MS and toxins
Is there any connection (direct or not) between Multiple Sclerosis (MS), other autoimmune disorders and environmental pollution with nasty toxicants?
Even official (synthetic pharmaceuticals based) medicine started admitting reluctantly, that environmental pollution could be a possible cause of MS:
“Association with occupational exposures and toxins – mainly solvents – has been evaluated…”
“Vaccinations were also considered as causal factors for the disease…”
information from Wikipedia.
Nonetheless, there is a different – far more better approach. It’s used by doctors who have no financial ties with powerful pharmaceutical industry. Good examples:
Information has been presented in these most informative books:
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Autoimmune Disorders: The Revolutionary, Drug-Free Treatments for Thyroid Disease, Lupus, MS, IBD, Chronic Fatigue; Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Other Diseases (Paperback)
by Stephen B. Edelson, Deborah Mitchell
Price: $14.42
The Autoimmune Epidemic (Paperback)
by Donna Jackson Nakazawa
Price: $10.20
But how toxins can impair health so significantly?
One affected could think, that he or she is just unlucky, or sensitive, or even his/her her genes aren’t good…
It’s uneasy even to frame a proper question. It might be something of this sort: Why toxicants are poisonous?.
Luckily, searching for information on pesticides, I came across a piece of information of this kind – in a book on pesticides (pesticides after all are toxicants):
Chemical Pesticides: Mode of Action and Toxicology (Hardcover)
by Jørgen Stenersen
Price: $98.03
Useful information is placed in chapter 2 of this book “Why is a toxicant poisonous?“, part 2.1 “Seven routes to death“. Here is presented a shortened version:
- Enzyme inhibitors – The toxicant may react with an enzyme or a transport protein and inhibit its normal function… Typical toxicants… are carbamates and organophosphorus insecticides that inhibit the enzyme acetyl cholinesterase… Enzyme inhibitors may or may not be very selective…
- Disturbance of the chemical signal systems – Organisms use chemicals to transmit messages at all levels of organization, and there are a variety of substances that interfere with the normal functioning of these systems. Toxicants, which disturb signal systems, are very often extremely potent, and often more selective than the other categories of poisons… toxicants may act by imitating the true signal substances, and thus transmit a signal too strongly, too long lasting, or at a wrong time… typical agonist is nicotine, which gives signals similar to acetylcholine in the nervous system, but is not eliminated by acetylcholinesterase after having given the signal. One of the strongest man-made toxicants… dioxin, is a good example…
- Toxicants that generate very reactive molecules that destroy cellular components – Most redox reactions involve exchange of two electrons. However, quite a few substances can be oxidized or reduced by one-electron transfer, and reactive intermediates can be formed. Oxygen is very often involved in such reactions. The classical example of a free radical-producing poison is the herbicide paraquat… producing hydroxyl radicals. This radical is extremely aggressive, attacking the first molecule it meets, no matter what it is… Free radical producers are seldom selective poisons. They work as an avalanche that destroys membranes, nucleic acids, and other cell structures. Fortunately, the organisms have a strong defense system developed during some billion years of aerobic life.
- Weak organic bases or acids that degrade the pH gradients across membranes – Substances may be toxic because they dissolve in the mitochondrial membrane of the cell… The pH difference is very important for the energy production in mitochondria and chloroplasts, and this can be seriously disturbed. Substances like ammonia, phenols, and acetic acid owe their toxicity to this mechanism…
- Toxicants that dissolve in lipophilic membranes and disturb their physical structure – Lipophilic substances with low reactivity may dissolve in the cell membranes and change their physical characteristics. Alcohols, petrol, aromatics, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and many other substances show this kind of toxicity. Other, quite unrelated organic solvents like toluene give very similar toxic effects. Lipophilic substances may have additional mechanisms for their toxicity. Examples are hexane… a nerve poison, and methanol, which is very toxic to primates.
- Toxicants that disturb the electrolytic or osmotic balance or the pH – Sodium chloride (table salt) and other salts are essential but may upset the ionic balance and osmotic pressure if consumed in too high doses. Babies, small birds, and small mammals are very sensitive. Too much or too little in the water will kill aquatic organisms.
- Strong electrophiles, alkalis, acids, oxidants, or reductants that destroy tissue, DNA, or proteins – Caustic substances like strong acids, strong alkalis, bromine, chlorine gas, etc., are toxic because they dissolve and destroy tissue. Many accidents happen because of carelessness with such substances… More interest is focused on electrophilic substances that may react with DNA and induce cancer. Such substances are very often formed by transformation of harmless substances within the body…
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Presented information is of rather technical nature, so not so easy for a lay person to understand. Nevertheless, it’s a warning sign to avoid all man-made chemicals as much as possible.
Although above information has been extracted from a chapter, named “Seven routes to death“, it’s not necessarily a road to death.
Most importantly – nobody knows, what malady is awaiting a person, traveling that way – it’s personal!
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