The body’s first line of defence against infections

Are antibiotics as we know them about to become history?

We have a big medical problem facing us today; the facts are that antibiotics are becoming less effective by the day. There have been many proposals as to why this is the case, the issues include:

These facts coupled with the modern high density populations, the ease of global transportation and today’s poorly nourished masses can only help to spread infections with greater speed and devastation.

Believe it or not, this is the view of many respected and considered professionals. In fact, in April 2005, Professor George Poste of the University of Arizona stated; “We are facing a relentless increase in antibiotic resistance across all classes of drugs. The age of infectious disease control is coming to an end and most governments are asleep at the switch. By 2010, antibiotics will be effectively useless.”

Clearly that is a profound statement, but it is not a new message. In 1992, Mitchell Cohen at the Centres of Disease Control in Atlanta published a paper in Science (257:1050-5) entitled; ‘Epidemiology of drug resistance; implications for a post-microbial era.’ This paper has since become one of the most cited scientific papers on the subject. In essence, it charts the continuous rise of antibiotic resistance in hospitals and the community between 1950 and 1990. Alas, whilst well received in academic circles the implications of this paper have not been acted upon by any governments. If Professor Poste is even somewhat accurate in his date predictions, then the scientific illiteracy of politicians will soon lead us into an era whereby the consequences of the death knell of antibiotics, could (at least without a viable alternative), turn society back 100 or more years- to a time when infections are once again the biggest killers.

Can nature provide an ‘antibiotic’ solution?

Before we start to look at natural antibiotic alternatives, I would like to add that nutritionist Karen Kaufman recently wrote an excellent article outlining how we can improve our own immunity. That is to say she highlighted how our own diets, lifestyles and supplements etc., can influence the level of immune defence available to us- before as it were- looking for ‘outside help.’ If you would like to see that article please

- article coming soon.

Looking for a ‘antibiotic type’ source in nature is an interesting solution, after all, if nature has gone to all the trouble of producing something, then it is all too aware of the bacteria and germs that want to consume/ destroy it etc. Hence we can all see everyday miracles of how honey can be left out in the open for very long periods and yet is not broken down, or how virtually nothing can live on certain types of mushrooms, garlic, olive leaf oil and oregano etc., (by the way these are some of the ingredients that make up the product called Immuni-T3).

There’s also the remarkable story of silver. It was recognised long ago, by the pioneers of the west to be able to keep their water supplies sterile. Since that time research (and indeed trial and error) has established that it is a specific type of silver that has proven to be effective and safe against hundreds of different types of bacteria and germs etc. This is a story that was told some years ago by IAS and in detail by biochemist James South (with full references) and can be seen by clicking here.

What is the body’s first line of defence?

So there appear to a number of interesting agents in nature that can act (if you will) as ‘natural antibiotics’ and they have been shown to be effective adjuncts for many types of infections. But let us ask the question, what does the body do within itself? What molecule(s) does the body produce as its ‘first line of defence’ to expel the unwanted invaders?

The point of entry

It’s obvious that the first place that the body battles infections must be at that first point of contact, e.g., the airway passages (nose, ears, mouth, throat etc), the skin and the genital orifices. What is found in these regions secretions?

It is a molecule known as hypothiocyanate, sometimes referred to as oxythiocynate or just thiocynates, although specifically it is the ions of this molecule that ‘do the dirty work!’(1) For the sake of this article they shall be referred to from now on as thiocynates. It is also worth noting that the body also produces them in milk and on the gut surface, even more evidence that they are indeed the first line of defence.

According to research thiocynates have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against both gram negative and gram positive bacteria, viruses and fungi (2, 3, 4). It would appear that thiocynates are an important part for the control of microorganisms in milk from lactating mothers and a critical part in cell mediated pathogen destruction.

How do thiocynates operate?

Thiocynates are created in the body in the presence of an enzyme known as lactoperoxidase- when activated this produces a cascade of thiocynate ions. As recorded in the work of Reiter & Perraudin in 1991 (5) is the evidence that thiocynates are cell permeable and once inside they inhibit glycolysis as well as NAD and NADH reactions- thus inhibiting the ‘living’ infections access to energy, growth and repair mediums, effectively ‘killing them off.’

On the other hand viruses have sulfhydryl groups on their coating (6). This coating is oxidised by thiocynates and thus through this mechanism the virus’ structure is destroyed (7).

Background

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has already recognised the importance and safety of lactoperoxidase and the resultant protection afforded through thiocynate ions. How? Because they have agreed that farmers in remote regions may add the same to their milk. Why? Because it helps to preserve the milk naturally, enabling it to reach the market in a fresh and saleable condition.

In its 35th report the WHO committee have determined an ADI (acceptable daily intake) for the conservation of raw milk with lactoperoxidase/ thiocynates. This is therefore recognition of both the safety and the performance of this technology.

Currently, the United Nations Development Program is financing a project in China and has already treated more than five million litres of milk with this technology. The program is expected to be expanded to Mongolia and South Korea shortly.

What’s more some cheese manufacturers in France have also realised the potential of this technology to safeguard and protect their cheeses in a natural way.

Thiocynates are known killer of gram negative and positive organisms

This list highlights the types of bacteria, viruses and yeasts that are known to be attacked/ destroyed with lactoperoxidase thiocynates (9):

Are thiocynates safe?

The fact is that thiocynates are naturally produced within the body, which means that they can be considered to be bioidentical. As such, providing doses are kept within the norm there can be no safer molecule to use.

A typical healthy human produces between 50 mg and 100 mg of thiocynate ions per day, the therapuetic supplementary dose has been determined at 25 mg per day, (i.e. between 25% and 50% of the typical healthy bio-synthesis). Furthermore as the animal trials have established an LD50 of 50 mg per Kg bodyweight, this means that the therapuetic dose is less than 1% of the LD50 placing thiocynate supplementary use well within established safe limits.

Professor Paul Clayton of the Royal College of Medicine in London has stated “...thiocynate ions are not toxic to human cells at the levels produced by lactoperoxidase and have little if any effect on probiotic species, making them a near perfect antibiotic system. Furthermore, it is very difficult indeed for micro-organisms to acquire resistance to them. If it was easy for micro-organisms to develop resistance to them, a key element in our immune system would have been disabled and we would not have survived as a species.”

This means that thiocynates do not affect normal cells or healthy bacteria and are only ‘on the lookout’ for the unwanted invaders. This is a most important point; because one of the key problems with drug antibiotics is that they can attack and destroy both ‘self’ and ‘non-self’ cells. For example, it is well known that a course of antibiotics will often distress and unbalance natural/ healthy intestinal flora in the gut for several weeks. Thus, whilst the prescription may have eliminated the ‘unwanted’ infection they will often leave the patient in a weakened state of immunity, at least until such time as their healthy flora can repopulate itself. This is clearly not a desirable situation and it is hardly the basis for a lifelong healthy immunity and should another infection quickly follow the first bout of antibiotics, therefore requiring an additional course of antibiotics (perhaps even a different type of drug), then the patient can enter a vicious cycle of ever declining natural immunity.

However, the very fact that the body’s naturally produced thiocynates do not affect natural healthy flora, and recognise ‘self’ cells from ‘non-self’ cells obviously makes them a very attractive proposition to use. Thiocynates can bolster and back up one’s own natural immunity.

Why haven’t thiocynates been used extensively before now?

The cynic’s amongst us will cry out that it’s the old story- that natural molecules like thiocynates can’t be patented and hence pharmaceutical companies won’t promote molecules that they cannot ‘own.’ That is certainly a possibility, although in this case that is only one part of the story. Thiocynates are short lived molecules and they are inherently unstable. In the past trials they have been made up on the spot and ingested, but it required clever chemists to be on hand to ensure that the correct formulation was made and used promptly thereafter etc.

Therefore supplement companies have to date been unable to provide an effective thiocynate delivery system, at least one that wouldn’t have already been ineffective the time it was delivered to the end user.

But recently a clever British chemist by the name of Richard Stead has managed to create a four-part enzymatic kit that provides 25 mg of thiocynate ions in half a liter of water. His patented technology allows for the individual elements of the kit to be stable at room temperature for up to 2-years, but when required the four ingredients are simply mixed into water, (in a specific order which is clearly defined inside the kit). When completed, the virtually tasteless liquid is consumed within 30-minutes of completion, thereby flooding the bloodstream with active thiocynate ions.

This thiocynate ion producing kit is known as 1st Line™.

Dosing

Providing the instructions are carefully followed in the 1st Line™ kit the procedure is simple.

1st Line can be used in a number of ways:

1. As an occasional booster, (whilst feeling okay) to lower the body’s burdens and boost immunity, often this by itself leads to enhanced well being and improved levels of energy. This can be done as little as once every 3 months, or perhaps as often as once a month- it all depends on the need. An indicator of the frequency is to ask yourself how susceptible you are to colds/ infections. The more susceptible you are then the more frequent the dose of 1st Line should be.

2. At the earliest point of feeling the effects of a cold/ flu symptoms. Consume one 1st Line kit a day; if there are still significant symptoms the following day then consume a second kit. In the majority of cases there is no need to consume any further doses.

3. In states of severely compromised immunity or known high risk of infections, (and this has included persons with MS and HIV), then 1st Line kits have been known to be consumed from once a week to once a day.

Conclusion

1st Line and thiocynate ions are an exciting and welcome addition to the bioidentical armoury to battle against the numerous invaders that we face every day and throughout our lifetime.

If people like Paul Ewald are right and that chronic infections are responsible for the majority of the degenerative diseases we face in our lives, including cardiovascular and cancers etc., (10) then reducing, indeed eliminating our body burdens takes on a whole new meaning.

In the meanwhile it may be that pharmaceutical approaches to infection control are already near the point of failing. Given the widespread emergence of ‘superbugs’ in our hospitals some experts believe that we have already failed.

Luckily, the recent growing understanding of human immune functions and their modulation by dietary factors opens up a whole new area for nutritional and pharmaco-nutritional interventions. These types of approaches, as found in 1st Line™ may eventually take over from the antibiotics for both the prevention and treatment of infection.

References

1. Gerson CJ, Sabater M, Scuri A, Torbati R, Coffey JW, Abraham I, Lauredo R, Forteza A, Wanner M, Salathe WM, Abraham WM, Conner GE. 2000. The lactoperoxidase system functions in bacterial clearance of airways. Am. J.Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. 22:665–671.

2. Pruitt KM, Reiter B. 1985. Biochemistry of peroxidase system: antimicrobial effects. In The Lactoperoxidase System: Chemistry and Biological Significance. K. M. Pruitt and J. O. Tenovuo, editors. Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York. 143–178.

3. Wang H, Ye X, Ng TB. First demonstration of an inhibitory activity of milk proteins against human immunodeficiency virus-1 reverse transcriptase and the effect of succinylation. Life Sci. 2000 Oct 20;67(22):2745-52

4. Fweja LW, Lewis MJ, Grandison AS. Challenge testing the lactoperoxidase system against a range of bacteria using different activation agents. J Dairy Sci. 2008 Jul; 91(7):2566-74.

5. Reiter B, Perraudin J-P. 1991. Lactoperoxidase: biological functions. In Peroxidises in Chemistry and Biology, Vol. I. J. Everse, K. E. Everse and M. B. Grisham, editors. CRC Press. Boca Raton, FL. 144–180.

6. Mangold CM, Streeck RE. Mutational analysis of the cysteine residues in the hepatitis B virus small envelope protein. J Virol. 1993 Aug;67(8):4588-97

7. Almeida JD, Bradburne AF, Wreghitt TG. The effect of sodium thiocynate on virus structure. J Med Virology 1979. 4(4):269-277

8. Jayasekera JP, Moseman EA, Carroll MC. Natural Antibody and Complement Mediate Neutralization of Influenza Virus in the Absence of Prior Immunity. Journal of Virology, April 2007, p. 3487-3494, Vol. 81, No. 7

9. A Welk, CH Meller, R Schubert, CH Schwahn, A Kramer, H Below. Effect of lactoperoxidase on the antimicrobial effectiveness of the thiocynate hydrogen peroxide combination in a quantitative suspension test. BMC Microbiology 2009; 9:134.

10. Ewald Paul, W, Plague time, the new germ theory of disease. First Anchor Books, 2002.