Understanding the Flu Virus
Most people never know they have a flu virus. Same is true for polio, measles, mumps, rubella, Zika, Ebola and other common viruses. This would not be true for rattlesnakes or killer bees. This is because rattlesnakes and killer bees produce a toxin. VIRUSES DO NOT PRODUCE A TOXIN!
The symptoms of the flu, polio, measles, mumps, Zika, Ebola, viral meningitis are not caused by the viruses. The symptoms of fever, chills, rash, muscle aches, nerve paralysis, blood vessel damage (Ebola) etc. are caused by chemicals produced by the immune system called “cytokines”. The more and longer cytokines are produced, the sicker you will be.
There are two basic components to the immune system. One (cellular immunity) is composed of a battalion of cells that physically attack critters. Macrophages (macro=big. Phage=eater) are on routine surveillance like patrolmen. If they detect foreign viruses, bacteria or fungi, they gobble them up like cellular Pac Men. They digest them and then regurgitate their proteins (antigens) and present these to another cellular component called beta cells (B cells).
Beta cells take the antigens and make antibodies specific to each critter presented. If a critter with that antigen presents itself again, B cells produce and release these cellular bloodhounds. The antibodies attach to the critters then send signals to a third component of the cellular defense team–killer T cells.
Killer T cells are equipped with “weapons of mass destruction”. They produce hydrochloric acid, free radicals, and a wide array of toxic chemicals called cytokines. If antibodies are attached to a critter, T cells can do a quick, SEAL Team type strike and quickly get rid of the critters. If your macrophages, B cells and T cells are in peak performance mode, critters are quickly disposed of. You never even know they were there. With a lower functioning cellular team, the killing is not as efficient. This means more cytokines are produced. This is when you will notice symptoms. The weaker your cellular immunity, the sicker you will get and the longer it will take to get well.
Cytokines (Humoral immunity) are what we called “ordnance” in the Marines. Ordnance can be anything from an M4 rifle to nuclear bombs and anything in between (Think “shock and awe”). Cytokines can be as benign as histamines that cause a runny nose to the “nuclear option” that causes death from anaphylactic shock. The ordnance arsenal of the immune system is long:
- 6Ckine
- Adiponectin
- Agouti-Related Protein
- Amphiregulin
- Angiogenin
- Angiopoietin-1
- Angiopoietin-2
- AXL Receptor Tyrosine Kinase
- B cell-activating factor
- B Lymphocyte Chemoattractant
- Betacellulin
- Bone Morphogenetic Protein 6
- Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
- Cadherin-1
- CD40 Ligand
- CD5 Antigen-like
- Chemokine CC-4
- Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor
- E-Selectin
- EN-RAGE
- Endostatin
- Eotaxin-1
- Eotaxin-2
- Eotaxin-3
- Epidermal Growth Factor
- Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor
- Epithelial-Derived Neutrophil-Activating Protein 78
- Fas Ligand
- FASLG Receptor
- Fibroblast Growth Factor 4
- Fibroblast Growth Factor basic
- Glucose-6-phosphate Isomerase
- Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor
- Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor
- Growth-Regulated alpha protein
- Hepatocyte Growth Factor
- Hepatocyte Growth Factor receptor
- Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein 4
- Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein 5
- Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein 6
- Insulin-like Growth Factor I
- Insulin-like Growth Factor II
- Insulin-like Growth Factor-Binding Protein 1
- Insulin-like Growth Factor-Binding Protein 2
- Insulin-like Growth Factor-Binding Protein 3
- Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1
- Interferon gamma
- Interferon gamma Induced Protein 10
- Interferon gamma Induced Protein 10, long
- Interferon gamma Induced Protein 10, short
- Interferon-inducible T-cell alpha chemoattractant
- Interleukin-1 alpha
- Interleukin-1 beta
- Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist
- Interleukin-10
- Interleukin-11
- Interleukin-12 Subunit p40
- Interleukin-12 Subunit p70
- Interleukin-13
- Interleukin-15
- Interleukin-16
- Interleukin-17
- Interleukin-18
- Interleukin-18-binding protein
- Interleukin-2
- Interleukin-2 receptor alpha
- Interleukin-22
- Interleukin-23
- Interleukin-25
- Interleukin-3
- Interleukin-31
- Interleukin-4
- Interleukin-5
- Interleukin-6
- Interleukin-6 receptor
- Interleukin-6 receptor subunit beta
- Interleukin-7
- Interleukin-8
- Leptin
- Lymphotactin
- Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor 1
- Macrophage inflammatory protein 3 beta
- Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-1 alpha
- Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-1 beta
- Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-3 alpha
- Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor
- Macrophage-Derived Chemokine
- Matrix Metalloproteinase-1
- Matrix Metalloproteinase-10
- Matrix Metalloproteinase-12
- Matrix Metalloproteinase-2
- Matrix Metalloproteinase-3
- Matrix Metalloproteinase-7
- Matrix Metalloproteinase-9
- Matrix Metalloproteinase-9, total
- Monocyte Chemotactic Protein 1
- Monocyte Chemotactic Protein 2
- Monocyte Chemotactic Protein 3
- Monocyte Chemotactic Protein 4
- Monokine Induced by Gamma Interferon
- Nerve Growth Factor beta
- Oncostatin-M
- Osteoprotegerin
- P-Selectin
- Platelet-Derived Growth Factor
- Platelet-Derived Growth Factor BB
- Prolactin
- Pulmonary and Activation-Regulated Chemokine
- Receptor for advanced glycosylation end products
- ST2
- Stem Cell Factor
- Stromal cell-derived factor-1
- Stromal Cell-Derived Factor-1 alpha
- T Lymphocyte-Secreted Protein I-309
- T-Cell-Specific Protein RANTES
- Thrombopoietin
- Thymus and activation-regulated chemokine
- Thymus-Expressed Chemokine
- Tissue Factor
- Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases 1
- Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases 2
- TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand Receptor 3
- Transforming Growth Factor alpha
- Transforming Growth Factor beta
- Transforming Growth Factor beta-3
- Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha
- Tumor Necrosis Factor beta
- Tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 12
- Tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 13
- Tumor necrosis factor receptor 2
- Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor I
- Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1
- Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor
- Vascular endothelial growth factor B
- Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C
- Vascular endothelial growth factor D
- Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 1
- Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2
- Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3
It’s the production of these cytokines that causes the symptoms associated with viral infections, not the viruses. VIRUSES DO NOT PRODUCE A TOXIN. You get more or less shock and awe, depending on how efficiently your cellular immunity functions. If macrophages and T cells quickly destroy a critter, no need to drop as many bombs. If there is a compromise in the function of macrophages and T cells, you’re dependent on dropping bombs/cytokines. Cytokines can kill you in the short term or the long term. Cytokines are what kill the elderly and children with the flu. It’s cytokines that destroy blood vessel and cause death when there’s an infection with Ebola. It’s cytokines that damage nerve tissue in poliomyelitis and acute flaccid paralysis (exact same disease). It’s cytokines that destroy joints in rheumatoid arthritis. They destroy brain cells to cause Alzheimer’s. Mettaloproteinases are cytokines that eat away at the lining of blood vessels and cause “heart attacks” and strokes. Cytokines cause inflammation. Inflammation is the root cause of most Western medical conditions.
Sooooo, what’s critical is that you keep your immune system, especially cellular immunity, in tip top condition. Do that by following my Passover Protocol.
Category: General Health, Immune System