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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 |
|
Under
Darwin's Glow
Chapter 1 Volume 11 Darwin, Dysox, and Disease
Darwin looms large in the author's ecologic thinking because
he was the first systematic ecologist and integrationist.(1)
So it is that an integrated view
of experimental and clinical aspects of the fundamental trio
of oxidosis, dysoxygenosis
(dysfunctional oxygen metabolism), and acidosis in the
health/dis-ease-disease is presented in light of his core
concepts.
In my view that continuum cannot be understood without a
clear understanding of Darwinian notions of ecologic
conditions, struggle for life, adaptation to change, and
natural selection. Natural selection in the present context
means how the ecologic conditions (oxidosis and
dysoxygenosis) favor, or put in jeopardy, the microecologic
cellular and macroecologic tissue-organ systems of the human
body, as well as those of the microbiologic organisms which
live symbiotically within those ecosystems in health.
Equally important are the relationships of human ecosystems
with those in which humans exist.
Darwin went around the world and recognized that the parts
are inseparable from the whole as the whole is inseparable
from its parts. He also recognized that nature selects and
wondered about whether there were any recognizable
mechanisms operating in that selection. Finally, he
propounded his theory of the mechanisms involved. Natural
selection is an ecologic notion. In essence, he figured out
how ndeh was preserved and evolved
under the organizing influence of what he called the
Infinite Wisdom.
The health/dis-ease/disease continuum must be seen in light
of the broader Darwinian ecologic perspective for two
reasons.
First, it is essential for understanding how the human
ecosystems are violated and how the disruptions caused set
the stage for various disease states. Second, and equally
important, is gaining insight into what those battered human
ecosystems portend for the future health of that individual.
In a larger sense, the Darwinian model challenges the very
foundation of the prevailing model
of one-cause/one-disease/one-therapy model. This model does
not focus on individual genes, receptors, ligands, hormones,
and mediators of inflammatory and immune responses.
Rather, the ecologic model focuses how parts in biologic
systems relate to others and to the human organisms as a
whole.I illustrate this essential point by citing examples
of three widely misunderstood disorders:
fibromyalgia,
chronic fatigue syndrome,
and systemic
lupus erythematosis (SLE).
The prevailing practice of diagnosing fibromyalgia when 11
or more of the 18 "established" trigger points are present
is woefully inadequate. It not only totally ignores the
systemic nature of the disorder (oxidosis, dysoxygenosis,
and acidosis evidently affect all cellular ecosystems), it
is based on the location and number of trigger points that
offer no clues to underlying pathogenetic mechanisms.
Similarly,
chronic fatigue syndrome is diagnosed when a certain number
of "major" and "minor" criteria (i.e.symptom complexes) are
present. Again, the energeticmolecular basis of disabling
chronic fatigue are paid little, if any, attention. The case
of SLE is no different.
Indeed, on
a deeper look, one finds that names of scores of so-called
discrete autoimmune disorders are in reality empty
diagnostic labels.
I dedicate this volume also to earlier peoples (mistakenly
regarded as "primitive" by some) who demonstrated a profound
ecologic awareness in their lives. Their "language of
ecology" was different from ours in that it was metaphorical
and ritualistic, but in many ways it was far richer,
spiritual, and ennobling.
Ecologists often relate "an exact moment of birth" of the
science of ecosystem to a definition of ecosystem put forth
by Tansley in 1935.2
That, of course, is not uncommon for those unfamiliar with
the deep "ecologic beliefs" of the ancients in the
inseparability of people, animals, lands, and waters. Human
perceptions of ecologic issues and insights into their
impact on human life are as old as humankind itself. For
instance, the term nde (ndeh) of the
Dene peoples of the North American subarctic is
often translated as land. But that is not what Dene mean by
ndeh. For them, ndeh is the integrated whole that surrounds
and permeates their
beings. It is the relatedness of that whole to everything
with which they celebrate life--of people, animals, air,
fire, water, the deep earth, and the most high sky.4
Ndeh is anything and everything for them. The concept of the
discrete is alien to them; so were such notions to most
peoples of earlier eras.5 Ecosystems are exhibits of
Nature's sense of economy. In the prevailing scientific
lingo, an ecosystem is defined as an 'integrated system
involving the biological, chemical, and physical components
of a habitat or region.6-7
In essence, this definition summarizes Darwin's expression
of "entangled bank" in On the Origin of Species for the
interconnectedness he recognized among living species that
make up the riotous profusion of biodiversity. That
interconnectedness is a major theme of this volume.
Healthy ecosystems are sustained by stable turnovers of
water, oxygen, nutrients—and hence energy. Ecosystem
homeostasis over long periods of time is maintained by
collective functions of system biots existing in exceedingly
complex but integrated environment. Stability of that
homeostasis requires functional redundancy of its components
so that multiple species can serve the same "ecoprotective"
roles, thereby preserving functional integrity in the face
of major changes. The human ecosystems are no different.
Dynamic processes in individual ecosystems profoundly effect
those in others that have been traditionally seen as
discrete. For instance,
gynecologists rarely think of the bowel ecosystem when
they treat what they perceive to be chronic infectious
and immune disorders of the genital tract, to the
detriment of the patient.
In this volume I also the issues of perils of
ignoring ecologic principles that govern the human
health/dis-ease/disease continuum. Chronic degenerative,
nutritional, and immune disorders are rampant.
Nature reported mass extinctions among aquatic
species. The Wall Street Journal reported that eight
million Americans suffer from fibromyalgia for which
there are no effective drug therapies.
Experience of
many clinicians—as well as that of my colleagues and
I—has made it abundantly clear that the factors that
contribute to the pathogenesis of fibromyalgia include
antibiotic abuse,
sugar overload, neglected food
incompatibilities, undiagnosed mold allergies, and
foods contaminated with pesticides. Their anger and
anxiety, sometimes leading to depression, is chalked up
to psychological or the all-in-the-head problems by
many doctors. Antibiotic and antidepressant abuse
persist. Careful review of the clinical cases makes it
obvious that their microecologic cellular and
macroecologic tissue-organ ecosystems were violated
by the above factors leading to the trio of oxidosis,
acidosis, and dysoxygenosis.
In closing, the trio of oxidosis, dysoxygenosis,
and acidosis in fibromyalgia (oxidative-dysoxygenative
dysfunction, ODD) can be understood fully only in
light of Darwin's work. Only then can we comprehend
the impact of oxidosis and dysoxygenosis on the human
microecologic cellular and macroecologic tissue-organ
systems. A clear understanding of those elements
should lead to intelligent use of rational,
ecologic-integrative management plans for reversal of
fibromyalgia and other chronic disorders. That is the
true promise of the medicine of the upcoming century.
References
1. Ali M, Ali O. Fibromyalgia: An oxidative-dysoxygenative
dysfunction ODD. J Integrative Medicine 1999;1:17-37.
2. Darwin C. On the Origin of Species. A Facsimile of the
First Edition. 1964. Harvard University Press. Cambridge,
MA.
3. Tansley AG. The use and abuse of vegetational concepts
and terms. Ecology. 1935;16:284-307.
4. Legat A, Zoe SA, Chocolate M. The importance of
knowing. In: NWTY Diamonds Project environmental
impact statement. Volume 1, Appendeces, 1996,
Vancouver: BHP Diamonds.
5. Berkes F, Kislalioglu M, Folke C et al. Exploring the
basic ecological unit: Ecosystem-like concepts in
traditional societies. Ecosystems. 1998;1:409-415.
6. Harvey J. The natural economy. Nature. 413:463.
7. Baskin Y. The Work of Nature. (Island, Washington DC.
1997. |
