Michael T. Murray and Michael R. Lyon
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 It blocks many key steps in the allergic and inflammatory response, including the production and secretion of compounds that promote inflammation by white blood cells. This disruption of the normal defense functions of the white blood cells is great at stopping the inflammatory response, but it essentially cripples the immune system. Long-term use of prednisone also causes abdominal obesity, puff-iness of the face ("moon face"), and accumulation of fat in the upper back ("buffalo hump").
The side effects of prednisone relate to dosage levels and length of time on the drug. |
Dr. Paula Baillie-Hamilton
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 Despite having different names and characteristics, all these cancers originate from the cells that make up our immune system (see chapter 5), mainly the lymphocytes or white blood cells.
White blood cells play an essential role in protecting the body from all the infections and foreign bodies that we are exposed to. They are largely created in lymph nodes, which are kidney bean-shaped nodules scattered throughout the body. white blood cells travel around the body in the blood and lymph vessels. |
Lynne Mctaggart
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 Benveniste's laboratory at INSERM had been studying basophil degranulation - the reaction of certain white blood cells to allergens. One day, Elisabeth Davenas, one of his best laboratory technicians, came to him and reported that she'd seen and recorded a reaction in the white blood cells, even though there had been too few molecules of the allergen in the solution.
This had all come about as the result of a simple error in calculation. She had thought the starting solution was more concentrated than it was. |
Ron Garner
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 These vessels contain lymph, which is a pale, thick fluid consisting of fat-laden liquid and white blood cells. Lymph nodes, tonsils, bone marrow, spleen, liver, pancreas, lungs, and the intestines are also part of the immune system. As part of an immune response, white blood cells are mobilized and deployed to areas of the body requiring their assistance. Lymph nodes, which contain filters, swell because the lymphatic vessels drain infection by carrying it to the nearest area where an immune response can be organized. The lymph nodes most commonly recognized are in the neck and groin areas. |
| However, when cooked or refined foods were consumed, the subjects' blood showed a marked increase in the number of white blood cells. Researchers termed this reaction, "pathological leukocytosis." Their findings were presented to the First International Congress of Microbiology in Paris in 1930, under the title The Influence of Cooking Food on the Blood Formula of Man.1
White blood cells, also called leukocytes or immune cells, are a component of blood and part of the body's immune system that help defend the body against infections or foreign materials. The conclusion of Dr. |
Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D.
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 Gradually, the endothelium, the white blood cells, and the platelets, the blood cells that cause clotting, all become sticky. Eventually, a white blood cell adheres to and eventually penetrates the endothelium, where it attempts to ingest the rising numbers of LDL cholesterol molecules that are being oxidized from the fatty diet. That white blood cell sends out a call for help to other white blood cells. |
Bill Sardi
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 Journal Medicinal Chemistry 48: 6783-86, 2005]
Resveratrol induces cancer cells to die off in a preferred manner so their cellular debris will be digested by white blood cells called phagocytes.
Cancer cells are immortal. They refuse to grow up (mature) and die off in a gradual manner as do normal cells. The normal process of cell death is called apoptosis (ay-pa-tow-siss). Toxic methods of killing cancer cells, such as radiation and chemotherapy, harshly destroy cancer cells by causing them to break open, release their contents and damage neighboring cells and provoke inflammation. |
Jeffrey M. Smith
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 Their brains, livers, and testicles were generally smaller, suggesting disruption of normal growth processes due to either malabsorption of nutrients or unknown toxins. white blood cells responded to a challenge more slowly, indicating immune system damage; and organs related to the immune system, including the thymus and the spleen, also showed changes. The animals had enlarged pancreases and intestines, and partial atrophy of the liver. |
Dr. Steve Blake
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 For example, two aspirin tablets taken every six hours for a week have been reported to lower the amount of vitamin C in white blood cells by half.
Vitamin C has been used under medical supervision to treat cancer with variable success. High intravenous doses have sometimes resulted in lessening of pain and extended life. This treatment is very controversial.
Vitamin C is needed to catalyze enzymatic reactions that activate hormones such as oxytocin. Oxytocin is needed by women during labor to stimulate contractions. Oxytocin also aids in the release of breast milk. |
Bill Sardi
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| The BRCA1 gene is responsible for producing a protein that repair double-stranded breaks in DNA that increase the risk for cancer. white blood cells were obtained from women who are carriers of the CRCA1 gene mutation and subjected to a chemotherapy drug (bleomycin). There were more DNA breaks among mutated BRCA1 samples than healthy controls. After 1-3 months of supplementation with selenium, the frequency of breaks in chromosomes were significantly reduced to the point they compared to subjects who did not have the BRCA1 mutation! |
Dr. Steve Blake
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| Selenium is also needed by white blood cells to fight microorganisms. Low dietary intakes of selenium may make people more vulnerable to Keshan disease. Keshan disease can cause heart problems.
SELENIUM AND CANCER
Excesses of selenium create methylated selenium in the body. This methylated form of selenium has been found to reduce tumor risk. Conversely, populations in areas with low selenium in the soil have been found to have higher cancer incidence. Supplementation with selenium has been found to decrease the risk of prostate cancer. |
Jeffrey M. Smith
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| DNA may be detected in the feces, the intestinal wall, peripheral white blood cells, liver, spleen and kidney, and the foreign DNA may be found integrated in the recipient genome. When pregnant animals arefed foreign DNA, fragments may be traced to small cell clusters in fetuses and newborns. "3
—Terje Traavik and Jack Heinemann
1. Industry advocates claimed that genes were destroyed during the digestion of food and therefore gene transfer to gut bacteria or organs was extremely unlikely.
2. Studies now verify that genes can survive digestion, both in humans and animals.
3. |
Gerald E. Markle and Frances B. McCrea
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 The problem is that 39% of all patients develop agranulocytosis (a decrease in white blood cells)51 which leads to death in about 1.3% of all cases. Other problems include increases in diabetes and significant weight gain.
All this considered: Are they effective in treatment? Various studies claim that atypical antipsychotics are superior to placebo, but this assessment is statistical rather than clinical significance. Unfortunately, the scientific evaluations of these drugs has produced ambiguity and confusion. |
Dr. Steve Blake
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| Lead interferes with the ability of white blood cells to fight infection. Lead can also bind to antibodies and impair their effectiveness. Lead can interfere with growth and tooth development. Lead exposure should be minimized, especially in children, because of its many harmful effects.
MERCURY
Mercury is a toxic heavy metal. The chemical symbol for mercury is Hg, which comes from the Greek word for quicksilver. Mercury exposure is most damaging to developing fetuses and nursing babies, where it can cause severe problems with nerve development. |
| Copper deficiency can also lead to low numbers of white blood cells, which can increase susceptibility to infection. Premature and malnourished infants are vulnerable to copper deficiency if they are fed formula made with cow's milk, which is low in copper. Children with cystic fibrosis may be more vulnerable to copper deficiency.
FOOD SOURCES OF COPPER
Copper is found in high amounts in nuts and seeds, avocados, and green leafy vegetables such as spinach, as seen in Graph 13-2. Whole grain products are also good sources of copper. Certain organ meats and shellfish are high in copper. |
Jeffrey M. Smith
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| The patients' levels of white blood cells, called eosinophils, also skyrocketed, suggesting a severely disrupted immune system.
After several years, a series of coincidences allowed doctors to identify that an epidemic of a new disease was taking place and that all victims had consumed the food supplement L-Tryptophan (LT). LT is an essential amino acid found in turkey, milk, and other foods. It is a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin and had been taken as a supplement for stress, insomnia, and depression.
The disease was named eosinophilia myalgia syndrome (EMS). |
Bill Sardi
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| American Journal Clinical Nutrition 63: 559-65, 1996] A study conducted in 1997 showed that the amount of carotenoids inside white blood cells of lung cancer patients is decreased considerably. [International Journal Cancer 74: 20-25, 1997] How can beta carotene be toxic when it is degraded by tobacco? Smokers need more, not less, beta carotene to make up for losses caused by tobacco itself.
An interesting study was conducted over a decade ago. The incidence of lung cancer on South Pacific island countries is far lower despite similar rates of smoking. |
Dr. Steve Blake
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| Vitamin A plays a central role in the development of lymphocytes, white blood cells that play critical roles in the immune response. Also, activation of the major regulatory cells of the immune system, T-lymphocytes, requires the retinoic acid form of vitamin A.
Cell Formation and Vitamin A
Vitamin A is needed for the synthesis of important proteins used throughout the body. Vitamin A in the form of retinoic acid can act as a hormone to affect how genes make protein, as shown in Figure 3-5. |
Andreas Moritz
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 During both an active and silent inflammation response, the body produces more white blood cells, which start to burrow deep into the walls of blood vessels, causing further damage and irritation. To prevent total destruction, your body responds by plugging up all those tears and injuries with LDL cholesterol (see chapter 9).
To diagnose and treat any of the above-mentioned illnesses as separate diseases, not only confuses and misleads the patient, but also causes a myriad of complications. Over eighty percent of people who fall ill recover on their own, without any medical intervention. |
| Symptoms usually include fever, release of stress hormones by the adrenal glands, increased flow of blood, lymph, and mucus, and a streaming of white blood cells to the inflamed area. The afflicted person feels sick and may experience pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness and chills. The sweating out and throwing off of the illness is a natural response by the body that reflects a healthy immune system. A really sick person would no longer be able to come up with such healing responses. |
| Studies revealed that exposing patients to controlled amounts of sunlight dramatically lowered elevated blood pressure (up to 40 mm Hg drop), decreased cholesterol in the bloodstream, lowered abnormally high blood sugar in diabetics, and increased the number of white blood cells, which people need to help resist disease. Patients suffering from gout, rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, arteriosclerosis, anemia, cystitis, eczema, acne, psoriasis, herpes, lupus, sciatica, kidney problems, asthma, and even burns, have all received great benefits from the healing rays of the sun. |
| It is well known that following a serious injury, surgery or sudden illness, millions of white blood cells are destroyed, and the thymus gland shrivels to as little as half of its normal size. Looking at video footage of Adolf Hitler, a child abuser or a wanted terrorist may be enough to stress your thymus gland significantly. The next time you read a magazine or watch a movie, ask a friend to test your arm muscles while you view the different pictures. You will find that some of these pictures make your muscles strong, whereas others make them weak. |
| Stress - And a Shrinking Thymus
The thymus gland, which regulates the activation of T-cells (circulating immune cells, also called white blood cells), is the first organ that is affected by stress. T-cells help the body to identify and remove cancer cells and other invading agents. The weakening influence on the thymus gland may be caused by such factors as news of negative events, dehydration or the consumption of nutritionally poor and processed foods or beverages. |
| Persistent drug users show symptoms of loss of white blood cells, the main upholder of immunity, as well as lymph node swelling, fever, rapid weight loss, brain dysfunction and dementia, and a marked susceptibility to infections. Heroin addicts often die from pneumonia, tuberculosis, and other opportunistic infections, as well as from wasting syndromes. In all these diseases, the protein p24, generally accepted to be proof of the existence of HIV, is amply present. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 Vitamin C also increases chemotaxis, the rate at which white blood cells travel to the infection.
An Antioxidant for the Ages
Then there's vitamin C's powerful—and I mean powerful—activity as an antioxidant. If you're unfamiliar with what oxidative damage is, consider what happens when you leave a cut apple outside in the air—within half an hour it turns brown. That process is called oxidation. It's a kind of cellular aging, and it takes place inside your body all the time. |
| And voila—they found that the ingredients in chicken soup stop the movement of white blood cells called neutrophils that get released when you have an infection or cold. (Just for the record—and to bring a smile to your face—the title of the actual published study was Chicken Soup Inhibits Neutrophil Chemotaxis in Vitro. And no, I'm not making that up.) Neutrophils are the most abundant kind of white blood cell in the body and an important part of the immune system. (They're the predominant cells in pus, and the reason it's white. Thought you'd like to know. |
| Well, these airborne little buggers, which can be pollens or even chemicals, get absorbed through the lungs or skin into the blood and cause the white blood cells of allergy-prone folks to produce a ton of an antibody known as IgE (immunoglobulin E). These molecules then travel through the bloodstream and hit cells called mast cells, which are major storage sites for histamine. Once the mast cell takes a hit from the IgE antibody, it begins "leaking" histamine all over the place, producing the familiar and annoying symptoms everyone who suffers from seasonal allergies knows all too well. |
| Zinc: The Missing Link for Superimmunity
Studies have shown that severe zinc deficiency significantly depresses immune function because zinc is needed for both the development and the activation of a very important class of white blood cells (lymphocytes) called T cells. When people with low zinc are given zinc supplements, their T-cell count goes up and they're better able to fight off disease.
There's a fair amount of research showing that malnourished children given zinc supplements have shorter courses of infectious diarrhea. |
Dr. Steve Blake
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| Iron helps the immune system in another way by enhancing the ability of white blood cells to engulf and kill bacteria. In this case, bacteria are attacked by free radicals that are created using an iron catalyst.
Bacteria Need Iron
The body lowers blood iron in response to infections.
Iron is also needed by infectious agents such as bacteria. The body lowers blood iron levels during acute infections to avoid aiding the infectious agents. Lowering blood iron may be an important immune response to infections. |
Lester A. Mitscher and Victoria Toews
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 The lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow, thymus gland, and tonsils all play a role, as do lymphocytes (specialized white blood cells), antibodies, and interferon.
There are two types of immunity: innate and adaptive. Innate immunity is present at birth and forms the first line of defense against microorganisms. For example, your skin, mucus secretions, and acidity in your stomach act as barriers to keep unwanted germs away from more vulnerable tissues. |
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