Immunsystem Anhängsel

 

https://www.weils-hilft.de/die-immunabwehr-durch-den-lebensstil-positiv-beeinflussen

[Interview]

Die Immunabwehr positiv beeinflussen

Newsletter März 2020 - Die derzeit geltenden hygienischen und sozialen Vorgaben sind unverzichtbar, um die Ausbreitung des Corona-Virus einzudämmen. Weil's hilft! hat mit Prof. Dr. Andreas Michalsen gesprochen, was aus naturmedizinischer Sicht außerdem hilfreich sein kann.

Das Corona-Virus breitet sich auch in Deutschland immer weiter aus. Experten sagen, dass der Höhepunkt noch nicht erreicht ist. Neben den bereits angeordneten Maßnahmen - Hände gründlich waschen, Abstand halten, das Haus möglichst nicht verlassen:

Wie gehen Sie als Arzt für Naturheilkunde an die Situation heran?

Prof. Andreas Michalsen: Zweifellos ist es jetzt vorrangig, alle Maßnahmen zur Abflachung der Infektionskurve strikt und konsequent umzusetzen. Auf der anderen Seite wird in der öffentlichen Diskussion etwas vernachlässigt, dass die körpereigene Immunabwehr keine unveränderliche Größe ist, sondern in ihrer Funktionalität von unserem Lebensstil stark abhängig ist. Interessanterweise ist für die meisten naturheilkundlichen Therapieverfahren bekannt, dass sie die körpereigene Immunabwehr stärken. Als Beispiel seien hier Studien genannt, die aufzeigten, dass bei Üben von Achtsamkeitsmeditation, die Antikörperantwort nach einer Impfung stärker und wirkungsvoller ausfällt. Ebenso gibt es eine Vielzahl von Untersuchungen, die einen Einfluss von Heilpflanzen, ätherischen Ölen und Mikronährstoffen in der Nahrung auf die antivirale Abwehrkraft zeigen.

 

Was ist aus Ihrer Sicht nun besonders wichtig?

Prof. Michalsen: Zunächst: Ausreichend schlafen. Weiter ist Bewegung wichtig für das Immunsystem. Darüber hinaus zeigen Studien, dass der Aufenthalt in frischer Luft, besonders im Wald, durch die zusätzliche Wirkung der ätherischen Öle des Waldes, der Phytonzide, die Immunabwehr unterstützen kann. Weiterhin sind klassisch abhärtende Maßnahmen wie die Kneipp-Therapie mit kalten und wechselwarmen Güssen, heißen und kalten Bädern nun zu empfehlen. Schließlich ist auch das Sonnenlicht von Bedeutung. Bei vielen viralen Erkrankungen zeigt das UVB- und UVA-Licht eine antivirale Wirkung. Zudem sollte auf ausreichend Vitamin D im Körper geachtet werden, denn jetzt im auslaufenden Winter sind die Vitamin-D-Speicher geleert. Sollten Vitamin-D-Spiegel nicht im Normbereich sein, empfehle ich die Einnahme eines Vitamin-D Präparates in Rücksprache mit dem behandelnden Arzt.

 

Prof. Michalsen: Welche Ernährung empfehlen Sie in diesen Zeiten?

Der ausgewogenen Ernährung kommt besonders jetzt eine hohe Bedeutung zu. Ich empfehle eine Nahrung reich an sekundären Pflanzenstoffen: Das sind farbintensive, pikante Früchte und aromatische, scharfe oder bittere Gemüse und Gewürze. Vermutlich unterstützt auch die Autophagie, das sogenannte innere Zellrecycling die Abwehrkräfte bei viralen Erkrankungen. Die Autophagie kann durch das Intervallfasten gefördert werden, daher empfehle ich das auch.

 

Welche Rolle spielt die Psyche für unser Immunsystem? Bei vielen verursachen die steigenden Fallzahlen und die sozialen Einschränkungen ein ungutes Gefühl oder sogar Angst. Gibt es aus naturmedizinischer Sicht Möglichkeiten, besser damit umgehen zu können?

Prof. Michalsen: Gerade in der Corona-Epidemie sind viele Menschen durch Angst vor der Ansteckung und aufgrund ihrer wirtschaftlichen Situation von Ängsten und Sorgen geplagt. Dies schwächt die Immunabwehr. Jetzt ist es sehr sinnvoll und wichtig, durch Entspannungstechniken wie Meditation, Atemtechniken, Yoga oder Tai Chi Ängste und Sorgen zu reduzieren und die Zuversicht zu stärken. Ätherische Öle können zudem Ängste lindern, z.B. Citrus-Orangen-Düfte oder Lavendel.

 

Ätherische Öle in Heilpflanzen sind aber, wie bereits erwähnt, auch in gewisser Weise antiviral wirksam. Genannt seien hier Salbei, Rosmarin, Thymian, Lorbeerblätter, Süßholz, Bärlauch und Knoblauch. Auch Kurkuma, Senföle, Propolis und vor allem auch das im Grünen Tee enthaltene Epigallocatechin zeigen antivirale Wirkungen.

Nun ist auch für die Naturheilkunde das COVID-19 Virus neu, d.h., es kann nicht bewertet werden, dass die in Studien zu SARS oder MERS gezeigten antiviralen Wirkungen auch auf COVID-19 übertragbar sind. Da diese Maßnahmen aber sicher sind und grundsätzlich auch den Körper stärken, empfehle ich sie gerne.

 

Was ist Ihnen darüber hinaus noch wichtig?

Prof. Michalsen: Wir sollten an unsere Lunge denken! Die Daten aus Italien und China zeigen, dass besonders Menschen mit Lungenerkrankungen oder Lungenschädigungen schwere Verläufe haben. Wer noch raucht – jetzt ist es die beste Zeit aufzuhören. Aber es helfen auch Bewegungen mit Atemübungen sowie eine grundsätzlich gute medikamentöse Einstellung, wenn Lungenerkrankungen vorhanden sind. Ein kleiner Trost kann sein, dass durch die weitgehende Einstellung des Geschäftsverkehrs nun überall, auch in urbanen Regionen, eine deutlich bessere Luftqualität vorhanden ist. Dies hilft uns allen bei der Immunabwehr.

 

[Jürgen Langenbach]

Teufel und Beelzebub

25.02.2006 die Presse

Dass eine Krankheit eine andere nach sich ziehen kann, eine Erkältung eine Lungenentzündung etwa, ist nichts Überraschendes. Aber es geht auch umgekehrt, eine Krankheit kann eine andere abwehren, und es muss nicht einmal eine Krankheit sein, eine Schwächung des Körpers genügt, Wunderheiler wissen es, bisweilen gibt sogar einer sein Geheimnis preis: "Herr, erbarme dich über meinen Sohn! Denn er ist mondsüchtig und hat schwer zu leiden; er fällt oft ins Feuer und oft ins Wasser“. Mit diesen Worten wendet sich ein Verzweifelter an Jesus selbst, die Jünger konnten nicht helfen. Der Meister schimpft sie erst des Kleinglaubens, verrät ihnen aber nach getaner Kur, dass

auch starkes Gottvertrauen allein nicht immer reicht: "Diese Art (von bösem Geist Red.) fährt nur aus durch Beten und Fasten" (Matthäus, 17, 21). Offenbar litt das Kind

an "morbus daemonicus", Epilepsie, die wurde seit der Antike mit Nahrungsentzug therapiert, noch in der Renaissance wusste man sich nicht anders zu helfen:

Im letzten Bild Raffaels, der "Transfiguration Christi", wird die biblische Szene dargestellt.

Schmale Kost tut auch dem Körper wohl, sie verlängert das Leben bei vielen Tieren - von Fruchtfliegen bis zu Mäusen und Affen, wohl auch Menschen. Andere Schwächungen tun es auch, der Aderlass mit Messer o. Blutegel hat Tradition, neueren Datums sind Versuche, Depressionen durch Schlafentzug zu lindern (Biological Psychiatry 46, S. 445). Das sind gezielte Eingriffe von Ärzten, andere kommen von höchst unerwünschten Besuchern, Parasiten: "Mich rufen Leute an und fragen, ob sie ein paar von meinen Würmern haben können", berichtet Maria Yazdanbakhsh, Biologin der Universität Leiden (Nature Medicine, 10, S. 1271). Sie war in Lamberene im Gabun, wo Albert Schweitzer anno 1913 sein Hospital nicht zuletzt deshalb errichtete, weil die Menschen von Würmern geplagt waren. Weltweit sterben heute noch 44 Millionen im Jahr daran, natürlich dort, wo die Hygiene schlecht ist.

Aber wo sie zu gut ist, hat sie auch ihren Preis: Autoimmunkrankheiten (Allergien/Asthma). Die grassieren in den Hochburgen der Hygiene: in USA leiden 20% der 13- bis

14-Jährigen an Asthma, in Großbritannien 30%. In Lambarene und anderen wurmverseuchten Regionen sind sie fast unbekannt: Die Parasiten dämpfen das Immunsystem,

es soll sich nicht gegen sie wenden, in der Folge wendet es sich auch nicht überschießend gegen den menschlichen Körper. Mancher Asthmatiker hätte lieber Würmer im

Leib, aber Yazdanbakhsh liefert keine, so weit ist bisher nur Joel Weinstock (University of Iowa) gegangen: Er hat an Patienten mit chronischer Darmentzündung die Wurmkur getestet - ihnen Eier von Schistosoma mansoni zu essen gegeben, dem Erreger der Billharziose -, fast der Hälfte ging es danach besser (Science, 305, S. 170).

Das ist eine riskante Strategie, und der Ekel hat schon seine biologischen Gründe. Er wird aber auch kulturell überformt: Zur Prophylaxe von Autoimmunkrankheiten genügt

es oft, Kinder dort spielen zu lassen, wo sie ohnehin am liebsten spielen, im Schmutz und/oder in Gesellschaft vieler anderer Kinder: Als es die DDR noch gab, waren die Asthma-Raten viel niedriger als im Westen. Man führte es auf die gute Betreuung zurück, die Kinder verbrachten den Tag in Krippen, irgendeines war immer erkältet und hustete die anderen an. So konnte sich das Immunsystem einüben und auf die wirklichen Aggressoren konzentrieren, das vermutete zumindest die "Hygiene-Hypothese".

Seit 2002 ist sie keine Hypothese mehr, in ländlichen Regionen, unter anderem im Salzburgischen, wurde sie belegt: An Heuschnupfen und Asthma leiden Stadtkinder doppelt so häufig wie Kinder auf dem Land, die viel mit Tieren in Kontakt sind und schon auch einmal Erde essen (New England Journal of Medicine, 347, S. 869).

Natürlich kann man sich auf dem Bauernhof auch Krankheiten holen, aber eine davon hat unzählige Leben gerettet: "Was das Kuhpocken-Virus so extrem einzigartig macht, ist, dass eine Person, die von ihr befallen wurde, für immer vor den Pocken sicher ist", notierte 1798 Edward Jenner, Landarzt in Gloucestershire. Er hatte es an Patienten bemerkt: Melker und Melkerinnen, die sich Kuhpocken geholt hatten - sie werden von Vakzinia-Viren übertragen und verlaufen bei Menschen mild -, waren gefeit gegen die Pocken, die periodisch durch Europa zogen und mit ihren Variola-Viren viele dahinrafften. Jenner merkte noch etwas: Übertrug man Blut von einem Menschen mit überstandenen Kuhpocken auf einen, der sie nie hatte, wurde auch der immun gegen Pocken. So wurde das Impfen erfunden, Impfstoffe heißen heute noch Vakzine (von Vacca = Kuh).

Dass die einen Pocken vor den anderen schützen, mag Zufall sein, anderes wurde von der Evolution entwickelt, lange bevor Menschen auf die Idee kamen, ein Übel mit dem anderen auszutreiben: Es gibt böse Blutkrankheiten (Thallasämie/Sichelzellenanämie) die sich in manchen Regionen häufen. 1948 bemerkte der Genetiker John Haldane, dass diese Regionen malariaverseucht sind - und dass die Blutkrankheiten davor schützen, sie sind das kleinere Übel. Andere Zusammenhänge sind noch völlig ungeklärt - fast niemand erkrankt zugleich an Lepra und Psoriasis, wieder andere regen Pharmakologen an: Die häufigste Erbkrankheit in Nordeuropa ist Zystische Fibrose, einer von 4000 leidet an dieser Verschleimung der Lunge und der Atemwege. Positiver Nebeneffekt ist offenbar die Abwehr von Lungen-Tuberkulose und vermutlich auch von Diarrhöe, bei Letzterer sind Medikamente in Erprobung, die einen Effekt der Zystischen Fibrose simulieren.

Mit echten Krankheiten infizieren kann man natürlich niemanden, obwohl es beim derzeit größten Schrecken verlockend wäre: Von HIV gibt es zwei Typen, HIV-2 tötet langsamer als HIV-1 und gewährt gewissen Schutz davor. Aber es tötet auch, die Kur verbietet sich. Allerdings gibt es noch ein Virus, das oft zugleich mit HIV übertragen wird, den Verlauf mildert und selbst keine böse Wirkung hat, GBV-C. Für Richard Stiehm, Arzt an der University of California, Los Angeles, wäre dieses Virus der Überlegung wert (Pediatrics, 117, S. 184): "Vielleicht sollte solche virale Interferenz erkundet werden, um HIV-1 abzuwehren“.

 

‡ Folgendes hat anthroposofische Einschlüße ‡

[Robert Zieve, M.D.]

Today we face a widespread crisis of immunity (cancer/autoimmune illnesses/as epidemics of Lyme disease and MRSA). Only by recognizing and working intelligently with the body’s natural systems do we have an opportunity to overcome these challenges.
The function of the human immune system is to defend and protect us. The word ‘defense’ brings to mind national agencies like the Defense Department, which seeks to keep terrorists out of the country. ‘Protection’ brings to mind the safeguarding of homes/children. Likewise, our bodies have an immune system to defend us from microbes/toxic agents that permeate our environment, seeking to do us harm, while protecting our bodies and all those who depend on us to remain healthy.
What are we protecting with our immune systems? Are we just a collection of cells and tissues and organs? Do we seek merely to insulate ourselves from pain and discomfort? Or do we seek to defend our highest purpose in life? The immune system exists to protect the integrity of our physical bodies so that we can have the strength and endurance to become the creative and purposeful individuals we were intended to be.
This is a significant issue because it plays into a central paradox of the human nervous system: the more on guard, the weaker. The more in sympathetic or fight-or-flight

mode, the less oxygen and nutrients are received by our cells, weakening them; the weaker our cells become, the less able they are to defend themselves. So while it is important to remain alert and observant, it is equally important to remain inwardly calm, and to act from the positive principle in life. This is a quality that often takes

years to learn.

Yet, often, children have it. They enjoy life and have fun with an attitude of relaxation while remaining basically healthy. Unless they have inherited a weakness in their immune systems, or had it weakened by events and traumas in early life (overmedication/poor-quality food), children illustrate the concept that a relaxed state is also often

the most resilient.
Unfortunately, the toxic assaults that can weaken the body’s immune system today are legion. They start prenatally, with deficient foods and emotional conflicts, as well as through toxic chemicals and heavy metals within the mother’s body that are transmitted to the developing child.
This means that for more and more people, the immune system is becoming overwhelmed earlier and earlier in life. This has led to our current epidemic of chronic diseases, from chronic low-level infections, to autoimmune illnesses like multiple sclerosis and Lyme disease, to chronic heart problems with associated chronic inflammation, and finally to a breakdown of the immune system leading to cancer.
Yet we often become caught in a web of thinking that we must attack what is invading our bodies. In adopting this attitude, we seek to take on the job that rightly belongs to the intelligence of the immune system itself. We prescribe antibiotics to child or adult with a fever, not realizing that one course of antibiotics can disrupt the delicate balance of immune-enhancing cells in our small intestines for up to a year. The idea here is that rather than attacking, our task is to strengthen the immune system to do its job.
One of the ways we can do this is by eating foods that support healthy gut and immune function. We speak of such approaches as the Mediterranean Diet, but the practitioner may need to suggest a diet that is more suited to a person’s temperament, or to his/her constitution, or to the illness at hand. In general, eating many vegetables, some fruits, good proteins, good fats, and avoiding refined carbohydrates and transfats is a good start to a healthy immune system. This often requires a change of habitual patterns.
There are also many specific nutrients, herbs, and remedies, either homeopathic or anthroposophical, that have a wonderful strengthening effect on the immune system. For example, most people benefit from what are called adaptogenic herbs, which strengthen the neuroendocrine balance that is so important to a healthy immune system. This includes such herbs as eleutherococcus (= Siberian ginseng), and others: astragalus and Japanese knotweed.
Additionaly, there are nutrients such as Vitamin C, lactobacillus acidophillus (which helps to maintain healthy intestinal function), good amino acids, good fats (coconut oil, olive oil, and eggs), key minerals (Mg, Zn, Se, I, for example) from organic food sources and supplements as needed, and protein from healthy animal sources (free-range chicken, northern non-farmed fish, non-denatured whey protein, and fermented soy, when tolerated.)
Constitutional homeopathic and anthroposophical remedies are helpful, as are mistletoe therapies from anthroposophical pharmacies, which have been well-researched and are clinically proven to boost vital immune markers. This is a small but important list of how we can add specifics to our daily lives that will keep our immune systems strong.
We can also strengthen our immune system by getting optimal sleep and exposure to the sun/engaging in a healthy lifestyle in which we choose to love/laugh/maintain a relaxed attitude. Having a healthy immune system is as much about changing our consciousness and strengthening our basic approach to life, as it is about specific foods and supplements.
Our immune systems may be thought of as the biological mechanism by which we track and discern what is of ourselves, and what is not, in much the same way infants learn gradually to distinguish what is ‘me’ and what is ‘not me.’ This is an important element of a healthy life. Yet many lack this ability on an energetic level, bombarded as we are from many directions with antihuman efforts to confuse this healthy radar system. Every time we permit someone to invade our boundaries and take over our thinking, whether it be from abusive relationships or television advertising, our capacity to protect this critical boundary is weakened. The physical counterpart of this barrage also often takes place daily through devitalized foods, which weaken the capacity of our intestines to act as a membrane that permits supportive nutrients to enter our bodies while blocking the absorption of damaging heavy metals and chemicals.
When we’re overrun and overstressed by these ‘invasions’ on both a personal and physical level, the end result is an epidemic of cancer and other chronic illnesses due to hidden infections. Our immune systems have become so weak that they permit what are called stealth microorganisms to do great damage to our bodies without being detected by immune cells. Cancer cells often learn how to create chemicals that actually disrupt healthy immune function, growing at our expense.
A vital part of having a healthy immune system, is having the will to reclaim our lives as our own. We live in a society where many pervasive influences attempt to hijack our freedom to think clearly, to feel authentically, and to take actions for the betterment of ourselves and others. Having a healthy immune system means being willing to protect our boundaries, while at the same time ensuring those boundaries remain semi-permeable, rather than rigid. This is of vital importance in strengthening the body’s ability to discern between what is friendly and what is not.
This quality of discernment requires years of training, and for that reason it’s important to cultivate it both in ourselves and in our children. If we can relax enough to allow

our children to experience the acute illnesses of childhood, for example, instead of vaccinating against them, their immune systems will be strengthened in response.

Likewise, if we teach our young people how to discern between experiences of truth and illusion (fairy tales) then we will have adults who can distinguish helpful from harmful without chronic anxiety or fear.
Through a combination of healthy foods, good sleep, exercise, and taking care of our digestion, as well as through the cultivation of joy, laughter and healthy relationships, we all have the power to strengthen our own immune systems. These are the actions, attitudes and lifestyle decisions that will help us out of a sympathetic fight-or-flight, fear-based state, in which our immune systems are suppressed, and into what is called a parasympathetic state, in which our organs and tissues can regenerate and rebuild from the effects of daily tissue breakdown.
Conclusion: we must strive to support a healthy immune system in ourselves/others, and to work together in this effort. It is imperative in these stressful times, in which we are confronted by so many threats, both real and imagined, to maintain a relaxed and fearless vigilance that protects what we revere the most: healthy bodies that support a healthy mind and spirit, committed to action for the benefit of all.

 

‡ Folgendes hat anthroposofische Einschlüße ‡

[Jacquelyn Wilson, M.D.]

Keeping your immune system strong is very important if you want to stay healthy. The immune response is a defense function that helps control inflammation. Inflammation, with heat, redness or swelling often with pain and fever, is the body's response to invading antigens like bacteria, viruses, and fungi. These antigens are attracted to what they need to live and grow.

We have thousands of viruses and bacteria in our body that live in harmony with us. Our body is constantly eliminating toxins, but sometimes it gets overwhelmed.

It is when the balance is thrown off that inflammation begins as a self-correcting response to an accumulation of excess toxins, triggering infections such as tonsillitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, cystitis, vaginitis, otitis media and all the other medical terms for particular types of inflammation.

Excess toxins may enter the body in many ways. Some are just by-products of It is when the balance is thrown off that inflammation begins as a self-correcting response to an accumulation of excess toxins, triggering infections such as tonsillitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, cystitis, vaginitis, otitis media and all the other medical terms for particular types of inflammation.

Excess toxins may enter the body in many ways. Some are just by-products of living. Others are from injuries, taking drugs or alcohol, cigarette smoking, breathing polluted air, consuming pesti­cides in our foods, or by allergic reactions which, I believe, often comes from men­tal toxins.

The immune system is everywhere: skin, inside bone marrow, in lymph glands, blood and spleen. All parts of the body participate in the inflammatory immune response. Every person can help to unburden their own immune system. There are some easy ways of doing this. Make sure that the natural exits from the body for toxins are kept open. This includes ensuring that the bowels function daily, drinking adequate pure water so that the urine flow is over one quart a day for adults and cleaning the sweat from your body daily with a bath or clean cloths. Remember, you need to sweat a few times a week whether its from exercise, a sauna, sex or menopausal hot flashes, or just the hot weather of summer. So turn off those air conditioners sometimes. Breathing easily and deeply in an unrestricted way is important - exercise can help you do that.

A few nosebleeds or an occasional leaking of blood from hemorrhoids are ways the body excretes blood toxins. Who knows if men by shaving daily are removing toxins accumulated in beards . . . arsenic does get trapped inside hair. Men more than women carry hand­kerchiefs to blow the toxins out of their noses. Women have menstrual periods and it is easier for them to eliminate toxins that way. Maybe that is why women live longer.

Occasionally, if you get a cold or flu, celebrate this inflammation. You are detoxing every time you blow your nose, and through sweating. Also a fever destroys the imbalance of the viral over­growth, and as a bonus, if the fever is high enough (104° F) the hidden cancer cells, that we probably all have, are also goings to self-destruct!

Remember to follow your food cravings when you are sick. Your body knows best what it needs then. Usually you will not want to eat anything that has a lot of iron in it like meat, or iron containing vitamins and minerals when you have a fever. Iron will help the growth of bacteria and could get you deathly ill if you take extra when you are sick. Ferr-p. D 6 is useful whenever by fever or inflammation. Two pills taken every 2-4 hours, as needed, is safer to use for your fevers than antipyretics like Tylenol or aspirin which have been associated with liver toxicity.

There are also combination homeopathic medicines for the flu or grippe or simple fevers. These homeopathic combinations, have been used by Americans for over 100 years. Most often, they include Acon. Eupat-per. Bell. Sulph. Bry.

Boosting your immune system requires paying attention to your diet by eating five vegetables and fruits everyday, avoiding sugar. Foods like garlic and onions help your immunity. Garlic has been used for years to help the lungs get over bronchitis and colds. Try not to microwave your food.

Studies done on AIDS patients show that they can increase their depressed T lymphocyte cell counts and the immune response by writing a diary about things that bother them. Crying has been shown to strengthen the immune system too.

 

20 Co-factors

Health Behaviors:

1. Restricted breathing patterns

2. Low level of water/fluid intake

3. Poor appetite/eating patterns/ nutrition

4. Inadequate or disrupted sleep

5. Excess of toxins/drugs/cigarette smoking

6. Lack of physical exercise

Psychological issues:

7. Excessive internal speediness/ disrupted autonomic balance

8. Sustained internal survival stress (SISS) "fight-or-flight"

9. Lack of access to (comfort from) trusted support person, confidant

10. No previous crisis experience; no developed coping strategies

11. Lack of self-assertiveness/inability to say no

12. Lack of life goals/purpose/ focus (with death preoccupation)

13. Fixed belief system (HIV(+) means certain AIDS and death).

14. Lack of secure home/nest/safe place

15. Presence of sustained (unmanaged), (multiple-loss) grief

16. Inability to self-nurture or convalesce during illness

17. Insufficient funds to cover necessities (food, shelter, in­surance)

Medical Issues:

18. Passive, uninformed relationship to health & medical care

19. Repeated exposure to HIV; untreated infections (syphilis, Epstein-Barr virus, herpes, others)

 

[Rosina Sonnenschmidt] Die Haut.x

 

[Lane M. Badger Interviews Dr. Jesse Stoff, M.D.]

Literally overnight, my life was devastated. One day, I was healthy and climbing mountains in the South of France with energy to spare, and then, in just a few days, my physical condition went to ground zero. After four weeks, I knew I had something awful that just wouldn't go away. I was sick, very sick, but no one could tell me exactly what it was . . . though everyone had one suggestion or another that didn't seem to fit. I tried every remedy, every vitamin, every herbal com­bination that promised increased strength and energy, but they all failed. I spent my days crying from the pain and my nights tormented without sleep . . . without relief. My condition defied the medical experts in my area and I had to travel farther and farther afield till finally a clinic in Cambridge, MA, diagnosed Epstein-Barr Virus, and two other viruses (HHV6, Cytomegalovinis), rampant in my system, along with candida albicans,. a nasty yeast infection that affected my diges­tion. My insides were a turbulent storm. I quickly lost forty pounds and I looked gaunt and haunted. I barely existed.

Help did come in small but painful doses. A wonderfully sympathetic doctor and his wife, who lived close by, sug­gested that I try shots of bee venom which, though painful, increased my stamina and my will to live. It was the first therapy that actually helped my con­dition. This, together with their support and encouragement gave me the inspira­tion to continue my struggle to find the way back to health.

Usually, all I could do was lie in bed. But sometimes during the day, I would contact individuals who I had heard were going through, or, had survived this enigmatic sickness. I would call everywhere and talk to others, comparing symptoms and strategies for getting through the day and the night. I believed that I would live in a sound body again, but I didn't know how long it would take. As the months passed my list of contacts grew longer and longer. It became apparent that there were many people out there with terrible immune system problems. My story became but an echo of the scores of other tales from sufferers of this terrible and little-known illness, called simplistically Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. For my family and myself, it became an arduous journey through the darkest of Hades.

But then I met Jesse . . .

I found out about Jesse Stoff, M.D. through his book “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Hidden Epidemic”; (Harper Perennial, 1990). This comprehensive overview of the illness written by Jesse and a patient, convinced me that he was the right doctor. Combining homeopathy with other forms of complementary natural medicine, he had a solid reputation for succeeding where others had not. His former patients sang his praises and all the ones I had talked to had returned to normal active lives. I made plans to see him.

It took a effort to get me on the plane. Supported by my five year old daughter on one side and my husband on the other, I somehow made it all the way to Jesse's office, Solstice Clinical Associates in Tucson, Arizona. As soon as I met him, I knew I would survive this horrible illness. What is it in a doctor that inspires confidence and the will to heal?

In Jesse it was the thorough understanding of my condition and a firm and well-thought out strategy for rebuilding my health, on all levels. His sense of humor and confidence inspired me and kept me going through the worst of times - the relapses and the dark periods of doubt - and his cautious optimism guarded me from hurtling too fast into the speeding lane again. I am still recovering from this illness, but my health is returning after a year and a half of treatment. And that's very good news!

LILIPOH is grateful that Dr. Stoff took time off from his very busy schedule to talk about Chronic Fatigue and share with our readers his vast experience as a physician specializing in the treatment of immune dysfunction. As you read this interview, imagine him sitting at a large, old wooden desk with many drawers and compartments, covered with books, files and charts. Rock specimens and crystals sit in strategic locations throughout the room. Here he peers into the individual microcosms of his patients, and uses his vast knowledge in an alchemical way to restore them to health. Outside, the Tucson mountains loom in the distance. The day is bright and the future - promising.

 

LB: How did you become involved in Chronic Fatigue as a specialty?

JS: I went to New York Medical College, and then I did a fellowship at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. At that time there was a serious outbreak of the Cox Sackie Virus which causes a chronic fatigue syndrome referred to as "myalgic encephalomyelitis.” It is called M.E. for short. While I was there, they had a special clinic for it. It was my first exposure to chronic viral infections. I saw firsthand how devastating this was to a life, and how well homeopathic medicine worked to stabilize and convert the situation. So, I was impressed. When I got back to the U.S. and started a practice, Bernie Siegel, a friend of mine who was running a Chronic Fatigue support group, sent me

a couple of patients. I treated them . . . and they got better.

 

LB: What exactly is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

JS: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, by definition, occurs in people who are suffering from overwhelming levels of stress for prolonged periods of time. As a result of that stress, a chronic virus infection is able to become established in the system. Stress affects a body in such a way that the body expends energy a lot faster than it can be regenerated and the body becomes weakened and unable to effectively fight viral attack.

The official criteria for CFS has to do with recurrent low grade fevers, sore throats, swollen lymph nodes, muscle stiffness and muscle pain, headaches, migratory pains, joints, sleep disturbance, neural psychological problems, such as: problems with memory, focus and concentration. If a person meets the criteria established by the Center for Disease Control, all it tells us is that a person has a syndrome, it doesn't tell us what is wrong with the person. The question is, What disease do they have? Then one gets into a lot of specialized testing to determine what is the cause of their chronic fatigue syndrome. It's very individual, based upon a person's history and a pattern of symptoms. Correct diagnosis gives the doctor a clear and logical way of dealing with the problems.

 

LB: A person that suspects chronic fatigue needs special testing, but I found that many family physicians fail to order appropriate tests. In my case doctors told me I was just depressed and that it would pass. One even told me it was good not to sleep sometimes.

JS: Knowing which blood tests to do and how to interpret them is a matter of education and reading the medical journals. I give lectures that are covered by medical education credits at the University of Arizona Medical School. There are more and more articles in medical literature about this and it is beginning to become better understood. For example in New England the most common cause of Chronic Fatigue is Lyme Disease. Now with a proper diagnosis and a specific course of antibiotics, it makes it all go away.

 

LB: There are many people who go through a lot of tests and still show no measurable signs of virus of any kind but they are very sick. What is happening?

JS: First of all, they probably didn't get the right tests! But keep in mind that the definition for the diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue syndrome alludes to long lists of immune system dysfunctions, biochemical dysfunctions, problems with the liver function, etc. There are many things that can go wrong.

 

LB: Do you find that certain parts of the country have more cases of CFS than others?

JS: Predominantly CFS sufferers are women on an order of eight to one - which is about the same ratio of people who get auto-immune diseases. Most sufferers are from the cities but that doesn't mean that someone from a rural or semi-rural area can't get it. Cities like LA and New York have higher concentrations of sufferers. Overall, the numbers of individuals with CFS are growing year by year. Statistics show that there are millions sick with this now.

 

LB: If a person suspects that they have this, what can they do immediately to help themselves?

JS: The first thing a person can do is change their life and lifestyle. They need to modify their eating to a low stress diet avoiding red meat, alcohol, sugar, coffee, and maximize amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet. A person should look at what kind of habits they have that are getting them in trouble. Smoking is out and drugs are out! Also, what kind of internal and external stresses are in a person's life that they can change or modify. Basically, the big challenge here is either change your life or change your attitude (or both?). Environmental stresses must also be eliminated. When there is exposure to chemicals or toxins in the workplace and a person is sick, there is

an important choice to be made. Looking at these kinds of harsh reality facts is critical if you're going to get hold of the cause of the illness and deal with it.

 

LB: There are many levels to this illness from people who are slightly tired all the time, to others who are bedridden and terribly sick. How many of your patients are at the moderate to severe level of illness?

JS: By the time they get to me they are all in that category.

 

LB: Where do you think the viruses associated with CFS come from and have they been around a long time?

JS: I don't think they have been around for thousands of years but certainly, for a while. Where the traditional diet of fruit and vegetables has been changed to fast foods and fertilizer, and there is a fast-paced living and drugs, there, you will find chronic fatigue. The change from agrarian-based societies to technological ones has laid the foundation for chronic immunological dysfunctions.

 

LB: Have there been any new breakthroughs in the field which will help speed recovery time of this long drawn-out illness?

JS: There are breakthroughs, but they are coming in the form of better understanding and better laboratory tests to pin down what is really going on in the patient. One can have a more rational approach in treatment from the point of view of biochemistry and immunology. But, there is no magic bullet yet! There are blood tests and comprehensive tests which tell the amino acid levels, fatty acid panel, neurotransmitter levels - all of which tell where the person is in terms of the neuro-endocrine system. They tell where a person is, and where their problems are. It's like an individual bio­chemical blueprint! Then we can de­velop a strategy and treatment to help them reverse it.

 

LB: Do you find that there are a lot of similar symptom patterns in your patients?

JS: Yes, by the time I see them almost everybody's liver is in a state of shock and there is a lot of dysfunction in their T-cells, as well as other areas.

 

LB: What is the recovery rate?

JS: That depends on how well the person grasps hold of the illness, takes it seriously and makes the necessary lifestyle changes. If they get support biochemically and psychologically, then, the vast majority of the people I've seen do return to normal function and lifestyle. But they can never go back to doing what they were doing before or they will get sick again. They need to look at a different career or through counseling or psychotherapy learn to deal with stress in a different way.

 

LB: What is the most frustrating part of treating this disease!

JS: The most frustrating part is when I see somebody who I know has a reversible condition but is totally stuck in life and circumstances that they cannot make changes necessary. For example, a single mother with children who is working two jobs and cannot afford to stop working to take care of herself.

 

LB: For you, what has been the most exciting part of your work?

JS: The most exciting part of my work has been to watch how people's lives transform as they live through this illness . . . how people move into different relationships and into different careers and how they really blossom. I have endless examples of major shifts in life and lifestyles and of incredible things that have happened as patients have got­ten out of this whole problem. You cannot go around Chronic Fatigue, the only way out of the effects of it is through it.

 

[Friedrich P. Graf]

Gesunde Rebellion - Homöopathie als Basismedizin

 

 

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