Positive Health Online

Peter H Kay PhD¹*  Saqib Rashid MSc², Maria de Lourdes Peloso Pereira MBBS³, Carlos Goncalves PhD⁴ and Andrew Bonci, DC⁵.

1. Homeovitality Natural Super Health Clinic, Preston, UK.

2. Mind Body Clinic, London, UK.

3. Pediatria e Homeopatia Homeovitality, Boa Esperança, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

4. Instituto de Homeopatia, Portugal.

5. Private Practice, Mission, Kansas, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed: - peterhkay@gmail.com

Preamble

In recent years many exciting scientific discoveries have been made that have enabled great advances to be made in various complementary healthcare practices. One of the greatest discoveries has been the recognition that homeopathic substances can interact with the genetic blueprint and re-arrange the gene expression profile or transcriptome in human cells. As a consequence, and, taken together with recently discovered new properties of DNA, the sequence specific homeopathic DNA therapy system has been developed so that the community may enjoy the benefits of present day scientific health care discoveries via various complementary health care practices including homeopathy in a timely fashion.

Introduction

Biological and psychological changes involving disease resolution and induction of disease symptoms that are brought about without pharmacological intervention (as in the proving process and aggravations in a homeopathic setting) are driven by alterations in the activity of specific genes that synthesise  gene products that are needed to bring about those changes. Such gene products include hormones, enzymes, neurotransmitters and inflammatory mediators for example.  For these and other reasons, Prof. Khuda-Bukhsh first proposed in 1997 that some homeopathic substances must have the capacity to interact with the genetic blueprint[1] and deliver their benefits by re-arranging the human transcriptome. Since then, subsequent work by Khuda-Bukhsh and colleagues[2 and within Ref. 2] and other scientists [3, 4] have firmly established that highly diluted substances do have the capacity to do this.

In keeping with Prof. Khuda-Bukhsh’s postulate, Sunila and colleagues[3] have shown that the homeopathic nosode Carcinosinum can increase expression of the important anti-cancer gene p53 and that extracts of Thuja and Ruta can regulate genes that are involved in slowing down the proliferation or growth of some cancer cells. Similar findings have also been found by Frenkel and colleagues[4] who showed that, using in vitro molecular biological technology, Carcinosinum can induce expression of genes that can also slow down the proliferation of breast cancer cells.

Interestingly, the results of some of the work by Sunila and colleagues[3] also raise the possibility that the effectiveness of homeopathic remediation may depend on the genetic background of the person being treated. This possibility is raised because different mammalian cell cultures react quite differently, with regard to re-arrangement of the transcriptome, when exposed to the same homeopathic preparation. This observation warrants further investigation because it may explain why some patients fail to respond to certain homeopathic remedies.

Following the recognition that homeopathic remedies can re-arrange the transcriptome, it is important to understand a little about some of the relationships between genetics and the physical, biological and psychological characteristics or phenotype of an individual. This is particularly relevant because inappropriate expression or activity of some genes can lead to increased susceptibility to serious disease.

Notes on the Human Genome

In recent years, particularly since completion of the Human Genome Project (sequencing of human DNA) there have been major advances in the understanding of the structure and function of human DNA.  For example, scientists have now discovered that human DNA contains almost 25,000 genes. Among them are genes that synthesize all the proteins that are needed to support life and development from gametic (egg and sperm) fusion to death. Scientists have also discovered that some genes increase susceptibility to development of many diseases when their expression is sub-optimal. Scientists have also discovered genes that help restore and maintain optimum health and avoid disease and yet others that need to be expressed at specific stages of life to support proper development.

In any particular cell, not all of the 25,000 or so genes need to be active or expressed. Some of them are expressed in every cell. Those that are expressed in every cell play an important role in maintaining cellular viability; they are usually referred to as house-keeping genes. Other genes are only expressed in some cells. These are the genes that determine whether a cell is going to be a liver cell or a heart cell or other and what function it must perform. Therefore, for optimum biological or psychological function of an individual, each of the different types of genes must be expressed at the correct level and at the right time. As indicated, serious diseases such as cancer can be caused if the wrong genes are expressed at any time or if some genes are over-expressed or under-expressed or if some of the genes are expressed at the wrong time. So, to maintain optimum health it is critical that gene expression is under tight control.

There are many internal and external factors, even including food components, thought processes, radiation, exercise, sound and many more, (now including homeopathic remediation) that impact on gene expression, therefore, to maintain optimum health, the body is continually striving to maintain the right level of  expression of thousands of genes in each cell. In this context, homeopathy and other complementary health care modalities may be considered as ways of promoting health by helping the body to maintain optimum qualitative and quantitative features of each cell’s transcriptome.

Towards a More Scientific Approach to Homeopathy and other Complementary Health Care Practices

At this stage, it is relevant to introduce the term ‘homeogenetics’, a term coined by one of us, PHK. Homeogenetics is used to describe a new field of study that follows on from confirmation of Prof. Khuda-Bukhsh’s original postulate. Homeogenetic studies, already underway as described in Refs. 1-4, are to do with investigations into the interactive processes between the genetic blueprint and highly diluted potentized substances.

As pointed out, it is now known that homeopathic remedies can re-arrange the transcriptome and alter the expression of various genes. Taken together with the results of decades of scientific studies which have revealed the health promoting or disease causing properties of many genes, it follows that homeogenetic studies are warranted to advance the practice. For example, work by Khuda-Bukhsh, Sunila and Frankel and colleagues,[1-4] have begun to identify genes that are targeted by some remedies. Application of micro-array gene chip technology may be applied to eventually determine qualitative and quantitative features of genes targeted by various homeopathic remedies and many other substances used in complementary health care practices.  Remedy choice may then be made on the basis of matching the gene targeting properties of the homeopathic remedy with the genetic aberration/s that underpin the patient’s health problem.  The sequence specific homeopathic DNA system is already doing this.

Introduction of the study of homeogenetics is in keeping with the sciences of nutrigenetics and pharmacogenetics, terms which are used to describe areas of study investigating interactions between food and drugs respectively with the human transcriptome.

Homeopathic DNA and Micro-Immunotherapy

So, how to develop a way of using homeopathic substances to target specific health promoting genes exclusively and specifically? It has been done by combining the results of the use of homeopathic DNA, New Homeopathy (Micro-Immunotherapy) and the discovery of new properties of DNA, see below.

DNA is a well established substance that is used to prepare a homeopathic remedy. Its use is included in Materia Medicas compiled by practitioners such as Dr OA Julian and others. It is also included in various Homeopathic Pharmacopoeias such as the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States.

The DNA proving process confirms that homeopathic DNA, which may consist of whole genomic DNA from species such as fish, plants or cattle and of unknown sequence and molecular size, can target and activate genes that cause disease. With a view to increasing the specificity and safety of gene targeting by homeopathic DNA, Drs Jenaer and Marichal pioneered the use of highly diluted small DNA molecules with well defined sequences to target immune response genes to fight infections. Their system, called Micro-Immunotherapy proved to be very effective and specific.

The Sequence Specific Homeopathic DNA System

The sequence specific homeopathic DNA therapy system, an extension of the use of homeopathic DNA, was developed by PHK and SR to take advantage of new healthcare discoveries using information resulting from the applications of homeopathic DNA and Micro-Immunotherapy. It uses highly diluted DNA molecules with precise sequences to target genes that have been proven to promote and support health, correct disease and promote natural super-health.

It is safe because, unlike homeopathic DNA, it has been designed to avoid targeting genes that cause disease, as demonstrated as part of the homeopathic proving process. In this context, even though it is simply a refinement of the use of homeopathic DNA, it is not strictly homeopathic because it cannot induce symptoms of disease in healthy subjects. It cannot be subject to the proving process.  It cannot cause aggravations in disease sufferers. It does however follow the Law of Similars because gene specific DNA molecules are used as remedial substances to treat symptoms that result from reduced activity of the regions of DNA they have been designed to target. Moreover, sequence specific homeopathic DNA therapy products are serially diluted and succussed in the same way as standard homeopathic remedies.

It is also a refinement of the use of homeopathic DNA and Micro-Immunotherapy because it has the added advantage that it has been designed to target health promoting genes whose activity declines with age such as KL[5] and genes that promote natural super-health.

What is Natural Super-Health?

Natural super-health also known as heterosis occurs in all organisms. It is the highest level of health that can be achieved naturally.

For well over a hundred years, scientists have been attempting to determine how natural super-health is driven. It is now recognized that there are a number of ways. One of them involves a natural mechanism that increases the expression of genes that play an important role in health promotion. It is not yet clear though how increased expression of these super-health promoting genes is naturally brought about.

Even though farmers have been taking advantage of natural super-health to breed fitter and healthier crops and animals for thousands of years, it is only in the last decade or so that scientists have discovered that humans also enjoy the benefits of natural super-health. Investigators are also beginning to discover some of the genes that promote different forms of natural super-health in humans. The sequence specific homeopathic DNA therapy system has also been designed to take these new health care discoveries into account.

New Properties of DNA

The sequence specific homeopathic DNA therapy system has also been designed to take advantage of newly discovered properties of DNA. Scientists have recognised that DNA molecules have unusual telepathic properties in that they can communicate with each other through sequence identity.[6] They can also emit sequence specific electromagnetic signals at dilutions ranging from 10 -5 to 10 -12, the latter dilution being equivalent to 6C, the very dilution used exclusively in the sequence specific homeopathic DNA therapy system. The emitted electromagnetic signals can be recognized by DNA molecules with the same sequence.[7] Also, it has long been recognised that expression of various genes can be up-regulated by exposure to electromagnetic signals.[8]

Sequence Specific Homeopathic DNA Therapy Gene Targeting Molecules

So, what drives the sequence specific homeopathic DNA therapy system?

Each of the different sequence specific homeopathic DNA therapy products contains one or more DNA molecules, depending on the health promoting purpose of the product.

Each of the DNA molecules used to target specific health promoting genes is identical in sequence to a region of the gene that they have been designed to target. The sequence of each product’s gene targeting DNA molecule/s has been verified by reference to the sequence of human DNA determined as part of the Human Genome Project. The sequence (as well as quantitative details) of each of the gene targeting DNA molecules is completely known so that the whole of the sequence specific homeopathic DNA therapy system is completely standardised and reproducible.

Safety Perspectives

There are two basic ways in which the function of a gene can be altered. Firstly, a gene’s function can be affected by changing its sequence of nucleotides or building blocks of DNA. A DNA sequence change may result in the formation of a mutation. In such cases, genes can cause ill-health by producing gene products or proteins that do not work properly. Sequence specific homeopathic DNA therapy preparations cannot change the sequence of DNA.

Alternatively, the function of genes may be altered by changing the way they are expressed, that is by altering the amount of a normal gene product or protein that is produced by them. Many diseases are caused when either too little or too much of a gene product or protein is produced. The sequence specific homeopathic DNA therapy system has been developed to target and boost only health promoting genes that result in ill-health when their expression is reduced.

The safety of the sequence specific homeopathic DNA therapy system has been questioned by practitioners and the public alike, because it has the potential to alter the expression of targeted genes. Many complementary practitioners and members of the public may not realize though that, as indicated above, homeopathic remedies and many environmental factors and food components are already re-arranging the transcriptome in a far less controlled way, and may even boost the expression of genes that can actually cause disease. By contrast, as indicated, the sequence specific homeopathic DNA therapy system has been designed to help target only genes that have been scientifically proven to resolve or protect against disease or promote natural super health.

Sequence specific homeopathic DNA therapy products are completely drug free and have no pharmacological activity whatsoever

Compatibility of the Sequence Specific Homeopathic DNA Therapy System with Other Healthcare Practices

It is important for all healthcare practitioners and members of the public to realize that the sequence specific homeopathic DNA therapy system has been developed to provide further benefits in parallel with all other well established complementary health care modalities, including homeopathy.

References

1. Khuda-Bukhsh, Potentized homeopathic drugs act through regulation of gene expression: a hypothesis to explain their mechanism and pathways of action in vivo. Com. Ther. Med. 5: 43. 1997.

2. Saha et al., Phenotypic evidence of ultra-highly diluted homeopathic remedies acting at gene expression level: a novel probe on experimental phage infectivity in bacteria. Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao. 10: 462. 2012.

3.  Sunila et al., Dynamized preparations in cell culture. Evidence-Based Comp. Alt. Med. 6:257. 2009.

4. Frenkel et al., Cytotoxic effects of ultra-diluted remedies on breast cancer cells. Int. J. Oncol. 36:395. 2010.

5. Witkowski et al. Klotho- a common link in physiological and rheumatoid arthritis-related aging of human CD4+ lymphocytes. J. Immunol. 178:771. 2007.

6. Baldwin et al., DNA double helices recognize mutual sequence homology in a protein free environment. J. Phys. Chem. B., 4:112, 2008.

7. Montagnier et al. Electromagnetic signals are produced by aqueous nanostructures derived from bacterial DNA sequences. Interdiscip. Sci. Comput. Life Sci. DOI:10.1007/s12539-009-0036-7. 2009.

8. Goodman et al., Exposure of human cells to low-frequency electromagnetic fields results in quantitative changes in transcripts. Structure and Expression. 1009:216.1989.