Pathways of Disease

By Dr. Althea MyrieDr. Althea Myrie is a British born Naturopath who is currently practicing in the U.S. She is an avid researcher and clinician with a passion to help people find the underlying causes of disease and make their way back to health.

How do people develop ill health and chronic diseases? Where does it all start? To really answer these questions, I had to go beyond my traditional naturopathic training and do a lot of independent research. I came to understand that it was necessary to find the “root cause” of the problem. If you know how you arrived at your destination, i.e. “root cause” of illness, then you know how to find your way back to health. The body is infinitely intelligent and by following the “road signs” that led to the disease I began to see that a complete reversal of health was possible.

My research kept pointing to “pathways” of disease. These are biological systems that are all interconnected. For instance, if a person has diabetes, the systems affected are the hormone, liver, kidney, pancreas, thyroid, arterial, and optical systems (to name a few). There is usually an underlying fungal infection implicated with diabetes that affects these systems as well. So it is important to address all of the pathways, not just one. Sometimes it is necessary to prioritize and focus on one or two systems (most life threatening) first. The goal, however, is to bring all systems back into balance.

I also found in my research that it is important to detoxify and repair the body AT THE SAME TIME. There are many proponents for detoxifying the body and that is all well and fine as long as the body can handle the release of the toxins. Our bodies are in a natural anabolic state (repair) during the day and catabolic state (detoxification) at night. That’s why colds and coughs often worsen at night. It is important to follow the body’s natural intelligence and to support both processes. Otherwise toxins can get “stuck” and the body cannot move ahead to heal itself.

Underlying all of the disease pathways, I discovered the following common “agents” that singly or in combination help to propel the body to disease. They are:

Viruses, Bacteria, Fungus, Parasites, Chemicals

Environmental exposure to: Molds, Electromagnetic fields (EMF’s), Heavy metals (i.e. mercury and copper used for dental procedures, lead in hair dye and lipstick, or aluminum used in deodorants and pots)

Sometimes one of these factors can create a problem; for instance a heavy copper build-up can be implicated in an aneurysm. So the disease will look different depending on how many and in what combination these agents are found.

The last All American Patriot issue contained a startling and revealing article on wolves. One of the consequences of the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone Park and their growing numbers is parasitic infection. The particular parasite, Echinococcus Granulosus, is an especially nasty one that can kill humans (there are ways to test for and treat it if caught in time). It can spread through microscopic eggs from wolf feces to foliage. Ungulates (like moose, elk, deer and antelope) graze on the foliage and are infected. If domestic animals/pets feed on winter or wolf killed ungulates, they can become infected and carry the parasite into the house. Although many of us don’t live on ranches where this scenario could occur more frequently, a large number of us do have domestic animals as pets, mainly cats and dogs. They can be a prime source of parasites of various descriptions. And parasites can come through food and other means as well.

I worked with a young man (age 17) a few years ago who had juvenile diabetes.

He was doing well with some natural supplements plus a revised healthy diet to help remove his need for insulin. All of a sudden after about nine months his blood sugar shot way up (for no apparent reason). To make matters worse, he went back on insulin and it didn’t help. His endocrinologist and I were completely perplexed. We decided to try some other methods of testing and discovered three different kinds of parasites in his liver. Note that the mainstream medical model does not have a definitive test for parasites. The endocrinologist wanted to give him some anti-parasitic medication (usual medical treatment) for two weeks to “clear it up.” I knew this wouldn’t take care of the situation – all of the eggs have to be destroyed and this usually takes 3-4 months (for any parasite). The endocrinologist agreed to give him her medication for the two weeks and then to continue on with my special protocol. It did take four months to totally clear this young man of the parasites. His mother later said that she thought he probably picked up the parasites when he was a young boy playing in dirty water near their property. I subsequently found out that at least 30% of juvenile diabetes is caused by parasitic invasion. Typically, when this is the case, there is no history of diabetes in the family.

Mold in our living environments can be another problematic agent affecting our biological pathways. A small boy was brought to me with recurring ear infections. When I discovered that his grandmother always developed sinus problems as soon as she walked in her grandson’s house, I put two and two together. There was a heavy mold infiltration that was causing these problems. It was in the duct system which heated and cooled the house. It is far more prevalent to use the duct system in the U.S. than in Europe. And since you can’t readily see the mold tucked back in your heating/cooling system, most people have no idea it could be a real health hazard.

Another factor in these disease pathways is your genetic predisposition. What did you inherit that may cause you to be more susceptible to certain influences? For instance, people in one particular “gene pool” are more susceptible to chemicals, metals, EMF’s, and molds. By and large these people tend to accumulate the residue toxins in their systems and don’t have the ability to detoxify them. They are “sitting ducks” for a disease process to jump in. This same gene pool group of people are especially drawn to gluten and dairy. They will tell you that they LOVE pizza or macaroni and cheese or they cannot think of life without milk, cheese and bread in some form.

I am always looking for products that will help in the disease pathways. Sometimes it takes a large number of them to work on the many factors or agents involved. This can be a costly process. I am constantly researching and looking for products that work on a number of levels. I have recently discovered an extraordinary mineral supplement that is the closest that I have found to a “one-stop-shop” product. It detoxifies and repairs AT THE SAME TIME. Given enough time it seems to have the ability to help most of the disease pathways. It REVERSES AGING from the inside out, which makes my job easier and is less costly to patients. My mother is particularly delighted with this product because, along with other health benefits, her hair has gone from gray back to its natural color.

One of my concerns in the future is the availability of products such as the one I just described. Natural supplements are in serious jeopardy of being over regulated in both Europe and the U.S. I recently heard that England is considering requiring a prescription to take garlic. I can see a chefs’ uprising over that one! England is also trying to close the doors on homeopathy which has been the medicine of the royal family (and multitudes of citizens) since the 1800’s. A few years back a bill was nearly passed by the European Union (EU) that would have allowed government agents to enter any natural food store and remove products at will. Through a massive last minute effort, the bill did not pass. However, the struggle goes on and the government is eroding the natural supplement industry by regulating as much as it can.

The U.S. similarly had a close call just a month ago with Senate Bill S.3002. It would have allowed the government to control many of our supplements. Fortunately, it did not pass. There are other ways, however, that the industry is slowly being undermined. Smaller natural supplement companies are being bought out by larger corporations, some that make chemicals or drugs. Are the larger corporations going to keep the integrity of the original company? In most cases, probably not. Where are the small independent stores like Daisy’s Deli/Health Food Shop in Great Falls, MT? Knowledgeable staff will direct you to appropriate supplements and organic food is served to nurture body and soul. Keep up the good work, Marilyn!

I wonder and am continually amazed at the FDA actions and inactions in the U.S. For instance, the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) that you find on most supplement labeling has not been changed in years. Considering the different stresses we have now that we didn’t have even 50 years ago, the demand is not meeting our needs. The RDA levels in my opinion are far below what is even needed for a baby. The FDA also approves some startlingly scary measures. Case in point, please Google, “FDA approves viruses for processed meats.” Basically, it is putting viruses on processed meats to kill a particular strain of bacteria. I think that is opening a can of worms! How can this kind of thing happen? It seems to happen all the time right under our noses. And we wonder why we have such a sick nation.

So where is health care heading? A national health care system has been in place in Great Britain for many years. For a lot of the years it worked relatively well. Everyone put into the “pot,” so to speak, from their wages. Everyone was covered and no one denied. However, the system is now collapsing. There are simply too many people to service and not enough funds. Most people experience a long waiting time for any kind of procedure or surgery. Many are turning to private pay doctors. One man needed a procedure to help with a collapsing spine condition. He was literally forced to see a private physician, or his spine would have collapsed in waiting for national health care. Hospitals are also subcontracting independent cleaning companies to cut down on expenses. This has compromised hygiene conditions in the place it is needed the most.

I wish I had a crystal ball for our current health care reform bill in the U.S. I wonder where the funds are coming from to foot the bill. I wonder what the “loopholes” are.

I wonder what we are NOT being told. I wonder if everyone truly will be covered. I wonder if it will end up like Great Britain.

I’d like to end with the story of Jordan, a little boy I treated in England. When I first heard about Jordan, he was 9 years old. He had leukemia and had “lived” in a hospital bed or home bed for the last 4 years. He was barely alive and not expected to live much longer. I told his mother that I would do my best but that I didn’t know whether I could help him live longer or perhaps die more peacefully. I asked his mother what he was dying of and she said “aspergillus.” I nearly fell over. Aspergillus is a fungus and thrives on antibiotics and steroids, which of course, he was being given in abundance. I told his mother to have the courage to confront the oncologist and tell him that a different approach was going to be implemented and that she needed his cooperation. Amazingly, he agreed. I had a photon machine brought in that helped his cells communicate. I also had him take certain supplements to deal with the fungus and asked the doctor/nurses to back off on the other medications. In 3 days Jordan was up and playing at his computer. Everyone was truly amazed. It took about 8 months to “rebuild and repair” Jordan’s body and for him to walk again. He started school for the first time and was the happiest little boy you ever saw.

By telling this story I am not trying to slam the British medical system. The oncologist was surprisingly lenient and the nurses were very nurturing and compliant to the new regimen. I do want to point out that they were all doing the best within the framework of the British medical model of disease. No one thought to treat the aspergillus. No one thought about the connection between antibiotics, steroids and the fungus. This is “boxed-in” thinking. And this is where the pathways of disease come in. What was the most critical and life threatening factor affecting the pathways at that moment? The fungus. Once treated I could then start working on detoxifying, building and repairing Jordan’s whole system. We must start looking at the whole person and the origin of diseases. It is the fastest and surest way back to health.

For more information about Dr. Myrie, please contact 406-590-2223.