Biotoxin Part X: Putting Cytokines back in Order - One by One - MMP-9 First
November 27, 2017References: www.survivingmold.com, Biochem Biophy Res Comm, Mol Med Rep,
CIRS (Biotoxin Illness) or Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome sets off a host of cytokines. We are a long way from understanding the complexity of all the interactions that occur, but we are beginning to understand preliminary methods of how to manipulate them and fix them. Remember, CIRS is really a firestorm being set off in your innate immune system - your lizard level built-in, nonspecific, immune system that creates inflammation but isn't focused and precise. The folks who get sick with CIRS are the ones who can't mount the next level of response and sit there mired in the continued process of hyper alarm with no relief.
To bring relief, we want to start disconnecting and calming down all the sources of dysfunction. Specifically: you get "invaded" or exposed to biotoxins (the musty-smelling basement, the ancient church choir closet, the leaking school roof). These toxins are fat-soluble and circulate throughout your body. In your fat tissue, fat cells take them up and don't like it. They put out a host of cytokines that circulate all over asking for your adaptive system to come and clean them up. You can't "see" the biotoxin because your immune system is "blind" - you have a high-risk HLA type - 25% of us all. The circulating cytokines damage your hypothalamic leptin receptor and MSH, VIP, and ADH all get damaged. You feel chronic pain, fatigue, and 31 other odd symptoms. You are off to the races with biotoxin illness.
That's where MMP9 sits. It is the mediator of the cytokine chorus. If it is elevated, you have a biotoxin burden. MMP9 is not a cytokine, it is a protein enzyme that facilitates the entry of biotoxins into the sub-intimal space. This is the part of tissue beyond the basement membrane of blood vessels. Your blood vessel's intimal membrane is the last barrier protecting your cells from invading damage. It's the "gristle" of dense, gooey connective tissue that the blood vessel cells sit on and typically is impenetrable. MMP9 penetrates it. Penetrating it is a huge step, and a dangerous one. Once you have penetrated the basement membrane the inflammatory cytokines get into your brain, your lungs, your muscles, your joints.
In the brain, MMP9 can help make plaque that looks like MS, and even shows up on MRI scans. In your lungs, you can cough endlessly and look like asthma, often being misdiagnosed (as much as 50% of kids?). In your joints, it looks like arthritis. Can you see the scope of what can happen once you open the gates and high MMP9 lets the cytokines get in? It's a runaway train with no conductor.
How to reign it in? Well, this is what is fascinating and unique. Ritchie Shoemaker had the genius to look at the bench research on cytokines and chase down a new idea. The thiazolidinediones class of diabetes drugs (Actos as an example) turn on genes as their method of action. In fact, ACTOS lowers MMP9 (and TNF, leptin, and PAI-1)after biotoxins cause it/them to be elevated. And in a couple of weeks, we will also learn iy will increase VEGF.
Actos (pioglitizone) is the gift that keeps on giving. It activates the PPAR-gamma class of nuclear receptors. It is that PPAR system you are trying to activate with Actos, as that is what lowers the MMP9. And you can overwhelm it and ruin the effect if you force insulin to rise rapidly be eating foods with lots of freely available glucose. The food form of glucose that gets into you the fastest is called amylose. It's in all grains, all root vegetables, bananas. The only folks who need to be wary of Actos are the really skinny folks with low leptin who need to get on enough fat to raise their leptin level first. Then, Actos will work and their MMP9 level will come down.
Sounds complicated? Actually, it's not. Actos, combined with a low amylose diet is a fantastically simple form of gene therapy that works with anyone with a high MMP9. We can't see what's happening at the cellular level, but you can imagine that by muscling the MMP9 down, the circulating cytokines can't get in to cause their damage. If you have cleaned out the biotoxin, now you need to clean up the mess they made. And MMP9 is the first layer. Again, simple. Amylose free diet, frequent small meals, pioglitizone, 45 mg a day. (EDITOR'S note; THIS is a dated column. Actos is no longer used. Too many complications. Amylose free diet and high dose fish oil is the substitute. 6/1/2020)
WWW.What will work for me. I'm just thrilled with this simple concept. I have already tried it on dozens of folks and sure enough, they start to feel better, start to lose weight, get their headaches in control, feel less fatigue. If you are someone who is overweight and simply can't lose the weight and feel achy and sore, it's likely you have biotoxin-mediated high leptin and high MMP9. It's not you that is to blame, it's the biotoxin. Get your MMP9 down!
Pop Quiz
- MMP9 is a cytokine. T or F Answer. Wake up, sleepy. Read the blog again. It's a protein enzyme. It dissolves connective tissue and allows inflammatory cytokines access to the tissue beneath the membrane.
- What does MMP9 do? Answer: It dissolves the gooey, gristle that is the foundation of connective tissue lining blood vessels, allowing biotoxins to penetrate from inside the blood vessel into brains, joints, lungs etc.
- MMP9 is a handy marker of biotoxin illness. T or F Answer: That's it in a nutshell. And it should be under 332. Many labs say normal includes a higher range than that because there are so many people with elevated MMP9 that are then included in the normal population. Well people have levels below 332.
- The best way to lower MMP9 is with? Answer: gene therapy using pioglitizone (Actos) combined with a low Amylose diet.
- What is amylose? Answer: the form of glucose plants use to store glucose that is the most easily digested (you have amylase in your saliva and start breaking it down as you chew) found in root vegetables, all grains, bananas. Eating amylose with Actos undermines the gene therapy of lowering MMP9.