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Grouppe Kurosawa Natural Medicine Blog Archives
The Grouppe Kurosawa Blog is dedicated to a discussion of how natural medicines and easily obtainable over the counter medicines can be used to effectively and inexpensively treat a host of serious acute and chronic diseases, including HIV, hepatitis, asthma, allergy, arthritis, cancer, leukemia and diabetes. ,
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July 26, 2008
The End of AIDS. Part Five
Adam, our first and only HIV success story, took at my recommendation 1.2 grams of ibuprofen a day for three months before he began our "formal" HIV treatment protocol. In retrospect, I believe the use of ibuprofen, a Cox-1 and Cox-2 inhibitor, contributed substantially to the rebound in his immune response against the HIV virus.
MAIDS, a form of mouse AIDS caused by a similar retrovirus, is completely reversed by the use of Cox-2 inhibitor drugs. Cox-2 enzymes produce PGE2, a powerful prostaglandin that increases the level of cyclic AMP in cells. Cyclic AMP, acting via the protein kinase A enzyme, is extremely immunosuppressive.
When the HIV surface protein gp120 binds its CXCR4 co-receptor, it induces the synthesis of cyclic AMP and activates the protein A kinase pathway in infected and non-infected cells. This results in T cell anergy in normal cells. Anergy means the immune cells fail to respond to antigens. GP120 also activates the synthesis of Cox-2 via NF-kappaB.
Protein kinase A is both immunosuppressive and an inducer of immunological tolerance. Tolerance means the immune response is literally taught to ignore certain antigen. This is an appropriate response AFTER an immune response has outlived its usefulness. However, if tolerance is induced early in an immune response, say against HIV viral proteins, the immune cells cannot recognize the viral proteins. Now you have a really big problem on your hands.
The Cox-2 inhibitor that we will use in this protocol is acetaminophen, Tylenol. This drug specifically blocks Cox-2 activity while leaving Cox-1 enzyme activity largely intact. In the presence of supplements such as n-acetylcysteine, acetaminophen does not cause liver damage. NAC is part of our HIV treatment protocol.
Psychological stress also plays a role in promoting the development of AIDS.
A current study at UCLA found that mindfullness meditation increases the CD4 T cell count and slows the progression of HIV. The study has not be published yet.
Almost all immune cells have beta1 and beta2 receptors on their membranes. These receptors bind adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine) which increase the level of cyclic AMP in cells. Beta blockers are well known anti-hypertensive drugs. The medical and scientific communities have not come to grips with the role stress plays in the disease progression associated with HIV infections and cancer/leukemia. If the immune response is compromised by psychological stress, any and all efforts to increase immune responsiveness are rather pointless.
The best beta blocker is a drug called pindolol. Walmart sell a 3 months supply for $10. This drug blocks both beta 1 and 2 receptor activity. Further, it inhibits the release of noradrenaline from nerve endings. Noradrenaline is very immunosuppressive.
Pindolol is prescribed off label by physicians as a treatment for anxiety. The use of this drug will help control the immune suppression associated with psychological stress.
Stay tuned...
Grouppe Kurosawa, Medicine in the Public Interest
July 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
July 22, 2008
Glutamine and HIV Infections
Thus far, I have written over 1500 medical blog essays. As a result, I sometimes forget what I have already written. In the protocol essays, I forgot to mention that glutamine activates the synthesis of heat shock proteins.
Glutamine stimulates the synthesis and promotes the stability of the heat shock protein hsp-70.
Glutamine, like low level glucosteroids, can protect against sepsis and shock. However, the glutamine response is completely dependent on the presence of HSP-70. Mice genetically deficient in HSP-70 are not protected by infusions of glutamine. The following review article, which can be read online, is an excellent review of the relationship between glutamine and HSP-70.
The term heat shock is actually a misnomer. These proteins protect the body against a wide variety of stressors, including excessive heat. HSP-70 protects the body against inflammation by inhibiting the activation of the genetic factor NF-kappaB. This well studied genetic factor activates the synthesis of a host of different pro-inflammatory immune hormones, including TNF. The inhibition of this factor is a major goal in the clinical control of cancer.
NF-kappaB is necessary for the activation of the HIV gene in infected cells.
In addition to its intracellular role, HSP-70 is also released from the cell into the tissue spaces. There it forms a complex with the membrane chemokine receptor CCR5, thereby blocking the infection of new CD4 T cells by certain strains of the HIV virus.
In macrophages, HSP-70 forms a complex with the viral protein VPR, thereby preventing this viral protein from promoting the import of the virus into non-dividing macrophages.
VPR is also known to induce G2 arrest and death in infected CD4 T cells. HSP-70 prevents this response.
I believe that AIDS, the final phase of HIV infection, can be strongly reversed by a combination of low dose hormone replacement glucosteroids and 50 grams, minimum, of the amino acid glutamine. For those who cannot get a prescription of these anti-inflammatory steroids, high glutamine doses may partially suffice. Glutamine can be purchased in bulk for $25USD/1 kilogram. The source is listed on our www.grouppekurosawa.com home page in the supplement file at the top of the page. We have no financial arrangement with this firm. They ship worldwide.
High doses of glutamine cannot be used in phase two of our treatment protocol. In this phase, we NEED NF-kappaB to be activated. NF-kappaB is necessary for the activation of both the innate and adaptive immune systems. Glutamine is obtained from the diet once the appetite returns.
Glutamine, by virtue of its ability to stimulate the synthesis and stability of HSP-70, is a powerful, inexpensive and non-toxic treatment for severe HIV infections.
Stay tuned...
Grouppe Kurosawa, Medicine in the Public Interest
July 22, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)
July 21, 2008
The End of AIDS. Summary
In this essay, I am going to attempt to put together a viable HIV treatment protocol. I have tried this in the past, but the protocols did not work to my satisfaction. Go here goes...
First and foremost, the final phase of the disease, AIDS, must be reversed. I realize that this sounds impossible but it really isn't. AIDS, in my opinion, is characterized by a steadily progressing glucosteroid insensitivity. Virtually every clinical symptom associated with AIDS is identifical to that associated with adrenocortical insufficiency. Methylprednisolone, in low hormone replacement doses, has been used to block proinflammatory induced shock and death. This hormone can also be used to block the extreme inflammatory response that drives HIV infections into AIDS. Further, it can be used to reverse AIDS into a more benign viral infection, while restoring total body homeostasis.
Glutamine, in 50 gram doses, 25 grams twice a day in juice, is used to complement the low dose glucosteroid treatment. Glutamine also inhibits PI-3K/AKT signaling, thereby causing the death of long term viral reservoirs in macrophages.
ONLY glutamine and methylprednisolone are used to reverse AIDS. NOTHING ELSE.
Once AIDS is reversed, we can breathe freely while we attempt to erradicate the virus from the body.
When the body has stabilized and appetite and strength have returned, we can drop the methylprednisolone and concentrate on reactiving the immune response against the virus.
Low hormone replacement doses of methylprednisolone are not immunosuppressive. That is a contradiction in terms.
I want to strongly emphasize that the CD4 T cell count is irrelevant for our purposes here. It is a poor indicator of clinical status. There are people who have CD4 T cell counts of 10 who are not sick. Naturally, their innate immune response is still functioning. The innate arm of cellular immunity has nothing to do with CD4 T cells.
Second phase.
Hopefully, the glucosteroids have substantially reduced reduced the synthesis of TNF and other pro-inflammatory hormones that drive HIV infections into AIDS.
In this phase, we will use 50 mgs of elemental zinc per day. Zinc sulfate capsules of 220 mgs or so contain about 45-50 mgs of actual zinc. I capsule per day. The bottle will tell you how much zinc is present in each capsule. Do not exceed 50 mgs of zinc a day.
As I have written, zinc activates the entire immune response. Zinc also specifically activates PI-3K/AKT signaling, which is absolutely required for T cell development.
Glutamine and arginine are necessary for proper immune functioning. If your appetite has returned, a person can get all the necessary glutamine and arginine from the diet. Arginine is found in high concentrations in nuts. High dose glutamine supplements are not necessary in this phase.
Alpha lipoic acid and n-acetylcysteine, taken together, will help to rebuild the glutathione levels in the body. Glutathione is necessary proper immune functioning. It is usually depleted in HIV infections.ALA works in the presence of retroviral drugs, but NAC does not. Together, they may help to increase the CD4 T count in the presence of these drugs. But don't hold your breath. Retroviral drugs are immunosuppressive. They may drop the viral titer, but they rarely increase the CD4 T cell counts.
The ALA dose is 300 mgs three times a day. The NAC dose is 600 mgs twice a day. ALA will also regenerate vitamin C and vitamin E in the body. You can take these supplements also, but not in excessive doses.
Acetaminophen is used to block HIV induced prostaglandin synthesis and the accompaning immunosuppression. The dose is 2 grams a day, 1 gram twice a day.
Pindolol, a generic prescription drug, is used to block psychological stress induced immunosuppression. The dose is as prescribed by your physician.
Summary
The immune system is quite durable. If you can remove the toxic factors which inhibit its activity, such as excessive TNF, FAS, and TRAIL apoptosis responses, it will regenerate itself.
In the first phase, we are attempting to reduce glucosteroid responses using low dose hormone replacement doses. This will act to inhibit the inflammatory response that is driving the disease. Glutamine restores homeostasis in the body, while killing long term macrophage viral reservoirs by blocking PI-3K/AKT activity.
In the second phase we are attempting to support an enhanced immune response against the virus. We are not attempting to "activate" the immune response against the virus. The HIV virus and virally infected cells are very immunogenetic. In the absence of interfering factors, the immune cells will rapidly clear the virus. Thousands if not millions of people have been exposed to the HIV virus yet they remain healthy. Many of these people are seronegative, which means that the virus didn't last long enough in the body to stimulate an antibody response.
Pass this series of essays along to your friends. I realize that many physicians are afraid to prescribe glucosteroids to HIV infected persons because of a fear of immunosuppression. Hormone replacement doses are not immunosuppressive.The hormone replacement dose is only temporary anyway, but it MUST be used. If you don't inhibit the activity of the death hormones TNF, FAS and TRAIL, the disease process will continue. If you have money or insurance, you can elect to remain on HIV drugs until they eventually fail. Of course, your immune system will never reestablish itself due to the immunosuppressive nature of these drugs. Unfortunately most of the world has no access to these drugs so protocols like this are ideal.
It's worth a try. Nothing else is working.
Stay tuned...
Grouppe Kurosawa, Medicine in the Public Interest
July 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
The End of AIDS. Part Four
Glutamine is the most prevalent amino acid in foods. Since it can also be made in the body, it is considered a non-essential amino acid. NOTHING could be further from the truth.
During illness, the tissue stores of glutamine are rapidly depleted. This can be corrected with glutamine supplementation. Glutamine plays a fundamental role in virtually every aspect of cellular metabolism.
It seems reasonable that people with advanced HIV infections suffer, to some extent, from glutamine depletion. This is certainly true in the last stage of the disease, AIDS. Therefore, glutamine supplementation should be given to these people as it is to other critically ill persons.
Some time ago I wrote an essay entitled "He just stopped dying". It was the story of a 70 plus year old man dying in a hospice of metastatic pancreatic cancer. After 50 grams of glutamine a day for 30 days, his bedsores healed, his appetite returned and he walked out of the hospice. According to his physician, he just stopped dying. This is the power of glutamine.
http://grouppekurosawa.typepad.com/grouppe_kurosawa_natural_/2008/04/he-just-stopped.html
Glutamine is important for another reason. This amino acid inhibits the activity of the PI-3K/AKT signaling pathway. This pathway promotes the survival and growth of cancer and leukemia cells.
PI-3K/AKT also plays a role in the continued synthesis of the HIV virus in tissue macrophages. These cells are long term reservoirs of viral synthesis which are NOT affected by current retroviral drugs. The activation of this pathway protects the macrophages from oxidative stress that could ordinarily kill the cells. If PI-3K/AKT is inhibited, these long term reservoirs of viral synthesis die.
Glutathione plays a fundamental role in immune responsiveness. As can be expected, glutathione depletion is common in HIV infections. Both n-acetylcysteine and alpha lipoic acid can be used to increase glutathione levels in the body. This improves immune responsiveness.
Unfortunately, glutathione elevating agents cannot be used in the presence of glucosteroids. Glutathione and enzymes that use glutathione as reducing agents cause glucosteroid resistance. This is the last thing that we want to happen, especially in the AIDS phase of the disease.
In the final essay, I will summarize the information thus provided and present a formal treatment protocol.
Stay tuned...
Grouppe Kurosawa, Medicine in the Public Interest
July 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 20, 2008
The End of AIDS. Part Three
It is estimated that 25% of the population of the world is deficient in zinc. This deficiency is particularly prevalent in the elderly and vegetarians. The highest dietary concentration of zinc is found in meat.
Zinc plays many, many roles in the body by virtue of its ability to control the activity of over 300 "zinc finger" proteins. These proteins MUST bind zinc in order to be biologically active.
Many critically important zinc finger proteins are found in every cell in the immune system. If zinc becomes even slightly depleted, the immune response begins to fail. I cannot emphasize this point enough. The following review articles provide all the necessary background information. These articles can be read online.
The elderly suffer from a low grade inflammation that contributes to chronic immune activation. They also suffer from mild zinc deficiencies. When zinc supplements are provided, these defects are corrected.
An excellent example of the importance of zinc in the immune response is typified by the immune hormone thymulin. This hormone is found in the thymus where it promotes the differentiation of immature T cells into mature CD4 and CD8 T cells. Thymulin is a zinc dependent hormone. When zinc concentrations become limiting, the CD4/CD8 ratio decreases.
Zinc is also a powerful anti-oxidant by virtue of its ability to increase the activity of enzymes such as catalase and superoxide dismutase. When alcohol is chronically fed to mice, their livers over express mRNA for TNF, its receptors, FAS ligand, and its receptors. Zinc supplementation largely prevented the over expression of these pro-inflammatory, pro-apoptotic immune hormones, thereby preventing alcohol from causing cirrhosis.
Zinc is frequently diminished in HIV infected people. Low zinc is associated with a low CD4 T cell count possibly due to the inhibition of thymulin activity in the thymus gland.
Zinc deficiency is particularly common in IV drug users. These people usually suffer from extreme malnutrition which naturally diminishes zinc uptake. Vegetables contain very little zinc and "junk" or highly processed foods contain almost none. This study confirms that zinc deficiency is associated with declining CD4 T cell counts and reduced survival.
Zinc supplementation increases the CD4 T cell count, and a reduced incidence of opportunistic infections, such as candida and pneumocystis carinii.
The maximum dose of zinc per day is 50 milligrams of elemental zinc. This figure should not be exceeded.
Stay tuned...
Grouppe Kurosawa, Medicine in the Public Interest
July 20, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
The End of AIDS. Part Two
In part one of this series, I presented evidence that low doses of glucosteroids can inhibit inflammatory responses on a long term basis, while high pharmacological doses can only do so temporarily.
Acute, in contrast to chronic, inflammatory responses are absolutely necessary to activate the immune system against pathogens. Since glucosteroid concentrations also increase during stress, the body must protect itself from an inappropriate glucosteroid mediated immunosuppression.
There are two glucosteroid cellular receptors. The alpha receptor activates glucosteroid controlled genes, while the beta receptor blocks glucosteroid signaling. Inflammatory hormones, such as TNF, induce resistance to glucosteroids by activating the beta receptor.
On the other hand, the synthesis and release of TNF and other inflammatory mediators, primarily released from tissue macrophages, is inhibited by the glucosteroid inhibition of NF-kappaB and other signaling pathways.
It is obvious that glucosteroids and TNF have a crosstalk relationship in modulating each other's actions in the body.
It is important to understand that an HIV infection is not AIDS. AIDS refers to the final terminal phase of the disease. Many people live with serious HIV infections for many years without ever developing AIDS.
Twenty years ago, a Japanese group published a review article suggesting that AIDS was a TNF driven disease. Today, scientists are finally beginning to take this suggestion seriously.
Last year a review article was published entitled "Is HIV infection a TNF receptor signaling-driven disease?"
The answer appears to be yes.
The viral protein NEF and TNF both promote the synthesis of HIV in viral reservoirs such as monocytes and macrophages. The viral membrane protein gp120, binding the CD4/chemokine receptors, increases further TNF synthesis, which promotes additonal viral synthesis. This is called a feed forward cycle.
If this cycle proceeds unabated, the final phase of HIV infections, AIDS, will eventually develop.
Lets consider the evidence.
The membrane receptors for FAS and TNF, over expressed on macrophages, and their ligands are well known to be able to kill normal CD4 T cells. This is a characteristic feature of HIV infections.
It is VERY clear that viral proteins can induce the synthesis of all three death receptors (TNF, FAS and TRAIL) in monocytes/macrophages. The excessive expression of these receptors and their activators on monocytes drives the progression of HIV infections into AIDS by causing additional inflammation while simultaneously killing non-infected CD4 T cells.
It is also very clear that the presence of TNF and soluble forms of its receptors parallels the severity of HIV infection and the progression towards AIDS by chronic immune activation. Again, chronic immune activation is characteristic of HIV infections.
A new study has found that the synthesis and release of TRAIL, FAS ligand, and TNF receptors begins in the earliest phases of infection. TRAIL, a well known death hormone that kills cancer cells without harming normal tissues, is released 7 days before the peak of viral synthesis in a new infection. FAS ligand and TNFR-2 are found in the blood at the peak of viral synthesis.
TRAIL is known to induce apoptosis in both infected and non-infected monocytes/macrophages and T lymphocytes.
Glucosteroids inhibit the activity of TRAIL.
As the level of TNF and other pro-inflammatory mediators increase in HIV infections, glucosteroid sensitivity will decrease. As in the case of Ms Kaye, hydrocortisone levels in the blood may be normal but the body has become resistant to the hormone. As far as I am concerned, this is the fundamental "trigger" that initiates progression towards AIDS.
Glucosteroids maintain the integrity of the body. Symptoms of glucosteroid insufficiency include muscle weakness, anorexia, diarrhea, mental confusion, abdominal pain, weight loss and extreme susceptibility to infections. Every one of these symptoms is associated with AIDS.
As foolish as this sounds, I believe that even advanced AIDS can be reversed. This doesn't mean that the HIV virus is going away. It will never completely go away. But people can live with the HIV virus IF and only IF the progession towards AIDS can be blocked. And it can.
First and foremost, hormone replacement doses of glucosteroids, such as methylprednisolone, should be given. This is critical in order to inhibit the synthesis of pro-inflammatory hormones and restore homeostatis in the body.
Second, a soluble form of zinc, zinc sulfate, should be given. Zinc is extremely anti-inflammatory and will downregulate the expression of the TNF and FAS membrane receptors. Zinc is also a powerful activator of the entire immune system via its ability to control the activity of a host of proteins that contain "zinc fingers".
Third, oxidative stress promotes the synthesis of TNF, etc. The glutathione mimic n-acetylcysteine should be used to reduce oxidative stress.
I will be discussing the role of zinc in controlling HIV infections in the next essay.
Stay tuned...
Grouppe Kurosawa, Medicine in the Public Interest
July 20, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 17, 2008
The End of AIDS. Part One
The following article, published in the 1994 edition of Discover Magazine, changed my life. I am an immunologist whose primary research interest is the effect of glucosteroids (hydrocortisone, dexamethasone, prednisone) on the immune system. After reading this article, I began to quietly cry. Finally, I knew what was driving the terminal phase of AIDS.
The article speaks for itself.
http://discovermagazine.com/1994/jun/adeadlymasquerad387
This woman was two days, max, away from dying of advanced AIDS. The physicians gave her a hormone replacement dose, probably of prednisone, and she walked out of the hospital three days later. In one month she had gained 25 pounds. Six months later she remained healthy and was back at work.
A hormone replacement dose is a small dose given to people who show signs of adrenal insufficiency. A pharmacological dose is used to treat serious inflammatory diseases. However, these high doses can only be taken for a short period of time.
A physician at the University of Pittsburgh has argued for years that a hormone replacement dose of glucosteroids can largely prevent shock and death. A pharmacological dose makes the situation worse, because the body senses the high concentration of hormone and blocks its ability to bind the glucosteroid receptor. This is a normal feedback response. This physician has been attacked for years by the medical whores who are paid consultants for the pharmaceutical industry. They want to sell expensive drugs to treat shock.
The following study shows that low glucosteroid doses inhibited inflammation and organ failure in shock, while high doses did nothing.
Shock basically refers to vascular collapse. When your blood pressure drops too low, you die. Inflammatory hormones such as TNF, tumor necrosis factor, are responsible for shock and death. Low doses of glucosteroids inhibit the synthesis of TNF, but high doses do not.
In the next essay, I will present current evidence that TNF, its receptors and other death hormones such as FAS are responsible for the progression from HIV infection to actual AIDS. This inflammatory response can be controlled or corrected by low dose glucosteroid therapy and glutamine supplementation. I know it sounds too good to be true, but it is true.
Ms Kaye walked out of hospital because the low dose glucosteroid dose she was given terminated the inflammatory response that was killing her.
I gave a short talk over ten years ago to some AIDS doctors from UCSF in San Francisco. It was in the evening and everyone was tired and hungry. When I mentioned that low dose glucosteroid therapy could block the terminal phase of AIDS by inhibiting the inflammatory hormones driving the disease, no one responded. Except one woman physician who was listening intensively. She gave prednisone to an AIDS patients for some inflammatory problem and he disappeared. When she asked one of his friends about his wheareabouts, she was told that he was "off climbing mountains somewhere".
Touche.
Stay tuned...
Grouppe Kurosawa, Medicine in the Public Interest
July 17, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
More Information on Watercress
These are great references for watercress and its propagation. Apparently, this plant has many names.
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Nasturtium+officinale
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Watercress
There is also a watercress mustard available called Laurent du clos watercress mustard. If someone finds a source for it on the Net, post the information here. I don't have time to look.
Stay tuned...
Grouppe Kurosawa, Medicine in the Public Interest
July 17, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4)
Broccoli Sprout Tea
I found out that one serving of the special broccoli sprouts contains 75 mgs of the precursor of sulforaphane. That's alot.
A company called Brassica makes a series of teas that contain 15 mgs of this precursor in each tea bag. They licensed the use of the sulforaphane precursor from Johns Hopkins University. Could be worth looking into if you don't like sprouts.
Stay tuned...
Grouppe Kurosawa, Medicine in the Public Interest
July 17, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)
