Alternative Medicine - Research Paper

In the world of Science Fiction there are many ideas, many of them stretch the imagination to its limits. Among these concepts is the theory of microbiology. Let the reader consider the possibility of using virus and microbes to cure the body of ailments such as cancer or disease, perhaps even further bolster the human immune system. Is any of this possible? Perhaps it could be and perhaps not.

The first question should be: Are microbes capable of being helpful? Everyone who watches television or reads a newspaper or magazine has heard about harmful bacteria. From this the general public could take this as meaning that all bacteria are harmful. If anyone still believe this, then it should be pointed out that this is an incorrect assumption. This is not to say that it is not an understandable judgment. Contrary to popular belief most of the bacteria that lives in your body is not harmful, as this paper will clearly point out. The purpose of this paper is to provide information that the reader might not have for whatever the reason, so why does one ask the question: are microbes capable of being helpful? This answer is as follows: Human beings like so many other organisms already have forged symbiotic relationships with a number of microbes.

Day in and day out each of them clean, kill other microbes, and even help out in basic biological functions. A definition of this relationship is called synergism: a relationship where organisms can accomplish together what they couldn't do alone. (Microbiology pg. 172 4^th edition) Even if you could destroy all of the microbes inside the human body that would have an undesirable effect as those helpful microbes would no longer exist. Whatever they did is now not being carried out, and the body now must suffer for it.

What would be a couple examples of microbes that help the human body? Escherichia coli - a microbe that lives and helps in your digestive system. Streptomyces - a bacteria in the soil that makes an antibiotic used to treat infections. (Microbe World)

"There is evidence that microbes living in the body provide a constant source of irritants and antigens to stimulate the immune system."(Microbiology 4^th edition pg. 177)

These are but a few examples of those helpful microbes. Each microbe performs a separate job, each has a task it performs. As a whole each makes the human body's job a little easier. Looking at this little bit of information one can understand that microbes can be helpful, perhaps even form enemies. What about HIV or some other type of virus? Can they help the body?

To answer that question here is a definition called Virotherapy. Virotherapy: Treatment using a virus changed in a lab to find and destroy cancer cells without harming the patient.

(National Cancer Ins.)

Just think about it. For decades now viewers, and readers, and family members of Cancer patients have witnessed its ill effects. With HIV scientists are selectively kill off Cancer cell. Perhaps one day it will be common practice and radiation therapy will be a thing of the past. No longer will patients have to suffer for Cancer or Chemo therapy itself.

One internet article clearly shows the potential in this: In February, researchers at UCLA announced a clash of the titans, biochemically speaking: They turned one of the great scourges of humankind-HIV-into a hunter of another: cancer. In tests on mice afflicted with metastatic melanoma, a modified strain of HIV invaded cancer cells without infecting the rodents with AIDS. Around the same time, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, announced similar results after engineering the measles virus to seek and destroy cancerous tumors while leaving healthy tissue unscathed. (Biotechnology)

As it seems microorganisms that still cause great fear in human society can actually bring human kind some hope in defeating some afflictions already. Think of what could happen given time or a brilliant mind or minds. What if the nature of certain microorganisms could change, just as they did in that lab in UCLA? What if they took a more active part in the body's defense?

Consider the idea of not just focusing on programming a microorganism to attack cancer, but to go even further and act as an additional safeguard. To better explain think of your own immune system. Anyone who has ever heard of a transplant patient knows that sometimes the new organ is rejected. Now what does this mean? Why does your body not accept this new body part? The answer is simple: it recognizes it as something foreign and tries to destroy it to protect the body. It doesn't matter that your body as a whole might have needed that new organ. Your body only sees a threat and moves to react.

How is this important? If on the genetic level scientists could alter your cells to accept the new organ without risk to the body, would anyone doubt that they would make the attempt? Of course they would but human beings only have one immune system, but what if they had more? In science fiction there is talk of nano technology and its benefits. Thousands of tiny machines repairing the body before shutting off or moving on to the next trouble spot would be awe inspiring if someone stopped to think about it. The trouble is that technology is very far off, why not in the mean time try using microorganisms which mutate very quickly.

"Since viruses have such high mutation and reproductive rates, they can adapt to changing environments quite well. Indeed, since the only way they can reproduce is by infecting a cell they must be able to evolve faster the their hosts cells. If not, then the host cells would adapt/evolve to where a virus would no longer be able to infect. Cells change to fight of these viruses, and the viruses must always stay ahead of the evolution game. They are very, very good at this." One online article labeled Viruses, Vaccines, and Evolution of Influenza explains.

Since virus and bacteria are designed to mutate so quickly then by that same argument those particular organisms would be better able to adapt to new intruders if one problem were removed: attacking the human body instead. If this threat could be removed they could act as helper agents to the human body. Instead of fighting through one line of defense, intruders would have to make it through the helpers as well, which would at least make a second barrier doubling the odds of destroying the intruder before it started causing trouble.

The great part about it is, instead of reproducing using the human body as a host the defenders will use the invaders to reproduce. All of this would develop a symbiotic relationship between these once foreign organisms and the body, so long as the body's immune system didn't attack them either. The balance by use of artificial means would make this process more difficult, but what if it was natural or at the very least introduced at an early age when the immune system was still forming? Should the body recognize the invaders as part of the body's initial defenses, it would be theoretically less likely that the new defenders would be attacked and could reproduce freely.

How could such a thing happen? Well it seems there at least two ways: first is introducing at a young age as already mentioned, and hoping that everything will work out. The second is by a natural mutation or genetic engineering.

While the first is possible, the drawbacks are far more clear: first the formerly harmful microbes will be alive which means that is always a possibility like with any cure or vaccine that something will go wrong. A number of parents would most likely not want to risk their own children while testing things out. The idea of putting an infectious virus or bacteria inside one's body would probably worry just about anyone, risking a child might smack as unethical. This should be pointed out so one can consider the negatives of both courses. The second course, which would be changing the host genetics so that it and the new defenders get along seems a safer course, but there is also a problem with that: perhaps science hasn't gotten far enough to make that totally viable yet. This is not to say that it is totally impossible. Throughout the history of the human race as a whole, there are mutations. Of course viruses again could provide another answer to this problem: Viral delivery is the most common method for inserting genes into cells. This begs the question: if one virus could properly do the job of changing the immune system, could the human race make this seemingly impossible jump?

Even without genetic engineering mutation shouldn't be totally discounted as a helpful; factor, if not a driving force. Medical science has shown that humans mutate, and acclimate in order to survive in an ever changing environment. Long ago the human race had wisdom teeth used to help crack nuts and other sources of food in Earth's early history. Whether one believes in The Theory of Evolution or not, neither side disputes this important fact. It serves as an example that humans can change in order to better adapt, the immune system does this on a regular basis in its war against the bodies intruders. With a little help it could win the war. Is such a mutation impossible? This writer would say it's unlikely given what has been seen thus far in the research phase of this paper.

Throughout human history some people have gained wonderous immunities and adaptions. In one College of the Desert class called Conservation Of Resources, students can see a video talking about a group of prostitutes in Africa have shown an immunity against the HIV virus. Apparently the virus has trouble not only attacking their cells, but those same cells can actually kill it on their own. This is in a continent known for the spread of viruses of disease. With the spread of DNA across a region city or even country many people have enjoyed the benefits of immunities, perhaps previously undocumented like this. Research has also shown that radiation can also affect mutation: Changes within the chemical structure of single genes may be induced by exposure to radiation, temperature extremes, and certain chemicals. (About.com: Mutation) Albedo: which represents the amount of radiation reflects off the atmosphere. (Air Composition and chemistry pg.7) Since the subject of the depletion of the ozone layer has been brought up, it could be argued that the increase in radiation could race the likely hood of mutation, not just in genes but perhaps in the microbe world as well. Mutation has its benefits and drawbacks, but if the right one comes along, perhaps one day humans might enjoy a more integrative immune system before medical science comes up with their own answers.

Works Cited

Gwendolyn R. W. Burton and Paul G. Engelkirk. Microbiology for the Health Sciences. Philadelphia: PA 4th edition 1998.

Peter Brimblecombe. Air composition & chemistry. New York: NY 2^nd edition 1996.

Gwendolyn R.W. Burton and Paul G. Engelkirk. Microbiology for the Health Sciences.

Philadelphia: PA 7th edition 2004.

National Cancer Institute. Virotherapy.

http://www.cancer.gov/dictionary/?searchTxt=virotherapy

Joshua Tomkins. Biotechnology Can A Virus Kill Cancer? April 20, 2005 5:35pm

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2005-04/biotechnologycan-virus-kill-cancer

UCLA College of Letters and Science.Viruses, Vaccines, and Evolution of Influenza

http://www.college.ucla.edu/webproject/micro12/m12webnotes/viralevolution.htm

Mark Cichocki, R.N. Mutation. Jan 6, 2007. Reviewed by Susan Olender, MD.

http://aids.about.com/od/hivaidsletterm/g/mutantdef.htm

Southern Kings Consolidated School. Microbe World. Prince Edward Island, Canada.

http://www.edu.pe.ca/southernkings/microhelpful.htm