The Origin of Disease

I’m sure that many of you entering this section for the first time had the same thought: “Who does this guy think he is writing about such universal matters?” It is quite simple: There are no real mysteries anymore when it comes to how we become ill and why we find ourselves in our current medical dilemma. We do not need to name every single virus and bacteria that exists nor must we tie those specific agents to every malady known to man. We know their basic “M.O.” and have compiled lists upon lists of the triggers that make them behave badly. Perhaps a paper titled “Good Viruses Behaving Badly” is in order. The title alone would help make my point.

The key to understanding any disease process is found in the concept of adaptation. Each and every cell in our body is capable of adapting to immune challenges that threaten the health of that cell and our body in general. Our biggest step toward comprehending this amazing process is seeing that each and every cell in filled with living entities- viruses and pleomorphic bacteria – that react to these challenges and report back to their respective cellular posts. Viruses interact most with the nucleus of the cell, which controls cell division, while intracellular bacteria exchange information with the mitochondria of the cell, which control cell differentiation (what that cell may turn into) and the rapidity with which that cell divides. This is explained in detail in my paper L-form Bacteria and Mollicutes – The Good, the “Bad” and the Ugly.

Once we understand that each cell is an “ant bed” that is busily doing its thing making “the mound” a healthy and productive place, all we really need to do to insure our health is to “stop kicking the ant bed”. When we consume unhealthy foods (e.g. the “big 4”), preservatives (e.g. trans fats), additives (e.g. MSG, aspartame, artificial colors, excessive sugar), and carcinogens (e.g. cigarette smoke, car exhaust, factory emissions), we are asking for trouble. Not only do we provoke the resident organisms into rebellion- leading to symptoms from the adaptive process (nausea, headaches, pain, seizures)- but we also leave ourselves wide open to invasion by contagious viruses and bacteria that further complicate matters.

Fun fact: Researchers tell us that nearly 40% of our DNA is viral information- viral codes that have been acquired by our ancestors and passed down through the generations. A quick study of dog breed-related conditions tells all that we need to know: Many “diseases” are inherited- allergies, food intolerance (e.g. celiac disease in Irish Setters), epilepsy, heart disease, collagen disorders (e.g. chondrodysplastic breeds), and many forms of cancer.

But, how these encoded viruses come into play, why they “wait” years to do so (or do they?), and what their true motivation is in doing so are the real questions to ask. And there are very good answers. Some explanations may surprise you…until you see that our body knows exactly what it is doing in each and every case of “disease”. We are not some genetically flawed organism whose immune system runs amuck, attacking its own body for no good reason. No, the immune system knows exactly what it is doing- housecleaning. There is something going on it those cells that the immune system doesn’t like. And that “something” is a rebellion being carried out by the residential viruses and bacteria. But, the rebellion was incited by our kicking their ant bed. So, whose fault is it when we develop symptoms after years of doing the wrong thing?

We will never rid ourselves of these microscopic roommates…and we should never try. They are vital to our survival and to that of every living thing on earth. Yes, there are some viruses and bacteria that have been tied to serious illnesses but most of them are “opportunists”, creating the worst symptoms in those who are immune-compromised by malnutrition, chemical exposures, and the downward spiral that accompanies years of abuse. Until now, we haven’t understood the many forms this abuse can take. Who would have thought that the very staples of our diet- wheat, dairy products, and corn- were doing so much harm.

This section will eventually house The Origin of Disease, an updated version of The Answer that will focus on viruses, pleomorphic bacteria and the adaptive process these entities undergo in response to the challenges we keep tossing their way.  I wrote The Answer in the early months of 2001 and hurriedly placed it on the site on 9-11. It was a compilation of what I had learned in my first year of rather intensive Internet medical research following my personal diagnosis of celiac disease (gluten intolerance). Suddenly, medicine made sense for the first time in my 20 year veterinary career and the passion to share this information became a tremendous driving force in my life. The first year of study formed a reliable framework into which the following six year’s findings would fall neatly into their place. In fact, I have not had to correct much of the original information, only add to it for completeness- the details concerning viruses, bacteria, and their role in our body’s ability to adapt being a good example.

The Origin of Disease will use the basic outline of The Answer while offering my latest findings, clarifying the original information and answering those questions that beg for more details: “Exactly how do the proteins from dairy, wheat, soy and corn incite disease?” “Why do gluten-free/casein-free diets help so many conditions?” “How- and why– do viruses cause cancer?” “Will there ever be a pharmacological cure for cancer?” These are all great questions with good answers.

The answers to these and many other important questions are already written on this Website. Many have written to me and “complained” that these answers are buried deep my long-winded treatises, inaccessible to the average reader. My response in the past has been something like “No pain, no gain.”, meaning that if you really want to know the answers then it is worth seeking out. But, I do understand that time is of the essence and that some people just don’t like reading on the Internet as much as they do reading books. So, I have broken the information up into sections like this and even created the Appetizers section, where the reader can find useful tidbits of information designed with the time-challenged reader in mind.

But nothing is more important than seeing the big picture. To do this, we have to assimilate all of the key components: The diet (e.g. the negative effects of the “big 4” foods and their lectins), the environment (e.g. air quality, fluoride), our lifestyle choices (e.g. sleep patterns, occupation), and “genetics”. However, the final piece to this fascinating puzzle is the understanding of why and how viruses and bacteria become involved in the development of what we call “disease”. Again, the word is “adaptation”. These organisms do not want to make us sick. They are simply being forced into it by our choices to threaten them with offending substances and circumstances that disrupt their normal, daily function.

Once we grasp this, then we can all see the origin of disease and begin our journey toward the medical utopia in which we all want to believe.

Dogtor J

In This Section:

The Origin of Disease in Man and Animals- The Primer – This is an Email I sent to someone who wrote to me asking me for some advice about their career choice and curriculum. They were interested in choosing courses that would help complete their understanding of epilepsy and chronic illness. This gave me an opportunity to start this section with a primer on the subject of why we become ill, which is critical to our understanding of how to best deal with what we call “disease”.

Viruses and Lectins -The Missing Links – This paper is the manuscript for my upcoming lecture at a major veterinary conference. It covers my latest passion- studying the potential interrelationships between the lectins of the “big 4” (gluten, casein, soy and corn) and the latent viruses that are residing in our cells, some even being embedded in our very DNA. These interactions help to explain “autoimmune” diseases and shed light on the development of that dreaded diagnosis of cancer.

L-form Bacteria and Mollicutes – The Good, the “Bad” and the Ugly –   I know that many who read this title are going “What in the world? This is going to be waaay too technical for me and I don’t really need to understand something so involved.” Well, that may be true for those who get the old deer-in-the-headlights look when they hear or read something medical, like I do when I talk with an attorney or insurance salesman. But if you liked the part about viruses, then you’re really going to like this part, too. These are all part of the grand orchestra that is our- and our pet’s- body.

Viruses Are Not Alone -The Latest Cancer Research – This area is going to be a work in progress. The reader will see why when they get there. I have stated for the last 10 years that researchers have known for years that viruses cause cancer. Many have stated that viruses are the only cause of cancer, with “carcinogens” triggering viruses into causing cancer. Now we know that viruses are not the only microorganisms involved in the process. But do intracellular bacteria cause cancer by themselves or do they serve another purpose in this process? The section starts with a letter to my colleagues discussing this fascinating and paradigm-shifting information.

Is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome the Key to Our Understanding of Collagen Disorders? – This is a letter I wrote to colleagues and friends on 5-6-06 after doing a little reading about this serious but fascinating condition. I have been wanting to write something on this topic for months, relating skeletal abnormalities to food intolerance in a more specific way. I hope you get something vital from it.

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