toxins can play a role.
Inflammation, the Secret Killer
We need to play close attention to the role inflammation plays. Inflammation is an attempt by our body to control disease and injury. Left unchecked, inflammation can damage cells and create a toxic environment. Inflammation can affect local tissue and cells impacted by disease and injury. But it also has a systemic effect on the rest of the body. One common example is fever caused by inflammation anywhere in the body. The consequences can be devastating. Significant injuries and chronic conditions overwhelm the body and need help in order to get things under control. Medications and surgery have been our primary options so far. However,