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Published by The Arthritis Trust of America

Summer 1998

Dedicated to Eradicating Rheumatoid Disease From the Earth

The Arthritis Trust

Dedicated to Eradicating Rheumatoid Disease From the Earth

The Arthritis Trust

STEROLS/STEROLINS:

THE NATURAL, NONTOXIC IMMUNO-MODULATORS AND

THEIR ROLE IN THE CONTROL OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Prof. Patrick JD Bouic, Chief Specialist Scientist, Head: Immu-

nology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Tygerberg Hos-

pital/University of Stellenbosch, Faculty of Medicine, P.O. Box

19063, 7505 Tygerberg, South Africa.

INTRODUCTION:

It is a well known fact that all auto-immune diseases, of which

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) forms a large portion, are the result of

the malfunction of the body’s immune system which is activated

by an unknown agent to attack and destroy the host’s tissues.

Many reasons for the dysfunction of the immune system have been

postulated by medical researchers, but the standard approach to

the treatment of such patients has been to suppress the immune

response with immunosuppressive drugs, notwithstanding their

many damaging side effects. Other treatments offered are merely

palliative and designed to relieve pain and symptoms linked to the

inflammatory process.

Recent research conducted on the sterols and sterolins (plant fats)

by our group at Tygerberg Hospital/University of Stellenbosch

Medical Faculty and published in the International Journal of

Immunopharmacology, is providing an entirely new medical

approach to the treatment of auto-immune diseases and other

chronic diseases which only manifest themselves when the im-

mune system of afflicted individuals is at cause. International

medical and scientific interest in this breakthrough has been

overwhelming and a number of clinical trials using sterols and

sterolins for various conditions are far progressed and more are

planned in the near future.

With the millions of people suffering from RA and other

auto-immune diseases in mind, any new information coming to

light will be published at the earliest opportunity.

The following is a summary of how the immune system functions

under a normal response and how during a pathological process,

the same system can cause the tissue damage seen in various diseases. A normal healthy immune system relies on:

• B cells: these produce antibodies (proteins) which destroy invading pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and other foreign

proteins before they have entered the cells of the host.

• T cells are the cells which control and regulate the immune response.

These are divided into either CD4 positive (or also called the T-helper cell) or, CD8 positive (or called the T suppressor or cytotoxic cell).

To complicate the matter, there have been 2 types of T helper cells described. The so-called T

CD4 cells which produce IL2 (Interleukin 2)

and Gamma Interferon (IFN-

) and the T

CD4 cells release IL4, IL6 and IL10 which enhance the activity of B cells to produce antibodies.

In fact, it is known that should the activity of T

CD4 cells be defective, many chronic diseases typified by an over-activity of antibody production

ensue.

On the other hand, the CD8 positive cells are activated by the T

lymphokines to become killer/cytotoxic cells in that they kill the host cells which

harbor the pathogen: this is an escape mechanism utilized by certain organisms in an attempt to evade the initial response mounted by the antibodies

produced by the B cells. This is due to the fact that, once inside the host cell, the pathogens are inaccessible to the action of antibodies. Hence,

the cellular mechanism typified by the CD8 T cells evolved as a result of this escape mechanism employed by the pathogens in question.

The immune system is finely tuned to adapt to changes which can be induced either when a virus or bacterium invades the host or to recognize

changes that are associated with the development of malignant characteristics. It therefore stands to reason that when the T

arm of the T cells

(continued on page 2)

Paul A. Goldberg, M.P.H., D.C.

ARTHRITIS/RHEUMATISM:

THE FORGOTTEN PATIENTS

The Rheumatic Disease Patient in the Doctors Office

By Paul A. Goldberg, M.P.H., D.C.

PART TWO (of 4 parts)

Contrary to the current pattern in doctors’ offices of seeing the

patient on an ongoing lifetime basis to try to control symptoms, the

ethical and well versed doctors goal should be to restore the patient to

good health. I dislike the idea that patients should become “life-long

patients” if that means receiving palliative care for an indefinite pe-

riod of time. It should be our goal to help patients return to good

health and have the knowledge to stay

in good health without becoming doc-

tor dependent. This can be a challenge

with the Rheumatic Disease Patient.

The R.D.(Rheumatic Disease) pa-

tient has often been to numerous of-

fices. Their history generally reveals

they have been to the General Medical

Physician, the Internist, the Medical

Rheumatologist, one or more Doctors

of Chiropractic, and a few assorted oth-

ers such as “nutritionists” (a term with

no legal standing), naturopaths,

iridologists, massage therapists, etc.

They generally, report that their doc-

tor shopping has revealed little more

than a litany of bills, despair, and hope-

lessness.

Taking a good history of drug usage is important. Generally, the

longer the patient has been ill, and the more drugs that have been

taken, the more difficult will be the patients return to health. Use of

corticosteroids, gold shots, N.S.A.I.D.’s [non-steroidal anti-inflamma-

tory drugs], etc, increase intestinal permeability and perpetuate R.D.

NSAID’S have a full spectrum of potential toxic effects directed to

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