Contents in this issue:
- “Synthetic Foods vs. Natural,”
- “Dextrorotary Lactic Acid in Psoriasis,” by H. Vogel,
- “Germs Not a Cause of Disease.”
The following is a transcription of the April 1963 issue of Dr. Royal Lee’s Applied Trophology newsletter, originally published by Standard Process Laboratories.
Synthetic Foods vs. Natural
Quoted from Britannica Book of the Year 1958:
“Two young Chinese physicists…shared the (1958 Nobel) prize in physics…received the award for their work challenging and overthrowing a law of nature that had been accepted since its formulation some 30 years earlier, the law of conservation of parity.”
Also, from this same book, “Pictorial of Science and Engineering,” on p. 215:
“Further proof of the fragility of accepted theory came from Columbia University in 1956: For years it had been assumed that there was no real distinction between an object and its mirror image. In any chemical or physical experiment, only convention shows the difference between right and left or north and south poles of a magnet…Experiments proved that the emission (of beta particles from atomic nuclei) was definitely left-sided. The nuclear spin was to the right and the law of parity in the field of weak interactions was dead.
“What this means to the theoretical physicist is still to be determined. But one philosophical implication may be drawn, that the seemingly self-evident laws of nature so far discovered are not universals. Even such principles as the conservation of energy must be carefully reexamined and their validity checked by ever increasingly accurate observation and experiment.”
These quotations show how little understood is the meaning of momentous discoveries. Here, the long-accepted doctrine of chemists, that right- and left-handed molecules were chemically identical in reactive potential, and in physical properties, has been shown to be untrue.
Practically, this means that synthetic organic substances are now proven to be different from naturally occurring counterparts. Synthetic vitamins have been shown to be quite different in their effects from the natural, and here we find the reason. There is, of course, a different effect between natural and synthetic based on the fact that all natural products are complexes, while synthetics are chemically pure like a highly refined purified natural substance. This refinement alone removes it from the category of wholesome food. By this reasoning, no synthetic substance, however identical with a natural, could ever be considered wholesome.
In dealing with right- and left-handed molecules, the case of lactic acid is interesting. Both right- and left-handed lactic acid is produced in nature by different organisms that ferment milk. But only the d-lactic acid is wholesome. The l-form is toxic and has caused death to babies when used in milk formulas by mistake.
Consider this item from “The Kinds of Lactic Acid Produced by Lactic Acid Bacteria” in The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 1906–07, Vol. 2, pages 603–612: There is a lack of agreement from the results of experiments of various workers on the kind of lactic acid formed in milk that has undergone natural souring. The author seeks to ascertain the causes of these discrepancies with the following results:
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- Milk naturally soured at room temperature contains chiefly d-acid. Milk soured at 37°C contains chiefly r-acid with l-acid in excess if allowed to stand several days.
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- Streptococcus lacticus and Str. pyogenes produce the same kind of lactic acid, i.e. d-acid. B. aerogenes from milk (B. acidi lactici) and the ordinary laboratory strain of B. (lactis) aerogenes (Escherich) produce the same kind of lactic acid, i.e. l-acid.
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- The lactic acid produced in naturally soured milk varies:
a) According to the relative numbers of Str. lacticus and B. aerogenes present. The higher the number of B. aerogenes, the more l-acid is produced.
b) According to the temperature at which the fermentation takes place, other conditions being equal. At 37°C relatively more l-acid is formed than at room temperature.
c) According to the length of time the fermentation has lasted. The longer the time the more l-acid is formed.
- The lactic acid produced in naturally soured milk varies:
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- In “certified” milk, d-acid only was present at room temperature for nine days, while both d-acid and l-acid were present in milk of poorer quality after one to four days. At 37° l-acid was apparent after six days in “certified” milk and on the second day in other milk. It seems as if the purer the milk the longer the excess of d-acid persists.
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- Racemic lactic acid is the result of the formation of pure d-acid and pure l-acid by at least two different species of microorganisms. Racemic lactic acid is not known to be the product of one species only.
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- Since it is known that B. aerogenes forms other acids besides lactic acid, often in appreciable amounts, while Str. lacticus produces almost pure d-acid, the presence of d-acid may be taken as indicating desirable conditions for dairy work, because this shows the absence of the fermentation products of B. aerogenes, i.e. volatile acids, gas, and ethyl alcohol.
It is quite obvious that milk must be handled with care to retain its wholesome characteristics. Note the superiority of certified milk.
(Note: Racemic acid, as equal parts of both r- and l-, shows no activity in the polarimeter. All synthetic methods tend to create racemic products. Natural food products created in living cells are always r- or l- in form.)
More light on the toxicity of l-lactic acid comes from Germany. Dr. H. Vogel reports (Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift 72:30, 1960) that psoriasis is aggravated by l-lactic acid and cured by d-lactic acid. One doctor after clearing up a number of cases, declared that d-lactic acid must be considered a vitamin.
Following is a condensed translation from the original article published in the above named Vienna Clinic Weekly. The translation of this article was made by the Research Division of Dome Chemicals Inc., New York:
Dextrorotary Lactic Acid in Psoriasis
H. Vogel
Cologne, Germany
remains a skin disease of vague etiology and pronounced resistance to treatment. Scores of medications have failed the test of clinical experience. Temporary relief from pruritus has been achieved with certain drugs, namely salicylic acid, resorcinol, sulfur, coal tar, pyrogallic acid, mercurials, corticosteroids, and with radiation. Arsenicals were considered effective but have been completely rejected, particularly due to the development of cutaneous carcinomas.
In 1953, Vogel and Petrasch (unpublished), investigating possible vitamin deficiencies in psoriasis, rubbed on aqueous meat extract on the skin of a psoriatic. Itching immediately ceased. The lesion disappeared for several weeks, recurring when treatment was stopped. Work on isolation and identification of the active substance or substances was not immediately successful. However, expanding clinical work progressed.
Stefl (Med. Lin. 52, 1957) deduced from a series of clinical observations that lactic acid was vitally involved in remission of the psoriatic process. The first clue was in the healing of three patients without any therapy. Stefl noted that all three patients were hard manual laborers and consumed quantities of foods rich in lactic acid, such as cabbage, yogurt, cottage cheese, and sour milk. Systematic study of thirty-five psoriasis patients followed, with a therapeutic oral regimen of 20 drops (ca. l cc.) of a 20 percent solution of commercial lactic acid, three times daily. Thirty of the patients (85 percent) showed setbacks, with the remaining five not even returning for further treatment. Since lactic acid exists in three optical forms, dextro, laevo, and a mixture (racemic), Stefl suspected an isomer and tried various preparations.
Use of laevo-rotatory lactic acid resulted in severe flare-ups of the disease. Use of dextro-rotatory lactic acid improved the clinical pictures almost immediately. The thirty patients who had become worse with commercial (racemic mixture) lactic acid were then studied with the d-acid. Twenty-three (77 percent) were completely cured, four (13 percent) were improved, and three (10 percent) showed no change. When treatment was stopped for a three-month period, the “cured” cases recurred. Further treatment with dextro lactic acid again cleared the lesions. Stefl claims that the d-acid must be considered a vitamin, or necessary diet factor in the psoriasis patient.
Kopecka-Avrotava (Med. Klin. 53, 1420, 1958) treated forty-eight patients with dextrorotatory lactic acid. The product was also administered orally as 20 drops (ca. 1 cc.) of 20 percent dextro lactic acid three times daily. After six months of treatment, fourteen patients (29 percent) were completely cured, with recurrences in approximately three months, one patient showed no improvement, and the remaining twelve patients (25 percent) showed varied degrees of improvement. These results, coupled with those of Stefl, prompted the conclusion that dextro-rotatory lactic acid has a specific therapeutic effect in psoriasis. Continuous treatment is necessary, since there is a lack of the required acid in the organism.
The present study describes results in 53 psoriatic patients treated with the same regimen of 20 drops of 20 percent d-lactic acid t.i.d. In addition, local application of a 5 percent solution was used twice daily on the affected areas. No other treatment was used. No diet restrictions were imposed. The patients continued with their normal routines. In all cases, the pruritus disappeared after one to three local applications. The majority of patients noted a decrease in the number and color of the lesions after the first two weeks, and 71 percent of the patients were completely free of lesions and symptoms after three months of treatment. The only visible remaining signs were pigment spots in the previously affected areas.
Though 17 percent of cases demonstrated improvement, complete remission could not be obtained. The author notes that these patients did not adhere strictly to the therapeutic regimen, and 12 percent of cases were unchanged. None became worse, and none reported a return of the pruritus. The difficult cases (17 percent) were placed on double and triple doses, since some suffered from liver, stomach, and heart ailments, which could have meant a difference in their d-lactic acid demand. Six of the seventeen cases (35 percent) were remitted. A side but important observation was the amelioration of the symptoms of other systemic ailments, while improvement in the psoriasis progressed.
The net observation is that the dextro-lactic acid is more than just another psoriasis treatment but plays a fundamental metabolic role.
Discussion: Lactic acid exists in two different optically active forms, dextro and laevo, and in addition, a racemic mixture, or dl form.
Pure dextro lactic acid is a product of human metabolism and is present in muscle tissue, in the blood, and in various vital organs, such as the heart. D-lactic acid is physiologically useful only in humans. Deficiencies lead to pathologies.
The skin contains rather large quantities of d-lactic acid, possibly even acting as a direct storage organ, since it contains an average or 280 to 380 milligrams percent. This may indicate a specific unsuspected function of the d-acid in skin metabolism.
Increased skin glycolysis has been noted in psoriasis, with incident increase in racemic lactic acid formation. This racemic form is of no value. The systemic intake of the dextro lactic acid evidently supplies a needed metabolite, aiding in correction of the ailment. A possible drawback is that other lactic acid-consuming organs, such as the stomach or liver, would prevent transport of the acid to the skin. Clinical studies indicate that psoriatics with heart, liver, and stomach ailments require considerably larger doses of the d-acid. The requirements of the skin will be met only after the other organs are satisfied. This may explain why topical application is beneficial in psoriatic patients suffering from other systemic diseases.
The foregoing indicates that dextrorotatory lactic acid has an important bearing on the psoriatic process. Lack of the acid in the skin may constitute a cause of psoriasis. Deficiencies of the d-acid in other organs seems to contribute to the development of psoriasis.
Ideally, dextro-rotatory lactic acid therapy should be continuous for at least three months, even though the patient appears completely cured. This is especially necessary in older chronic cases.
As noted, laevo-rotary lactic acid had no effect on psoriasis and may even have a severe adverse effect, functioning as a cell poison. The dextro-lactic acid presumably neutralizes this toxicity. When all the l-lactic acid is converted to a racemic mixture, the d-acid starts to perform its metabolic functions.
In relation to the adverse effect mentioned, the use of sauerkraut was found a cause of psoriasis, since it often is high in the toxic form of lactic acid. Yogurt was also found an offender; the reason is clear if we consider the above finding that only certified milk can be depended upon for delivering to us the food form of lactic acid.
Germs Not a Cause of Disease
From Edward Hooker Dewey, MD. Journal of Natural Hygiene, Vol. 2, Nos. 3 & 4, page 78, 1902:
“It is my impression that disease has its origin and development before the germ disturbance can become possible. In other words, I may assume that normal health and its rich blood makes the germ disease impossible. There is a strongman-armed condition of the body wherein lies the true defense against all causes.”
Now, quoting an excerpt from Nutrition in Everyday Practice, page 62, published by the Canadian Medical Association, we find Dr. Dewey’s quotation verified:
“There is evidence that a lack of almost any one of the thirty-two food elements essential for animal nutrition will result in a lowered resistance to infection.”
