Symptom Presentations
Root Causes
Treatment for Remission
Immune System
Cytokine reactions are “immune” reactions. The immune system works with “immunity”. It acts to protect the body from pathogens that invade the body. When the body becomes overloaded with pathogens, the immune system senses there is something wrong. It then triggers histamine reactions, mast cell activation syndrome reactions and or cytokine reactions.
Cytokine Reactions – Symptoms
Cytokine reaction symptoms (immune reactions) can present with inflammation, joint pain, fatigue, insomnia, digestive challenges, abdominal pain, brain fog, memory loss, chronic sinusitis, allergies, food sensitivities, vertigo, dizziness, hair loss, tinnitus, vision loss, intermittent difficulty swallowing, intermittent fevers, intermittent night sweats, AFIB, skipped heart beats, intermittent skin rashes, intermittent pain in the area of the left chest region, burning pain in various parts of the body, sciatica, chronic pain in the back of the neck and or shoulder, chronic migraines, intermittent gripping chest pains, intermittent ear pain, intermittent numbness and tingling, bleeding gums, mental/emotional challenges such as bipolar/schizophrenic disorders, urinary restriction, pain in the perineum, and more. Cytokine reactions can also present with degeneration of the tissues, whether bone, tendon, cartilage, tendon, muscle, vascular tissue, nervous system tissue, organ tissue and skin.
Mechanisms of Cytokine Reactions
These reactions are triggered by cytokine responses (immune responses), otherwise known as interleukin responses. Interleukins are a class of glycoproteins produced by leukocytes for regulating immune response. There are different types and different classifications of interleukin responses. Interleukin 6 or IL-6 corresponds to inflammation, cardiovascular inflammation and induces the synthesis of fibrinogen, helpcidin and hepatocytes. This can cause numerous autoimmune related challenges. Interleukin 1 or IL-1 response triggers fevers, loss of hearing, neurological symptoms, conjunctivitis, arthritis and more. Disregulation of Il-10 is common with acute and chronic infections. IL-10 prevents autoimmune presentations from manifesting. With an increase of pathogenic presence in the body, Il-10 becomes disregulated thus manifesting with the potential of IBD, IBS, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, lupus multiple sclerosis, cancer and more. These are just a few of the interleukin categories that are associated with symptom presentations. That said, when we have chronic symptoms, there are explanations for them!
The Cycle of Life
Every living creature has parasites, bacteria, fungus, spirochetes and molds that live within us. Many times at a manageable level. Other times pathogenic levels get to the point when they are not manageable anymore. Pathogens are the main cause of degeneration, disease and death.
Pathogenic Transmission
We are born with pathogens. They are passed down from the mother in utero; most times not enough to cause health challenges until far down the road; although, sometimes sooner than later, depending on the mother and the type of stress or trauma the child has. We gather pathogens from food, from the air we breathe, water, mud, water sources such as lakes river and streams, insect and animal bites, from kissing, physical intimacy, animals such as dogs licking mucus membranes such as the eyes, nose and mouth, etc. Pathogens are the main cause of degeneration.
Pathogenic Proliferation
Depending on our lifestyle, stress, genetics, history of trauma, hygiene and exposure, depends on how the body keeps pathogens under control or allows pathogens to become too much for the immune system to handle. When the body has excess stress, the immune system becomes compromised and cannot keep pathogens under control as easily. Thus existing pathogens take the opportunity to proliferate. When people have a history of trauma, the immune system becomes compromised and existing pathogens many times proliferate to symptomatic levels. When people are chronically angry, the immune system becomes compromised and pathogens proliferate. When people have a poor diet, pathogens proliferate. When existing pathogens become too much for the immune system to handle, the body begins to develop chronic immune symptoms. Most of which seem unrelated, when most are in fact related. As animals and people age, the body has less energy, the immune system slows down and pathogens build up. When we have an overload of pathogenic build-up, the immune system becomes compromised, thus allowing ourselves to become an open door for other pathogens to enter the body, set up camp, proliferate and cause problems.
Assist Immune Function and Suppress Cytokine Reactions
Chronic symptoms let us know there may be something very wrong with our IMMUNE SYSTEM. It may be telling us to assist the body with immune function, because we have an excess of pathogen, too much or the body to handle. NOT to suppress our immune system.
When the body’s immune system cannot keep up with immune function, medical intervention is needed to assist the immune system to do its job. This is where herbs come in. The right herbs can assist the immune system with immune function as well help the body reduce immune reactions, thus reducing symptoms while addressing the root cause.
Pathogenic Intelligence
Pathogens are in a constant state of flux. At a single cell level, the protein molecule of a single cell pathogen is constantly changing. Once the body’s antibodies identifies a pathogen, the pathogen can morph, change form, replicate its DNA close to the DNA of our own human body. Antibodies many times cannot identify the pathogen anymore, thus causing the body’s antibodies to go after its own tissues. This becomes an autoimmune disorder. This is when many doctors believe we have a genetic disposition for certain illnesses and there is no turning back. Instead doctors provide medications to keep immune reactions at bay while the disease gets worse.
Triggers of Cytokine Reactions
In manageable chronic symptomatic cases, cytokine reactions can be held at bay with dietary modifications, exercise/movement restrictions and stress management.
Cytokine Reaction Triggers – Dietary Triggers
Foods that metabolize as polysaccharides, such as any type of sweetener except stevia, honey, all dairy, vinegars, alcohol, red meat (has a polysaccharide called alpha galactosidase) and more, may excite pathogens and or interact with pathogenic toxins in the body. When this happens, the immune system becomes overactive because of the pathogenic systemic response. These responses generate cytokine reactions. With the abstention of certain foods, cytokine reactions and unpleasant symptoms can be held at bay.
People who are more debilitated and high very high levels of pathogens may have symptoms all the time regardless of dietary modifications
Cytokine Reaction Triggers – Exercise and Certain Movements
Exercise can loosen up pathogens in the body, thus triggering systemic responses and cytokine reactions in people with relatively high pathogenic loads. People who have high pathogenic loads, can be taken past what is referred to as tipping points with just certain movements, depending on the location of the pathogenic load. For example, in people with a high pathogenic load in the abdominal area, whether it be in the fascia, nerve sheaths or vascular tissue. When a person in this predicament performs a simple back-bend, an inflammatory cascade can take place in the abdomen, thus causing a delayed response of extreme abdominal pain that can lead to bowel obstruction. There won’t be anything obstructing the bowel, however bowel sounds and peristalsis may cease. This may begin with inflammation, extreme pain, peritonitis and loss of movement in the bowel. This is a life threatening emergency that can lead to a perforated bowel and death.
Cytokine Reaction Triggers – Stress & Anger
Stress and anger can stop the function of the immune system. When the immune system is at a standstill, pathogens get excited. When pathogens get excited, the immune system then gets triggered and stimulates an immune response leading to cytokine reactions such as any of the symptoms previously discussed.
How to keep Cytokine Reactions Under Control
Dietary modifications with the Lyme disease diet. The Lyme disease diet applies to cytokine reactions whether one has Lyme disease or not.
Exercise abstention or moderation – Depending on the pathogenic load may depend on how much or how little cytokine reactions are triggered by exercise. Remember to expect the potential for symptomatic delays from 24- 48 hours before symptoms manifest after exercise.
Stress and anger – Keep the anger at a minimum. If you get angry, consider keeping it at bay. Getting angry will likely not help the situation anyway. Manage stress as it will never help either. Consider breathing exercises throughout the day, short meditations and or periods of affirmations.
Take herbal formulas to help the body with immune function. I use Spiro-Clear and Intra-Cell. These two formulas create an environment int he body unstable for the survival of all categories of pathogens.
Chinese Herbal Medicine – Herbs in Chinese herbal formulas created by Trillium Health Solutions have been studied in the lab as well clinically. They are shown to suppress immune cytokine reactions. 1000’s of studies have been done on these herbs and have been shown effective against, pharmaceutical resistant candida, Lyme disease, Bartonella, Babesia, malarial infections, parasites, molds, fungi and spirochetes and more. The rotation of of the Intra-Cell formulas are made to offset the potential of bacterial resistance.
When dietary modifications, exercise modifications and stress management is considered, immune reactions can be held at bay. When immune reactions are held at bay, the right herbal formulas can help the body reverse the core issue of cytokine reactions and put chronic cytokine reactions and autoimmune disease in complete remission.
© Patrick Lynch LAc, MAOM, DAOM intern
Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, intern
Sky Ridge Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine