| |
Majid Ali, M.D. |
|
WBAI-FM
New York
Dr. Ali's
Science, Health and
Healing
Radio Shows Online |
Editor,
The Journal of Integrative Medicine
Formerly, Associate Professor of Pathology (adj.), College
of Physicians
and Surgeons of Columbia University, NY
Formerly, President of Staff and Chief Pathologist,
Holy Name Hospital, Teaneck, NJ
Fellow, Royal
College of Surgeons of England -
Diplomate,
American Board of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology
Diplomate, American Boards of Environmental Medicine
Past President Capital University of Integrative
Medicine |
DARWIN, DYSOX,
AND OUR FERMENTING PLANET
Essay - 5: The Future of Humankind Is Not a Zero-Sum
Game
The future of humankind is not a zero-sum game—a gain of one people must not be
equated with the loss of another. Nationalistic agendas for coping with
projected climatic changes will not only be ineffective but also divisive and
counterproductive. Humankind now faces different problems. If relentless global
chemicalization and poisoning of human habitat continue unabated—global warming,
without doubt, will explode the scale of oxygen crises—the threat to human
health and survival will increase exponentially. There is no evidence that
planet Earth is preoccupied with its own stability. The study of the known
aspects of the history of the planet does not yield any evidence to support
notions of its self-preserving or self-stabilizing ability. It does not seem
likely to me that humans—just one of its innumerable creatures, notwithstanding
our self-exalted status—can be in a position to materially alter the planetary
geological events. In this context, the following three quotes, expressing
differing viewpoints, are sobering:
On climate change, we need to build on Kyoto but we should recognize one stark
fact: even if we could deliver on Kyoto, it will at best mean a reduction of 1
per cent of global warming.
Tony Blair, British Prime Minister, September 1, 2002
With all of the hysteria, all of the fear, all of the phony science, could it be
that man-made global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the
American people? It sure sounds it is.
James Inhoff, U.S. Senator. July 28, 2003
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has grossly underestimated
the challenges of reducing and stabilizing greenhouse-gas emission, according to
an influential group of climate policy experts.
Nature. 2008;452:2008
The dark message of the above three statements—disturbing in a unique way, as
each is— underscores a core point of my theme of the supremacy of oxygen issues
over carbon issues: It is not clear how an individual can address planetary
carbon issues. A realist would consider the large known geological upheavals of
the past and recognize the planetary limits on human endeavors. An optimist
would counter that in terms of the contemporary civilization, individuals and
the society can make definite differences—and should. I was born an optimist so
I persist. By contrast to carbon issues, I assert that an individual can do much
to address oxygen issues—for personal benefit, as well as for the community.
Indeed, this was my main purpose in writing the Darwin Dysox Trilogy 1-3 (the
tenth, eleventh, and twelfth volumes of The Principles and Practice of
Integrative Medicine).
PRIMACY OF OXYGEN ISSUES
OVER CARBON ISSUES FOR AQUATIC SPECIES
A new record for fishkill was set in 1969. Over 41 million fish were killed,
including the largest single recorded fish kill ever in one year, 26 million in
Lake Thonotosassa, Florida alone.4 Many causes were suspected—toxic efflux from
farms and industrial waste, toxic algal blooms, low oxygen levels in the
water—however, no single cause was agreed upon. That was the usual outcome of
investigations of such aquatic mortalities at that time. Later, technologic
advances made it possible to pin down the culprits. For example, in late August
2000, there was a massive fish kill off the northern coast of the Persian Gulf.
Some angry Arabs claimed the deaths were caused by toxins released by ballast
water from a U.S. tanker in the area. Some of them suspected the U.S. had
avenged the attack on the USS Cole by pouring poisons into the waters to rob
Omanis of their livelihood. Sober Omani scientists suspected the real culprit
might be a toxic algal bloom. Eventually, using data from two NASA Earth
Observing System (EOS) satellites, American and Omani scientists proved that the
fish kill was due to natural ecologic event changes that caused severe anoxia in
the Gulf surface waters.5
Oxygen is the organizing principle of aerobic aquatic life. Dissolved oxygen is
expressed as a percentage of the oxygen that would dissolve in the water under
specific temperature and salinity conditions—warmer and saltier waters holds
less oxygen. An aquatic system is considered anaerobic, reducing, or anoxic when
it lacks dissolved oxygen (0% saturation), whereas a system with a low
concentration of dissolved oxygen—the range between 1 and 30% saturation—is
called hypoxic. An aquatic environment is considered "healthy" when it generally
does not experience a dissolved oxygen concentration of less than 80%. Most fish
cannot survive oxygen saturation levels below 30%.
Enormous volumes of hypoxic waters occupy intermediate-depths of eastern
tropical oceans. Diverse species of mobile macroorganisms do not survive in such
hypoxic waters. Recent climate models predict that global warming will
significantly decrease oceanic dissolved oxygen.6 Fifty-year time series of
dissolved-oxygen concentration for select tropical oceanic regions have been
constructed by augmenting historical database with recent measurements. These
studies show vertical expansion of the intermediate-depth low-oxygen zones in
the eastern tropical Atlantic and the equatorial Pacific during the past 50
years. Such reductions in ocean are expected to have dramatic consequences for
ecosystems and coastal economies.
The planet Earth is now febrile, becoming more puerile by the year. In recent
decades, spectacular displays of color—red tides, orange waves, and
others—produced by toxic algal blooms have been observed along all three U.S.
coasts.,7,8 In recent decades, the frequency and size of toxic red-tides have
increased in many other parts of the world as well. A direct relationship
between the the outbreak of red tides and anoxia in the bottom water has been
observed in the Seto Inland Sea and Ohmura Bay regions of Japan. Tomotoshi
Okaichi's book Red Tides (2004),9 is an excellent resource for detailed
information on this subject. A common related problem concerns Pfiesteria, a
family of one celled organisms which have earned the designation of fish-eaters
due to their appearance in the open sores of fish, especially during times of
large fish kills.10 Many people exposed to the fish infested with Pfiesteria
describe symptom-complexes that suggest neurotoxicity. In this context, the
conclusion of one North Carolina School of Public Health task force is amusing.
It recognized the toxicity of Pfiesteria toxins and then declared that the
general population should not worry about these toxins. Since the task force did
not test unwell people for such toxins, one wonders about the basis of their
pronouncement.
I close this section with the plight of polar bears. The summertime Arctic
hunting grounds of these animals have been drastically reduced by a warming
climate. After years of denial, on May 14, 2008, Interior Secretary Dirk
Kempthorne announced that the bears will be placed under the protection of the
Endangered Species Act.
Primacy of Oxygen Issues Over Carbon Issues for Plants
On the surface, carbon issues should have primacy over oxygen issues in the
context of rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. In general, excess
carbon in the atmosphere means excess growth of trees and vegetation. In
addition, global warming, whether caused by the greenhouse effect of carbon
dioxide build-up or by other factors, initially favors the growth of plants and
trees in tropical and subtropical conditions. However, these positive effects on
plant growth are lost with continuing rises in temperature and carbon dioxide
when soil begins to desiccate. I presented the subject of desertification in
Part II of this column.
Primacy of Oxygen Issues Over Carbon Issues for Humans
In human metabolism, oxygen is the actor, carbon the substrate. This basic order
persists in all phases of the human food chain, beginning with aquatic
phytoplankton and extending to land animals and vegetation. In earlier columns,
I marshaled extensive evidence for the central role of disrupted oxygen
signaling and impaired oxygen-driven mitochondrial ATP generation in the
pathogenesis of various clinico-pathologic entities, including diabetes,
cardiovascular disease, renal failure, inflammatory disorders, asthma, and
children's growth disorders (see citations in Part I of this column and consider
Darwin and Dysox Trilogy1-3 for full discussions and long-term clinical outcome
studies1-3).
The Age of Mystery Maladies
We live in an age of mystery maladies—from enigmatic fibromyalgia to the
mysterious chronic fatigue syndrome, from baffling brain fog among teenagers to
threatening memory lapses among the middle-aged, from spreading epidemics of
asthma to those of obesity.
On January 9, 2006, The New York Times projected the rising incidence of
diabetes with the following words: "If unchecked, it is expected to ensnare
coming generations on an unheard-of scale: One in every three Americans born
five years ago. One in two Latinos." One in two Latinos! That is likely to
surprise only those unfamiliar with the sad story of the galloping incidence of
diabetes among the Pima Indians of the Southwestern United States. A single case
of diabetes was recorded among the tribes by a traveling physician in 1908. By
mid-1990s, the prevalence of diabetes among the Pima Indians had risen to over
60 percent.12 A 2008 study reported doubling of the rate of gestational diabetes
in just six years.13
Life at the Edge—a Metaphor for Dysox
A photo essay in the June 2007 issue of National Geographic entitled "Life at
the Edge" described vanishing life at the melting edge of large ice sheets of
the world.14 That title is a perfect metaphor for all imperiled life on the
planet—from autistic children to brain-fogged adolescents to women with
fecundity problems to men with azoospermia and vascular dementia, from
disappearing frogs to dead bats to collapsing honey bee colonies, from poisoned
manatees to dying Steller sea lions. Despite an allocation of enormous research
funds to find the cause of these phenomena, scientists remain unsure about the
underlying causes of all threatened forms of life of that phenomena. I assert
that the common denominator in all causes suspected so far is dysox—a state of
disrupted oxygen signaling and impaired oxygen-driven mitochondrial ATP
generation.
In Greenland, ice previously anchored life and determined its biology.14 The
summers used to steal snow and lift ice—winters do that now. Ice used to be
there, now it stirs and its meltwater create lakes that vanish into unknown
drains. The thick ice sheet used to spurn the sun's light and heat. Now the
bedrock beneath thinned ice absorbs both light and heat. Melt waters that do not
drain beget more meltwater. In the Ilulissa region, the spring often experienced
-20 degrees Fahrenheit freezes. Now, it sees showers on some days. Phytoplankton
used to thrive on the undersurface of the ice sheet. Microbes dined on
phytoplankton. Larvae of some aquatic species, like those of Arctic cod, hung in
finger-thin channels in ice. Amphipods—shrimp-like crustaceans and others—fed on
microbes and the larvae. The amphipod populations sometimes formed grey clouds
in pristine waters and attracted larger fish. Beluga whales visited and so did
bowherd whales, the species whose members often lived for 200 years. That order
of life endured for thousands of years. Now all that is changing.
Glaciers everywhere are evaporating or sliding into oblivion. They race toward
the ocean, fracture to spawn flotillas, clog sea waters, and form "edges of
life." Greenland's Jakobshavn iceberg is melting at a faster rate than anybody
had anticipated. In 1939, Chacaltaya Ski Area, Bolivia began its operations. In
2007, the skiers could expect only artificial snow, if any. As newsworthy as
stories of vacant snowless ski areas may be, their significance pales before
that of the events occurring at the polar ice helmets of the planet.
Humans Are Not the Apex Predators
Biology is an equalizer. We humans position ourselves at the top of the food
chain, and then celebrate that delusion in many ways. I do not see the so-called
food chain as a chain, nor do I recognize any exalted positions in the
hunter-hunted dynamics. In the eternal predator-prey dance of life and death,
the predator often becomes a prey and the prey a predator. Based on extended
clinical experience, morphologic observations, and biochemical findings in
patients with diverse clinical disorders, I consider mold allergy, overgrowth of
yeast species in the bowel, and mycotoxicosis to be the most significant threats
to human health. Considering the myriad roles of fungi in the etiology of human
and animal diseases, these "lowly" oxyphobic microbes can hardly be delegated to
the bottom of the so-called food chain. Nor can humans be assigned the top
position. I cite the case of Staphylococcus aureus to support my larger point
here. In 1958, I learned that S. aureus was a nuisance, present on the skin of
up to 40% of healthy individuals. In 2008, I learned that the microbial species
killed more citizens of the United States than the HIV/AIDS complex.15
What Next? A World Order of Ethics
Biology is my preoccupation; history, my hobby. Biology is race-neutral. History
is nation- neutral. Biology informs, enlightens and teaches oneness of humans
with other planetary life—ecology, in a larger sense, is the name of this
discipline of study. History also informs, enlightens, and underscores the need
for "oneness thinking." It teaches the effects of intolerance and conflict.
History is also the study of the consequences of actions of one group of people
on other people—ethics is the appropriate designation for this discipline.
Ethics is also the study of inaction in times when action is sorely needed.
Biology has no agenda—except to delineate the boundary between confusion and
understanding. History provides accounts of the deeds of cults of craven men who
covet control of everyone and everything in their paths. It gives us stories of
unenlightened men with confused and cruel agendas. The planet Earth also has a
history—increasingly uncovered by advances in geosciences—that can teach much
about oneness. The history of oxygen on the planet fascinates me most. I find
oxygen's message of oneness to be most compelling.
My interests in biology and history developed randomly, and not from any
well-considered plan of life. As I studied climatic changes—those documented in
this section and others projected by geoscientists—the lessons of biology and
history melded together to generate a compelling case for a "new world order of
ethics." I imagined a time when a child would be respected because of being
human. A child would be taught to respect others because of their humanness, and
not for reasons of race, creed, or faith. I envisioned a time when a child would
be loved because of her/his uniqueness. A child would be taught to love others
because of their uniquenesses. I conceived an epoch beyond nationalism—a time
when no one would be deemed superior to others because of being German, French,
American, or Chinese.
Charles Robert Darwin developed his central ideas of ecologic connectivity and
natural selection to define his theory of origin of species. Herbert Spencer
hijacked that idea and introduced the expression survival of the fittest to
advance his social manifesto—an unfortunate choice of words that fostered
self-centeredness, abuse of power by the spiritually sclerosed, and oppression
of people. Humankind now faces different problems. If predictions about the
looming climatic chaos come true—evidence to the contrary is non-existant—there
will not be any "fittest" left among us. What poisons some now will poison all
with time. Is there a more compelling reason in support of the core notion of
oneness of the human species—and, by extension, oneness of all planetary life?
Is there a more cogent and forceful argument for accepting and fostering this
notion of a shared planet?
I end this column with four hopes. First, in the context of impending climatic
chaos, the readers will consider the evidence for—and the broader implications
for all humankind of—the primacy of oxygen issues over carbon issues. Second,
the information presented and arguments marshaled will meaningfully broaden the
current debate on climatic issues. Third, the readers, clinicians as well as
non-clinicians, will develop a sharper focus on the immediacy of oxygen issues
that will precede and/or be exaggerated by carbon issues. In patient advocacy,
they will pursue ways to make their contributions, no matter how small, to raise
consciousness about the crucial health issues of our time: toxic environments,
toxic foods, and toxic thoughts. Finally, the preceding consideration will
promote the development of a new order of ethics based on our shared oneness and
complete integration with all aspects of the planetary condition.
Please see essay 4 of the
Darwin, Dysox, and Our Fermenting Planet series
for continuation of this discussion.
References
1. Ali M. The Principles and Practice of
Integrative Medicine Volume X: Darwin, Oxygen Hoemostasis, and Oxystatic
Therapies. 2000. 2nd. Edi. 2007New York. Canary 21 Press.
2. Ali M. The Principles and Practice of Integrative Medicine Volume XI: Darwin,
Dysox, and Disease. 2000. 2nd. Edi. 2007. New York. Canary 21 Press.
3. Ali M. The Principles and Practice of Integrative Medicine Volume XI: Darwin,
Dysox, and Integrative Therapies. 2008. New York. Institute of Integrative
Medicine Press (in press).
4. www.hillsborough.wateratlas.usf.edu/lake/default.asp?wbodyid=5383&wbodyatlas=lake
- 26k.
5. Fish Kill in the Gulf of Oman - A Space-based Diagnosis. www.earthscape.org/
l2/ES17259/EO_FishKill.pdf
6. Stramma L, Johnson GC, Sprintall J, et al . Expanding Oxygen-Minimum Zones in
the Tropical Oceans. Science. 2008;320:655-658.
7. Adams NG, Lesoing M, Trainer VL (2000) Environmental conditions associated
with domoic acid in razor clams on the Washington coast. J Shellfish Res
19:1007–1015
8. Lam CWY, Ho KC (1989) Red tides in Tolo Harbor, Hong Kong. In: Okaichi T,
Anderson DM, Nemoto T (eds) Red tides. Biology, Environmental Science and
Toxicology. Elsevier, New York, pp 49–52.
9. Okaichi T. Red Tides (2004) Terrapub, Kluwer Academic. Springer.
10. Magnien RE (2001). "State monitoring activities related to Pfiesteria-like
organisms". Environ. Health Perspect. 109 Suppl 5: 711–4. PMID 11677180. And:
Rublee PA, Remington DL, Schaefer EF, Marshall MM (2005). "Detection of the
Dinozoans Pfiesteria piscicida and P. shumwayae: a review of detection methods
and geographic distribution". J. Eukaryot. Microbiol. 52 (2): 83–9.
11. Pounds JA, Bustamante MR, Coloma LA, et al. Widespread amphibian extinctions
from epidemic disease driven by global warming. Nature. 2006;439:161-167.
12. Lillioja S, Mott DM, Spraul M, et al. Insulin resistance and insulin
secretory dysfunction as precursors of non- insulin-dependant diabetes mellitus:
prospective studies of Pima Indians. N Engl J Med 1993;329:1988-1992.
13. Mailloux, Lionel (2007-02-13). http://patients.uptodate.com/topic. asp?2008,
gestational diabetes.
14. Nicklen P. Life at the edge. National Geographic. June 2007. pp32-55.
15. Sack K. Deadly Bacteria Found to Be More Common. The New York Times. October
17, 2007.
|
|
Appointment
and Patient Information
CONTACT US
Dr. Ali's Books
and DVDs |
This
information is provided only to provide
information, it is never, ever to be used as a
self help guideline. Always consult your own
health care provider for information or
questions on your health!
Throughout this website, statements are made
pertaining to the properties and/or functions of
nutritional supplements.
These statements about
nutritional supplements have not been
evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration
and are not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease
Copyrights on this site:
©Majid Ali
©Aging Healthfully, Inc. ©The
Institute of Preventive Medicine
©The Institute of Integrative Medicine ©The
Journal of Integrative Medicine
New
Jersey - 95 East Main Street Denville, NJ 07834 New
York 140 West End Avenue NY, NY 10023
|
|
|
