YourHealth: "A Not-So-Useless Appendage"
Posted On Sunday, February 3, 2008 at at 2:33 AM by Aishah Abd Latiff
Scientists have finally figured out how your seemingly useless appendix works. It is a "safe warehouse" for those good germs working in your gut.
Indeed, your appendix could be a vital part of your secondary immune system as it could contain immune system tissue.
That is what surgeons and immunologists from the world famous Duke Medical School published online in the scientific journal, The Journal of Theoretical Biology early last month.
For generations, the appendix was dismissed as a useless part of the body. We thought it had no function.
Worse still, it could get infected and inflamed. This could cause lots of problems, including death if not removed in time. Indeed, surgeons removed it routinely.
According to the Centre for Diseases Control, 321,000 Americans were hospitalised with appendicitis in 2005. About 300 to 400 Americans die of appendicitis every year.
There are a large number of germs in your gut, about two to three kilogrammes in dry weight. There are 400 different types present there. Indeed, there are more bacteria in your gut than there is in the entire human body.
We do not quite know what these germs do. Indeed, not all have been characterised. They are a mix of the good, bad and neutral germs.
The good bacteria help you digest your food, break down toxic substances that arise from digestion and produce lactic acids as well as other anti-bacterial substances that keep the bad bugs at bay.
The function of the appendix seems to be related to this massive amount of bacteria populating the human digestive system.
There are times when the bacteria in the intestine are killed off or purged. Diseases like diarrhoea, cholera or amoebic dysentery would get rid of much of these good bacteria.
Similarly, taking water with chorine, antibiotics- tainted meat or going on a course of antibiotics would kill of many of these beneficial bacteria.
The appendix's job is to re-boot the digestive system if this does happen. The appendix would act as a "good safe house for bacteria" wrote Bill Parker, Duke's Professor of Surgery, a co-author of the study.
The location of the appendix -- just below the one way flow of food and germs in the large intestine in a sort of cul-de-sac -- helps support the theory. It also has a worm like shape. This acts like a "bacterial underground bunker" cultivating the good germs for the rest of the gut.
In modern times this is less important, as you can replace the dying good germs with food and supplements. However, in the past, it was not so easy to repopulate the gut with good bacteria. Thus, the appendix came in really handy.
Indeed, in less developed countries, where the appendix is more useful, the rates of appendicitis are much lower as other studies have shown.
Bill Parker says that the appendix may be another case of an overly hygienic society triggering an over reaction of the body's immune system.
Even, if the appendix does appear to have a function, it must be removed when it is inflamed or infected as it can be deadly, writes Parker.
The Duke proposal for the function of the appendix makes sense and raises some very interesting questions. The idea seems by far the most likely explanation for the function of the appendix. It makes evolutionary sense.
We have evolved for millions of years with this seemingly useless and ugly appendix that can be also be very deadly. Surely, evolution would have eliminated this tissue completely if it was useless and posed a danger.
It should also make us wonder about another part of our body that is conveniently cut off -- the tonsils. I bet we will find some use for this part as well.
The moral of the story is: Keep all parts of yourself intact unless it is absolutely necessary to remove them. Trust the wisdom of Nature.
We know that if there were no germs in the gut, you would be dead in just three days.
What do you do if you have had the appendix taken out? Consume more probiotic (friendly bacteria) as food. Take lots of yoghurt and other traditional cultured foods like tapai and tempeh.
If you are supplementing with probiotics, make sure that these are derived locally. That means it comes from local sources.
After all you got your first probiotics from your mother's vaginal passage and from her nipples. Your gut was sterile while you were in the womb.
After that, you got it in your food. You also picked up useful soil organisms from salads, fruits and simply playing with dirt as all children usually do.
That is how it has been right from the beginning of time. Only in the last 30 or 40 years have we started consuming bacteria that come from different climates and soils.
Imported bacteria are not bad and do not present any real danger to you. However, these germs are best for the guts of people in the countries that they have been imported from be it Japan or North America .
Probiotics are truly a case where "local is better". Nothing is more local than your gut that has to cope with the unique foods that you get in this part of the world.
The local bacteria will live better and longer in your gut. That would go a long way to making your healthier.
Datuk Dr Rajen M. is a pharmacist with a doctorate in Holistic Medicine
Indeed, your appendix could be a vital part of your secondary immune system as it could contain immune system tissue.
That is what surgeons and immunologists from the world famous Duke Medical School published online in the scientific journal, The Journal of Theoretical Biology early last month.
For generations, the appendix was dismissed as a useless part of the body. We thought it had no function.
Worse still, it could get infected and inflamed. This could cause lots of problems, including death if not removed in time. Indeed, surgeons removed it routinely.
According to the Centre for Diseases Control, 321,000 Americans were hospitalised with appendicitis in 2005. About 300 to 400 Americans die of appendicitis every year.
There are a large number of germs in your gut, about two to three kilogrammes in dry weight. There are 400 different types present there. Indeed, there are more bacteria in your gut than there is in the entire human body.
We do not quite know what these germs do. Indeed, not all have been characterised. They are a mix of the good, bad and neutral germs.
The good bacteria help you digest your food, break down toxic substances that arise from digestion and produce lactic acids as well as other anti-bacterial substances that keep the bad bugs at bay.
The function of the appendix seems to be related to this massive amount of bacteria populating the human digestive system.
There are times when the bacteria in the intestine are killed off or purged. Diseases like diarrhoea, cholera or amoebic dysentery would get rid of much of these good bacteria.
Similarly, taking water with chorine, antibiotics- tainted meat or going on a course of antibiotics would kill of many of these beneficial bacteria.
The appendix's job is to re-boot the digestive system if this does happen. The appendix would act as a "good safe house for bacteria" wrote Bill Parker, Duke's Professor of Surgery, a co-author of the study.
The location of the appendix -- just below the one way flow of food and germs in the large intestine in a sort of cul-de-sac -- helps support the theory. It also has a worm like shape. This acts like a "bacterial underground bunker" cultivating the good germs for the rest of the gut.
In modern times this is less important, as you can replace the dying good germs with food and supplements. However, in the past, it was not so easy to repopulate the gut with good bacteria. Thus, the appendix came in really handy.
Indeed, in less developed countries, where the appendix is more useful, the rates of appendicitis are much lower as other studies have shown.
Bill Parker says that the appendix may be another case of an overly hygienic society triggering an over reaction of the body's immune system.
Even, if the appendix does appear to have a function, it must be removed when it is inflamed or infected as it can be deadly, writes Parker.
The Duke proposal for the function of the appendix makes sense and raises some very interesting questions. The idea seems by far the most likely explanation for the function of the appendix. It makes evolutionary sense.
We have evolved for millions of years with this seemingly useless and ugly appendix that can be also be very deadly. Surely, evolution would have eliminated this tissue completely if it was useless and posed a danger.
It should also make us wonder about another part of our body that is conveniently cut off -- the tonsils. I bet we will find some use for this part as well.
The moral of the story is: Keep all parts of yourself intact unless it is absolutely necessary to remove them. Trust the wisdom of Nature.
We know that if there were no germs in the gut, you would be dead in just three days.
What do you do if you have had the appendix taken out? Consume more probiotic (friendly bacteria) as food. Take lots of yoghurt and other traditional cultured foods like tapai and tempeh.
If you are supplementing with probiotics, make sure that these are derived locally. That means it comes from local sources.
After all you got your first probiotics from your mother's vaginal passage and from her nipples. Your gut was sterile while you were in the womb.
After that, you got it in your food. You also picked up useful soil organisms from salads, fruits and simply playing with dirt as all children usually do.
That is how it has been right from the beginning of time. Only in the last 30 or 40 years have we started consuming bacteria that come from different climates and soils.
Imported bacteria are not bad and do not present any real danger to you. However, these germs are best for the guts of people in the countries that they have been imported from be it Japan or North America .
Probiotics are truly a case where "local is better". Nothing is more local than your gut that has to cope with the unique foods that you get in this part of the world.
The local bacteria will live better and longer in your gut. That would go a long way to making your healthier.
Datuk Dr Rajen M. is a pharmacist with a doctorate in Holistic Medicine
Lets Fight Cancer Together
Posted On at at 1:39 AM by Aishah Abd Latiff
AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY (TRY THE KEY WORD) AND ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHN HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.
1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.
2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.
3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.
4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.
6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.
9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.
10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy.
Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.
1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.
2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.
3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.
4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.
6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.
9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.
10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy.
Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.
CANCER CELLS FEED ON:
a. Sugar,is a cancer-feeder.
By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like Nutrasweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt. ( THE WEST MADE US 2 CHANGE FROM SEA 2 WHITE IODISED SALT )
b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus .
By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soya milk cancer cells are being starved.
c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment.
A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment.
About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells.
To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine.
Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties. Water- best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.
12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrified and leads to more toxic buildup.
13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the body's own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.
15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.
16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.
