Patent: Methods of Reversing Autonomic Nervous System Damage

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is vital for maintaining homeostasis-an ability of the organism to maintain internal environment of the body within specific limits that promote its survival. Various homeostasis functions such as regulation of blood pressure, gastrointestinal responses to food, urinary bladder contraction and thermoregulation are carried out by the ANS. ANS is also called as the involuntary nervous system and functions without conscious or voluntary control and is responsible for regulating involuntary organs. Included in ANS are the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system manages ‘fight-or-flight’ responses and equips the body to combat any strenuous physical activity. The parasympathetic nervous system regulates ‘rest and digest’ functions such as working on our body functions when we are reading a book or sitting quietly by the garden.
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All vertebrates including mammals maintain internal homeostasis during infection or injury by balancing activities of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory pathways. But this is not possible all the time and in case of some diseases the balance is disturbed. A classic example is that of endotoxin produced by Gram-negative bacteria that activates macrophages to release cytokines (small secreted proteins released by cells that have a strong effect on the communication between cells). Cytokines generally act on the cells that secrete them, on nearby cells or rarely on distant cells. There are possibilities that several cells secrete the same cytokine or a single cytokine can act on several different cell types. Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin (IL)-1. alpha., IL-1. beta., IL-6, IL-8, platelet-activating factor (PAF), macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and likewise are produced by these macrophages and are predominantly involved in leading the way to inflammatory and other conditions. There is a dire need to suppress the activation of these pro-inflammatory cytokines to restrict the occurrence of diseases.

The invention patented here finds itself to be immensely useful in suppressing the activation of these cytokines by providing methods for preventing, reducing or reversing acute/chronic autonomic damage. The methods used maybe any of these-providing the subject with antibiotics, polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids or oleic acid, VNS (vagal nerve stimulation) or putting him/her on an intermittent fasting regimen. The cluster of these methods have been given a specific name-Nemechek Protocol and this protocol gives its best possible to fight against diseases and conditions that occur as a result of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The protocol works with the principle of minimizing pro-inflammatory cytokines within the CNS which thereby helps to activate natural repair mechanisms and enable recovery of the ANS functions. There are vitamins, supplements, minerals, chemical compounds, pharmaceutical agents and dietary restrictions used in the protocol to bring in the desired effect on the subject.
The beauty in using this invention lies in its invasive and safe yet effective procedure for saving the ANS functions from neuroinflammatory conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, concussion, brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic depression, autism, epilepsy, autism and more. All of these conditions have debilitating side effects affecting the quality of life of individuals and also that of the people caring for these patients. Sometimes, autonomic damage is reversed by suppressing the action of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) using any of the methods defined above (such as dietary restriction, providing with oleic acid, etc.).

Before inventing the protocol all the subjects were measured of their autonomic nervous system health via spectral analysis. Once the Nemechek Protocol is established on the subject and cytokines are reduced in number neuronal progenitor stem cells increase in number and functionality and the microglial populations shift toward M2-phenotype which help in repairing neuronal damage and start producing anti-inflammatory cytokines. There is a reversal in the patient’s symptoms-dizziness, urinary incontinence, fainting, early satiety, dysfunction of erection or ejaculation, loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, bloating, heartburn, constipation, exercise intolerance and poor vision at night.

There are cases where some patients fail to regulate the amount of blood and oxygen supply to the brain. An individual suffering from concussion experiences dizziness, anxiety, neck tightness, headaches and decreased cognitive function due to cerebral hypoperfusion. These patients yearn for more water and food with the hope that such increased intake of salt and sugar improves cerebral hypoperfusion levels. In such individuals, when intermittent fasting is introduced as a standard policy of the protocol it worsens the symptoms and usually intermittent fasting is avoided for at least a few months after introducing other methods such as antibiotics, oleic acid and polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid until positive changes of cerebral hypoperfusion is attained. Sometimes curcumin (available in the spice turmeric and lauded for its anti-inflammatory property) is added in the treatment protocol following inadequate improvements even after 2 months of treatment using the initial methods. Those individuals suffering more from pro-inflammatory cytokines recover slowly from autonomic function. Bringing in the concept of intermittent fasting after the initial 4-6 month of following the protocol improves the recovery process and also suppresses the storage of excess adipose tissue in patients eating high quantities of foods and beverages due to the presence of cerebral hypoperfusion. The patent was published on May 3td, 2018 and if you want to know more details about the protocol and the vast list of conditions covered under this protocol feel free to visit any of the sites given below:
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United States Patent & Trademark Office: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=%22autonomic+nervous+system+damage%22&OS=%22autonomic+nervous+system+damage%22&RS=%22autonomic+nervous+system+damage%22

European Patent Office: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/originalDocument?FT=D&date=20190702&DB=EPODOC&locale=en_EP&CC=US&NR=10335396B2&KC=B2&ND=4

World Intellectual Property Organization: https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=US215306173&_cid=P11-JXWV2C-04573-1