Ramblings

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Compassion

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”

― Dalai Lama XIV, The Art of Happiness

“Compassion is the basis of morality.”

― Arthur Schopenhauer

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Porphyria

*Disclaimer: This material is presented as educational which means it is not a directive to either diagnosis or treatment, please consult your physician.

Porphyria is a disease that disturbs the body which includes reduced detoxification of the body, creates disturbances in the nervous system and other non specific issues. Many people with auto-immune diseases have signs of porphyria including multiple chemical sensitives (MCS), immune difficulties, nervous system disorders and so on.

Porphyrins are natural chemicals your body produces,if these chemicals (porphryins) build up then you get sick. It is thought that this disease has roots in genetic mutations, in other words you inherited this malfunction. Some researchers suggest that it can occur due to chemical exposure (acquired the defect) which has damaged the DNA. With over 800 chemicals in the environment then this is well possible.

Porphyrins are necessary to produce heme. Heme is a group of various types of proteins, such as hemoglobin, myoglobin, cytochrome c, cytochrome p450, catalase and peroxidase. (1) These proteins play a key role in the body.

According to Steven Rochlitz Ph.D., porphyria may explain chronic illness. He states that people suffering with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Myalgic Encephalomyletis (M.E.), Fibromyalgia, allergies to foods, chemicals and electromagnetic fields (EMF) and other inflammatory conditions may be suffering with porphyria. He says "Many people have a chronic illness or an environmental illness for which no one seems to have an answer to." (2)

Porphyria also affects the neurological system. Neurological pain, depression, anxiety, psychosis, delusions, mania, confusion, catatonia and others can result from porphyria.

The body has a number of pathways that help detoxify harmful chemicals and when the body cannot remove these then they build up which interfere in cell metabolism.

These chemicals can come from a number of sources which including normal metabolism and environmental toxins. The immune system produces very toxic chemicals which must be removed from the body. One of the pathways is the liver - in my observation and reading of other's plights, the liver becomes attacked during strong immune activity. This could be due to a number of factors including:

1/ Increased oxidative stress due to the underlying infection.

2/ Reduction of glutathione. Glutathione is a double acting peptide in which it is heavily used in immune reactions and secondly is involved in the the liver pathways.

3/ Change of endocrine responses. Immune involvement includes changes in the HPA axis. These changes force both homeostatic and endocrine responses which change the terrain of the body.

4/ Any change in these systems create abnormal nutrient status.

5/ Immune factors. The immune system pushes some very toxic chemicals into the blood stream including nitrogen and oxygen species, cytokines etc. These well may change the behavior of the cells.

Speak to your doctor about testing.Many people revert to the old school way of natural living meaning they avoid processed foods, cosmetics and personal care products that are chemical laden. Antioxidants and supporting detox pathways such as the liver could be helpful. Talk to your doctor before starting any program.

Read more
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porphyria
http://truemedicine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/1801porphyria.pdf

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17785948

(2) http://truemedicine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/1801porphyria.pdf