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Quieting the Storm: Acupuncture Activates Inflammation-Regulating Pathways, Tames Cytokine Storm

AHA Publisher — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 07:00:14 +0000

Harvard Medical School via Newswise – A team of researchers led by neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School has successfully used acupuncture to tame cytokine storm in mice with systemic inflammation. In the study, published Aug. 12 in Neuron, acupuncture activated different signaling pathways that triggered either a pro-inflammatory or an anti-inflammatory response in animals with bacterially induced systemic inflammation. Further, the team found that three factors determined how acupuncture affected response: site, intensity and timing of treatment. Where in the body the stimulation occurred, how strong it was and when the stimulation was administered yielded dramatically different effects on inflammatory markers and survival. The team’s experiments represent a critical step toward defining the neuroanatomical mechanisms underlying acupuncture and offer a roadmap for harnessing the approach for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. The scientists caution, however, that before any therapeutic use, the observations must be confirmed in further research—in animals as well as in humans—and the optimal parameters for acupuncture stimulation must be carefully defined. “Our findings represent an important step in ongoing efforts not only to understand the neuroanatomy of acupuncture but to identify ways to incorporate it into the treatment arsenal of inflammatory diseases, including sepsis,” said study principal investigator Qiufu Ma, professor of neurobiology in the Blavatnik (Institute at Harvard Medical School and a researcher at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute). In the study, acupuncture stimulation influenced how animals coped with cytokine storm—the rapid release of large amounts of cytokines, inflammation-fueling molecules. The phenomenon has gained mainstream attention as a complication of severe COVID-19, but this aberrant immune reaction can occur in the setting of any infection and has been long known to physicians as a hallmark of sepsis, an organ-damaging, often-fatal inflammatory response to infection. Sepsis is estimated to affect 1.7 million people in the United States and 30 million people worldwide each year. Acupuncture, rooted in traditional Chinese medicine, has recently grown more integrated into Western medicine, particularly for the treatment of chronic pain and gastrointestinal disorders. The approach involves mechanical stimulation of certain points on the body’s surface—known as acupoints. The stimulation purportedly triggers nerve signaling and remotely affects the function of internal organs corresponding to specific acupoints. Yet, the basic mechanisms underlying acupuncture’s action and effect have not been fully elucidated. The new study is an important step in mapping the neuroanatomy of acupuncture, the research team said. As a neurobiologist who studies the fundamental mechanisms of pain, Ma has been curious about the biology of acupuncture for years. He was intrigued by a 2014 paper which showed that using acupuncture in mice could alleviate systemic inflammation by stimulating the vagal-adrenal axis—a signaling pathway in which the vagus nerve carries signals to the adrenal glands—to trigger the glands to release dopamine. Ma’s curiosity was further intensified by work published in 2016 showing that vagus-nerve stimulation tamed the activity of inflammatory molecules and lessened symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. In the current study, researchers used electroacupuncture—a modern version of the traditional manual approach that involves the insertion of ultra-thin needles just under the skin in various areas of the body. Instead of needles, electroacupuncture uses very thin electrodes inserted into the skin and into the connective tissue, offering better control of stimulation intensities. Building on previous research pointing to neurotransmitters’ role in inflammation regulation, the researchers focused on two specific cell types known to secrete them—chromaffin cells that reside in the adrenal glands and noradrenergic neurons that are located in the peripheral nerve system and directly connected to the spleen through an abundance of nerve fibers. Chromaffin cells are the body’s main producers of the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline and of dopamine, while noradrenergic neurons release noradrenaline. In addition to their well-established functions, adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine, the researchers said, appear to play a role in inflammation response—an observation that’s been borne out in previous research and is now reaffirmed in the experiments of the current study. The team wanted to determine the precise role these nerve cells play in the inflammatory response. To do so, they used a novel genetic tool to ablate chromaffin cells or noradrenergic neurons. This allowed them to compare the response to inflammation in mice with and without these cells to determine just whether and how they were involved in modulating inflammation. The markedly different response in mice with and without such cells conclusively pinpointed these nerve cells as key regulators of inflammation. In one set of experiments, researchers applied low-intensity electroacupuncture (0.5 milliamperes) to a specific point on the hind legs of mice with cytokine storm caused by a bacterial toxin. This stimulation activated the vagus-adrenal axis, inducing secretion of dopamine from the chromaffin cells of the adrenal glands. Animals treated this way had lower levels of three key types of inflammation-inducing cytokines and had greater survival than control mice—60 percent of acupuncture-treated animals survived, compared with 20 percent of untreated animals. Intriguingly, the researchers observed, the vagus-adrenal axis could be activated through hindlimb electroacupuncture but not from abdominal acupoints—a finding that shows the importance of acupoint selectivity in driving specific anti-inflammatory pathways. In another experiment, the team delivered high-intensity electroacupuncture (3 milliamperes) to the same hindleg acupoint as well as to an acupoint on the abdomen of mice with sepsis. That stimulation activated noradrenergic nerve fibers in the spleen. The timing of treatment was critical, the researchers observed. High-intensity stimulation of the abdomen produced markedly different outcomes depending on when treatment occurred. Animals treated with acupuncture immediately before they developed cytokine storm, experienced lower levels of inflammation during subsequent disease and fared better. This preventive measure of high-intensity stimulation increased survival from 20 to 80 percent. By contrast, animals that received acupuncture after disease onset and during the peak of cytokine storm experienced worse inflammation and more severe disease. The findings demonstrate how the same stimulus could produce dramatically different results depending on location, timing and intensity. “This observation underscores the idea that if practiced inappropriately, acupuncture could have detrimental results, which I don’t think is something people necessarily appreciate,” Ma said. If borne out in further work, Ma added, the findings suggest the possibility that electroacupuncture could one day be used as a versatile treatment modality—from adjunct therapy for sepsis in the intensive care unit to more targeted treatment of site-specific inflammation, such as in inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Another possible use, Ma said, would be to help modulate inflammation resulting from cancer immune therapy, which while lifesaving can sometimes trigger cytokine storm due to overstimulation of the immune system. Acupuncture is already used as part of integrative cancer treatment to help patients cope with side effects of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. To read the original article click here.

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The Remarkable Effects of Vitamin C Over the Past 70 Years

AHA Publisher — Mon, 25 May 2020 07:00:43 +0000

Lori Alton via NaturalHealth365 – Frederick R. Klenner, MD – who used high-dose vitamin C to treat such serious conditions as polio and viral pneumonia – called it “the safest and most valuable substance available to the physician.” Nobel prize-winning researcher Linus Pauling believed that it could hold the key to treating cancer. And, a groundbreaking physician at a Virginia hospital is currently using it as part of a protocol to treat life-threatening advanced sepsis. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that can boost the immune system and enhance the function of disease-fighting phagocytes. In addition, it is inexpensive, non-toxic, convenient and – when used in the proper dose – effective. Yet, sadly, Western medicine tends to pay little attention to this remarkable vitamin. And, that’s a shame, as you’ll soon see why. Early Breakthrough: Vitamin C Pioneer Reported Success Treating Polio and Viral Pneumonia In the 1940s, Dr. Klenner, a small-town family doctor in North Carolina, claimed to have used intravenous high-dose vitamin C to cure polio in 60 out of 60 patients – with no mortalities, no paralysis and no adverse effects. He reported that he obtained these near-miraculous results by injecting his patients with massive amounts – up to tens of thousands of milligrams a day. Dr. Klenner also used vitamin C against respiratory diseases. In a 2007 review published in Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, the author, Andrew W. Saul, credits Dr. Klenner with successfully treating 42 cases of viral pneumonia. For over forty years, Dr. Klenner used vitamin C to treat an astonishing array of diseases and conditions – including hepatitis, chicken pox, measles, mumps, influenza, mononucleosis, diphtheria, dysentery, leukemia, snakebite and carbon monoxide poisoning. Even though Dr. Klenner published 28 scientific papers documenting his research – and presented a summarization of his work on polio before the American Medical Association – his pronouncements were met with little interest by his colleagues. However, his work would be carried on by other forward-thinking practitioners. There’s a Growing Consensus About the Therapeutic Effects Scientific research confirming vitamin C’s benefits continues to accumulate. For example, a study published in Immune Network revealed that vitamin C led to increased production of disease-fighting interferons, causing an antiviral immune response against the H3N2 influenza (swine flu) virus. And, in an extensive 2017 review published in Nutrients, the author noted that a total of 148 animal studies indicate that vitamin C may alleviate or prevent infections caused by bacteria and viruses. The review also cited two controlled trials showing that regularly administered high-dose vitamin C – at levels between 6 and 8 grams a day – shortens the duration of colds. The author commented that past research in which vitamin C showed unimpressive results might be explained by the insufficient dosages used. Natural health experts have been saying this all along! Could Appropriate Vitamin C Supplementation Mean an End to Deadly Heart Disease? Renowned researcher Linus Pauling believed that heart disease (along with supposed contributors to heart disease, such as oxidized cholesterol) is actually an early stage of scurvy, a severe deficiency of vitamin C. This theory was recently confirmed by a study conducted by scientists at the Dr. Rath Research Institute and published in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Disease. As vitamin C is not produced in the body, it must be obtained through diet or appropriate high-quality supplementation. And, shortfalls can have dire consequences. A lack of vitamin C causes arteries to become fragile and to rupture – a problem which the body tries to repair with deposits of cholesterol. Unfortunately, this rescue attempt can backfire, with arteries becoming clogged with atherosclerotic plaque. The result? A heightened risk of heart attack and stroke. Dr. Mathias Rath, M.D. – a longtime research partner of Linus Pauling’s – maintains that appropriate supplementation can spur production of beneficial collagen and make arteries more flexible and less prone to breakage. In fact, Dr. Rath has stated his hope that his Cellular Recommendations – which involve 3 grams of vitamin C a day, along with other antioxidants – could lead to the abolition of heart disease as a cause of human mortality. Given the fact that heart disease is currently the leading cause of death in the nation, this is welcome news. Breaking NEWS: Discover a Lifesaving Treatment for Sepsis Sepsis, a systemic infection that can lead to multiple organ failure, features a bleak 40 percent mortality rate. But Dr. Paul Marik, of the Sentara Norfolk General Hospital intensive care unit, may be changing that. The physician has developed a protocol involving IV C, vitamin B1 (thiamine) and corticosteroids. In a retrospective study published in Chest and involving 47 patients, Dr. Marik reported that 8.5 percent of the vitamin C-treated patients died – as opposed to 40.4 percent of the control patients – a phenomenal result! Of course, this vitamin is not intended to supplant or replace any conventional medical treatment – but is to be used as a complementary therapy. Eighty years ago, Dr. Klenner insisted that vitamin C – in the proper amounts – could address virtually any condition. And, he said, administering it should be the first course of action. “The patient should get large doses of vitamin C in all pathological conditions,” Dr. Klenner declared, “while the physician ponders the issue.” As a growing body of research attests, these have turned out to be words of wisdom. To read the original article click here.

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New Study Links Vitamin C Therapy to Better Survival Rates After Sepsis

AHA Publisher — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 07:00:47 +0000

Virginia Commonwealth University via EurekAlert – Exploratory 3-year study finds that treating septic patients with intravenous vitamin C could lead to decreased mortality, quicker recovery. New research led by Virginia Commonwealth University and published in the October issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that patients with sepsis and septic lung injury could have a better chance of survival and recover more quickly when treated with vitamin C infusions. Up to 300,000 deaths reported each year Sepsis, a bodywide inflammation in response to infection, is a leading cause of death in U.S. hospitals, with up to 300,000 deaths reported each year, according to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Researchers discovered that intravenous vitamin C therapy reduced mortality in septic patients from 46% in the placebo group to almost 30% in the vitamin C group at day 28. “This therapy could potentially transform the way we care for sepsis patients. We may have found a lifesaving therapy,” said first author Alpha A. “Berry” Fowler III, M.D., a professor in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at the VCU School of Medicine. “While further research is needed, the results from our preliminary study are encouraging.” Designed to study the effect of vitamin C on organ failure, a common complication of sepsis that often leads to death, the CITRIS-ALI trial showed that patients receiving intravenous vitamin C spent significantly fewer days in the intensive care unit and in the hospital overall. “We conducted this phase II, proof-of-concept trial to explore if vitamin C is a more effective therapy for organ failure than the current standard of care for sepsis,” Fowler said. “We did not find evidence that vitamin C improves sepsis-related organ failure in this particular trial, but it significantly reduced how long patients were hospitalized.” On average, the vitamin C group spent three fewer days in the ICU (seven days compared to 10) at day 28 and a week less in the hospital overall (15 days versus 22) by day 60 than the placebo group. Sepsis is a major contributor to disability, death and health care costs Sepsis is a major contributor to disability, death and health care costs in the U.S. and worldwide. Patients with sepsis accounted for $23.7 billion in U.S. hospital costs in 2013 alone, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. “Taking care of a septic patient in the ICU costs tens of thousands of dollars each day,” Fowler said. “Improving clinical outcomes for sepsis means significant cost savings for the U.S. health care industry.” A $3.2 million National Institutes of Health grant funded the clinical trial that involved 167 patients across seven enrollment sites, including the Cleveland Clinic, the Medical College of Wisconsin, the University of Kentucky and Emory University. It was the first randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial related to vitamin C and its potential impact on sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome, a lung disease often associated with sepsis worldwide. The study was conducted from September 2014 to November 2017. “Imagine two fully loaded 747s crashing every day — that’s how many people die of sepsis every year in this country,” Fowler said. “The CITRIS-ALI trial could form the basis for a larger, more definitive trial.” To read the original article click here.

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