86 Comments
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Matthew Alfs's avatar

As a botanical-medicine clinician who works with folks afflicted with tick-transmitted infections, I can't tell you how thrilled I was to see this study! Thank you so very, VERY much, Nic!

Your Substack newsletter has been my favorite among the many to which I subscribe and I frequently link your fine research on my clinic Facebook page. (Your previous reference to the study showing colostrum is superior to the flu shot was priceless--life-saving, to be sure--just like your present post.) Keep up the fantastic work!

Linda Olson's avatar

I must have missed that reference of colostrum to the flu shot! Awesome

Proberta's avatar

Thank you so much for this valuable information!

There's a reason acupuncture has been used for centuries, because it works!

Jim Dandy's avatar

If only we had the first idea of how or why, and a consistent way to identify the different schools and practices of acupuncture.

It clearly has an effect. Unfortunately it's like chiropractors and practitioners and effects at hit and miss.

If only there were private accreditation firms, instead of government enforced monopolies.

Proberta's avatar

Its the same thing with medical doctors. You don't know if your doctor graduated 400th out of his class of 400!

I tried three chiropractors until I found my right one, and he aligned my spine, put it back where its meant to be, and I feel like I did when I was in high school!

Jim Dandy's avatar

Indeed. Doctors I find to be completely worthless outside of acute emergencies.

Harry Mathis's avatar

I was a sceptic about acupuncture until several years our dachshund started having back problems. A neighbor suggested acupuncture and we found a vet acupuncture practitioner in St Petersburg, FL, and got an appointment. After one treatment, when we came home, our dog ran to the front door leaped up over the threshold and ran around like he did as a puppy. Unfortunately, as the vet told us, the treatment wore off after a couple of weeks.

Jim Dandy's avatar

That's awesome. I really do need to remember them as an option should the need arise.

I do have a vet that's starting to learn, so practiced for free on my dog after another get have her pancreatitis after a dental exam and tooth extraction. I think it helped, but she was already in the mend and it wasn't the only treatment, we gave the dog, so it's hard to pinpoint what helped the most.

Alice Hesselrode's avatar

Great information! I became curious about acupunture when my mother has gall stone surgery and the forward thinking hospital told her she could have medication for pain or acupunture. She said it was amazing." They put needles in my shin and took away pain in my gut." When I moved to a cold damp climate and developed sinus problem I was continuously on antibiotics. I knew that was not a good route. So I found an acupunturist. Needles in the face, needles in the back and some powder that was lit on fire. About six treatments over six weeks. That was 40 years ago. Never had a problem again. How does it work? Energy lines that run through our body? I am not so concerned about how it works. There is so much in the world I don't understand. Older cultures, ancient wisdom, certainly worth looking into.

Patrick Frank's avatar

Touching the exterior of a vial of al-Gal allergen is very unlikely to transmit any material information to the body of the toucher.

So, absent any material transmission of information, how does a portion of the ear become reactive? And why the ear?

I'm not one to dispute the evidence of case studies, but am not disposed to accept magic.

Nic Hulscher offered no plausible mechanism of action.

Perhaps there's some sort of psychosomatic transition following the acupuncture that attenuates the allergic response. Maybe a bit of metal oxide dissolves into the plasma off the acupuncture needle, over its 3 weeks of residence, that somehow modifies the allergic response.

It'd be nice if there were some sort of objective before/after test showing a physical change, e.g., in some immunoglobulin titer, preceding the perceived loss of allergy to mammalian food products.

Roger's avatar

Why do you say Ouch when someone steps on your toe? The whole body is connected. We are not biochemical meat machines.

Patrick Frank's avatar

That answer doesn't provide any factual information or resolve any of the questions.

Roger's avatar

You are trying to find mechanistic paradigm answers to questions about living bodies that are more than just biochemical meat machines. The mechanisms for how these things work is not necessarily biochemical. And what is most important is not HOW it works but if it works. If it can be shown effective a large percentage of the time that is what counts.

Patrick Frank's avatar

Metabolic and biophysical responses are not driven by the ineffable.

If something evokes a physical response, it's good to know how it does so. Perhaps you don't care. I do care. We'll have to leave it at that.

sandy's avatar

Everything emits energy, I hear. Maybe the mechanism has something to do with energy emitted by the vile contents. It would be nice to hear a scientific explanation for why this treatment seems to work.

Patrick Frank's avatar

Agreed, Sandy. However, types of meso-scopic energy are potential energy, radiation, or kinetic (heat energy). That list exhausts the sorts of energy the vial and its contents might have.

If a spot on one's ear lights up when touching a vial containing al-Gal antigen, does it also light up touching a vial of water, or maybe of Jack-Daniels single barrel?

Does it matter if the patient doesn't know what's in the vial? Or thinks that it contains al-Gal antigen when instead it's J-D's whiskey?

I'm not being a contrarian. Or trying to cause discomfort.

These are legitimate questions. Something good may be happening. But what and how?

Jenni Dall's avatar

I sympathize with your questions. I too like it when I can fit a phenomenon into known theoretical paradigms, and it helps me remember to try a treatment I might otherwise pass over. OTOH, there is more in heaven and earth than you or I can imagine, Horatio. (Joe Rogan had an astrophysicist on his show recently who talked about the strangeness of cutting edge physics; and another who studies pre-cognition - fascinating!. But I digress...). Don't you think you over-stated your case in claiming your list of meso-scopic energy is exhaustive? How do you know? Is it ever possible to prove something doesn't exist?! Possibly we can prove something like there is no prime number more than three but less than five. But something in the complex natural world? I think not.

Patrick Frank's avatar

You're right, Jenni, that an explanation from knowledge is preferable. There is indeed, much we don't know.

The problem with the topic at hand is that the information is ambiguous. I've followed out the trail of the references in the study Nic Hulscher reported. There are many papers exploring the SAAT response. Even using fMRI.

At this stage, it is hard to know whether they're chasing causality or association. I suspect the researchers don't know yet, either.

As to energy, all the SAAT papers discuss their results in terms of electrical energy fields. That puts it squarely in the realm of radiative energy; one of the three sorts I mentioned.

In that light. one is hard-pressed to know how low-intensity radiant energy can transfer biological information across a vial-cap.

Physics has been weird ever since Quantum Mechanics and Relativistic contraction came onto the scene in the opening years of the 20th century. Lots of physicists have lots of weird ideas, such as the universe is a simulation and consciousness is a quantum phase-state. I see such ideas as entertaining bogosity.

A fact explaining much is that IQ is inherited independently of personality-type. Being intelligent does not prevent one from being a bit fringe. So smart, well-educated people can entertain peculiar ideas and theories suited to the peculiarities of their personality.

Science is uniquely valuable in part because it's the only way one can separate the physically worthwhile wheat from the widespread chaff of peculiar ideas.

Eric's avatar

Perhaps holding the vial is not part with physiological efficacy. It primes the mind to not react. The needle may, somehow, lower the threshold of histamine release and allergic reaction. The allergic reaction could happen if the mind allows it. Re-introduction of the allergen, may happen in a more standard (measurable) manner.

Consider how Wim Hoff (the Ice Man) used his breathing to stop an immune response (fever) and he taught others to do it. I don't remember the source of this.

Patrick Frank's avatar

Carbohydrates (al-Gal antigen) are typically crystalline solids. They have extremely low vapor pressure at room temperature.

We detect odors biophysically. Lots to study there, but the general mechanism is understood.

There's no point letting a conversation upset one. You're free to believe as you like. I'm free to ask after evidence.

To each, his own.

Breezie's avatar

I disagree. People w/ severe nut or gluten allergies don't even have to touch them to have a reaction.

Why do people sneeze after someone else sneezes?

Why do women who live w/ other women have their cycles sync?

Just because we don't understand it, doesn't mean it isn't true.

Rustam's avatar

I assume whatever real/measurable effect happened, would also happen if the labelled bottle were empty, or contained water or whatever. Clearly the brain must be somehow involved, as the link in the middle, in whatever is going on there, one way or another.

Chris's avatar

Its not magic ; homeopathic theory explains a bit of it ie vibrational being stronger then physical in some ways ie light and sound and frequency transferring thru not just crystal well proven scientifically ie radio waves etc but water,especially if frozen and crystaline and some types of glass ,especially darkened ones might include crystals...so a liquid could transfer its imprint thru crystal by clear science ; gets dubious and iffy w glass,

Reminds me of an experiment where biolab concoctions were transferred thru crystal to point they were measurable in crystal glass next to it; search study where pathogens transfered thru crystal glass wall..if you find it please reply w site or link; I'll do same if I find it..crystal balls ,crystal wands lore wasn't all false nor all occultic spirit transferring , channeling;energy portaling and ghost particle theory while quite scientific proves principles of voodoo are quite real ie what happens to this atom effectsxsane atom miles away if split or of same previous collection of atoms bound energetically ie Einstein / Bohr-- woo woo!!!

Patrick Frank's avatar

I searched Google Scholar for "pathogens transfered thru crystal glass wall," and didn't find anything.

Jenni Dall's avatar

Hey Chris, I'm interested in what you're saying, cuz I've been trying to find out what to think about homeopathy (which has never worked on me the few times it was tried; yet it seems to for many people) beyond all the politicized hubris (on both sides).

I bought a book of pretty pictures by Dr Emo, but it doesn't really tell me much.

One thing though: no need to patronize Patrick, who as far as I can see is just engaged in legitimate respectful enquiry.

Patrick Frank's avatar

Thank-you Jenni. No need. :-)

Chris's avatar

I too have had only mild success w homeopathics yet some claim fantastical cures; much of this field hidden as tells too much of the spiritual story they hide as they want to rule us w advantages, crystals are very powerful in many of their forms and retain info and energy to focus as we know from rafios and computers; confusing those particulars is part of their game ,many patents allowed to obscure for this cause even though technically illegal..some patents out of public view or simply denied and inventors ordered to shut up or else by the hundreds ie not just the car that runs on water... haha! And yes I reviewed my quip w what's his name and it wasn't as clever nor funny as I was going for,thnx for proper scolding,humbly and respectfully yours,Chris.

Kathleen Taylor's avatar

Are you trying to prove acupuncture doesn't really work or do you want to get better?

Patrick Frank's avatar

I just want to know what's going on.

Touching a vial doesn't seem to be a good way to obtain knowledge of the contents. So, I expressed rational puzzlement. That's all.

letterwriter's avatar

Well, it's all about the initial possibility of information transmission, right? There are possibly ways that "information" is transmitted which might even be implicated in allergic responses. For example, living tissue gives off very faint luminescence--put another way, living tissue emits very faint pulses of energy on the visible or not visible spectrum. Recently dead animals do, too--of course their tissues are probably still alive even if their main animating force is either gone, or disorganized. So now that we know that tissue emits energy very faintly, we can think about all the ways our own tissues receive or intercept amd then have the opportunity to interpret, energy as it crosses the space through which we move. Then we can think about all the ways our individual organs and therefore the cells and the interstices between cells, which together comprise those organs, sense various types of energy, and then after that we can speculate about what sorts of energy might possibly make it across that sort of small physical barrier.

Then we could wonder about whether any of that energy or the patterns in the energy as it's given off, might be something that our immune system "sees" and which seeing aids in recognizing this vs that interloping molecule.

There are all sorts of ways we recognize the world around us. Smell is another one. How many molecules are necessary to recognize an odor? How many can make it through a vial's lid, or stopper, or was it even covered?

There are all sorts of plausible avenues to explore, without even needing any investigation of new areas of science. But the cellular emission of photons would be a fruitful new avenue, if it came down to it. We really do not know what lower limits our bodies are capable of. Although with the reports of uncanny perception that crop up from time to time, I bet our senses are rather more capable than we believe. That is after all the most plausible explanation for some sorts of "magic" trick.

Patrick Frank's avatar

A friend of mine is a condensed matter physicist. He and his collaborators are presently doing experiments monitoring the "biophotons" that germinating seeds emit, such as lentils.

The biophotons are in the visible spectrum. The intensity is *extremely* weak. They had to build a special chamber and a high-efficiency detector to do the work. Those photons would never make it through the walls of a vial.or a vial-cap.

There are also internal metabolic processes that emit light. Also very weak. Our bodies emit is long-wave electromagnetic radiation that we sense as heat - far infra-red. But that energy won't pass through a vial-cap either, except by the slow process of conduction.

The al-Gal antigen is not living. It's a fairly simple carbohydrate. It can be probed or experimented upon, but it cannot communicate anything.

You raise many issues, but speculation alone gets nowhere.

Whatever the mechanism, the whole process seems mysterious. One thing for sure, it's not magic or the outcome of some ineffable force.

letterwriter's avatar

Yes well you're conflating the detector that they needed to build to do the work of monitoring, with what responses our cells might be capable of making to environmental conditions. You should restack this reply too. You probably think you can make hay out of it, by inappropriately contracting this part of your attention apparatus and inappropriately expanding that part of your assumption mechanism.

I went on to say something about scent, did you notice? Do you think all hard materials are totally impermeable? What a surprise the laundry detergent aisle must be for you every time you go down it.

It's not our jobs to throw stuff up for you to pretend you can shoot down. Go amuse yourself somewhere else. You aren't capable of understanding how to use speculation to examine the unknown for possibilities.

Patrick Frank's avatar

I'm not conflating the detector with anything. The story was meant to convey the extremely weak intensity of biophotons. No weak intensity photons can make it out of the vial.

Further, alpha-Gal antigen is a carbohydrate. it is not alive. It has no spontaneous emission, except IR in equilibrium with its thermal environment.

I did notice your mention of scent. Detection of odor is biophysical, and while there is much to study, the general mechanism is known. Nothing about sensing odor supports a vial-to-finger transmission of knowledge.

You can engage in conversation as you like. So, can I do. If you're not of a mind to reply to my comments here, then don't reply.

Teddy21btc's avatar

How does the patient touching the label of a bottle make a difference?

Ionedery2's avatar

That's a strange cure that makes me want to know more, like how and why it works. There's a lot we don't know yet about the incredible biology and systems that give us life.

Joy Lucette Garner's avatar

Everything is energy/vibration/frequency!!!

Future: All disease will/should be treated with light and frequency.

Chris's avatar

The success rate is too high to be believed; there should be accompanying theory as to why so high,please add soon; further acupuncture is notorious for short relief at high percent ie means little till past 30-60 days results...we need much more info..irresponsible at current level of short info

eileen's avatar

How do we know that these symptoms that are being diagnosed as tick bites are not really adverse events from the vaxcines?? Sasha Latypova sent an excellent report and she did not believe for a minute the psyop ?? about Ticks.

Chris's avatar

Sasha supports too high a percentage of their preferred narratives even though a minority ya know ie sus! Tics being used for funky goes way back multi sources,caused..ie blood connection ,hello!?why wouldn't they is a better question..

Neil Pryke's avatar

Now I've heard everything...

Victor's avatar

There's hope for those who are not plant-free, carnivores. You don't have to worry about Alpha-Gal if you don't eat plants, which are all poisonous.

Thomas A Braun RPh's avatar

What is the root cause of this and how do we stop it?

Rick Zammuto's avatar

Get B. Gates into prison where he has belonged for decades after stealing and selling the Microsoft program for $B's, which should have been enough to put him in prison. Still runs a fake "charity" that breaks charity laws everyday for decades. Runs the WHO mafia by inventing and distributing bio-weapons that has led to the murder of millions.

Harold L. Barlett's avatar

Great! I hope this is true. However, I think the instigator of this mess (crime), Bill Gates, should be arrested and charged with crimes against humanity for financing the research that led to the release of the ticks which cause this allergy. He thinks he has the right to spend his billions on projects which he views as fighting global warming and the demise of the human race. He clearly does not have the right to do things which harm people in any way whatsoever. His God complex and money need to be reined in!

Integrity and Karma's avatar

I grew up in East Lyme, CT ( Plum Island, anyone?) and have had a red meat allergy for almost 4 decades. I live in a rural part of the country, but will look into finding a practitioner within a couple hours of where I live.

Thank you for sharing this!!

Kathy Benz's avatar

I am an energy practitioner. This method is similar to those I use for other allergens. While the patient holds the vial, we touch the pineal gland reflex point, correct it using energy techniques, correct allergy, poison, toxin and lock in the procedure. It may take two or three sessions of this but should cancel the allergen. Thus the allergen no longer exists in the body.

Bobby's avatar

Well, this sounds great and I try to keep an open mind. But you know what they say...if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Of course, with all the alpha-gal increasing, if this works we will definitely hear more...but not from trad media.