Applied BioLogics

Auto-Immune Disorders, Chronic Illness & Regenerative Medicine

Auto-Immune Disorders, Chronic Illness & Regenerative Medicine

Over the past 20 years, the Stowe Foundation has developed a great deal of experience in treating chronic illness and auto-immune disorders with Regenerative Medicine. Reversing the complications of diabetes is the featured application of Regenerative Medicine on our website, www.thestowefoundation.org.  However, the comprehensive immune therapy protocols used by the Stowe Foundation to help implement Regenerative Medicine can be applied to many forms of chronic illness.

The signature concept of the Stowe Foundation is Applied BioLogics (comprehensive immune therapy) combined with Adult Stem Cell Therapy to create a Regenerative Medicine protocol that restores structure and function to vital tissues, organs and glands in the human body. Our approach is to find what is causing the inflammatory response of the human immune system and then remove those trigger mechanisms from the body. This stops the progression of the autoimmune disease by naturally eliminating the inflammatory response of the human immune system. The conventional methods of immune suppression leave you exposed to opportunistic infections and other disease conditions and the pharmaceutical drugs and steroids used in the protocol are usually toxic to the liver. Hence they can only be used for short periods of time and at low doses. I have attached a short write up on Applied BioLogics and a longer memo on the link between Applied BioLogics and Inflammation.

Shown below are three links to specific medical conditions that can be caused by chronic inflammation. They are simply examples that every chronic illness has common characteristics and the road to curing chronic illness runs through the human immune system. Modern medicine gives the disease a name once we know the organ or tissue under attack.  The damaged tissue can only be repaired by the immune system once the disease process has been controlled.  I have listed three common medical conditions that have no cure.

http://www.medicinenet.com/interstitial_lung_disease/article.htm
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/polymyositis/polymyositis.htm
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dermatomyositis/dermatomyositis.htm

What you will recognize when researching all three conditions is that a viral infection is suspected of being the cause and environmental toxins are associated with the high level of inflammation that is destroying healthy tissue, such as the lung. These are the same suspects in nearly all chronic illnesses. Applied BioLogics can eliminate both viral infections and toxins from the human body.  Once the trigger mechanism to inflammation is eliminated, the human immune system can begin to repair the body. But as long as the chronic inflammation is sustained by the infection and toxins there can be no healing. If the immune system is artificially suppressed by pharmaceutical drugs there can be no healing. In the presence of chronic and sustained inflammation, the body can only degenerate. All autoimmune disorders seem to involve chronic inflammation. Hence the unregulated immune system attacks and destroys vital tissue and organs.  Modern medicine gives the disease a name once we know the organ or tissue under attack.

At the Stowe Foundation we use Applied BioLogics to eliminate the chronic inflammation. This approach can be applied to all auto-immune disorders. Once the inflammation is gone, the tissue repair process can be accelerated through the use of adult stem cells and other forms of human cell therapy.  Functionality can be restored through Veritable Energy Medicine. The combination of Applied BioLogics, Adult Stem Cell Therapy and Veritable Energy Medicine is the heart and soul of Regenerative Medicine. We use Regenerative Medicine to reverse the complications of diabetes, www.thestowefoundation.org and we are seeing progress in the neurological diseases: Parkinson’s, MS and ALS. In many circles Alzheimer’s is now described as type III diabetes.

As stated by the NIH, the accumulation of free radicals in the brainstem cells is suspected of altering normal cell metabolism in the neurodegenerative diseases.  An overload of free radicals can be produced when the cells accumulate environmental toxins. The environmental toxins all follow their own mechanistic pathway in disrupting cellular function, but the resulting free radical pathology can not be controlled until the offending toxin is removed or neutralized.  This fundamental principle applies to nearly all chronic illnesses and autoimmune disorders. Different toxins require different biological agents to neutralize their effects or to remove them from the body tissue. For example, chelation therapy reduces the free radical pathology associated with heavy metals such as mercury and lead by removing them from the body. Heavy metals are known neurotoxins.

However, most chelating agents will not remove heavy metals from the brain or from the glands of the endocrine system. This may be better accomplished with clathrating agents.  Clathrating agents can be formulated from fulvic acid which is a cousin to Co-Enzyme Q-10.  Clathrating agents can also be formulated from peptides (short sequences of amino acids) to help remove the neurotoxins associated with the halogen elements fluorine and chlorine. Many neurotoxins associated with insecticides and pesticides are held together by the halogen molecules. As the large chemical structures of the chemicals agents are broken down by the body, the fluorinated and chlorinated portions can get absorbed into the tissue beds just as iodine (a member of the halogen family) is absorbed into the thyroid. Once in the cells toxins normally accelerate destructive free radical pathology.  The key to clathrating agents is their ability to penetrate the cells and alter the ionic field of the toxin and neutralize its disruption of cellular metabolism. The toxins can then be excreted from the cells by glutathione just as normal metabolic waste is pumped out of the cells by glutathione.

The Stowe Foundation approach has been to develop detoxification protocols that give the best chance of removing or neutralizing a large number of environmental toxins, whether or not the precise toxin behind the disease has been identified.  It may be tens of years or the next century before the NIH can conclusively state whether or not an environmental toxin is associated with a particular chronic illness or auto-immune disorder. The Stowe Foundation would recommend the patient to take their best opportunity to detoxify from a broad class of toxic compounds and hope for the best.  The Stowe Foundation can provide medically supervised detoxification protocols at our immune therapy clinic in San Diego.

The control of free radical pathology can also be accelerated by supplying the patient with a heavy dose of phytonutrients from plants that act as powerful anti-oxidants. Some of the better known anti-oxidants are Co-Enzyme Q10, Polyphenols, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Ellagic Acid, Fulvic Acid, Berry Flavonoids, Resveratrol, Vitamin D3 and even Vitamin C.  These are all easily obtained from supplements. But the anti-oxidants can only help limit free radical damage by neutralizing a free radical one molecule at a time.  There is a practical limit to amount of anti-oxidants that can be delivered to the cells. Anti-oxidants can not stop free radical pathology from raging out of control. That takes the elimination of the toxin.

This concept is further explained in the paper Applied BioLogics and Inflammation. To regain total control of cellular metabolism, the Stowe Foundation recommends that the patient rebuild their intracellular stores of glutathione.  This enzyme is responsible for controlling the cells enzymatic- anti-oxidant cascade. Without adequate levels of glutathione, cells quickly die from free radical pathology and accumulate metabolic waste.

Rebuilding glutathione levels requires supplementing the body with a significant amount of sulfur bearing amino acids that the cells can use to manufacture glutathione. We can also provide amino acid therapy that will help support the production of neurotransmitters such as dopamine.  This has brought proven clinical benefits to the Parkinson’s patient. The Stowe Foundation refers to the supply of targeted amino acid supplements, essential fatty acids, polysaccharides and phytonutrients from plants as Nutritional BioTherapy.

The NIH also suggests that there may a viral cause to many auto-immune disorders. Only the human immune system has proven effective at eliminating viral infections.  The Stowe Foundation has supported the concept of creating therapeutic vaccines. These are vaccines that activate the Natural Killer cells and the T -cells of the immune system to recognize the offending pathogen or the cell that has produced an abnormal cell wall (such as a cancer cell or a virally infected cell) and to destroy the pathogen or the abnormal cell. Destroying the cell that is producing the amyloid plaque in Alzheimer’s would be one way to slow the progression. This cell should have distinctive cell receptor sites that could be targeted by the immune system. The concept of using the immune system to destroy abnormal cells was first brought to light in the field of oncology.

Several therapeutic cancer vaccines are starting to enter the marketplace as adjunctive immune therapy such as Dendreon’s Provenge for prostate cancer http://www.dendreon.com/, or as protective vaccines that destroy the virus that causes a cell to turn cancerous such as Merck’s GARDASIL for the HPV virus that causes cervical cancer in women, https://www.merckvaccines.com. With on-going research, both therapeutic vaccines and preventative vaccines will probably play a role in many chronic illnesses.  The Stowe Foundation takes the approach of custom compounding therapeutic vaccines for each individual patient to target the immune system on the pathogen or the abnormal cells.  This is known as personalized medicine and is carried out at the molecular biology labs controlled by the research associates of the Stowe Foundation.

A similar concept for selective targeting the immune system on abnormal cells has been used by the University of California Irvine (UCI) to create antibodies to the abnormal proteins known as amyloid plaque in Alzheimer’s patients. Dr. Jonathan Lakey is a Research Associate of the Stowe Foundation and a colleague to Dr. Elizabeth Head at UCI.

“A promising vaccine being tested for Alzheimer's disease does what it is designed to do -- clear beta-amyloid plaques from the brain -- but it does not seem to help restore lost learning and memory abilities, according to a University of California, Irvine study.”

The findings suggest that treating the predominant pathology of Alzheimer's disease -- beta-amyloid plaques -- by itself may have only limited clinical benefit if started after there is significant plaque growth. However, a combination of vaccination with therapies that also target related neuron damage and cognitive decline may provide the best treatment opportunity for people with this neurodegenerative disease.

"We've found that reducing plaques is only part of the puzzle to treat Alzheimer disease," said study leader, UC Irvine neurobiologist Elizabeth Head. "Vaccines such as this one are a good first step for effective Alzheimer's treatment, but complimentary treatments must be developed to address the complexity of the disease."

Head and colleagues studied for a two-year period in aging canines the effect of a vaccine that is currently under clinical development for treating patients with Alzheimer's disease. The vaccine contains the beta-amyloid 1-42 protein and stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies against this same protein that is in the brain plaques. Dogs are used for such studies because beta-amyloid plaques grow naturally in their brains and they exhibit cognitive declines similar to those seen in humans.

After the aged dogs with beta-amyloid-plaque growth were immunized (which is similar to starting a treatment in patients with Alzheimer's disease), the researchers found, in comparison with non-treated aged dogs, little difference in the results of behavioral tests that measure cognitive loss. Later, brain autopsies showed that although plaques had been cleared from multiple brain regions -- including the entorhinal cortex, a region of the brain involved with learning and memory and primarily affected by Alzheimer's -- damaged neurons remained.

Head said this discovery helps explain why there was little difference in the behavioral test results between immunized and non-immunized dogs. In addition, she added, it implies that after clearing beta-amyloid plaques from the brain, the next step is to repair these neurons. This approach will be critical for treating and reversing the effects of the Alzheimer's disease.

Currently, Head and her colleagues are developing approaches to repair these damaged neurons and hope to test them clinically. The Stowe Foundation has been creating the support techniques of Regenerative Medicine that will be required by Dr. Head to fully address Alzheimer’s.

The Stowe Foundation Approach to Alzheimer’s

  1. We have an Applied BioLogics program, based on comprehensive immune therapy, for removing the amyloid plaque from the brain. It is modeled on the UC Irvine vaccination program enhanced by an enzymatic breakdown of the plaque.
  2. We use Nutritional BioTherapy to supply the proper amino acids, phytonutrients, essential fatty acids and essential sugars to support brain activity. This allows the areas of the brain that have not been damaged to function at a higher level.
  3. We decontaminate the brain from the environmental neurotoxins that caused the brain to produce the beta-amyloid-plaque in the first place.
  4. We use transfer factors to activate Natural Killer Cells to destroy the underlying pathogens.
  5. PIVIT Therapy supplied by Dr. Robert Fredericks in Reno, NV stabilizes blood glucose metabolism which is a critical aspect of repairing the neurons.
  6. The patients own bone marrow concentrate is infused with genetically matched umbilical cord stem cells to grow new neurons to replace the damaged neurons.
  7. Brain function is restored through a sensory integration program before and after the stem cell transplants.

Steps 1 to 4 can be administered at home under the supervision of Dr. Victor Knutzen following a comprehensive evaluation of the client’s immune system.  Dr. Larry Stowe of the Stowe Foundation provides consulting services to Stowe BioTherapy during the CIE process. The results of the CIE are used by the professional staff of the Stowe Foundation to create the treatment program.  The costs of the CIE will vary depending on the imaging ordered and the lab required to get an accurate understanding of the client’s condition.  The Applied BioLogics program is a variable cost depending on the complexity of the autologous vaccine and the detoxification program plus enzymatic therapy required to break-up the amyloid plaque.

Step 5 - PIVIT therapy is performed by Dr. Robert Fredricks in Reno, NV.  The therapy is performed once per week and is a 6 hour procedure.   Dr Fredricks helps to stage the Alzheimer’s with the help of the Alzheimer’s Research Center in Las Vegas and the cost varies depending on the work that has already been performed during the CIE.

Step 6 – The stem cell transplant is carried out in Costa Rica. The timing is dependent on the progress the client makes during the course of treatment.

Step 7 – Prior to the stem cell transplant the client is encouraged to visit Stowe BioTherapy in San Diego for therapy to balance the autonomic nervous system.

In summary the recommended protocol is:

  1. Comprehensive Immune Evaluation (CIE)
  2. Applied BioLogics (comprehensive immune therapy)
  3. Therapeutic Vaccines – custom compounded to eliminate abnormal tissue, cells and pathogens
  4. PIVIT therapy – to control blood sugar metabolism
  5. Stem cell therapy – to grow new cells
  6. Veritable Energy Medicine – to establish function to the new cells.

This is an investigational program. There is no statistical evidence or clinical trials to project results.  The Stowe Foundation is working with the University of Texas Medical School at Houston to establish a Research Center for Regenerative Medicine.  This facility will provide the infrastructure where the large outcome based studies can be carried out on the combined protocols of Applied BioLogics, Veritable Energy Medicine, and Human Cell Therapy.   The first target will be reversing the complications of diabetes. There is substantial government and private funding for finding a cure for diabetes.

However, the technology platform underlying Regenerative Medicine will find broad application to transforming healthcare and treating many forms of chronic illness.  The Stowe Foundation offers its services on a best efforts basis.  Steps 1 to 3 are often a good place to start in the control of chronic and degenerative inflammation no matter what the name of the disease.