Treatment of Infections

By, Dan Kenner, Ph.D., L.Ac.

In recent years, infectious disease has returned to public awareness as an emerging threat to health. The first news to break on the subject were reports that antibiotics are increasingly ineffective for common, and in some cases life-threatening, bacterial infections. Viral infections, such as SARS and West Nile disease, have also aroused increased public vigilance because they are easily transmitted. Although the immediate threat seems minor - SARS has killed fewer than 1000 people since it first appeared, and West Nile virus only produces mild symptoms in less than one out of five infected patients - there is cause for concern.

The former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, prior to his resignation, warned that the possibility of an avian flu epidemic is one of the greatest dangers facing the U.S. This concern voiced by a public official conjures disquieting historical resonances. Influenza is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. today but during a pandemic the death toll is much higher. In the 1918 outbreak, 50 million people in the U.S. died of influenza and hundreds of millions of others were infected. Two other pandemics in 1957 and 1968 were less lethal but millions were killed in each. More people died of influenza than in all the wars of the 20 th century. Throughout human history viral epidemics account for more human deaths than all known wars and famine combined.

The prevailing model of the relationship of a virus or bacteria to the host is similar to how we think of a predator and its prey. We read news stories of how pathogenic bacteria are "adapting" to antibiotics and how scientists are trying to "outsmart" them. This predator-prey description assumes that the pathogenic influence of the microbe is to enfeeble host competence. Numerous observations contradict this view. Streptococcus is a bacterium that is a normal inhabitant of the throat, gall bladder and large intestine. It only proliferates into an "infection" when internal conditions can support an increased population. In this situation Streptococcus can be thought of as a saprophyte feeding on decaying sludge. Likewise there are a number of varieties of Candida that are normal inhabitants of the large intestine. But they will also overgrow if there are hospitable conditions for yeast.

Viral infections are more complex because they can have an intracellular influence. Many viral infections are chronic and/or latent. Some persist as non-pathogenic infections over the lifetime of the host. They often persist in the host genome and even co-evolve with the host, sometimes providing genes of adaptive value.

Viruses can be extremely persistent and have long-term effects. Some of the more determined pathogenic viral infections are "opportunistic" and only manifest symptoms when host immunity is undermined. Herpes viruses are responsible for characteristic skin infections such as shingles, which often appears in dying patients, and Kaposi's sarcoma, a condition that develops in some cases of AIDS. There is also speculation that herpes viruses may sometimes play a role in fatigue syndrome and schizophrenia. Accumulation of viral material and various types of metabolic debris in the cytoplasm of cell populations has also been cited as a primary cause of the aging process.

A new, more complex model of host-microbe interaction is supplanting the classic model of an invading pathogenic microbe (bacterial, viral, fungal or protozoal) causing a disease. Add to this mix new players such as nanobacteria, prions and mycoplasma, which are associated with a variety of chronic pathologies. The classic reductionistic model of a deadly species attacking an innocent victim needs to be revised. It is more practical from the standpoint of the natural medicine provider if infection is understood according to a whole system model. The classic whole system model is the European model of the "terrain." Terrain is a generic term that originally referred to the interstitial fluid that comprises the cellular environment, also called the " milieu interieur " (internal medium). The terrain was considered to be the critical factor in infections by scientists led by the renowned pathologist Claude Bernard who said that "the germ is nothing, the terrain is everything." But Louis Pasteur's model of microbial etiology was simple and direct and gained popularity. The belief that simply killing a microbe could cure a disease became an entrenched view that ultimately evolved into a cultural mythology.

In essence, the terrain view places the focus of etiology and therapeutic intervention on the microbial habitat. In this view, the idea of the nature of the habitat and its relationship to host susceptibility is of decisive importance. Pathogenic microbes proliferate in a pathogenic culture medium. If this habitat is changed so that it is inhospitable to the growth of these pathogenic microbes, the nature of the microbial ecology will shift to more benign symbiotic varieties. Within this framework it is still possible for a microbe to be a causal factor, just as it is possible to become sick from any toxic substance, microbial or otherwise. But in many cases a single microbe is part of a complex "pathogen burden" or "soup" of micro-organisms in which a single pathogenic microbe can be considered to be more of a marker than a solitary causal agent.

The issue of host susceptibility is decisive in almost all cases of infections. Obviously survivors of major epidemics either were not susceptible or possessed immunity adequate to prevent accelerated growth of the microbe. Host susceptibility is directly related to the overall condition of well-being or morbidity of the host. There is speculation that some "infectious" diseases are not even acquired externally but produced endogenously. One example is hepatitis C. The evidence for exogenous etiology is not strong and some researchers have suggested that the actual cause is the degeneration of the liver; that is, the subsequent loss of integrity of liver cells and sloughing of necrotic cells and cell fragments into the blood circulation. There are schools of thought in France and Germany that propose that most chronic infections are generated by patients themselves rather than acquired. Microbes have also recently been implicated in numerous disorders that are not traditionally considered infectious diseases. Arteriosclerosis is now suspected to have a bacterial component, as is rheumatoid arthritis.

Let's examine some of the factors that contribute to host susceptibility. The two most important factors in susceptibility are trauma and congestion. Trauma is important because it consistently impairs immune response. The main cause of late death in major injuries is infection. "Late death" means that if the victim did not die from impact or bleed to death, infection becomes the leading cause of death, usually within a few weeks.

Trauma should be understood in a broad context. Trauma is typically considered a major assault on the system such as a concussion, but it should be understood as any injury, physical or emotional. Even a slight neck injury from a car accident should be considered a trauma. A fight with a spouse or falling out with a close friend can likewise be a significant trauma. Trauma results in a complex set of effects on the immune system. Although there can be a variety of individual responses to trauma or stress, reduced NK cell activity is a consistent response regardless of the type of stress or trauma. NK cells are leukocytes, sentinel cells that destroy pathogenic microbes and destroy infected or abnormal cells. When they are active, immunity on the whole is strong. Stress from uncomfortable social interactions, physical injuries, storms, earthquakes, even self-loathing can all reduce NK cell activity.

Congestion (organ and tissue) is also a factor of primary importance. Congestion means that there is an impaired flow through the cellular environment, the tissue environment or through an organ. The possible causes of congestion are numerous but the most common ones are oxidative stress, acid-base imbalance that results in burdened connective tissue, and muscular tension. When the liver is unable to metabolize and detoxify efficiently, unmetabolized by-products and toxins are absorbed into the connective tissue. This means the tendons and muscles, which are also associated with the "wood" phase of the Five Phases. Examination of any book on toxicology reveals that muscle cramps and spasms are an almost universal symptom of poisoning. But much more insidious is the chronic deterioration, lysis and rigidifying of the connective tissue that occurs as we age because of this absorption of metabolic flotsam. Effective treatment of infections typically requires drainage of lymph nodes, the gall bladder, the mucous membranes, the urinary tract or any other structures involved with the organ system affected.

The role of the practitioner of natural medicine is to establish harmony in the physiological mechanism. In the case of infections, the primary goal of treatment is not only to destroy toxic microbes, but also to re-establish an internal environment that is no longer a fit habitat for the overgrowth of either symbiotic or pathogenic microbes. Along with disinfection an important goal of treatment, an equally important goal in many cases of acute infections is drainage. Drainage means to re-establish dynamic flow in areas that have become congested prior to, or as a result of the infection. Even when patients are given conventional antibiotics they should not be considered to have been sufficiently treated. Adequate drainage of the affected tissues alone can significantly prevent recidivism. It is also necessary to support immunity with immunomodulators. Disinfection and drainage are the two most important therapeutic countermeasures, but providing symptomatic relief for such symptoms as fever, anxiety and spasmodic cough can also be an important factor for a successful outcome.

Useful medications include antioxidants, like most herbs and especially essential oils. Where there is oxidative stress there is increased viscosity. Essential oils have great dissolving power and are able to "fluidify" thickened secretions, mobilize lethargic lymph flow and dissolve "biofilms." Biofilms are the bacterial or fungal colonies that produce a slimy coating of polysaccharides to insulate themselves from assault by the immune system. Essential oils are also powerful disinfectants and rapidly shift the balance in the toxic microhabitat of an infectious focus.

Immunomodulators have a regulating effect on the capacity of the immune system to launch an appropriate response to an overload of toxic microbes. AHCC (Active Hexose-Correlated Compound), a Japanese immunomodulator dramatically increases NK cell activity. Isopathic immunomodulators made from microbes such as Penicillium notatum and Penicillium frequentans also increase NK cell activity and have other effects that conveniently match clinical presentations that could be described in TCM terms as heat, wind, dampness and so on.

Specific herb combinations and homeopathic medications are used for drainage of the cervical lymph nodes, the bile ducts system, the mucous membranes, the skin, the bowel and the genitourinary system. Poor drainage, even in a system remote from the active disease focus, can be responsible for a meager or protracted treatment result. Acupuncture and manual therapies are indispensable to promote drainage, mobilize the immune system and relieve symptoms. Hands-on treatment is often a decisive factor in a successful result.

One of the hazards of prescription antibiotics is damage to the gut, which can result in recidivism. The purpose of avoiding their use is not only to prevent recidivism but to create a healthy overall condition. It is possible to use the occurrence of infectious disease as an opportunity to develop a higher competence of cellular (Th1) immunity.

There are also more exotic ways to treat infections using methods such as electromagnetic waves, metallic colloids and light therapies. but they will never replace hands-on care and natural remedies. It is always important to consider the importance of drainage. If one uses a "violet ray" or an ostensible Rife generator to destroy microbes, where then does this necrotic, hazardous biological waste go unless there is effective drainage? It doesn't take long to become effective at treatment of infections without antibiotics, but it is always necessary to adhere to basic principles.

Dan Kenner is a writer and consultant in alternative health care. He is author of Botanical Medicine: A European Professional Perspective (Paradigm, 1996), a report on how doctors in Europe use herbal extracts and essential oils for primary care. He also wrote AHCC - The Japanese Medicinal Mushroom Immune Enhancer ( Woodland , 2001) and Treatment of Infections Without Antibiotics (Holodigm, 2005). Dan wrote the forthcoming book on Japanese acupuncture, Acupuncture Core Therapy, from his translations of the work of Dr. Shoji Kobayashi of Tokyo , Japan . He has been licensed to practice Oriental medicine both in Japan and the U.S. for over 25 years.