Blame the Bugs: How Stealth Pathogens Are Making You Fat, Tired, and Brain Dead

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When most of us hear the phrase “caught a cold” or “dealing with the flu”, it conjures up images of runny noses, fevers, loss of appetite and a general sense of malaise.  But not many of us think about the fact that the same pathogens that can cause a cold or give us the flu can also make us fat.

And these pathogens not just make you fat, but also tired and brain dead.

See, it’s not the actual pathogens causing a sickness that make you feel crappy. Pathogens are simply not strong enough to do that. Rather, it’s your immune system’s response to those pathogens that makes you feel crappy, and (as you’re about to learn) fat, tired and brain dead.

The majority of people are harboring a multitude of pathogenic critters that wreak havoc on our health in a much wider variety of ways than simply a temporary infection or inconvenient runny nose.  For example – have you ever heard of “mono”, also known as Epstein-Bar Virus, and occasionally as “kissing disease”?

Epstein-Bar Virus is just one example of a large group of “stealth” microbes – pathogens that don’t create overt symptoms like a runny nose or fever, but carry along with them much more insidious signs and symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, inability to recover from exercise, mood swings, and decreased drive (to name just a few).

The goal of this article is to outline some of the most common stealth pathogens, how they impact your various body systems, and what you can do about it. If you’ve been “banging your head against a brick wall” trying to figure out why you’re just looking, feeling or performing the way you want to – and it seems like you’ve tried everything to no avail – then this article is for you.

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Why You Can Be Sick But Not Feel “Sick”

We’re all exposed to viruses, yet not everyone gets “sick”. 

Why is this?  The state of your immune system is affected by a handful of factors, including:

-Glutathione levels

-Vitamin D levels

-Hormonal Status

-Sleep quality and quantity

-Methylation status

Viruses typically operate by incorporating their DNA into ours and replicating when our cells replicate.  In short, they rely on us.

So if the above mentioned factors are in good status inside your body, these viral replications will be suppressed and the symptoms averted.  However, if you consider the toxic load on you from the environment around you,  and your daily exposure to heavy metals, pesticides, other immune-suppressing pollutants, you’ll realize how easy it is for viruses to bypass immune detection and wreak havoc on our health.

The most common stealth pathogens people harbor are Human Herpes Virus-6, Epstein-Bar Virus, Coxsackie Virus, Mycoplasma (a weird cell-wall deficient bacteria), and Adenovirus. As mentioned above, we’re all exposed to these pathogens at some point during childhood or early adult hood.  If our immune system stays robust, the viruses and bacteria will be relatively unsuccessful at creating problems.

But if these pathogens take hold of someone with a compromised immune system or someone under a large amount of physical, emotional or environmental stress, it can be an entirely different scenario.

What type of symptoms might these stealth pathogens produce?  Ever have trouble paying attention?  What about achy joints?  Have you experienced poor sleep quality or a lack of desire to stay socially connected?  While all of those signs and symptoms could have multiple causes, the stealth pathogens are common culprits.

All of those nagging symptoms described above are not caused by the pathogens themselves but by a type of molecule referred to as pro-inflammatory cytokines.  Common pro-inflammatory cytokines include interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and Interleukin-1 beta.  These are powerful molecules that have the ability to make you feel as if you’ve been hit by a truck (or two).  In addition, these cytokines can lead to atherosclerosis, increased C-reactive protein, joint damage, leaky gut, leaky blood-brain barrier, racing thoughts and even brain cell death.  In fact, researchers have created an entire class of drugs to block the effects of one of these pro-inflammatory compounds called TNF-alpha.  Since we know that chronic, low-grade inflammation is at the heart of nearly every disease known to man, keeping these substances at a low level is important to say the least.

Of course, the obvious question becomes this: do you yourself have these stealth pathogens, microbes and viruses inside your body and if so, are they active?

The easiest way to test for them is to check your IgG and IgM (both antibodies) level to EBV, HHV-6, Mycoplasma, Adenovirus, and Coxsackie Virus.  Traditional – and even many natural, functional medicine – doctors will interpret an elevated IgM as a currently active virus and a high IgG level as a prior infection.  But this is incorrect (according to my clinical experience) and to other functional medicine experts who I rely upon for advice.

To get started finding a doctor that can run tests like this, you should consider visiting sites like:

HealthProfs.com

FunctionalMedicine.org

Naturopathic.org

-PrimalDocs.com

PaleoPhysiciansNetwork.com

 Many individuals may have such poor immune function that they are unable to mount an IgM response pathogens, so they don’t show signs and symptoms of things like colds or flus.  But this doesn’t mean the pathogens aren’t wreaking havoc on their health.  What I have seen in practice is that as your IgG levels decrease, your health and quality of life increase.

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How Stealth Pathogens Can Make You Fat

So based on this, how could a bacteria or virus actually make you fat?  

Through a number of mechanisms, actually.

For example, when molecules such as IL-6 and TNF-alpha are released, they damage hormone receptors, especially insulin.  This leads to the inability to effectively process sugars, a condition known as insulin resistance or pre-diabetes.  In other words, insulin is knocking on the doors of your cells, but the doorbell is broken.  Common signs of insulin resistance are constant hunger, sleepiness after meals, weight gain around the mid-section, difficulty sleeping, high blood pressure, and increased inflammation.

In addition, the powerful inflammatory compounds released by immune cells trigger a cortisol response in an effort to reign in any unbridled inflammation.  This constant activation of the adrenal glands—and subsequent production of cortisol—also leads to insulin resistance.  Keep in mind, this aspect of insulin resistance is independent of diet and exercise.  In other words, one can follow a strict diet of good proteins, healthy fats and low to moderate carbohydrate consumption and still develop insulin spikes and insulin resistance.  This is why it is so crucial to examine all aspects of the body that may be contributing to a large cytokine load: digestive health, systemic infections, toxicity, etc.  The take home message: Inflammation can drive insulin resistance independent of diet and exercise.

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How Stealth Pathogens Can Make You Tired

As if packing on pounds to your waistline weren’t enough, these stealth microbes can also disrupt brain and nervous system function.  They achieve this by punching holes in the blood brain barrier, the protective shield designed to keep undesirables out of our brains.  This means everything from environmental chemicals to heavy metals.  There exists a plethora of research behind the dangers of each if allowed into the brain.

In addition, the pro-inflammatory cytokines can activate the microglial cells, the brain’s resident immune cells.  During the acute phase, there isn’t much harm in this.  Long-term, however, it leads to over-excitation of your neurons and eventually cell death.  When the microglial cells are activated, it is common to experience symptoms such as anxiety, depression, memory loss, decreased productivity and racing thoughts.  Ever laid down to sleep and you can’t seem to put the brakes on your racing thoughts?  There’s a good chance that activated microglial cells played a role (interestingly, the common issue of hypothyroidism also leads to heightened activity of the microglial cells).

You already learned how a pro-inflammatory state leads to constant activation of cortisol release.  Now, we need to discuss how this can have downstream effects on other hormones, including the sex hormones.  We know that constant activation of the adrenals leads to elevated cortisol and it's consequent negative effects, such as insulin resistance, racing heart, agitation, leaky gut, and an overall catabolic state.  Elevated cortisol also inhibits the conversion of T4 to T3, which impacts thyroid function.

More importantly, the existence of a pro-inflammatory state may lead to pregnenolone steal, in which your body utilizes the hormone precursor pregnenolone to produce cortisol at the expense of your other sex hormones.  This is one of the major reasons why it is crucial to address adrenal and thyroid function prior to addressing sex hormone function.  If your body has a hierarchy of needs, the adrenals and the thyroid are at the bottom, while the sex hormones are closer to the apex.

For example, let’s take a 32 year old female with a number of systemic infections creating an inflammatory state.  She goes in for her yearly hormone panel, which shows she is deficient in progesterone.  Her M.D. places her on progesterone replacement and decides to re-test her hormones 3 months later.  Much to their dismay, the progesterone levels have not budged.  Not one bit.

Why? Because of her pro-inflammatory state, her body is using the exogenous progesterone to create more cortisol in an effort to subdue the cytokines.  The answer is to address the infections and other inflammatory stressors before replenishing her progesterone levels.

Another example would be a male deficient in testosterone who is given testosterone shots(or cream, pellets, etc.).  While he may notice a slight increase in drive, energy, etc., he may also experience the symptoms of excess estrogen—increased fat around the chest, decreased erections, overall weakness, etc.  The reason for this is that any type of inflammatory stressor will increase aromatase activity, the enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen.

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How Stealth Pathogens Can Make You Brain Dead

As if the above symptoms weren’t annoying enough, certain viruses have been connected to much more sinister conditions.  Many viruses, referred to as neurotrophic viruses, have an affinity for the brain and nervous system tissue.  In fact, numerous studies have found a strong association between Alzheimer’s Disease and various certain forms of the Herpes family viruses, such as HSV 1.  In addition, there exists a strong link between CMV, another Herpex family virus, and Alzheimer’s Disease.  While correlation doesn’t equal causation, the number of studies linking stealth pathogens with various neurological disorders is too great to ignore.

In addition, certain viruses have been linked to various types of cancer, including breast and prostate cancer.  On a similar note, these stealth pathogens may lead to autoimmune disease through a variety of mechanisms, namely molecular mimicry.  Basically, this means that the viral protein coat and our human cells share a similar structure, which leads to our immune system attacking one or more of our own tissues.  A classic example of this would be Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which is closely connected to the Epstein-Bar Virus.

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What You Can Do

At this point, you should be asking:  what can I do about these stealth pathogens?  Or what can be done to prevent them from becoming active in the first place?  

Let’s begin with the broad topic of prevention.

Obviously, eradicating as many stressors as possible from your life would be a great start.  And for the stressors that are a necessary evil in your life, I suggest a daily routine of transcendental meditation, along with at least 15 minutes of walking – which is not necessarily for any calorie-burning effect, but instead for the stress-reduction properties.  From a more physiological standpoint, you also need to optimize your levels of the following nutrients:

-Vitamin D: get your blood levels to 60-100 ng/dL. You can get this test from DirectLabs, from EXOS or with your local doc.

-RBC Zinc: get your blood levels to 1,400 micrograms/dL or higher. You can get this test from your local doc.

-Glutathione levels: there are some labs that will measure reduced versus oxidized glutathione.  I recommend aiming to keep your reduced glutathione in the top 25%. DirectLabs will measure glutathione.

-Ensure that you have optimal levels of beneficial gut flora, such as Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacteria spp. This can be checked through a test such as the Metametrix G.I. Effects Profile panel 2200 from DirectLabs.  

-Optimal levels of DHEA, usually measured as DHEA-sulfate: aim for the top 25% of the range.  DHEA is critical for maintaining an optimal number and activity level of several types of immune cells. For this you can use an Adrenal Stress Index test from DirectLabs, which will also test cortisol, a valuable marker to test. 

-Sleep: both quality and quantity.  A disrupted circadian cycle disrupts pretty much every hormone that we know of, along with our immune system.  Specifically, sleep deprivation raises the levels of Interleukin-6, one of those potent cytokines we discussed earlier. You can learn about many sleep tracking tools here.  

-You can (and should) also test for IgG and IgM titers (titers are simply your immune system’s response to the pathogens) if you are dealing with constant difficulty recovering from your workouts, decreased drive, blood sugar swings or insulin resistance, brain fog or other nervous system symptoms. DirectLabs has te the IgG and IgM for Epstein-Barr and the IgG HHV-6. You can ask your doctor about these too. If you’re experiencing persistent fatigue, difficulty recovering from your workouts, decreased drive, blood sugar swings or insulin resistance, brain fog or other nervous system symptoms, consider getting your IgG and IgM titers tested to EBV, CMV, HHV-6, Mycoplasma, Coxsackie B virus, and Adenovirus.  

But what if you went through a stressful period – you lost your job or you’re in a relationship that is not nourishing to your spiritual side?  There are a number of both natural and prescription agents (outlined below) that can lower your viral titers.  The major difference between treating bacteria, yeast and viruses is the time component.

In most instances, it is important to stay on an anti-viral (such as any of the ones described below) for at least 6 months.  Of course, it is equally important to fortify the immune system during this time, so that when the anti-virals are discontinued, one’s immune system can take over the reins of controlling the viruses.  Natural agents that can be used as anti-virals include:

-Monolaurin (I recommend Ecological Formulas brand)

-Lomatium dissectum (I recommend a product called LDM-100)

-GSE (I recommend NutriBiotic)

Larrea Tridentata (I recommend Biogenesis – their product is called Larrea Plus)

Colloidal silver (I recommend Argentyn 23)

Prescription agents often used against viral infections include: Acyclovir, Famvir, and Valacyclovir.  Of course, these must be used under the supervision of a physician and monitoring of liver and kidney function.

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Summary

In the beginning of this article, I told you that microbial infections may be responsible for many of your health-related symptoms that normally aren’t associated with pathogens or immune imbalances. 

We covered how some of the most common bugs are creating an inflammatory environment in our bodies that prevents us from healing.  In addition, the pro-inflammatory cytokines (cell messengers) that are released can place a constant strain on your adrenals, leading to blood sugar imbalances, insulin resistance, imbalances in downstream hormones, a leaky blood-brain barrier, and even putting you at potential risk for future cancers.

Hopefully, the information I just presented has convinced you that the site of your symptoms – whether it is your nervous system in the form of brain fog, memory trouble, mood swings; your hormonal system in the form of pregnenolone steal and the subsequent depletion of sex hormones; or your immune system or in the form of “autoimmune disorders” like thyroid issues – may not be the actual source or cause of your symptoms.

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About the Author

Dr. Tim Jackson, DPT received his undergraduate degree in Health science and chemistry from Wake Forest University in 2003. He completed his Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) from the Medical University of SC in 2009. Realizing that manual therapy and orthopedic care helped only some of his patients, he began studying functional and environmental medicine, as well as digestive health, in an effort to help others achieve wellness.Dr. Tim is educated in nutritional biochemistry, digestive health and its systemic effects, as well as functional endocrinology. He recently completed the Spine portion of the Active Release Technique methodology, a system that addresses musculoskeletal trigger points and helps to expedite the healing process. You can find Dr. Tim at www.healyourbody.org, where you can also download his free e-book “Beyond Green Allopathy”.

Feel free to leave your questions, comments or feedback below and either Tim or Ben Greenfield will reply!

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Sources

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18300070

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0025152

CMV linked to Alzheimer’s: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/20/cytomegalovirus-alzheimers-cmv-_n_3472646.html

Coxsackie B virus and heart disease: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC482880/

Viruses and Breast Cancer: http://www.infectagentscancer.com/content/8/1/32

Viruses and prostate cancer: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120731151739.htm

Cancer-causing virus and epilepsy: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130124123543.htm  

Infection linked to depression: http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/infection-autoimmune-disease-linked-to-depression-201306176397

Molecular Mimicry, Bystander Activation, or Viral Persistence: Infections and Autoimmune Disease: http://cmr.asm.org/content/19/1/80.full     

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23 thoughts on “Blame the Bugs: How Stealth Pathogens Are Making You Fat, Tired, and Brain Dead

  1. Gina says:

    Lyme disease and co infections and biofilms are common now too,
    Many don’t realise they have Lyme spirochettes in their blood,
    They are not sick yet.
    I’m suspicious of the uk bed bug infestation that has been happening to many
    Of us all over the uk.
    I’m in London yet many houses including my own which were clean
    And tidy were hit hard.
    It’s an easy way to spread the Lyme disease spirochettes which infect ticks, fleas and spiders
    And mites. ( spirochettes are a form of syphillis)
    Since my place got infested I’ve been sick, loosing hair, can’t think,
    Getting upset and angry at drop of a hat.
    Worse my hubby is 6 foot 2 and down to 6 1/2 stone.
    Seriously I’ll, fed by tubes to tummy.
    He’s dying, it’s an insidious disease, you shiver one min the burn and sweat
    The next. Pain , numb patches, weight loss, mast cell activation syndrome and
    Much more are common.
    Yet No blood tests show anything.
    Unless you have £650 for private German tests , there light years ahead of us.
    Even then the nhs will ignore you.
    I’m watching my husband being tortured to death.
    Look up plum island and it’s tick research, this is
    Biological warfare and it’s truly evil

    So if your sick, get Mold out the body,
    Take parasite cleanse etc.
    Even then it’s down to your immune system etc.
    Good luck!

  2. Caleb says:

    Hi,

    I have been on the LDM-100 for a few days gradually increasing my dose. I woke up this morning with a gnarly rash that getting worse as I lie in bed tonight. I have done a bunch of searching online and it seems that there is no real conclusive evidence of what is causing the rash. Mixed theories are prevalent. Mostly what I am hearing is that its a detox reaction. Others, including my doctor say it’s an allergic reaction. Either way, I don’t know what I should be doing to help my body out in this situation. I’m taking some glutathione, and vitamin c. I’m also taking charcoal and doing infared saunas. If you have any knowledge about what is happening, I would love to know!

    Thanks

    Caleb

    1. Caleb, I would listen to your doctor. Also, consider posting in the Kion community. It's an online community I created of like-minded people who both have advice and are seeking advice. Facebook.com/groups/getkion/

    2. Sue says:

      It is normal for a rash to occur as skin is your largest organ and easiest to detox through. Eat as alkaline a diet as you can while going through the rash and take epsom salt baths for relief. It will go away in 3-4 days.

  3. Jeannie says:

    Thank you for this article!

    Conventional Medicine, having been raised like most to believe they are THE experts, I could not possibly even understand what they do and that lab testing was also to be trusted…ugh! I lost years getting sicker and sicker. Now in hindsight I see very clearly the paths this pathogen took in my body as it slowly debilitated me. Only when I started ignoring them and did my own research as well as desperate measures for relief than accidentally realizing it was literally killing off infection that looks just like sensations I have been feeling for decades! Even showing some of it to doctors…should be obvious I am disgustingly sick…I am sick emotionally that so many believe doctors will make sure they are in good hands! I KNOW 1000% I have Invasive Streptococcus Pneumonae (brought in my yucky stuff for testing, lab confirmed Strep P as pathogen, but NEVER detected in typical blood tests) and KNOW I have opportunistic pathogen, Mucoid Pseudomonas…so much everywhere it is ridiculous! Too sick to go driving all over to find THE doctor who “gets” this, so stuck “manually” removing decades of mess that invaded my body in a daily full time routine. Confirmed mercury (than you dentist that messed up my immune system), lead, arsenic and aluminum. No more acidopholous in my gut. Anemic (bacteria living off my iron). Took The Pill for decades which of course contributed….just ugh! This has robbed me of my life, my kids of thier mother…

  4. Nadira Ali says:

    I am making a comment before I even finish reading the article. This is because I know from personal experience that you are 300% on target. I have suffered for over 30 years and have not been able to be employable because of these stealth viruses/pathogens and small intestinal bacteria and candida. All have gone unnoticed by the medical profession. When I attempted to discuss these issues with my physicians,they look at me like I am crazy. Thank you in advance and I hope there are some solutions here. I am in tears because I am so grateful that now maybe I can help myself. I do not have to transition from this Earth sick!!!

  5. drtim2428 says:

    Hey Ezer, great question! In general, it takes a lot longer to lower high or elevated viral titers than it does to kill Candida or a bacteria. However, this does depend on the specific bacteria. Many bacteria have a regeneration time of 20 minutes, so every 20 minutes a new generation is born! But the basic concept that you want to understand is that viruses are a bit harder to address. One retired infectious disease M.D. I spoke to–who was fairly well-versed in integrative medicine–said he would often put people on anti-virals for over a year. It comes down to what viruses you're dealing with to a degree and how high the titers are. You can't kill your way to health, though, as one of my mentors says. You want to make sure your glutathione levels are optimal, as well as Vitamin A and Vitamin D levels are optimal. Otherwise, when you stop the anti-virals they may simply become active again. You also want to remove the bad stuff–heavy metals, pesticides, mycotoxins, etx. A far-IR sauna will help to some degree, but there's usually some degree of detoxification supplements needed. Stool tests do not check for viruses, but viruses can reside in the gut. The stool test I recommend is the G.I. Effects Panel 2200. I hope this helps! –Dr. Tim

  6. ezer__kenegdo says:

    I have been coming to the conclusion my issues are stemming from a bacteria-possibly h pylori or another pathogen. But hadn't heavily considered a virus, myself. As soon as I think I'm on it-another curveball, as usual! :) When you say "the major difference between treating bacteria, yeast and viruses is the time component"..what do you mean? I am only 22 and have limited resources so have to resort to a lot of self diagnosing which I know isn't my best bet…but I was going to go ahead and to a comprehensive stool analysis to see which pathogens I'm working with-i'm assuming a stool test will not show a virus? what do you recommend, with finances being an issue, is my best bet in getting tested for all in one?

  7. drtim2428 says:

    Most of the supplements haven't been studied to be safe during pregnancy. They may be, we just haven't studied them. The HPV could potentially lead to attack of the skin. You can have those viral titers ran and see if they are elevated. Taylor if you're having those issues, it would be best to book a one-on-one consult and we can figure it out. You can reach me at [email protected]. –Dr. Tim

  8. Amy says:

    I forgot to ask, can you take any of the above suggested supplements while breastfeeding and if not, do you have any other suggestions of how to fight the virus in a meantime?

    Many thanks

  9. Amy says:

    This really explains a lot…Can hpv virus cause an autoimmune response in the form of eczema in the same area? I got both problems at the same time. Any tips on this? Many thanks

  10. Taylor Levick says:

    Very informative article! Any blanket recommendations on dosages of the natural anti-virals you mentioned for someone with known elevated EBV immunoglobulins and autoimmune hyperthyroidism? Would you take all of them together? I know this is generally a case by case type of thing, but looking for further avenues to explore for myself since I do have some positive labs as well as several of the symptoms mentioned in the article. Thanks!

    1. It really is a case by case thing. Best idea would be to book a one-on-one consult at https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/coaching. and we'll get it figured out.

  11. cookecc says:

    Very Interesting post! I'm curious if there is a way to minimize the side effects of using above protocols when dealing with the 'bad bugs'.

    I have used both herbs (oregano, rosemary, green tea etc.) and antibiotics to deal with my chronic long-term issues supposedly due to infections. I find that when I have taken the herbs, I get massive 'die-off' and generally feel like crap for as long as I take them. When I tried the antibiotics, I had the most severe blood sugar issues I could possibly imagine. So, is there a way to do this without feeling horrible during the process? Thanks!

    1. Drink lots of water. Die-off *is* horrible. It feels horrible. But it's a necessary reaction – going through the discomfort to come out the other side hopefully more fully healed. I like Capracleanse because it soothes the stomach during your cleanse, which helps tremendously with the gut part of die-off symptoms.

  12. jackkruse says:

    The only thing better than electrons for health is photons. You need DHA to capture them both from your environment. Got electrons, you get health. DHA take sunlight and makes an electric charge. It also can reverse that process too. This is how it works in mitochondria at the MINOS. Add in a photonic energy boost and you get Optimal. The electron dance makes the proteins of life come alive and dance with joy. Without electricity your coffee maker makes no coffee. In cold you preserve your charge on your batteries. When charge drops, oxygen drops, and you drop from disease. It is not that hard to grasp……just hard to fathom. Fill your medicine cabinet with nature's medicine. Photo-electric exchange is an indisputable scientific principle, not a theory, according to a dude named Einstein.
    An electron-rich body charge encourages oxygen to penetrate cells, prevents junk molecules from sticking to cell membranes and DNA base pairs, vanquishes pathogens and powers our immune cells.

  13. jackkruse says:

    DHA has 6 allylic double bonds. This is more than any other PUFA. Deuterium selectively incorporated into the bis-allylic position inhibits peroxidation.
    • An ROS molecule (e.g. a superoxide) may finds itself surrounded by a dense forest of PUFAs; it damages one of them, and a chain reaction follows until the chain hits on an antioxidant and stops.
    • Toxic carbonyl compounds (HNE, malonic dialdehyde, and many other) then can leave membrane and do much damage elsewhere.
    • PUFAs deuterated at the bis-allylic positions do not sustain the chain reaction, while being otherwise identical to natural PUFAs.

    DHA is critical to membrane function and you need seafood to get it, and get a lot of it.

  14. jackkruse says:

    Studies have indicated that the ability to metabolize eicosanoids at age sixty-five is one third that of age twenty-five. Every decade we lost 9% of our innate redox potential. Redox potential is directly proportional to the amount of DHA and electrons in our system. Furthermore, many of the chronic diseases associated with aging: heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, stroke, diabetes, and cancer are strongly associated with eicosanoid imbalances and/or deficiencies, which implicate malfunction of desaturase activity.

    Stress (cortisol) directly lowers desaturase activity but a fascinating study by Brenner has demonstrated that Beta blockers restore desaturase function which may explain their effectiveness in reducing second heart attacks. Hypertensive drugs also act similarly which may also explain their effectiveness in cardiac disorders as well.

    These are the kind of things we need to bring to our sick patients with altered ASI's. Cortisol is a big deal. http://jackkruse.com/tensegrity-2-cortisol/

  15. drtim2428 says:

    Hey Greg,

    I use several products that can be of help…Argentyn 23, which is colloidal silver, Monolaurin(from coconut oil), and a product called LDM-100. Treating viruses usually requires a 6 month program at the least to bring down your titers. Optimizing your zinc, selenium and glutathione levels will all help to fortify the immune system as well. In addition, liposomal colostrum and PRPs from Sovereign Labs are great immune modulators with lots of studies behind them.

    Dr. Tim

  16. GPEko23 says:

    Hi Ben,
    Great post. Any more specific advice for EBV in particular? Ever since testing positive for antibodies after my son tested positive, I've been in an uphill battle vs. fatigue and semi-low functioning thyroid (TSH 3.5). Not sure this is the cause, but it wouldn't surprise me. I eat well, resistance train, and get reasonable sleep but most days run out of gas around 2-3pm. Had an ASI done, and morning/night cortisol levels are "normal", but mid day low. Just wondering how to accelerate healing from EBV specifically first and foremost. Appreciate all you do. -Greg

  17. steve says:

    What you reccomend for a nail fungal infection?

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