Continues
from #1
Notes and Comments #2
By
Ching-Chee Chan, PhD
As Part of the Supplement to
An Alternative Approach
To AIDS and Related
Problems: Book 2
All Rights Reserved
Egret Publishing Inc.
April 2002
According
to a Japanese research team, the antigens of Hansen’s bacteria were shown to be
present in the tissue of the central nervous system of Hansen’s disease
patients, ten years after being cured clinically. A sensitive
immunohistochemical-method to identify phenolic glycolipid-I (PGL-1) in
formalin-fixed skin tissue was employed. got
Autoimmune
diseases such as arthritis are suspected to be causes of cancer. Steroids are
also suspected to cause cancer. Perhaps the need to use steroids is a more
likely factor linked to cancer and steroids the accelerating factor by
depressing the immune system.
According to a CNN
report, 90,000 troops suffer from a strange assortment of maladies after serving
in Gulf War and the US government acknowledge a link between serving in the
gulf and ALS. Sheryl Gay Stolberg of mercola.com also reported that
veterans of the Gulf War were nearly twice as likely as other soldiers to
suffer from ALS.
These observations are consistent with the correlations, regarding ALS/MND and Gulf War syndrome in An Alternative Approach to AIDS and Related Problems: Book 2 (printed and bound version by Ching-Chee Chan, PhD. Egret Publishing Inc.).
Many Hansen’s disease patients may not test positive
for Hansen’s bacterium by means of PCR methods in practice. According to a
paper, most paucibacillary such as tuberculoid patients diagnosed of Hansen’s
disease did not test positive for Hansen’s bacterium by means of PCR (with
detection limit of 10 bacteria). Some were diagnosed clinically and some were
diagnosed histopathologically. job At this stage of development, it
is unlikely to detect Hansen’s bacterium in ALS patients by means of PCR
methods, if it is caused by Hansen’s bacterium, which may be present in small
number.
A practical method is to try the standard
combination of antibiotics, which is known to work on Hansen’s bacterium and
see the results.
September 8, 2002
SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)
A non-typical pneumonia, presumably caused by a new
flu-like virus, has been reported by the mass media. Most people afflicted are
those taking long distance flight or healthcare workers under stressful
conditions and their symptoms are similar to those of ENL. One effective
treatment is a steroid.
There are about seventeen types of non-typical
pneumonia appearing sporadically in the past few years in China, according to
Li Liming, chief of Disease Control Centre (reference
in Chinese).
ENL (erythema nodosum leprosum) can be activated by
stress (mental and physical), intercurrent infection or chemotherapy. 39 A new version of virus may have played a
part as intercurrent infection in the cases of those dubbed as “super
spreaders,” but ENL among some of the healthcare workers may have been activated
by physical or mental stress. Some senior members of the staff worked long
hours, some till mid-night (reference
in Chinese). Some worked, wearing masks, and still managed to get the
syndrome (reference
in Chinese). A twenty years old lady did not know how she got the syndrome.
She just “loved to play and might not have enough rest.” That may mean from
going to movie to dancing and partying all night (reference
in Chinese). According to a
report by CNN, children seemed to be able to avoid the syndrome. Normally
children are just as susceptible to typical pneumonia. Perhaps children are not
subjected to the stressful conditions of adults.
The possibility of another new version of Hansen’s
bacterium, appearing on the scene, cannot be ruled out.
Hong Kong is a very densely populated city. The
citizens are very susceptible to the influence of its media. The interaction between
its citizens and the media can be stressful. In 1994 and 1995, there were many
reports about the flesh-eating disease in the Toronto media. This author
suspected ENL playing a role. cha The disease has suddenly stopped or it is no
longer news-worthy.
Detection of Hansen’s bacterium is not feasible if
it is present in small number (see Limitation above). If SARS is actually ENL,
the level of TNF-alpha of patients should be higher than normal and zafirlukast
vid or thalidomide ch1 or other anti-leukotriene should be used
instead of steroids but keep it as a last resort. Combinations of antibiotics
effective on Hansen’s bacterium can also be used to combat the putative
infection of Hansen’s bacterium. In order for the analysis above to make sense,
the number of people infected by Hansen’s bacterium has to be considerable (for
reason, please click the link for the shortened versions of the two booklets
below).
April 14, 2003
A latest report, (reference
in Chinese), indicated the ages of SARS patients (dead or dying) dropping,
age thirty-three, thirty-four and thirty-seven and all pregnant. Li Liming,
Chief of Centre for Disease Control, (reference
in Chinese), indicated higher incidence rate, 70% - 80% among the age
fifteen to fifty-nine. Pregnancy can be very stressful. The group of age
between fifteen and fifty-nine may face more pressure at work and at school.
Children may not have been around long enough for the immune system to be
seriously compromised by infection of Hansen’s bacterium. For ENL, which may
cause fever and inflammation, to occur, it requires a compromised immune
system, and stress (mental or physical) or intercurrent infection or
chemotherapy. Steroids depress the immune system. Control inflammation with
zafirlukast and thalidomide if possible. If stress, inflammation and
intercurrent infection are under control, SARS will be under control. A major
factor complicating the treatment of SARS is ENL.
April 22, 2003
According t a CNN
report, the drug ribavirin is being used by doctors in Hong Kong and
Toronto. A US scientist said there was simply no evidence it worked. “It has
significant toxicity.” According to some reports on the Internet, it was tried
on a patient in Taiwan and the result was not favourable.
The toxicity can cause physical stress and activate
ENL, which can attack the patient’s tissue and organs. The percentage of death
is zero in the US and Taiwan, just below four percent on the Chinese Mainland
and more than four percent in Hong Kong and Toronto. This may be related to the
use or non-use of ribavirin.
April 24, 2003
Doctors are using a steroid. Obviously they know the
immune system is overreacting, causing damage to the lungs. This is most likely
ENL. “Only forty percent of the SARS cases have the corona virus,”
Dr. Frank Plummer, scientific director of the Canadian National Microbiology
Laboratory in Winnipeg, said. Four young and previously healthy persons in Hong
Kong, one of them twenty-eight years old, died of SARS. “Some patients were not
seriously ill but deteriorated suddenly after one week in hospital,” said their
relatives, suspecting the drug treatment and dosages. yu The toxicity of ribavirin can only upset the
overreacting immune system further. The use of ribavirin should be
discontinued. Steroids depress the immune system. Use zafirlukast and
thalidomide instead if possible.
A large number of healthcare workers are supposedly
“infected by their SARS patients. A small fraction of them may be truly
infected but most of them are overworked, some for over thirty hours without
rest, ano leading to mental and physical stress, which
may activate ENL with symptoms identical to those of SARS. Singtao Daily also
reported healthcare workers, working under pressure, leading to mental and
physical stress. sre This
also reflects the number of healthcare workers “infected” in Hong Kong.
Relationship among AIDS, the Flesh-Eating Disease (Toxic Shock Syndrome) and SARS
Several years ago, the flesh-eating disease was widely reported in the Toronto media. cha It afflicted every part of the body, including the lungs. an1 One hypothesis proposed by Low and McGreer is that a super-antigen throw the immune system into chaos, leading to leaky capillaries and multiple organ failure. jam The flesh-eating disease may be a severe result of ENL with the antigen of Hansen’s bacterium playing the role of “super-antigen” in the hypothesis of Low and McGreer. Mental and physical stress may play a more important role than intercurrent infection. cha
Thousands died during the AIDS crisis just the US alone. AIDS may be linked to toxic shock syndrome and ENL (click the link for the two booklets below). Some AIDS drugs are suspected to activate AIDS. Some AIDS cases are HIV-negative. Some with HIV have never been treated with those AIDS drugs, are still living now more than twenty years after their infections! The whole issue was politicized, involving the public and the media. In February 2001, FDA (US) issued guidelines about the harmful side effects of those AIDS drugs. AIDS has become a non-issue now. The authorities in the US seem to have learnt its lesson and applied it to SARS especially in the aspect of drug use. The link between San Francisco and Hong Kong is certainly not weaker than that between Toronto and Hong Kong, yet the results are so different. There is something in common in Toronto and Hong Kong the situation in Toronto and Hong Kong is reminiscent of the US during the AIDS crisis in the Nineteen Nineties. The mortality rates of SARS are the highest in the World. It rings a bell.
Use zafirlukast and thalidomide to prevent more damage done by the crazy immune system. Minimize use of steroids if possible and let the immune system learn how to fight the virus. Provide good nursing care.
April 29, 2003
Continues in #3
got.
Goto M, Izumi S, Nobuhara Y and Sato E. Central nervous system lesions in
leprosy – immunohistochemical study using anti-PGL-1 antibody. Int J Lepr 1992;
60: 718-719.
job. Job CK, Jayakumar J, Williams DL and Gillis TP. Role of Polymerase Chain Reaction in the Diagnosis of Early Leprosy. Int J Lepr 1997; 65(4): 461-464.
39. See reference 39 in Book 2.
cha.
Chan CC. Necrotizing fasciitis or flesh-eating disease. In: An alternative
approach to AIDS and related problems: book 2. Mississauga, Ont: Egret
Publishing Inc., 1996: 20-23.
vid.
Vides EA, Cabrera A, Ahern KP, Levis WR. Effect of zafirlukast on leprosy reactions
(Correspondence). Int J Lepr 1999; 67(1): 71-75.
ch1.
Chan CC. Activation machanism. In: An alternative approach to AIDS and related
problems: book 2. Mississauga, Ont: Egret Publishing Inc., 1996: 6-8.
yu.
Yu FM. Twenty-eight years old died. Singtao Daily 2003 April 26: B1(col 2),
B1(col 3).
ano.
Anonymous. Eulogy by President Hu Jintao. People’s Daily (Overseas Edition)
2003 April 26: 1(col 1).
sre.
Singtao Reporters. Healthcare workers under pressure. Singtao Daily 2003 April
26 B1(col 1), B1(col 2).
an1.
Anonymous. Canadian Press. Mother, daughter die of flesh-eating disease. The
Globe and Mail 1995 March 4: A1(col 5), A1(col 6).
jam.
James R. Profile of a flesh-eating killer. The Toronto Star 1995 February 12:
A12((col 1), A12(col 6).
Links
Shortened Versions of
the two Booklets
Comment on Alzheimer’s
Disease