Best writing on Germ Theory VS Pleomorphism

http://www.life-enthusiast.com/index/ducation/!nti"iotics
The Post-Antibiotic Age: Germ Theory
by Tim O'Shea
#hen once you interfere with the order of nature$ there is no %nowing where the results will end.
- &er"ert Spencer
't was great while it lasted: the age of anti"iotics. Sure came and went in a hurry$ though$ didn(t it)
*eft me with a few +uestions:
&ow did anti"iotics run their course already in ,ust -. years)
&ow did we get so sic%)
#here does all the money go)
#hy aren(t we ma%ing any progress)
#hat(s going to happen now)
These are the +uestions for which you can almost ne/er get a straight answer. 0nless you loo%
"eyond 1ewswee%$ "eyond the San 2rancisco 3hronicle$ "eyond 4./4.$ or Ted Turner$ "eyond the
media which year "y year seem to cater to an e/er-dwindling le/el of literacy and awareness...
5uestions li%e these in/ol/e some famous people: Pasteur$ Bechamp$ 6och$ Bernard$ 3arnegie$
7oc%efeller$ 2leming$ all of whom we(ll mention. But "efore we launch off into all that$ let(s turn
"ac% the cloc% for a moment and go "ac% to 89-. !.:. Place: the uropean continent.
'n less than two years( time$ the "u"onic plague wiped out half the population of urope. 2leas "it
rats and then "it man$ "ut no one %new it. !n estimated 4- million people died. Some indi/idual
cities had a mortality as high as ;.<. Bodies were piled into carts and dragged away to "e "urned in
common gra/es. 't was a most grotes+ue way to die: "leeding and screaming and ha/ing one(s
organs li+uefy. 2rom infection to death too% perhaps one wee%. Prior to that out"rea%$ "u"onic
plague had "een a"sent for nearly 8... years. Scholars of the day attri"uted the cause of the plague
to e/il spirits$ di/ine retri"ution$ etc. !ll this time$ e/en up to the present$ other scientists ha/e "een
as%ing the +uestion: why did some die and some sur/i/e) #hat made the difference) Today we
%now the answer.
Go forward now a few centuries to 2rance in the 8=>.s. Three scientists were conducting
experiments in the area of chemistry$ particularly ha/ing to do with fermentation$ yeast$ and the new
disco/ery of little organisms called "acteria. !ll were in/ol/ed in similar research "ut there was
much competition and ?"orrowing? of disco/eries$ always with the undercurrent of politics and
influence$ as usual. The men were *ouis Pasteur$ !ntoine Bechamp$ and 7o"ert 6och$ a German.
These indi/iduals were not colleagues$ "ut wor%ed independently. ach one %new that he was onto
a whole new area of human disco/ery$ and the race was on to influence the medical world.
't was Pasteur who won the race of politics and influence. Today students memori@e that *ouis
Pasteur ?disco/ered? the Germ Theory. 1ot only is this not accurate$ and not only is the Germ
Theory itself unsu"stantiated e/en today$ "ut Pasteur himself in one of the most +uoted death"ed
statements perhaps of all time$ recanted the Theory and admitted that his ri/als had "een right$ and
that it was not the germ that caused the disease$ "ut rather the en/ironment in which the germ was
found: ?Bernard acail raisonA le terrain c(est tout$ le germe c(est rien.?
The Germ Theory
#hat exactly was this Germ Theory) Very simply$ the Germ Theory stated that there were separate
diseases and that each disease was caused "y a particular micro-organism. 't was the ,o" of science$
then$ to find the right drug or /accine that would selecti/ely %ill off the offending "ug without
%illing the patient.
That would "e great$ "ut nature rarely is so "lac% and white a"out things$ e/er notice that) 2or one
thing$ "acteria and /iruses tend to "e ?en/ironment-specific.? That(s why some people get colds and
others don(t. That(s why some sur/i/ed the Bu"onic Plague. That(s also why some doctors and
nurses seem to "e immune to disease e/en though they(re surrounded "y it e/ery day.
:eepa% 3hopra tells us of a study in which the influen@a /irus was isolated and implanted directly
onto the mucous mem"ranes of a group of su",ects$ with only 84< of them getting the flu.
B5uantum &ealingC
The Germ Theory has as many holes as a Swiss cheese$ and it is li%ely that Pasteur %new it. But a
little research shows us that Pasteur had a gift for P7. &e rarely let his research %eep him away from
an opportunity to address royalty or medical society in the most prestigious uni/ersity settings. &e
was +uoted and pu"lished and offered practically e/ery honorary title and chair in urope. The
records howe/er not only cast suspicion$ "ut seem to esta"lish fairly clearly that Pasteur ?"orrowed?
the research for some of his most famous disco/eries$ and then capitali@ed on the cele"rity of "eing
there first.
What's The Big Secret?
Before he died$ Pasteur instructed his family not to release some 8.$... pages of la" notes after his
death. 1ot until 8;>-$ after the death of his grandson$ were these ?secret? notes finally made pu"lic.
!n historian from Princeton$ Professor Geison made a thorough study of the la" notes. &e presented
his findings in an address to The !merican !ssociation for the !d/ancement of Science in Boston
in 8;;9. :r. Geison(s conclusions: Pasteur pu"lished much fraudulent data and was guilty of many
counts of ?scientific misconduct$? /iolating rules of medicine$ science$ and ethics.
*i%e 6och$ Pasteur was /ery moti/ated "y money. 'n the race for a /accine for anthrax$ for
example$ not only did Pasteur not test it on animals "efore using humansA it was also esta"lished
that Pasteur actually stole the formula from a colleague named Toussaint. 0na"le to pro/e his claim
at the time$ Toussaint died a few months later of a ner/ous "rea%down. B&umeC
Hume
There was a "oo% pu"lished in 8;94 that is still in print today: Bechamp or Pasteur) This "oo% was
written "y . :ouglas &ume$ who it turns out was actually a woman who had to disguise her name
as male to get the "oo% pu"lished. &ume chronicles a contemporary of Pasteur$ !ntoine Bechamp$
the most respected researcher and teacher in 2rance at the time$ department head at the 0ni/ersity at
*ille.
Bechamp was too "usy to "e "othered with con/entions and awards and politics. &e was a professor
and a researcher$ and that too% e/ery moment of his time until his death at ;9. 't was Bechamp(s
/iew that it was not the "ug that caused disease$ "ut rather the condition in which "ugs li/ed.
:isease happens when an im"alance causes some of the more pathological that is$ "ad$ "acteria to
ta%e o/er. #hat causes that) *ow resistance$ wea% immune system. Seems li%e such a simple idea$
"ut that is really the foundation of the whole contro/ersy all along. 'n the end$ e/eryone$ e/en
Pasteur$ agreed that "ugs - "acteria and /iruses - do not alone cause disease.
! little research unco/ers the following ama@ing possi"ilities a"out Pasteur$ which the reader is
encouraged to further in/estigate:
Pasteur had no training or credentials in either medicine or physiologyA he was a chemist
Pasteur /ery li%ely created the disease %nown as ?hydropho"ia$? rather than found a cure for
it.
Pasteur initiated the practice of /i/isection with horrific animal experiments. &undreds of
thousands of la"oratory animals ha/e "een needlessly %illed "y atrocious experiments in the
name of ?science$? not only at Pasteurian 'nstitutes$ "ut per/asi/ely throughout the entire
empire of medical research la"oratories worldwide$ e/en to the present time.
7ather than protect the human race from disease$ Pasteur was directly responsi"le for the
deaths of hundreds of people who were inoculated with unpro/en /accines and in,ections$
and indirectly for thousands more in whom disease was introduced "y the administration of
unpro/en Pasteurian procedures.
Pasteur may "e seen more as a merchant than a scientist$ with his fre+uent reporting of false
test findings and data$ which had two designs: self-promotion and profiteering from the sale
of drugs and /accines that were often made mandatory "y legislators.
Pasteurian treatment for a disease he did not e/en ha/e actually %illed !lexander$ the 6ing
of Greece.
Pasteur did not wor% on naturally diseased su",ects$ "ut instead introduced the idea of
inducing sic%ness "y gi/ing mor"id BdiseasedC in,ections into healthy su",ects.
!s far as his Germ Theory goes$ there was much opposition to it among many researchers of his
own time. 'n a lecture gi/en in *ondon on 4- Day 8;88$ D.*. *e/erson$ D: stated:
?The entire fa"ric of the germ theory of disease rests upon assumptions which not only ha/e not
"een pro/ed$ "ut which are incapa"le of proof$ and many of them can "e pro/ed to "e the re/erse of
truth. The "asic one of these unpro/en assumptions$ wholly due to Pasteur$ is the hypothesis that all
the so-called infectious and contagious disorders are caused "y germs.?
!lso from the top medical ,ournal *ancet$ 4; Dar 8;.;$ we find:
?6och(s Postulates are rarely$ if e/er$ complied with.?
The disco/erer of the cell theory$ 7udolf Virchow$ with respect to the Germ Theory$ commented
simply:
?Germs see% their natural ha"itat - diseased tissue - rather than "eing the cause of diseased tissue.?
- Bieler$ p E.
Virchow felt that the presence of germs identified the tissue as diseased$ "ut was not the cause of
disease. ! wea%ened or diseased tissue may "e a target area for micro-organisms$ a hospita"le
en/ironment in which they can set up shop. But that(s +uite different from germs ha/ing caused the
wea%ened state.
The same idea was graphically shown to Bechamp one day when an amputated arm was "rought
into his la"oratory. !s a result of a /iolent "low to a patient(s el"ow$ gangrene had set in within
eight hours$ and amputation was the only option. Bechamp immediately "egan to examine the
se/ered lim" using the microscope. To his ama@ement he found no "acteria in the gangrenous lim".
!fter a few hours "acteria "egan to appear$ "ut initially there were none. Bechamp(s associate$
Professor stor$ thereupon remar%ed ?Bacteria cannot "e the cause of gangreneA they are the effects
of it.? B&ume p 89EC
Postulate This
7o"ert 6och was racing Pasteur to find the cause of a disease called anthrax$ from which great
num"ers of cattle in urope were dying. Ta%ing "lood from the diseased cattle and isolating "acteria
from it$ 6och then in,ected mice with the "acteria. #hen the mice died$ 6och then cultured "lood
from them and compared it to the original "acteria form the cattle. &e de/eloped procedures and his
Postulates are still memori@ed "y medical students the world o/er as the foundation of the Germ
Theory:
8. the organism must "e present in e/ery case
4. must "e isolated
9. must cause the disease in a healthy host
E. must "e isolated again
ach postulate has "een dispro/en$ then and now$ "ut that has not cheated them of their place as
"asic tenets in the Germ Theory religion. Both 6och(s and Pasteur(s /accines for anthrax were
colossal failures$ with thousands of sheep %illed all o/er urope as part of the ?experiment$?
especially in 'taly and Germany. 't is also interesting to note that "oth 6och and Pasteur did
e/erything possi"le to alter and co/er up the results of these failures. B&umeC
Oops
6och made the first /accine for tu"erculosis$ employing these same Postulates. &e called the
/accine tu"erculin. 'n Berlin alone$ 4... patients were inoculated with tu"erculin. 0nfortunately
they died at a higher rate than TB patients who hadn(t "een treated at all.
Tu"erculin simply did not wor%. Dore distressing for 6och was the admission "y the Prussian
go/ernment that they(d made an exclusi/e agreement with 6och to sell the remedy and di/ide the
profits. 1ot only was this a political disaster for the Prussian go/ernment and for 6och himself$ "ut
it was an em"arrassment for the cause of scientific medicine when all the prestige of the scientific
method suddenly suffered this "low. 6och ne/er reco/ered his credi"ility and is remem"ered today
only for his ?Postulates.? But 6och helped set the stage for the marriage of science and mar%eting$
for which di/orce does not appear li%ely any time soon$ especially at present.
!t the turn of the century$ tu"erculosis was the leading cause of death in !merica. BGarrettC
Another Theory
!ntoine Bechamp$ from whose research Pasteur plagiari@ed whate/er he thought was useful$ came
up with an interesting point of /iew that has ne/er "een refuted. Bechamp disco/ered tiny
organisms he called ?micro@ymas? which are present in all things - animal$ /egeta"le$ and mineral$
whether li/ing or dead. :epending upon the condition of the host$ these micro@ymas could assume
/arious forms. Bad "acteria and /iruses were simply the forms assumed "y the micro@ymas when
there was a condition of disease. 'n a diseased "ody$ the micro@ymas "ecame pathological "acteria
and /iruses. 'n a healthy "ody$ micro@ymas formed healthy cells. #hen a plant or animal died$ the
micro@ymas li/ed on. To this day$ the whole theory of micro@ymas has ne/er "een dispro/ed.
*ater researchers li%e 1aessens and nderlein followed the same line of reasoning and de/eloped
their own systems of how these micro@ymas operate. !lthough their ideas were ne/er pro/en false
"y opposing research$ they were generally persecuted "y mainstream medicine$ which ma%es sense.
Because without an enemy that can "e identified and %illed$ what good is it to de/elop weapons)
!nd de/eloping weapons$ that is$ drugs$ has "een the agenda of the industry set up "y 3arnegie and
7oc%efeller e/en down to the present day$ as we shall see. 1ew drugs mean new research funding
and go/ernment money and the need for prescriptions and for an entire profession to write those
prescriptions.
Pasteur Won
&ow did Pasteur(s ideas "ecome the foundation of organi@ed medicine) Politics. Pharmaceutical
economics.
arly in his career$ Pasteur was decorated "y the mperor 1apoleon. &is position as a scientist was
there"y secured$ e/en though he was only a chemist and had no credentials at all in medicine or
physiology. Scientists in "oth 2rance and Germany at that time were grappling with man%ind(s first
loo% at fundamental +uestions a"out the nature of li/ing matter itself:
what ma%es something ali/e or dead)
where does that force come from)
why do things rot$ ferment$ or decompose)
is there something in the air$ or something inside the organism that has these effects)
what effects can manmade chemicals ha/e)
2or the first time in history$ things were coming into focus. :isco/eries were "eing made a"out
fundamental issues$ "ut in a piecemeal fashion. 't was perfect timing for an opportunist to ta%e
ad/antage of the general uncertainty and lac% of understanding and to claim that he understood all
the issues in/ol/ed$ and furthermore had thought of them first. Pasteur was noted for his ha"it of
playing "oth sides of the fence on issues he didn(t understand$ and then later$ to +uote the parts of
his earlier writing that supported the later finding$ always with the claim that he had "een there first.
Fnly the scientists understood the complexities of these emerging ideas. The royal court and the
press ,ust %new that something was going on$ and though they didn(t %now what$ were going to act
as though they did. !nd for them$ a chameleon li%e Pasteur was the perfect frontman.
Politics ne/er changes. The same type of thin%ing that imprisoned Galileo long ago for disco/ering
that the earth went around the sun$ the rulers( eternal attempt to control the minds of their su",ects$
these are the forces that cast Pasteur$ an am"itious opportunist$ into a position he may not ha/e
deser/ed - the supposed Trail"la@er in the science of modern "iomedicine.
2unny how things often don(t really get ?disco/ered? until the commercial aspects of that disco/ery
ha/e "een wor%ed out.
&oward &enc%e$ in his 8;;- "oo% The Germ Theory: ! :eli"erate !"erration$ notes that it was
critical for the new medical industry.
?... to indoctrinate the pu"lic in the #estern world with the "elief that the sal/ation from all$
especially physical ailments$ lay outside the indi/idual(s system and responsi"ility$ "ecause it was
caused "y external factors...and that chemical remedies BdrugsC will %eep him free from disease$
independent of his own /igilant responsi"ility.?
#e(re tal%ing a"out mar%eting here$ yes)
The author of the long-suppressed wor% Pasteur or Bechamp) states:
?&ad it not "een for the mass selling of /accines$ Pasteur(s germ theory of disease would ha/e
collapsed into o"scurity.?
- . :ouglas &ume
Some 8> years "efore Pasteur$ the most famous nurse in history$ 2lorence 1ightengale$ put it li%e
this:
?:iseases are not indi/iduals arranged in classes li%e cats and dogs$ "ut conditions growing out of
one another. The specific disease is the grand refuge of the wea%$ uncultured$ unsta"le minds$ such
as now rule in the medical profession. There are no specific diseasesA there are specific disease
conditions.?
2.1. 8=G.
Sound familiar)
A !e" Snags
!ctually it was more than a few$ as e/en the most cursory in/estigation into /accination
demonstrates. 2rom the "eginning$ the whole idea of piercing the s%in with a needle for any reason
was suspect$ let alone introducing new proteins and agents into what was supposed to "e an
in/iola"le en/ironment: the circulatory system. 'n,ections are a total /iolation of nature.
1ormally nothing is introduced into the "loodstream without going through the la"oratory of the
entire digesti/e system. That is how nature protects the "lood from external intrusions. &ere are ,ust
a few of the hundreds of researchers opposing inoculation:
?The most serious disorders may "e pro/o%ed "y the in,ection of li/ing organisms into the
"lood...into a medium not intended for them may pro/o%e redou"ta"le manifestations of the gra/est
mor"id phenomena.?
- Bechamp
! medical doctor reporting from the "attlefields of South !frica during the Boer #ar in the early
part of this century$ #alter &adwen$ D:$ in his "oo% Dicro"es and #ar notes that the war itself
%illed =G$... men. #ith a 8..< inoculation rate$ there were an additional ;G$... casualties from
disease aloneH
'n 8;8-$ another medical doctor wrote an article for the top British medical ,ournal *ancet. :r.
Dontais studied 48 cases of tetanus$ each of whom had recei/ed Pasteurian inoculation. The
conclusion of the article$ which appeared in the 49 Fct 8;8- issue$ was that in e/ery case$ the
tetanus had "een caused "y the inoculation. :r. Dontais said that ?Pasteur had created a new form
of disease.?
#e should understand that it was Pasteur who "egan the fashion of studying artificial disease
conditions: ?inducing sic%ness "y mor"id in,ections in human and animal su",ects$ instead of
studying naturally diseased su",ects.?
Pasteur "egan the practice of /i/isection and horrific animal experiments$ which has ne/er "een
pro/en to ha/e any /alue. #hy not) 'n the natural state$ animals simply ha/e different diseases
from humans. This one error has led us down a costly and finally fruitless path. &ow can we hope
to cure human disease "y gi/ing animals diseases they would ne/er ha/e gotten in nature$ then
pretending that such diseases are the same ones we get$ and then seeing which drugs co/er up the
animal(s symptoms) The we illogically conclude that those same drugs will ha/e the same effect in
humansH 'diotic as that sounds$ this may "e a pretty fair description of how many prescription drugs
ha/e found their way to mar%et during the past century.
#ithout going on for pages and pages with data that su"stantiate the a"o/e ideas$ suffice it to say
that Pasteurian methods may not ha/e "een +uite the success we ha/e always "een taught that they
were. The reader is referred to the chapter on Vaccinations$ and to &ans 7uesch(s 1a%ed mpress.
So with most of the ma,or researchers e/entually coming around to the same conclusion$ how is it
that on the threshold of the 48st century$ organi@ed medicine in this country still acts as though the
Germ Theory is car/ed in stone and all policy proceeds from this premise) !nd most people still
"elie/e it)
The answer to that is out there too$ and can "e gotten to with ,ust a little more patience.
7oll forward now to the 8==.s and 8=;.s. The 'ndustrial 7e/olution$ the age of coal$ of oil$ of
electricity$ of machines$ of railroads and automo"iles. Two figures towered o/er this era$ wielding
more power o/er science$ industry$ finance$ and politics than possi"ly anyone else in history. Ff
course we(re now spea%ing of !ndrew 3arnegie and I.:. 7oc%efeller.
The control of 3arnegie and 7oc%efeller o/er most aspects of !merican life is something to mar/el
at and appreciate$ e/en extending to the present day. 3hange was ta%ing place faster than the
politicians could control it$ and for once in our history$ control was in the pri/ate sector. #ithout
going into a long political harangue$ ' ,ust want to touch on one aspect of the way that power was
expressed - the rise of organi@ed medicine.
Before 8==.$ most medicine consisted of fol% remedies$ "asic her"s$ and crude surgery and
dentistry. 2or centuries$ there had not "een much radical change in the area of medicine.
Superstition was as much a part of medicine as the actual remedies themsel/es. The use of leeches
and "leeding was still common$ the reason "eing to ?let out the "ad "lood$(? which was in the same
category with getting rid of e/il spirits. /en drilling holes in the s%ull - the art of trephination -
which had "een around since the time of the Pharaohs$ was still done.
'n 7enaissance urope$ "ar"ers and surgeons actually were the same profession$ com"ining the
ser/ices of sha/ing$ pulling teeth and "lood-letting. The origin of the red and white striped "ar"er-
pole is well-%nown: an enterprising "ar"er/surgeon$ ha/ing ,ust "led a famous no"leman$ proudly
displayed a "loody white towel used in the procedure "y wrapping it around a pole outside his
esta"lishment. 'n the 8>..s$ 6ing dward 'V of ngland instituted a corporation of ?"ar"er-
chirurgiens? who performed the a"o/e ser/ices. 1ot until 8=.. did 6ing George '' separate "ar"ers
and surgeons into two separate professions.
!mong many other things$ 3arnegie and 7oc%efeller controlled the oil and coal industries. By
8;..$ they "ecame aware that these industries were producing mountains of waste year "y year. !n
original idea was presented: what if these chemical waste materials could somehow "e turned to
profit) 3apital idea$ "ut how) Dedicines$ that(s how. But medicines li%e the world has ne/er seen.
Dedicines made from chemicals. Pharmaceuticals.
The #reation o$ #re%ibility
Brilliant idea. But how could the people "e made to accept such a strange notion) That was the
pro"lem. They ,ust too% natural cures and occasionally consulted the country or local doctor for
something ?serious.? The way to gain general acceptance of the new medicines soon "ecame
o"/ious: standardi@e the education$ training$ and credentialling of medical doctors and raise their
economic status to a le/el where they would follow policy. !nd the policy would come from a"o/e.
!"out 8;.E !ndrew 3arnegie noticed that the wor%ers in his factories actually made more money
than most medical doctors. 3onsulting with the president of D'T$ &enry Pritchett$ they set up the
3arnegie 2oundation with J8. million. 'ts original purpose was to pro/ide a pension fund for
retiring professors. But soon a new application emerged: control of education. The name was
changed to the 3arnegie 2oundation for the !d/ancement of Teaching$ and Pritchett expanded its
original purpose$ now calling it
? a great agency de/oted to strengthening !merican education through scientific in+uiry and policy
studies.?
!ny time "illionaires tell you they(re going to de/ote themsel/es to something for you$ that(s
usually the time to chec% your wallet. /er notice that)
The 2oundation "ecame immensely successful. 3ontrol of educational standards came a"out in this
way: in order to +ualify for the new pension system$ a participating institution had to meet standards
set "y the 2oundation. 'n the first year$ only -4 of the E48 colleges who applied were accepted. The
2oundation soon too% on a life of its own.
Abraham !le&ner
a nonphysician teacher$ was hired "y the 3arnegie 2oundation to tra/el throughout the country and
?o"ser/e? medical education. &is landmar% study$ %nown as the 2lexner 7eport$ was pu"lished in
8;8.. 0pon his recommendations$ the 2oundation "ranched out from "eing merely a pension plan
for professors to an entirely new area: research funding. Schools which met 2lexner(s$ i.e.$ the
2oundation(s$ standards were awarded research funds and endowments. Those who did not got
nothing. 'n this way the giants of industry came to dictate the type of medical care that would
flourish in !merica. Traditional$ natural methods of healing were passed o/er$ in fa/or of the more
?scientific? approach$ which coincidentally meant those schools with the li%elihood of
disseminating the products of the new"orn pharmaceutical industry. The "ig uni/ersities in the
medical hierarchy that rule today were aligned with the 3arnegie 2oundation at that time:
3ase #estern 7eser/e
Iohns &op%ins
3arnegie 'nstitute of 3hicago
0ni/ersity of 3hicago
&ar/ard School of Dedicine
0ni/ersity of 1orth 3arolina
1ot to "e outdone "y the 3arnegie 2oundation$ The 7oc%efeller 2oundation also came into
ascendancy at this time. !gain employing the direction of !"raham 2lexner$ the 7oc%efeller
2oundation de/eloped national standards for medical schools that were see%ing ?philanthropic?
support. Good word. 'n 8;.E there were ->E> medical doctors. Fnly 8- years later$ after the 2lexner
7eport$ "y 8;8;$ there were only 4G-=. 'n that same 8- year period$ the num"er of medical schools
went from 8G4 to =8. B*isa p 4GC The cut had "een made - 7oc%efeller was screening who was
going to play "all from who wasn(t.
Schools had to "e connected to a large uni/ersity. 0ni/ersities had to "e lin%ed with clinical
departments with la"oratories and a uni/ersity hospital. 0sing 7oc%efeller 2unds$ 2lexner was a"le
to de/elop a small group of elite medical schools that were clinically oriented. They already had the
raw materials for the new drugs. #hat was lac%ing was an academic power-"ase to legitimi@e their
de/elopment and general use.
The infrastructure for education$ funding$ research and the organi@ation of medicine that persists
today was created in a few short years. /er wonder how simple fol% medicine which had "een
around for centuries was chuc%ed out the window so fast) Set up under the guidance and
specifications of two of the "iggest economic forces in history$ 3arnegie and 7oc%efeller$ organi@ed
medicine "ecame an industry$ with its focus on mar%et growth. !n industry concerned with disease
is not a"out to a"olish itself "y curing the diseased$ now is it) This is why all these years$ effecti/e
inexpensi/e non-pharmaceutical remedies ha/e "een systematically suppressed. 't(s ,ust good
"usiness.
!gainst this "ac%drop$ the flailing Germ Theory was re/i/ed and trotted "ac% out for a S3F1:
701
The fact that it had "een repudiated "y its founder and most of his contemporaries was no longer
mentioned in circles who expected next year(s funding. The Germ Theory fit well with the new
mar%et-oriented paradigm of medicine: if "ad "ugs are out there causing diseases$ we "etter find
drugs to %ill them. 't was a natural$ a marriage of expediency$ li%e Bill and &illary.
0p into the 8;4.s$ the "urgeoning medical industry was gaining strength. 't was aided "y the
declining incidence of infectious diseases due to impro/ed sanitation$ for which medicine too%
credit. That is an entire story in itself$ and a good starting point would "e The Sanctity of &uman
Blood.
The politics of medicine was "ecoming stronger year "y year$ as new institutions were "uilt and
funding was doled out for those research pro,ects that had the "est potential for future mar%et /alue.
The worldwide flu epidemic of 8;8= that %illed millions pro/ed that the new ?scientific? approach
had a lot to learn a"out disease pre/ention. There was simply no cure$ as the /irus tore through the
world(s population.
The still-unpro/en Germ Theory came to "e accepted as policy largely "ecause any opposition to it
had little chance of getting pu"lished. ! small group of scientists$ howe/er$ aware that the wor% of
Bechamp was a much more reasona"le /iew of physical reality$ continued to de/elop research in a
direction other than germs as the cause of disease. ?Science? was off and running$ the thorough"red
of the new drug mar%et$ "ut the scientific method had "een left in the dust. The Germ Theory was
enshrined as the underlying dogma of the new 7eligion. I.&. Tilden$ D:$ among others$ was not
going to church ser/ices$ apparently:
?...doctors fight the imaginary foe without ceasing. The people are so saturated with the idea that
disease must "e fought to a finish that they are not satisfied with conser/ati/e treatment. Something
must "e done$ e/en if they pay for it with their li/es$ as tens of thousands do e/ery year. This
willingness to die on the altar of medical superstition is one /ery great reason why no real
impro/ement is made in fundamental medical science.?
- Toxemia xplained 8;4G
8;4G) Sounds li%e 4..8. Dore de,a /u.
Penicillin
'n 8;4=$ howe/er$ the Germ Theory got a power "oost that has lasted almost to the present day. :r.
!lexander 2leming$ a British scientist$ accidentally disco/ered that his cultures were "eing
destroyed "y a certain mold. 2or the next 8E years$ scientists in ngland and !merica were
successful in isolating and testing penicillin$ in secret. &owe/er$ in 8;E4 a fire at The 3ocoanut
Gro/e$ Boston(s oldest nightclu"$ %illed and in,ured hundreds of people. Penicillin was rushed to
Boston in time to pre/ent infection from "urns in hundreds of patients. The news exploded$ and the
race to mass-produce penicillin$ the #onder :rug$ was on. By 8;EE$ all !merican military
re+uirements for penicillin could "e met. Derc% to the rescue.
This one e/ent$ the disco/ery of penicillin$ did more to "ring credi"ility to organi@ed medicine than
pro"a"ly anything else in its history. To "e a"le to pre/ent infection was certainly a miraculous and
wonderful power. Thousands and thousands of people had died from infection down through the
ages. 2inally here was proof positi/e of the correctness of the Germ Theory: these patients had died
from "ad "acteria$ and now if only the "acteria were %illed with penicillin$ the patients would li/e.
Fnce again$ nature was to show that she does not deal in "lac% and white. 'n fact$
'other (ature Al"ays Bats )ast
'n his early research to formulate penicillin$ Sir !lexander 2leming %new /ery well a"out the way
li/ing things could change or adapt when stressful su"stances were added. &e %new$ perhaps "etter
than anyone$ the dangers of resistance from o/eruse of penicillin$ and warned against that o/eruse
from the /ery "eginning$ as expressed in an inter/iew 2leming ga/e to the 1ew Kor% Times in
8;E-:
? The greatest possi"ility of e/il in self-medication is the use of too-small doses$ so that instead of
clearing up infection the micro"es are educated to resist penicillin...?
Thin% of it this way: the oldest li/ing things on earth are "acteria and /iruses. They ha/e "een
around for "illions of years. They ha/e persisted through myriads of changeful en/ironments - hot$
cold$ wet$ dry$ with oxygen$ without oxygen$ earth+ua%es$ /olcanoes$ glaciers - you name it. They(re
still around. Thousands of species of plants and animals ha/e come and gone "ecause they couldn(t
adapt. So it(s pretty safe to say that on this planet$ the masters of adapting are "acteria and /iruses.
1ow suddenly in the 8;E.s$ we introduce a new su"stance into the human population: penicillin$ a
su"stance which %ills all "acteria. :o you thin% "acteria might ha/e run into some other stresses in
the past 8. "illion years) Pro"a"ly ha/e. &ow did they sur/i/e) They changed - doctors say
(mutated.( The ones that mutated sur/i/edA the rest died.
/en from the /ery "eginning of the !nti"iotic !ge in the 8;E.s$ doctors noticed the signs of
D0T!T'F1
xposed to anti"iotics$ if "acteria can change and sur/i/e$ they are said to "e drug-resistant.
Super"ugs.
Since the 8;E.s$ many anti"iotics ha/e "een de/eloped until today there are a"out 8G. types. The
pro"lem is that most are ,ust slightly different /ersions of a few main types. !nd resistance to those
main types has increased year "y year.
:rug resistance is today one of the leading causes of deaths in the 0.S.: Dore than >. thousand
patients die each year from it$ according to the 1ational 'nstitutes of &ealth.BGarrettC These patients
ac+uired the infection while they were in a hospital "eing treated for something else$ according to
the Day 8;;> documentary The 3oming Plague. 1o %nown anti"iotics can help these patients$ and
they die.
'ncreased mortality from infectious disease is on e/eryone(s mind. ! 8;;4 study "y the 3:3(s
'nstitute of Dedicine showed that mortality from infectious disease has risen 44< worldwide from
8;=.-8;;4. BSla/%in$ p8.=C
&ere(s a good example of drug resistance:
in 8;EG$ a"out ==< of Staphylococcus infections could "e cured "y penicillin.
By 8;-.$ only G8< of staph infections could "e %illed "y penicillin
'n 8;=4$ fewer than 8.< of staph cases could "e cured "y penicillin.
Today it is less than -<.
The Plague 'a*ers
'n the 8;G.s$ doctors switched the resistant staph patients to another anti"iotic called methecillin.
That wor%ed for awhile$ "ut not for long. By 8;;4$ at least E.< of these staphylococcus infections
were resistant to methecillin$ according to the 1ew ngland Iournal of Dedicine$ 4= !pr ;E.
By 8;;9$ only one sure fire Staphylococcus %iller remained: Vancomycin was the "ig gun. &owe/er
today that is no longer true. Today there are many strains of staphylococcus that are resistant to
/ancomycin. That means also resistant to penicillin and to methecillin. #hat(s left) 1othing. Fut of
drugs.
*et(s tal% strep. Dany of the resistant Streptococcus infections ha/e made headlines in the past few
years if the patients die a particularly gruesome death. xamples of this are stories of the ?flesh-
eating disease? which appear from time to time in the news. This is a strain of Group !
streptococcus that is resistant to all anti"iotics and can attac% flesh$ muscles$ and organs. 1ow we
all %now that newspapers are generally not relia"le sources of information "ecause they tend to
twist facts and o/er dramati@e things and create crises in order to sell more papers. So things ha/e
not yet reached the state of affairs that we saw in the mo/ie ?Fut"rea%? with :ustin &offman. But
many credi"le medical authorities ha/e "een +uoted as saying that it(s no longer a +uestion of if a
scenario li%e the "ola epidemic portrayed in that mo/ie could happen. 7ather it(s a +uestion of
when.
Today 9.< of Strep pneumoniae are resistant to penicillin$ once the drug of choice with almost
8..< results.
Today 9.< of gonorrhea cases are resistant to "oth penicillin and tetracycline$ which ten years ago
was almost 8..< effecti/e. The 3:3 no longer recommends these two drugs for gonorrhea.
2red Teno/er$ Ph: of the 3enters for :isease 3ontrol in !tlanta has said:
?#e e/en ha/e some strains Lof streptococcusM now$ although not all$ that are resistant essentially to
all of our clinically useful anti"iotics.?
The Superbugs
&ow serious is this pro"lem of resistant "acteria) ' guess death is a fairly serious outcome: >.$...
!mericans are dying annually from "acterial infections they caught in the hospital$ which no
anti"iotics could cure. !ccording to the 1ew ngland Iournal of Dedicine$ !pr ;E$ of the E.
million patients hospitali@ed e/ery year$4 million ac+uire infections after they get to the hospital.
That(s a one in 4. chance. !s many as G.< of those 4 million infections in/ol/e anti"iotic-resistant
"acteria.
'n some '30s$ there can "e as high as a >.< chance of nosocomial infectionH 1osocomial means
ac+uired '1 the hospital.
Tuberculosis
*et(s loo% at TB for a moment. !t the turn of the century$ tu"erculosis was the leading cause of
death in the 0.S. Then drugs were found that controlled TB for se/eral decades. 7ecently howe/er$
there is no more control$ "ecause of the increase in the amount of what doctors call D:7 TB. That
stands for multiple drug-resistant TB. #hen the immune system "ecomes suppressed$ "y ,un% food$
prescription drugs$ "ad lifestyle$ etc.$ mutant strains of TB are encouraged. That means resistant to
one or more of the - drugs used to treat TB. The two main TB drugs are isonia@id and rifampin. 'n
1ew Kor% 3ity "y 8;;8$ E4< of new TB patients were resistant to one drug$ and G.< of relapses
were resistant to them "oth. BGarrett$ p-48C
Dany strains of TB are resistant to all - drugs and that percentage is growing steadily. Such cases
are generally fatal$ according to the #orld &ealth Frgani@ation. The #&F is predicting that in the
next decade$ world deaths from TB will increase from 9 million to 9. millionH BSla/%in$ p 888C
:octors ha/e actually gone on record saying that they personally would not /enture into certain
inner city areas of 1ew Kor% 3ity for any amount of money "ecause of the danger of TB infection.
B*indsay #illiamsC
TB is a myco"acterium. Dyco"acteria can sur/i/e in tissues for years$ in a latent state$ waiting for
an opportunity such as a depressed immune system to "ecome acti/e and multiply.
So what are most doctors doing a"out this situation of anti"iotic resistance) They are in a /ery
tough position$ that is certain. Because of the control of information$ most of the population today is
unaware of the extent of drug resistance in this country. /en if they encounter a doctor who is
cautious enough to tell them that perhaps they or their child do not need an anti"iotic at the first
sniffle$ patients will often go to another doctor to get the anti"iotic. So usually the physician will
,ust come across: some recent studies ha/e shown 8. out of 8. doctors will simply prescri"e an
anti"iotic for minor colds$ with no culture. 't is astounding to learn that the a/erage child of nine in
this country has already had 8> runs of anti"iotics in his lifetimeH #hy is that a pro"lem)
The word is attenuation. !ttenuation means that the "acteria weren(t %illedA only half-%illed. There
are two reasons why this may ha/e happened:
8. Dost people stop ta%ing the anti"iotic as soon as they feel "etter. 'sn(t that true) They thin%
they(re fine$ "ut what they ,ust did was allow some "acteria to sur/i/e in a mutated form which is
now resistant to the anti"iotic they ,ust too%. #hich means that next time the drug won(t wor%
4. The "acteria mutated and sur/i/ed the full course of anti"iotics.
+ust ,n #ase
&ere(s another interesting word: prophylactic. #e(re not tal%ing a"out "irth control here. This is
another sense of the word: if you ha/e a cold$ it(s usually /irus. So why do they gi/e you anti"iotics$
which only %ill "acteria) The word is ?prophylactic?A we(re gonna gi/e you a prophylactic dose of
anti"iotics. That means ,ust in case you de/elop a ?secondary? "acterial infection as a
?complication? of the /iral infection. 's that li%ely) 1ot /ery. The pro"lem is$ anti"iotics are not
DNDs. They are powerful drugs which %ill all your "ody(s "acteria e/ery time you ta%e them. This
is what is %nown as a Side ffect.
)ea-e Those .i%s Alone
't starts almost at "irth - you %now$ the ear infection thing. Ftitis media$ they call it. !t the slightest
redness around the ear$ or the slightest little sniffle$ any good mother will drag her "a"y into any
good doctor for a chec%up$ right) Prescription) !nti"iotics. Kes ma(am$ we(ll %ill those "ad "ugs
"efore they e/er get a chance to get started.
!nti"iotics are for what) That(s right - "acteria. But according to the 1ID$ 4= Ian ;;$ at least E8<
of otitis media is caused "y /irus. But they get anti"iotics anyway$ as often as not "ecause the
parents insist on getting them. !nd that(s for the cases which actually are otitis media$ not e/en
counting all the rashes$ allergies$ or little traumas which are misdiagnosed as otitis media. :rug of
choice: amoxicillin$ e/en though doctors ha/e %nown since 8;;8 that %ids who ta%e amoxicillin for
simple otitis media ha/e a 4-G times greater chance of recurring infection than %ids who don(t.
BI!D!$ 8= :ec 8;;8C
The whole scene is way out of control$ and the real losers are the %ids. 3hildhood is their one
chance to prepare their own natural defenses for the en/ironment they will li/e in their whole li/es.
/ery time a child ta%es anti"iotics unnecessarily$ at least three things happen:
- he gets "etter
- his immune system gets wea%er - recurrent infections li%ely
- those same anti"iotics won(t wor% next time$ "ecause only the "ugs that sur/i/ed will stic% around
!lmost 8..< of the time$ the child would ha/e reco/ered anyway$ without drugs$ ,ust li%e they did
for all those centuries "efore 8;E.. 6ids are supposed to "e sic% sometimes$ ,ust li%e trees are
supposed to "e in storms. That(s how they "uild strength. The o/erdrugged$ o/erprotected$
artificially raised !merican %ids are among the sic%est$ most allergic$ most asthmatic$ and most
o/erweight children in the ci/ili@ed world.
&ealthy %ids don(t get sic%. !nd it starts with the infant(s immune system "eing unnecessarily
wea%ened "y inappropriate anti"iotics from o/ersolicitous parents and from doctors rightfully
fearful of litigation and from drug companies hungry for a profit. Kes$ yes$ we %now all a"out the
dangers of spinal meningitis. But let(s loo% at the natural incidence of meningitis in the undrugged$
un/accinated population. Diniscule$ compared with the prodigious amount of actual immune
system detriment which continues to "e wrought "y the excessi/e and inappropriate use of
anti"iotics.
*ea/e those %ids aloneH
#hat(s wrong with %illing all my "ody(s "acteria a few times a year when it(s not particularly
necessary)
Pro"iotics$ that(s what. &uh) Pro"iotics. Good "acteria. There are some 9.. types of good "acteria
at wor% in the colon which are necessary for many life functions$ including complete digestion$
a"sorption of /itamins and nutrients$ and %eeping the num"ers of potentially pathological "acteria
in chec%. !nti"iotics %ill all of them. 't may ta%e wee%s or months for the "ody to re"uild its normal
"acteria$ which are called flora. This ma%es for incomplete digestion$ also %nown as putrefaction$
rancidity$ or rotting of intestinal contents. *i%e Iohn #ayne. !utopsy showed EE pounds of
undigested food in his intestines when he diedH Thin% how hea/y that would feel all those years.
Guess no"ody e/er told The :u%e a"out pro"iotics$ "ecause he sure didn(t ha/e any.
!nother pro"lem with %illing all the "ody(s "acteria is that it is no longer possi"le. The
per/asi/eness of anti"iotics through the human race "y pills$ food$ and the animals we eat has
promoted the sur/i/al of mutant BresistantC "acteria. Scientists ha/e now made the ama@ing
disco/ery of finding anti"iotic-resistant "acteria in the "odies of !frican tri"esmen who li/e in total
isolation from (ci/ili@ation$( with no access to drugs whatsoe/erH BGarrettC The point is$ in -. years$
/irtually e/eryone has de/eloped some degree of immunity to anti"iotics$ directly or indirectly. The
mutant strains are now normal flora. So the more we now ta%e ?"road spectrum? anti"iotics$ the
more we destroy the old non-resistant strains. #hat(s left) The mutants.
Dost medical authorities in the 1ational 'nstitutes of &ealth$ the 3enters for :isease 3ontrol$ and
the #orld &ealth Frgani@ation agree on one idea: anti"iotic resistance will "e the O8 health
challenge of the 48st century. That will "e the area in which we will see the greatest increase in the
death rate: infections with no cure.
Fne hidden source of anti"iotics is 2FF:. &alf the anti"iotics produced in this country$ which
totals -. million pounds per annum$ according to federal statistics$ are gi/en to animals li%e poultry
and cattle. =.< of animal anti"iotics are gi/en to promote growth$ not health. B*e/y$ p8E.C
!nti"iotics are also used extensi/ely on fruit trees and other plants$ and e/en in fish hatcheries.
2ood processing does not destroy the anti"iotics. #hen we ta%e them in with the food$ many of
these animal anti"iotics are still strong enough to ha/e an effect on our "ody(s "acteria. This further
complicates the pro"lem of resistance. Today people may "e resistant to anti"iotics they ne/er e/en
got from the doctor.
The animal anti"iotics are getting stronger all the time. !ccording to the Iournal of the South
!merican Veterinary !ssociation$ 8;;G$ a recent anti"iotic called salinomycin was gi/en to a herd
of cattle. The drug %illed 8.< of the cattle from heart failureH
/en the 2:! has %nown a"out the spillo/er of anti"iotics from animals to humans for a long time.
!s far "ac% as 8;>G$ 2:! 3ommissioner :onald 6ennedy was pu"licly campaigning to "an
anti"iotics from animal feed. B1ew ng I Ded$ ; Sep 8;>GC *o""ying from the drug companies
won out$ and high dosages in li/estoc% continue to the present time.
The Big Boys
!nti"iotics is a J49 "illion/year industry in the 0.S. 'ts o/erall purpose is not$ nor e/er was$ health.
'ts purpose is mar%et growth. !s an industry$ it is a /ictim of its own success. Stuart *e/y$ D:
writes that ha/ing ta%en anti"iotics as though they were DNDs for so many years has ?caused a
destruction of the armor of anti"iotic$ what ' call destroying the miracle.?
1ow may"e you(re saying$ oh don(t worry a"out drug resistance - they(ll come up with something
new. Thin% again.
1othing responds to change li%e a mar%et growth industry. The drug companies %now "etter than
anyone a"out the ad/ent of the Post-!nti"iotic ra. !n article in the ,ournal 3linical 'nfectious
:isease$ 8;;> Supplement$ stated that :
?...few new anti"iotics are in the de/elopment pipeline$ and indeed no no/el class of anti"iotics has
"een introduced into medical practice in more than 4. years. !ll recently introduced anti"iotic
compounds are permutations Bimpro/ed /ersionsC of pre-existing compounds.?
Two of the ma,or limitations ... are the high cost - a"out J9.. million per new chemical entity - and
the o"ser/ation that many of the larger multinational companies ha/e actually decreased their
acti/ities or e/en ceased to in/est in the disco/ery of new anti"iotics.?
#hat a surprise. So much for selfless dedication to humanity. Than%s a lot$ guys.
+ac*pot
#ant to tal% a"out money) &ere is a chart of 0.S. hospital purchases of anti"iotics$ pu"lished in
Ieffrey 2isher(s "oo% The Plague Da%er.
8;G4 J;E$...$...
8;>8 J48=$...$...
8;;8 J9$...$...$...
8;;> J=$...$...$...
!ny +uestions)
Whose !ault ,s ,t?
'n 8;=8$ when Iames 3urran of the 3:3 was "eing ignored "y his superiors a"out the coming
!':S epidemic$ Dar% *appe wrote a "oo% called Germs That #on(t :ie$ in which he explained
anti"iotic resistance. ! classic paragraph on anti"iotics from *appe(s "oo%$ +uoted "y *aurie
Garrett$ is this one:
?0nfortunately$ we played a tric% on the natural world "y sei@ing control of these chemicals$
ma%ing them more perfect in a way that has changed the whole micro"ial constitution of the
de/eloping countries. #e ha/e organisms now proliferating that ne/er existed "efore in nature. #e
ha/e selected them. #e ha/e organisms that pro"a"ly caused a tenth of a percent of human diseases
in the past that now cause twenty$ thirty percent of the disease that we(re seeing. #e ha/e changed
the whole face of the earth "y the use of anti"iotics.?
A Great Gi$t: 'isuse/ O-eruse/ Abuse
Kou can ma%e all sorts of excuses$ "ut here(s the way it loo%s to many researchers: Dan%ind too%
this incredi"ly fortuitous gift - anti"iotics - and let it "e egregiously o/erprescri"ed and misused$ for
profit. !nd now we(re down this road we can(t come "ac% from. !nti"iotics ha/e always had$ and
still ha/e$ only one proper application: the life-threatening situation. 1ot colds$ not sniffles$ not ,ust-
in-case anything. ! life-threatening situation. Period. #e screwed up.
The Party's Almost O-er
!nti"iotics really were a miracle drug and they really did sa/e thousands of li/es. But that time is
coming to an end. The 8;;.s ha/e "rought a resurgence of "acterial and /iral diseases$ after almost
-. years of complete control o/er infectious diseases$ according to the !pr ;E 1ew ngland Iournal
of Dedicine. 'f dissemination of anti"iotics had "een controlled "y scientists instead of "y drug reps
and doctors and &DF execs$ perhaps the epidemic of resistance which has now "efallen us would
not exist. !t least not so soon. '(m tal%ing a"out the scientists who ha/e %nown all along what
2leming %new$ what Bechamp %new$ and what Pasteur himself finally admitted: that "ugs don(t
cause disease and that drugs don(t cure them. !nti"iotics were and are for one thing only: life-
threatening infections. 1ot minor colds. 1ot minor ear infections. 3hildren need to "e sic%
sometimes. That(s how they "uild their own immune defenses. 't(s F6 to get a cold once in awhileA
it gi/es the "ody a chance to use its powers of defense$ li%e fe/er$ inflammation$ coughing$ and
swelling. These symptoms are not the illness. They are ,ust signs that the "ody is successfully
attempting to restore its own "alance. To attac% the symptoms is to fight the "ody itself and ma%e it
that much more difficult to return to a state of normal health. ! "ody allowed to heal itself will "e
far more resilient$ more 7S'ST!1T in the future. That(s the %ind of resistance we want.
#hat we call disease is /ery often simply 1ature(s method for ridding the "ody of poisons.
2or example$ ta%e 2V7. 2e/ers are generally good. The "rain raises the temperature of the "ody
for a reason - something has triggered an inflammation and the "ody is trying to ma%e an
inhospita"le en/ironment for the irritant and throw it off. Basic detox. Tylenol$ ice "aths$ and drugs
may interfere with the "ody(s most instincti/e first line of defense. Thin% how arrogant that is. #ho
%nows "etter than your "ody when to turn up the thermostat) 1ow in that rare one in - million
e/ent where there(s a danger of meningitis or the patient is delirious and remains in a /ery high
fe/er for days on end - that may "e the time to consider drugs. *i%e ' said$ life-threatening
situations. But how often does that happen) #hen do we ta%e anti"iotics) 0sually the first sign of a
cold or fe/er. #hen we(re young$ they wor%. But most people use up all their ammunition early.
7emem"er - a/erage is 8> runs of anti"iotics "y the age of nine. Then when something serious
happens$ drugs fail. 1ot only are the "acteria now resistantA the "ody has ne/er "een gi/en the
opportunity to de/elop its own defenses$ its own immune system. The result is ,ust what the mar%et
growth drug industry wanted: a nation of people who are always sic%$ get colds a few times a year$
ha/e fre+uent headaches and digesti/e disorders and e/ery few years get a ?ma,or? illness. Fh yes$
and two thirds of whom will die either of heart disease or cancer.
Fr coughing. #hy are we coughing in the first place) 3oughing is a cleansing reflex of the
respiratory system. 't is good$ not "ad. !n irritant such as dust or a chemical or an inflammation is
disrupting the air passages. The "ody(s natural response is to try and clear it "y forcefully expelling
air. 's this roc%et science so far) The cough was not the pro"lem. The irritant was the pro"lem. F6$
so what do we do) Go to the doctor or the drugstore for what) - a cough suppressant. :rug the
"ody(s a"ility to clear its own airways. But then we ha/e two pro"lems: first$ the irritant is still in
the airway and has now "een protected "y the cough suppressor and is allowed to "ecome more
entrenched. !nd second$ these cough medicines ha/e serious side effects on the digesti/e tract.
They are not foods$ "ut must "e dealt with "y the digesti/e system. !nd they destroy normal flora.
Kes ' hear you saying$ "ut what a"out deep chest colds with coughing that might turn into "ronchitis
or pneumonia) xactly. #hat a"out them) #hat will cough suppressants do to help the "ody clear
itself)
Same with infection. 'nfection follows inflammation. Some antigen has "een identified and the
"ody has mo"ili@ed its forces - the white cells - to wall off the area. The in/ader is attac%ed and
many white cells are %illed in the process. Pus is simply the accumulation of dead white cells that
ha/e done their ,o". *imited infection is not an emergency. 't simply means that the "ody(s defenses
are wor%ing.
!gain :r. Tilden nails it:
?... e/ery so-called disease is a crisis of ToxemiaA which means that toxin has accumulated in the
"lood a"o/e the toleration point$ and the crisis$ the so-called disease - call it cold$ flu$ pneumonia$
headache$ or typhoid fe/er - is a /icarious elimination. 1ature is endea/oring to rid the "ody of
toxin. !ny treatment that o"structs this effort at elimination "affles nature in her effort of self-
curing.?
1ot your a/erage medical doctor. Bet he didn(t get in/ited to gi/e many %eynote speeches at
&ar/ard.
The only way anyone gets "etter from most illness is the "ody figures out a way to restore "alance.
't(s not showy$ and it(s not always immediate. But it lasts.
1o one who studies what is going on today in the area of anti"iotic resistance comes away with the
idea that things are going to "e fine ,ust as soon as some new drugs are in/ented. Kou come away
with the idea that the party(s almost o/er. Iust as it was "efore penicillin$ the only factor in disease
control will "e preparing a strong defense: "olstering the immune system. Those who continue to
wea%en their immune system will no longer "e a"le to loo% to anti"iotics to sa/e them. They will
die early.
So/ What ,s The ,mmune System?
*ot of people tal% a"out it$ "ut ,ust as% them what it is and see what they say. The immune system is
complicated$ so let(s ,ust do the short /ersion for now.
'n general the immune system consists of three things that continually circulate through the "ody
and monitor e/ery cell.. !nd the three are
8. Speciali@ed "lood cells$ called lymphocytes or white cells
4. Speciali@ed proteins called anti"odies
9. 1er/e communication
This constant monitoring of your cells is going on e/ery second$ 4E hours a day$ all through the
"ody. 'n the healthy immune system$ the identification of something foreign triggers an attac%. The
attac% usually ta%es the form of inflammation$ swelling$ or heat. 'f the attac% turns into a "attle$ it
may "ecome an infection. These are normal physical responses and will "e effecti/e if left alone$ in
the /ast ma,ority of cases. They do not usually re+uire drugs$ surgery$ or any frea%ing out. 'f the
"ody(s own defenses are allowed to do their ,o" and to win$ not only will the patient reco/er with no
side effects$ "ut more important$ he will ha/e "uilt stronger resistance for the future.
#hat helps the immune system) Fnly two things: protecting it and "uilding it.
Protecting and "uilding. 1ot stimulating. 3ertain drugs may stimulate the immune system$ "ut it(s
short-term and always in/ol/es side effects.
The first consideration in protecting the immune system is to stop destroying it with:
smo%ing
alcohol
prescription drugs
processed foods
dairy products
sugar
radiation
toxins
stress
2or further explanation of these stressors$ see the chapters on n@ymes and on !ntioxidants$ and
also on Vaccinations.
To "uild the immune system is not easy$ "ut it is simple. 2irst$ eliminate the a"o/e list of destroyers.
Second$ detox the colon and the "lood. 2or information on how to do that$ see the chapters on the
3olon and on n@ymes. !fter that$ %eep further toxic inta%e to a minimum. Primarily$ that means
drugs and processed foods. Simple$ huh)
The #ure !or A,0S
is actually %nown: !t the 'nternational !':S 3onference in Berlin in 8;;9$ the minutes showed that
?! large num"er of women prostitutes ha/e "een disco/ered in !frica. ach prostitute has had
numerous encounters with men who ha/e !':S. 1ot one has contracted !':S. Studies show that
the women ha/e exceptionally strong immune systems. This is the only difference "etween these
prostitutes and others who ha/e contracted !':S.?
:rugs depress the immune systemA not ,ust anti"iotics$ "ut all pharmaceuticals. That(s why no drug
will e/er "e found that cures !':S. That(s why !PT has ne/er "een pro/en to extend anyone(s life
e/en one day. That(s why the search for the ultimate !':S drug is futile. The /irus does not exist in
isolation and cannot "e selecti/ely %illed without affecting the entire system. The whole approach$
the whole military philosophy of see%- and-destroy is fundamentally flawed. &'V is not the cause of
!':SA it(s a sign of !':S.
'n an article in 0S! Today$ 4G 1o/ ;> the #&F re/ised its earlier estimate. *ast year they said
there would "e 44 million people in the world with !':S "y this time. 1ow they ha/e re/ised that
figure to 9. million.
6now what(s going to happen with !':S) xactly what happened with e/ery other disease e/er
encountered "y the human race$ except for the "rief era of success with anti"iotics: it will run its
course through the species. 't will %ill those with the wea%est immune systems$ and then it will "e
gone. !':S research) Politics.
!s with Pasteur(s anthrax /accine and his ra"ies /accine$ drugs can actually "ring new diseases into
the human race. *i%e the unluc%y 2rench mailman$ Pierre 7ascol. &e and his friend were attac%ed
"y a dog. The friend was se/erely "itten$ "ut not Pierre. The dog(s teeth did not puncture Pierre(s
s%in. The friend did nothing and was fine. The dog was fine. The postal authorities found out a"out
the incident howe/er$ and forced an unwilling Pierre to "e treated "y Pasteur. !fter one wee%$ Pierre
was dead$ a /ictim of Pasteur(s inoculations. *oo% it up. B&umeC
Which ,s ,t?
So are germs the cause of disease or aren(t they) Bechamp said that there was enough truth in that
notion to ma%e it seem reasona"le at first glance. Sure we can sometimes identify certain types of
"acteria in certain disease conditions. !nd it(s undenia"le that organisms can "e found rampant
within populations suffering from epidemics and out"rea%s$ as *aurie Garrett descri"es in The
3oming Plague. But consider this: what if many more people than those who actually get a disease
ha/e the ?"ug?) 0sually the only people we test are the ones who get sic%. So it loo%s li%e they(re
the only ones who ha/e the (causati/e( organism in measura"le amounts. 2rom Pasteur to the
present$ there is an entire other point of /iew that has "een supported: may"e the "ad "ugs are
commonly present in many normal people$ "ut only multiply out of control when allowed to
"ecause of a wea% immune system. They(re harmless until they proliferate. This is a fundamental
notion.
?Bacteria and parasites cannot cause disease processes unless they find their own peculiar mor"id
soil in which to grow and multiply.?
-&enry *indlahr$ D: - 2ounder of *indlahr Sanitarium
'n /iew of the o/erall failure of the one-drug-one-disease approach$ it(s o"/ious there must "e a
"igger picture. So here it is: the "ody is poisoned year "y year$ leading to general toxemia B"lood-
poisoning.C The reasons are noted a"o/e: chemicali@ation of commercially a/aila"le food$
chemicali@ation of all medical drugs$ and stressful toxic lifestyle. The "ody tries to detoxify itself
"y its normal processes of digestion and immune response. But it(s too "ig of a ,o"A there are too
many weird chemicals. :igestion is "loc%ed. The "lood stagnates. The white cells and anti"odies
can(t circulate. The colon "ac%s up. !nd things "reed. 2a/ora"le en/ironments are created for the
proliferation of normally harmless organisms. 7esult: disease. Totally different paradigm.
'n the early 8;=.s$ "efore !':S had "een named and "efore &'V had "een pronounced as the cause$
the researchers li%e Iames 3urran of the 3:3 were studying the new disease that was occurring
among ur"an gays. There wasn(t enough money or manpower to fully in/estigate the pro"lem$ "ut
scientists reali@ed that this was a uni+ue disease and they %new it was going to "e "ig. 3ollecting all
the data they could$ they studied the gay lifestyle in detail. Fne of the few things they could say for
sure was that these people as a population had one of the most se/erely depressed immune systems
e/er studied. To find a group of people with worse immune defenses than theirs$ you would ha/e to
loo% in a third world country. 3urran found that ur"an gays didn(t ,ust get !':S - they had
astronomically higher than normal incidences of any immune-deficient condition you can name$
including
&erpes Simplex '$ &erpes Simplex ''$ Gonorrhea$ &epatitis !$ &epatitis B$ 3ytomegalo/irus$
Dononucleosis$ Syphilis$ 'nfluen@a$ 3andida al"icans$ ntamoe"a histolytica$ 3ryptosporidium$
Tu"erculosis$ . coli$ Staphylococcus aureus$ 6le"siella$ Pneumocystic pneumonia.
- Garrett
#hy "other to list them) The patients got these diseases on their way to getting !':S. They also
had proliferation of many other "acteria that are normally harmless. The point is$ when there(s no
immune system$ anything can grow. 2a/ora"le en/ironment. The terrain. *e terrain "iologi+ue.
!':S patients don(t die of !':S. They die of pneumonia or of flu. They die "ecause they ha/e no
3:-E cells$ no immune system to fight off e/en the most harmless in/ader. !nd they die from
drugs.
#hen you start to loo% at the epidemiology of !':S in !frica and then in !sia$ all the tal% is a"out
genes and micro"e /ectors and modes of transmission and /illages and patterns of migration of the
/irus$ and num"ers of the population already infected$ and /irulence$ etc. But you can ta%e the
whole picture$ all this information$ and pic% it up and rotate it - degrees to one side$ and loo% at it
,ust a little differently and something else comes into focus. #hat if we(re wasting our time loo%ing
for a cure for !':S or trying to figure out why it appeared in this or that /illage in !frica or this
"rothel in Thailand or trying to unloc% the elusi/e patterns of recom"inant /iral :1! with
computer se+uencing or encouraging a new group of ?disease cow"oys? to get out there$ or
identifying Patient Pero$ or e/en educating people a"out protection...) #hat good is all this) *oo%
at the num"ers: "y Iuly of 8;=4 there were 8>> %nown deaths from !':S. By summer 8;;>$ o/er >
million ha/e died. !n estimated 9. million people worldwide are now infected. !re we getting
"etter or worse at holding this disease in chec%) 's the talent and research money thrown into the
fight "ecoming more a/aila"le or less a/aila"le) #hat if this disease is simply going to run its
course throughout &omo sapiens no matter what we do$ ,ust li%e the plagues did$ ,ust li%e the
ma,ority of all other diseases ha/e) Day sound fatalistic$ "ut it(s precisely what(s actually ta%ing
place. !s% yourself this: what did ur"an gays and ,un%ies ha/e in common with the !fricans and
!sians who were "eing swept away "y this deadly tidal wa/e) 'n a word$ suscepti"ility. #hy)
Third world people are possessed of fragile$ tenuous immune systems "ecause of malnutrition$
s+ualor$ o/ercrowding$ and appalling medical practices. They also ha/e "een targets for mass
inoculations with unpro/en /accines legislated upon them "y go/ernment deals with drug giants.
These people are physically stressed almost to the "rea%ing point$ normally. #ith o/erpopulation$
all the ad/erse conditions are magnified. 't(s "een pro/en that the !':S /irus has "een around for
decades "oth in mon%eys and in humans. But not until 8;=4 did people start dying of it. !nd then
who was it$ and who is it that is dying) The ones with what) That(s right - the ones with the worst
immune systems on the planet. Then and now. Viruses don(t care if you(re gay or you(re a mon%ey or
you(re li/ing in s+ualor$ or in a townhouse. They(re ,ust loo%ing for a place to set up shop.
This point of /iew redefines the pro"lem. 'nstead of worrying a"out what are we going to do a"out
!':S$ trac%ing it$ fighting it$ and relating it to anti"iotic resistance$ let(s consider focusing instead
on the only thing that will e/er o/ercome !':S or any other disease: a strong immune system.
F/ersimplification) *oo%s li%e it may "e time for one.
What (o"?
#hat does the future hold) *et(s stop listening to the media magpie/spin doctors for a second and
follow the pertinent literature to its logical conclusion - is anti"iotic resistance "ecoming greater or
less each year) Greater. *et(s gi/e anti"iotics a "est case scenario guess: another 4. years. F6$ do
"acteria cause disease) :efinitely not always. #hat is always present in diseases) !nswer:
depressed immune system. #ith a healthy resilient immune system$ disease is re,ected$ no matter
how serious. I.&. Tilden$ D: put it this way:
?1ormal persons are deadly to all germs and parasites peculiar to the human ha"itat.?
- Toxemia xplained
So putting these ideas together$ a notion comes into focus so clear that e/en a lawyer could see it:
soon we will "e li/ing in the Post-!nti"iotic ra. The paramount issue in health and sur/i/al will
then "e the immune system. :rugs$ alcohol$ smo%ing$ air pollution$ processed food$ white sugar$
white flour$ radiation$ stress$ and "ad li/ing will still "e doing their num"er on that immune system.
But it will "e performing without a net$ this time. Fn its own. #hat will people turn to in order to
strengthen their immune system) !nswer: !lternati/e Dedicine$ ,ust li%e "efore all of this went
down. !ctually$ it(s already started.
!s% your physician that one. #ant to see a "lan% loo%) !s% your &DF doctor what he can gi/e you
to "oost your immune system.
Fut of the J8 trillion/year medical "udget$ a"out one point four per cent is today "eing spent for
!lternati/e Dedicine. That(s not much$ "ut it(s growing. !lternati/e medicine(s purpose is to use
natural means to strengthen the immune system. #hole food en@ymes$ antioxidants$ natural her"s$
aloe$ pro"iotics$ pure water$ clean diet$ spinal ad,ustment$ massage$ martial arts$ and exercise ha/e
all "een pro/en to "e helpful. Fne reason things won(t "e completely the same as they were in the
pre-anti"iotic age is that our %nowledge of holistic therapeutics has deepened exponentially$ sort of
as a "y-product of the ad/ances in "iomedical technology in the past -. years. !n increasing
num"er of people are learning what it feels li%e to "uild up their immune system$ their resistance to
illness. Fnce you(/e done that$ e/en one time$ you %now you can o/ercome practically any health
challenge out there "y cleaning up your "lood$ simple detox$ and following the "asics. Ta%en as a
whole complete self-regulating "eing$ the "ody is simple and ,ust needs a few things to maintain
itself without disease$ premature aging$ or chronic poisoning. Things get complicated when the
"ody is approached with what ' call the 6ragen Dethod - as in auto parts - meaning pretending that
the "ody is simply a group of indi/idual parts that can "e treated in isolation from each other$ one
"y one$ li%e spar% plugs and car"uretors. Then we get into some hea/y theori@ing$ dangerous
chemical experimentation$ and pathologically long words. &ealth then "ecomes a side issue$ the
focus is economic$ and the patient "ecomes the mar%. !nd this is the controlling philosophy in
health care today.
Kou get a funny feeling$ li%e an awa%ening$ when it finally dawns on you that all this time scientific
?research? has not really "een progressing along with an intent to unco/er deeper %nowledge of
nature or physical things$ or to see% the truth$ or to ser/e man%ind$ li%e they always say it is. Such
altruism is carefully crafted and presented as the moti/ation for research$ "ut the actual way it
wor%s may "e +uite different. 't is not negati/ity or paranoia "ut rather the loss of nai/etQ that
ma%es you reali@e that they don(t really want a cure for cancer or !':S or infectious disease or the
common cold or o"esity or depression or any other illness. 1o$ for these dri/e the industry. The
game is pharmaceutical economics.
A (ormal )i$e
&ere is what a normal life should "e li%e:
Kou(re "orn. Kou get no drugs and no /accinations. :uring childhood you ha/e the usual illnesses$
"ut conser/ati/e treatment gets you through them without anti"iotics or drugs$ and you "uild your
natural immune defenses. Kou don(t eat white sugar$ white flour$ too much meat or cheese$ or drin%
mil% or soft drin%s. Kou concentrate on whole grains$ fruits$ /egeta"les$ and a clean$ natural diet.
Kou ne/er learn to drin% coffee or to smo%e cigarettes. The only pills you ta%e are powerful whole
food /itamins and en@ymes and minerals$ which are part of your daily inta%e. Kou drin% at least 8
liter of water e/ery day. 'nto adulthood$ you ne/er get sic%: no colds$ no flu$ no headaches$ no
dia"etes$ no !::$ no ?thyroid pro"lems$? no panic attac%s$ growing pains$ fatigue$ or digesti/e
disorders$ no high "lood pressure. The only pains you experience come from accidental in,ury.
Perhaps you do moderate exercise or sports acti/ity to maintain mo"ility and general fitness. Kou
loo% to the care of your spine. Kour entire adulthood is spent in this disease-free mode. !s you age$
your mind gets sharper. Kou experience no arthritis or osteoporosis$ no Par%inson(s or !l@heimer(s.
2inally one day after ;. or 8.. years$ you flic%er li%e a candle and go out.
The a"o/e paragraph may "e useful in choosing a doctor. Some will say all this is impossi"leA
which for them is true. So don(t choose them. !ll this is possi"leA moreo/er$ thousands and
thousands of people are li/ing it. So listen only to those who can help you achie/e such a condition
of li/ing health. Because now we(/e arri/ed at the threshold of a time when good health and a
powerful immune system are not only ad/isa"leA they are the /ery determinants of sur/i/al. 3oming
soon to your town - the Post-!nti"iotic !ge.
- Tim F(Shea
1e$erences
8. Guyton$ !rthur - The Text"oo% of Dedical Physiology Saunders 8;;G
4. 3hopra$ :eepa% D: - 5uantum &ealing Bantam 8;=;
9. Iames$ #alene - 'mmuni@ations: The 7eality "ehind the Dyth BerginNGar/ey 8;;-
E. 3:3 - ?merging 'nfections: Dicro"ial Threats to &ealth in the 0.S.? 8;;4
-. Garrett$ *aurie - The 3oming Plague Penguin Boo%s 8;;E
G. Turner Broadcasting 1etwor% - The 3oming Plague Day 8;;>
>. Tilden$ I.&.$ D: - Toxemia xplained 8;4G 6essinger
=. 'nternational !':S 3onference$ Dinutes 8;;9
;. &adwen$ #alter$ D: - Dicro"es and #ar
8..*indlahr$ &enry$ D: - The Philosophy of 1atural Therapeutics 8;8=
88.&ume$ dith - Bechamp or Pasteur) 8;94 3# :aniel$ *ondon
84.&owell$ dward$ D: - n@yme 1utrition 8;=-
89.*appeR Dar% - Germs That #on(t :ie 8;=8
8E.#hang$ Sang - 7e/erse !ging 8;;.
8-.Pearson$ 7.B. - The :ream and *ie of *. Pasteur 8;E4 Sumeria Press
8G.7o""ins$ Iohn - 7eclaiming Fur &ealth 8;;G & I 6ramer$ 'nc
8>.*e/y$ Stuart D: - The !nti"iotic Paradox Plenum Press 1K 8;;4
8=.&ei%%enen T et al. - Pre/alence of /arious respiratory /iruses in the middle ear during acute
otitis media. 1IDedicine 4= Ian 8;;; /ol 9E.:4G.
8;.3ante%in et al - !ntimicro"ial Therapy for Ftitis Dedia #ith ffusion I!D! 8= :ec
8;;8 4-GA49:99.;
4..#illiams$ G ''' - ?Swearing Fff The Diracle?
48.&enc%e$ &oward - The Germ Theory: ! :eli"erate !"erration 8;;-
44.:u"os$ 7ene - Dan !dapting 8;G-$ 0S! Today- 4G 1o/ ;>
49.2isher$ Ieffrey D: - The Plague Da%ers 8;;E Simon N Schuster
4E.Durray$ B D: - ?Dultiple !nti"iotic 7esistant pathogenic Bacteria? 1ew ngland Iournal
of Dedicine$ /ol.99.A8> p84E> 4= !pr ;E
4-.Preston$ 7ichard - The &ot Pone 8;;E !nchor Boo%s$ :ou"leday
4G.&ancoc%$ 7 - ?/olution and :issemination of "-lactamases?$ 3linical 'nfectious :iseases$
8;;E Supplement$ S8;
4>.Sla/%in$ &arold$ D: - ?merging and 7e-emerging 'nfectious :iseases? Iournal of
!merican :ental !ssociation /ol.84= Ian ;>
4=.3arrell$ !lexis D: - Dan$ the 0n%nown &arper 8;9- 1ew Kor%
4;.3hopra$ :eepa% D: - 5uantum &ealing 8;=; Bantam
9..Philllips$ !lan - ?:ispelling Vaccination Dyths? http://chetday.com//accinationmyths.htm
98.Iensen$ Bernard - mpty &ar/est 8;;. !/ery