Positive Health Online

Abstract

It has long been recognized that asthma is caused by an inflammatory response to allergens in the airways. This form of asthma can be treated by suppression of the inflammatory response by promotion of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10.  Many asthma sufferers, however, do not respond to anti-inflammatory therapy. A new non-inflammatory form of asthma has now been discovered. Scientists have shown that it is due to a deficiency of sphingolipid and disturbed magnesium homeostasis in the cells that line the airways. Sphingolipid deficiency and sub-optimum magnesium homeostasis is a result of a reduction in the activity of the SPT [Suppressor of Ty] gene.

Sequence specific homeopathic DNA remedies have been developed to target the genes IL-10 and SPT to help resolve each of these two different types of asthma respectively.

Introduction

Scientific investigations initiated by Prof Khuda-Bukhsh and carried out over many years[1] have now confirmed that homeopathic remedies interact with the genetic blueprint and increase the expression of many genes. Because the human genome contains genes that promote health as well as genes that cause disease when their expression is increased, it became important to be able to control the specificity of homeopathic remedy / genetic blueprint interactions. 

Almost fifty years ago, it was discovered that, in a clinical setting, gene specific targeting could be brought about by the use of homeopathic DNA molecules with defined nucleotide sequences. [for review, see Ref. 2] Based on this advanced homeopathic DNA gene targeting system, a series of sequence specific homeopathic DNA (SSHD) remedies has been developed.

SSHD remedies take into account new properties of DNA that have been realized in recent years.[Review 2] They also take into account important health related scientific discoveries, such as those that have identified diseases that are caused by sub-optimal expression of health promoting genes. In a homeopathic context, studies have also shown that similar disease symptoms can be caused by quite different genetically controlled pathways, as exemplified below.

The significance of the ability to target genes that are involved in quite different forms of the same disease, using the SSHD system, is illustrated by reference to recent discoveries that highlight two completely different forms of asthma.

Allergic Asthma

It has long been thought that asthma is caused exclusively by an allergic reaction in the airways that is driven by airborne particles such as pollen. The allergic reaction results in an inflammatory process that restricts the airways causing breathing difficulties. The asthma causing allergic reaction is due to development of an unusual type of immune response.

Normally, the immune system makes soluble antibodies called IgG, A or M.  Sometimes, some people make another type of antibody called IgE. Unlike IgG, A or M antibodies, which circulate in the blood and other body fluids, IgE binds to the surface of mast cells. Mast cells are located within the surface of the airways, as well as other tissues.

An allergic reaction is caused by the binding of a foreign substance, or allergen, such as pollen to mast cell bound IgE in the airways. The binding of allergens to IgE bound to mast cells causes them to disrupt, leading to the release of acute inflammatory mediators such as histamine. It is this inflammatory process that causes the walls of the airways to contract.

The switch from production of beneficial or normal antibody types to IgE production is regulated by the cytokine IL-10. The Homeovitality Allergicare SSHD remedy has been developed to support the activity of the gene that encodes IL-10 so that the likelihood of IgE antibody formation, and hence development of an allergic reaction is reduced. It has also been recently discovered that IL-10 can even suppress the formation of mast cells.[3] In fact, the positive effects of anti-asthma drugs such as triamcinolone and montelukast are considered to be due to their ability to increase IL-10 production.[4] IL-10 is also an important anti-inflammatory cytokine.

Anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents such as corticosteroids are routinely used to help resolve the symptoms of asthma; however, such agents provide relief for only about half of patients suffering from this disease.

Non-inflammatory Asthma

Scientists at Columbia University, New York[5] have recently identified a completely new type of asthma. Their discovery provides an explanation for the fact that many sufferers do not respond to immunosuppressive agents such as corticosteroids.

The newly recognized form of non-inflammatory asthma is due to a deficiency of a cell membrane component called sphingolipid (SL) in cells that line the airways.  Activity of the gene SPT that encodes the enzyme serine palmitoyl-CoA transferase has been shown by Dr Worgall and colleagues[5] to play a critical role in the production of SL to suppress the onset of non-allergic asthma. They showed that SL deficiency, due to decreased SPT activity, leads to non-inflammatory hyper-reactivity and contraction of the airways. Furthermore, they showed that decreased SL synthesis is also associated with altered magnesium homeostasis. Magnesium, the second most abundant cellular cation after potassium, is essential for regulation of numerous cellular functions and stabilization of enzymes which are involved in maintenance of effective  airway physiology.

To respond to this newly recognized non-inflammatory form of asthma, the Homeovitality SSHD remedy STeP1 has been developed to target the SPT gene.

As indicated above, administration of immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory agents in this latter form of asthma have no beneficial effect; rather, they suppress immunity, increasing the patient’s susceptibility to lung infection.

References.

1.  Khuda-Bukhsh. Current trends in high dilution research with particular reference to gene regulatory hypothesis. Nucleus 57(1):3-17. 04/2014. DOI 10.1007/s13237-014-0105-0. www.researchgate.net/publication/271913850_Current_trends_in_high_dilution_research_with_particular_reference_to_gene_regulatory_hypothesis

2. www.positivehealth.com/article/dna-gene-expression/gene-targeting-using-sequence-specific-homeopathic-dna-remedies-for-health-promotion-and-disease-protection  

3. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. "Cellular on and off switch for allergies and asthma discovered." ScienceDaily, 30 Apr. 2009.

4. Stelmach I et al., A randomized, double-blind trial of the effect of glucocorticoid, antileukotriene and beta-agonist treatment on IL-10 serum levels in children with asthma. Clin. Exp. Allergy 32; 264. 2002.

5. Worgall et al., Impaired sphingolipid synthesis in the respiratory tract induces airway hyperreactivity . Sci Transl Med 5; 186. 2013.

Further Information

For more information about these remedies and educational program, please see www.homeovitality.com