The Disease Delusion: Conquering the Causes of Chronic Illness for a Healthier, Longer, and Happier Life

by Jeffrey S. Bland

Knowing the name of a disease tells us nothing about its true cause; nor does it lead us to the right treatment. This is the disease delusion.

The causes of inflammation are few—microbes, allergens, toxins, poor diet, stress.

Heart and blood-vessel diseases like type 2 diabetes, gout, high blood pressure, and dementia • Autoimmune inflammatory diseases like arthritis • Neurological disorders such as depression, attention deficit disorders, and autism • Digestive diseases: gastric reflux, duodenal ulcer, and inflammatory bowel • Bone loss diseases like osteoporosis • Obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma • Muscle pain and weakness from chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia • Kidney and liver ailments • Vision problems like macular degeneration and retinopathy • Cancer

Dr. Allen Roses, onetime global vice president of genetics at GlaxoSmithKline, said back in 2003 that “most prescription medicines do not work on most people” who take them. Roses went on: “The vast majority of drugs—more than 90 percent—only work in 30 to 50 percent of the people.”

endosymbiotic theory of the mitochondrion. Margulis held that mitochondria were originally bacteria that millions of years ago had infected a host pre-human cell, had then adapted to being there, and have remained there ever since thanks to a mutually beneficial symbiosis: the cells provide a harmonious residence, and the bacteria/mitochondria pay rent by producing energy for the cells. It is certainly true that the structure of mitochondrial DNA is very much like that of bacteria and that the genetics of mitochondrial DNA trace back farther than human cells—two facts that seem to support Margulis’s theory. For Margulis, these findings of internal symbiosis, called endosymbiosis, confirmed her advocacy of the Gaia hypothesis, which suggests that the competitive, survival-of-the-fittest concept of evolution is “incomplete,” in Margulis’s word. To complete it, the Gaia hypothesis suggests that it is cooperation rather than competition—networking rather than the struggle of the unfit against the fit—that is the true driving force of evolution. Or perhaps it is that cooperation eventually derives from the competition, the struggle of unfit against fit finally settling into network as each adapts to the naturally selecting “best” of the other.

single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs—routinely pronounced “snips”—and they are evidence that while we may have a mere 25,000 genes, there is plenty of variation in their construction.

Why is BPA a threat? It belongs to a large family of chemicals described as endocrine disruptors. The endocrine system is the body’s hormonal messaging system, so if it gets disrupted—if messages are altered—the impact on our health can be significant. BPA binds to receptors on cells that the body’s natural hormones use to regulate physiological function. In doing so, BPA displaces the natural hormones—basically, knocks them off the receptors and takes their place—and thereby sends different messages to the cells.

increasing the dietary intake of soy, kale, cranberry, and green tea as well as of the spices turmeric and rosemary can help eliminate BPA from our bodies. All these foods are known to contain specific substances that increase a particular component of the detoxification process called glucuronidation.

Another trick for increasing the elimination of toxins is to consume 1,000 milligrams of potassium citrate in water after each meal; potassium citrate is an alkaline salt, so it too improves the body’s acid-alkaline balance.

Metallothioneins are very high in the sulfur-containing amino acid known as cysteine, which binds minerals very tightly.

allostasis, a concept developed by renowned stress researcher Dr. Bruce McEwen.* The term refers to that process by which the human organism makes adjustments and effects change precisely in order to regain the stability of homeostasis. In response to each of these stressor messages, your organism either fights or flees, either combats the stress or runs from it.

chronic inflammation associated with the alteration of cellular communication is a hallmark of most chronic diseases.

selective kinase response modulation—and called the phytonutrients that produce the effect SKRMs, selective kinase response modulators.

If you really want to send some powerful health messages to influence the kinase network, try organic berries, red grapes, celery, green pepper, capers, dill, watercress, cruciferous vegetables, hops, tomato, rhubarb, garlic, spinach, and adzuki beans.

Complex symptoms associated with chronic diseases are caused by altered cellular communication processes. 2. Influenced by stress or allostatic load, environmental toxins, diet, fitness levels, and specific phytochemicals, altered cellular communication can produce inflammatory responses that are part of almost all chronic diseases. 3. Inflammation, which is a function of genetic expression in response to lifestyle, diet, and environment, will vary widely from individual to individual. 4. Food processing removes many of the important regulatory substances that positively influence cellular communication. 5. Altered cellular communication can cause imbalances in the levels of such hormones as estrogen, testosterone, and insulin. 6. A program to improve cellular communication through the evaluation of hs-CRP, insulin, estrogen, testosterone, and other biomarkers can be effective in averting or curing many chronic diseases.

Defects in fat transport have been associated with heart disease and stroke, defects in the carbohydrate transport process with diabetes and dementia, defects in the protein transport process with muscle loss, and defects in the transport of vitamins and minerals with such nutrient-related diseases as osteoporosis and various forms of anemia.

The cholesterol is in a sense an alarm chemical; when your physiology is under stress, your LDL cholesterol spikes in the blood as a signal of that stress.

The inflammation triggers an immune response that leaves the fatty deposit behind. That fatty deposit in turn triggers more immune responses, and more plaque builds up, degrading the artery wall further. So the injury to the artery is caused by inflammation—in part, anyway—and statins seem to be uniquely able to prevent the type of inflammation that causes that arterial injury.

Phytosterols are found in many plant foods—soy being a prime example, but also nuts, berries, and vegetable oils. Well-known cholesterol researcher Daniel Steinberg, who tracked how lifestyle behaviors can increase oxidized LDL, also shows us how the increased intake of particular phytonutrients can prevent the formation of oxidized LDL.

other classes of phytonutrients found in such vegetables and herbs as virgin olive oil, flaxseed, garlic, psyllium fiber, green tea, and curcumin from turmeric also both lower LDL cholesterol levels and reduce oxidized LDL.

Regular aerobic activity causes a change in the transport of fats in the blood; specifically, it increases the level of HDL cholesterol in the blood and decreases LDL and VLDL. It also reduces stress.

selective kinase response modulators—SKRMs—in influencing the insulin signaling network.

And the best way to maintain the balance of our energy process, maintain efficiency in our bioenergetics, and keep biological aging at bay is with a substantially plant-based diet rich in phytonutrients—a glass of fresh-squeezed vegetable juice daily would help—and a regular program of cross-training exercise.

people who carry the ApoE4 genetic marker should, for starters, minimize their intake of saturated fat and maximize their intake of protective antioxidants and phytonutrients.

nutritionally related substances N-acetyl carnitine, coenzyme Q10, lipoic acid, and N-acetylcysteine could mitigate the symptoms of mitochondrial dysfunction in these children.

Which phytonutrients are known to have hormetic influences on mitochondrial function? Resveratrol from grape skins and peanuts, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) from green tea, curcumin from turmeric, isohumulones from hops, quercetin from buckwheat, watercress, and dill all work—optimally, when found in whole, minimally processed foods and supplements.

CHAPTER 9 TAKEAWAY 1. Our energy is produced by the mitochondria in cells; it is in the mitochondria that carbohydrate, protein, and fat are metabolized, producing cellular energy. 2. This energy-producing process is dependent upon proper intake of vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, and phytonutrients. 3. Altered mitochondrial function can result in cellular damage associated with accelerated biological aging and chronic disease. 4. Specific antioxidants such as vitamin E, selenium, vitamin C, coenzyme Q10, lipoic acid, and N-acetylcysteine can protect against mitochondrial damage. 5. Cross-training exercise that alternates aerobic and anaerobic conditioning helps to strengthen mitochondrial function and improve cellular energy production. 6. Chronic fatigue syndrome is related to altered mitochondrial function. 7. Insulin resistance and its related condition, type 2 diabetes, can reduce the mitochondrial function in the brain and contribute to dementia. 8. A mitochondrial resuscitation program can improve cellular energy production.

Do you feel you’re getting shorter over time? 2. Have any back problems? 3. Do you ever get a sore neck? Frequently? Often? 4. Are you a cell phone user? Sometimes? Exclusively? 5. Have you been told that you have elevated hemoglobin A1c? 6. Do charbroiled foods show up frequently in your diet? 7. Any memory problems? 8. Do you have a weight problem even though you watch your calories like a hawk? 9. Is your waist-to-hip ratio greater than 1? 10. Do you eat a lot of foods and drinks stored in plastic containers? 11. Are you one of those people who are “cold all the time”? 12. Have you been told you have reduced bone mass? 13. Are you menopausal? 14. Do you pretty much avoid dairy products? 15. Do you eat proportionally way more animal protein than vegetables?

glycation forms a whole bunch of crusty proteins. They are called advanced glycation end-products—AGEs. Each is a protein structure that is basically foreign to the body, and therefore each can stimulate an immune inflammatory response. And indeed, there are receptors on the surface of our immune cells known as receptors for advanced glycation end-products, or—you guessed it—RAGEs.

If you cook foods at high temperatures, advanced glycation end-products turn into glycotoxins.

connection between POPs and obesity is official—official enough to have been given a name: obesogen, a substance that can create obesity.

cayenne peppers and other members of the capsicum family of vegetables, apples and peanuts with their skins, grapes, berries, green tea, cinnamon, virgin olive oil, isohumulones from hops, omega-3 fatty oils from fish, and calcium-rich foods like low-fat yogurt.

healthy beige adipocytes release a signal called bone morphogenic protein, or BMP, to the bone cells. In response, the bone cells produce signaling substances called osteocalcin and osteoprotegerin that influence insulin activity and blood sugar levels. From brown fat to bone to the insulin-secreting pancreas to the control of blood sugar, the progression is clear: A healthy skeletal structure results in healthy function that can reduce the risk of many chronic diseases.

Our health is not predetermined by our genes. No single gene controls the presence or absence of a chronic disease. Our pattern of health and illness is determined by how families of genes are expressed, and that expression can be influenced and indeed altered by a range of lifestyle, diet, and environmental factors—exercise, stress, pollutants, radiation, specific foods, phytonutrients, and more—that send signals to the cells of our body. 2. Chronic illness is a result of an imbalance in one or more of the core physiological processes. Such an imbalance derives from the interaction between our genome and our lifestyle, diet, and environment. The imbalance alters function. Over time, that altered function is evidenced in specific signs and symptoms that we collectively label a disease. Changes to lifestyle, diet, and environment can bring our core physiological processes back into balance. 3. The absence of illness does not necessarily equate to the presence of wellness. A diagnosis of chronic illness comes after a period of declining function. If your ability to function has not yet begun to decline or has only just begun to decline, now is the best time to execute a personalized lifestyle intervention, for now is when it will have the greatest positive impact on your health. 4. Each person’s physiological response to lifestyle, dietary, and environmental factors is unique to his or her genetic makeup. Every individual’s genetic makeup is unique, and each of u...

malnourished—not from eating too little, but rather from eating too much of too little. It is called overconsumptive undernutrition, and it is not a deficiency of calories but a surfeit of empty calories, the kind—as you have learned—that send messages of alarm and danger to our genes.

include a lessening of carbohydrate intake to lower the amount of glucose in the blood—the body metabolizes carbohydrates into glucose—or, more specifically, eating the right kind of carbohydrate in the right amount. The right kind are unrefined starches—whole-grain bread, pastas, and cereals, for example—which release glucose slowly into the bloodstream.

two varieties of rice, amylose and amylopectin. Amylose starch from long-grain rice is chemically more packed together in its architecture and therefore takes longer to break down in the intestinal tract; it’s a timed-release carb with less impact on blood glucose levels than the short-grain, amylopectin sticky rice. Historically, in these rice-eating societies, the eating of long-grain rice cooled the metabolic conversion of food to energy, while the eating of animal foods high in saturated fats heated it up—the yin and yang mirrored in eating as in all aspects of culture.