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Th1 cells and Th2 cells are lymph cells related to the immune system. If you look at the diagram below, you can see what kind of cells Th1 cells and Th2 cells are. These cells are a differentiation of lymph cells, a type of white blood cell.
Th1 cells aid killer T cells, activate macrophage, and attack and destroy bacteria and viruses and prevent infections. They also make B-cells produce IgG antibodies and cause type 2 and 3 allergies (type 2 allergies include hemolytic anemia and myasthenia gravis, and type 3 allergies include serum sickness and glomerulone phritis, all of which will not be dealt in detail).
Th2 cells make B-cells produce IgE antibodies, which attaches to allergens and stimulate the mast cells. These mast cells release histamines and leukotriene, which causes allergy symptoms. As a result, when the amount of Th2 cells increases, the symptoms of type 1 allergies (which include hay fever, bronchial asthma, food allergies, and AD) worsen.
Th1 cells and Th2 cells release different kinds of cytokine, so that they maintain a balance in the immune system. However, allergy patients produce more Th2 than Th1 (the normal ratio between Th1 and Th2 is 8 to 12).
In 1989 the English Dr. Strachan proposed a theory that we, being very cleanly and sanitary Japanese, have been sensing as well. His contention is that a clean environment filled with antibacterial products actually cause allergies more easily. A recent clinical study, conducted over 20 years with the help of over 20,000 people, epidemiologically proved this theory. This is the Hygiene Hypothesis, which was not widely accepted before due to the feeble understanding of Th1 and Th2 cells, but is now accepted as one of the most believable theories.
People who are the youngest of a big family tend to have fewer allergies. Basically, it was proven that if kids are exposed to bacteria and viruses at an early age, they tend to develop less allergies since they did not become sick as much as an infant due to better standards of living and hygienic environments. This is seen through the comparison of the percentages of children with tuberculin skin and allergies or the fact that children with measles tended to not get AD compared to children who didn’t get measles. This phenomenon also applies to hepatitis-A and heliobactor pylori infections.
Also, it is well known that children who work at farms do not usually develop asthma. When the exposure concentration of endotoxins in the dust on the mattresses of children of farm families and other children in Australia, Germany, and Switzerland were compared, it was shown that children who were more exposed to endotoxins tended to not develop asthma (AD businessmen who sell the tick-free blankets will be at a loss of words when they read this!). A study of 500 infants 2 to 3 months old in Boston also showed that the higher endotoxin concentrations were, the incidence of eczemas decreased. In addition, when the concentration of endotoxins were grouped in 4 degrees, it was proven that for every higher degree, the danger of getting eczema and other allergies decreased by 25%. What these studies show is that children who live in a somewhat unsanitary environment are not prone to develop AD. This fact can also be seen in places such as Tibet, Indonesia, and Laos, where AD is not a concern for the children. ( endotoxin is a type of toxin in bacteria. When the Gram negative bacterium breaks and the lipopolysaccharide, a structural component of the cell membrane, becomes free, it becomes poisonous.)
In general, newborns tend to have more Th2 cells, but as the child gets exposed to bacteria, viruses and toxins from germs, the body produces more Th1 cells and the balance between Th1 and Th2 stabilizes. To grow healthily, it is necessary to be exposed to microorganisms to a certain extent; kids should grow up playing in mud and running around in the woods. However, although not completely germfree, staying indoors is just going to keep the Th2 levels the same, and the child will get AD, asthma, and hay fever easily. Also, if babies are shot with antibiotics at an early age, the body will be cleansed of not only the bad bacteria, but also harmless bacteria, so they will be more susceptible to allergies later on. Wise parents who sensed this fact tried to let their children grow freely without antibiotics, but ignorant doctors, AD businessmen who take advantage of the doctor’s stupidity, and pharmaceutical companies all facilitated an extreme surge of antibiotics.
There is another reason why the balance between Th1 and Th2 gets disrupted and Th2 gets over produced; endocrine disruptos, or in other words, environmental hormones. A crocodile found in Florida’s Apopka Lake turned into a sensational story in the early 90’s. Some who don’t follow environmental issues may not be aware of this, but this incident raised global awareness on the dangers of environmental hormones. The crocodiles in this lake had penises a fourth to half the size of a regular crocodile, were mostly incapable of reproduction, and eventually 90% died out. The cause is said to be the nearby agrichemical company, which had spilled gallons of chemicals into the Apopka River. Consequently, two books concerning this issue, Our Stolen Future and The Feminization of Nature, were published, and there was increased research concerning environmental hormones.
Since this section can potentially go on forever, I will only write two examples.
Bisphenol A is an ingredient in antioxidants used to mold plastic, and can seep out of polycarbonates (PC), which are even used in lunch trays that our children eat from. This has a strong estrogen-like behavior. However, these are used in even baby bottles. When boiling hot water (95C) was poured into a baby bottle made from polycarbonates, it was reported that 3.1 to 5.5 ppb of bisphenol A was extracted. Even with concentrations from 2 to 5, the estrogen-like effect can increase the amount of breast cancer cells (ppb is a unit of concentration, and represents 1 out of 1 billion, as in 1 microgram out of 1 liter of water.). The Food Chemistry Division of the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare sets the standard value at less than 2500 ppb, but since a concentration of even 2 to 5 ppb can cause cancer cells to increase, it is enough to tip the balance of Th1/Th2 cells in babies.
Dioxins are said to be the most lethal chemical man has every created. It is 1000 more powerful than potassium cyanide, and can kill 17,000 people with just one gram. However, it can be created by just burning vinyl chloride, which is used in various products, and vinylidene chloride, and unfortunately for us, does not get out of the body system once it gets in. Also, due to the Japanese governments’ ignorant and nonresponsive attitude, the concentration of dioxins in the air is 10 to 1000 times greater than in Western countries. Dioxins were only linked to cancer, but it has been recently found that dioxins also cause estrogen-like effects. These effects will start even with one picogram, one in one billion, of dioxin. Although 1 billionth may be hard to grasp, but it is essentially 1 drop in a 50 meter pool. However, even if the baby is a fetus, if the mother absorbs dioxins, the functions of Th1 in the child will be significantly weakened.
However, there are more environmental hormones aside from bisphenol A and dioxins. There are over 100 dangerous hormones, and most of them have estrogenic effects even with miniscule portions such as a billionth to a trillionth. We are in a sea of estrogen. There must be a significant amount of environmental hormones to cause sicknesses such as the deformation of the crocodiles’ penises in Apopka, breast cancer, endometriosis, prostate cancer, hypospadiasis, and azoospermia. There is an astronomical amount of estrogen agents to cause an imbalance of lymph cell in infants.
Also, these days the number of patients who suddenly get AD after 40 is growing. These tend to happen to men; although they were producing a lot of testosterone when they were young, when they got older the body did not secrete it as much, and on top of that environmental hormones (female sex hormones) increased the amount of estrogen in the body, and as a result the amount of Th2 significantly increased.
In reality, there is no way that we can escape from our environment that is so filled with estrogen. If you really wanted to, you can always go to Tahiti in the South Pacific, throw away all your plastic ware, and grow your own pesticide-free foods. This, however, obviously is impossible to do without a lot of money and time. In the future it is possible that the environment will change from an estrogen-dominated one and will stabilize again, and, in fact, we should start making the world this way. However, to cure AD right now, you must restore the balance of the lymph cells.
Currently, researchers all over the world are desperately trying to find a cure for AD. The result of their research is the dendritic cell (DC). This cell plays a major part in differentiating an anaplastic T cell into Th1 and Th2 cells through variou stimuli. If the process of differentiating the Th1 and Th2 cells becomes clear, there may be a permanent cure to allergies. However, nobody has yet accomplished this discovery, and for now other measures have to be taken instead.
1. Omega 3unsaturated fatty acid
Flax seed and Chia (or flax seed oil or chia seed oil) should be used for this as well. Prostaglandin E2, a compound metabolized from arachidonic acid, has the function of differentiating anaplastic T cells to Th2 cells. The type omega 3 fats can stop the effects of arachidonic acid, and this is why flax seed and chia seed are effective in treating allergy patients. Flax seed and chia are the greatest healing supplements that nature has given us.
2. Natto, yogurt and kimichi
This means that you should eat natto (fermented soybeans) and yogurt. Natto is a food that Japanese people have been familiar with for a long time, and has amazing health effects. Numerous experiments have proven that natto can stabilize the balance between Th1 and Th2 cells and can alleviate allergy symptoms. It also has lots of Vitamin B, B2 in particular, and as explained in section 9, “Important Supplements”, it is great for AD patients. However, those who have strong soybean allergies should not eat natto. Although natto is fermented, and should not cause any problems, there are still some people who react badly to natto.
I will also elaborate on lactic acid bacteria in section 9, but it is important to be aware of the kind of bacteria when you buy yogurt. Also, specialists do not agree upon the definitions of these bacteria, and while some differentiate lactic acid bacteria from bifidobacteria, some claim that bifidobacteria are a type of lactic acid bacteria. Either way, it is better to avoid eating yogurts containing bifidobacteria since it consumes biotin, a vitamin that is important in treating AD. It is, however, recommended that you eat yogurts containing lactobacillus abcterias, and lactobacilus paracasein or lactobacillus acidophilius in particular.
Dr. Bijorgsten from Sweden reported that children with more lactobacillus acid tended to not develop allergies. Lactobacillus bacteria, a type of gram positive bacteria, stimulates Th1 cells so that the balance between Th1 and Th2 becomes normal.
Also, vegetables pickled in bran and kimchi (Korean pickles) contain many different kinds of lactic acid bacteria, but contain lactic acid bacilli the most, and is very good for treating AD. It is said that young mothers in Korea do not make kimchi as much anymore, and there AD is increasing becoming a common disease. It may be that the decreased consumption of kimchi among young people is one the causes of AD becoming so common.
3. Mushrooms
Mushrooms will correct the balance between Th1 and Th2. Also, the extracts of bamboo leaves, fucoidan, chitin/chitosan have the same effect. These all have high-molecular polysaccharides, such as β-glucan and polysaccharide sulfate, in their cell membrane. These will help the immune system. Although these are sold as suplements, they are very expensive.
If you are going to take mushrooms that are also traditional oriental medicines, it will need to be brewed for a long time so it becomes safe. If you cannot buy the expensive mushroom supplements, buy cheap shiitake, shimeji, eringi, maitake, or kikurage (Juda’s ear) mushrooms are your local supermarket. These need to be brewed for a long time like traditional oriental medicines. Dried mushrooms, in particular, contain lots of Vitamin D, and should be used to make broth.
I have covered topics about how“Th2 lymph cells overpower Th1 lymph cells”, and these are the most important measures you must take to make sure AD gets cured and these are precautions to children who may get AD.
But once you develop allergies, exposing yourself to dirt and endotoxins will only worsen the symptoms. Also, in many cases, natto, yogurt, mushrooms, or oriental medicines do not help patients. This is because, although it is said that AD involves type I and IV allergy, it is not an allergy in the purest sense. The criterion for AD diagnosis is “Atopic Dermatitis is a condition characterized with pruritic rashes with frequent remissions, and many patients have AD predispositions”, and it is not an actual allergy. The imbalance of Th1 to Th2 is only a ratio, and can be cured by cutting down on oil and excess protein. After that, you should correct the imbalance.
Also, unless you are incredibly wealthy, don’t switch to wooden floors, buy furniture that’s “tick-free”, and buy water filters that cost up to half a million yen until you have tried all these methods. AD symptoms will have alleviated by 90% by then.
This is information obtained from Dr. Makise’s having cured atopic dermatitis of 40,000 people or more in total and the latest and highest atopic dermatitis treatment. But this is provided for information only. No action should be taken based solely on the contents of this website; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating their health. Readers who fail to consult with appropriate health authorities assume the risk of any injuries. Dr. Makise is not responsible for errors or omissions.
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