The Free Radical

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Unrecognized errors get compounded… until they become recognizable… and then they are corrected… as we change direction.

Health is a state of high electron flow (information/communication). Disease is a state of low electron flow (isolation/ignorance/stagnation).

Poor digestion is far worse than poor food. A healthy gut can handle bad food, but even the best food digested poorly will cause problems and suffering.
______________________________________________________________________________

Molecular hydrogen, H2, hydrogen gas— is the smallest molecule in existence. It is extremely energy dense and highly diffusive. It is the first element of creation, occupying the premiere position on the Periodic Table of Elements. It is very difficult to keep it in, nearly impossible to keep it out. It goes where it goes… and does what it does… like a single-minded god on a sacred mission.

There’s something poetic, even romantic, about hydrogen. It’s simple, stable and elegant… but also fiery, explosive and dynamic. And any story about the origins of life would be woefully incomplete without the inclusion of this archetypal character.

The Origins of Life

Water is life; life is water. These two are so inextricably bound as to be nearly synonymous.

H2O: on the Periodic Table, hydrogen is the first element, oxygen the eighth— exactly one octave higher. That these two should have a natural and magical affinity for each other makes perfect sense in a universe of such symphonic order and complexity. Incidentally, oxygen is the most abundant element in the human body by mass, while hydrogen atoms are the most abundant by number. They are the same, yet different— two combustible gasses, when combined they create a liquid, the common antidote to fire. There’s is an archetypal romance, fiery and passionate in their individual characters, cool and loving in union… begetting life…

Between them they had a child, and its name was Carbon— the 666… and then all hell broke loose!

Organic chemistry was born… and along with it, the complete language of molecular signalling, redox, the pathways and patterns of electron flow, an electric universe constantly singing to itself, the lullaby of Life.

My First Flirtations with This Wily God

In the alternative health world, there has always been a natural and obvious attention placed upon oxygen. After all, that’s the main reason we breathe, right? Our whole metabolism revolves around oxidative processes. And so it seems rather forgivable that hydrogen, that other aspect of life’s watery nature, might be oft forgotten. But then, it also shouldn’t be too surprising to find out later that hydrogen too plays a key— albeit somewhat mysterious— and central role in the maintenance of our optimal physiology.

When first I learned of this, I was fascinated. I was hooked!

That hydrogen has therapeutic and even essential effects upon physiological function is a rather new concept in the medical world. Only since about 2007 have the serious and comprehensive investigations into its role been pursued. And only since about 2010 has this information really begun to trickle into the mainstream, largely due to the persistent efforts of Tyler LaBaron, founder and director of the Molecular Hydrogen Foundation.

The first key role for hydrogen that I learned about was its elegance as a selective antioxidant. Being a rather stable, non-polar gas, H2 will only bother to react with two free radicals in the body: the highly reactive and damaging hydroxyl radical and peroxynitrite. Honestly, I had never heard of peroxynitrite, but I knew that the hydroxyl radical was widely considered one of the most damaging and volatile of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced during typical mitochondrial energy production.

When a molecule of H2 gas encounters hydroxyl radicals, it splits into its constituent hydrogen ions and combines with two of the dangerous radicals to form two brand new molecules of H2O, or water. So not only does it neutralize the dreaded radical, it also serves to hydrate the cells from the inside out. Pretty neat!

Later in my research investigations, I learned more about peroxynitrite… and was equally as fascinated. I happened to be reading an article on the damaging effects of EMFs on our cellular biology. It had always seemed obvious to me that our wireless technological world was having a detrimental effect on the health of our cells. I just never knew precisely what the mechanism causing the damage might actually be. It’s one thing to say that EMFs destroy the health of our cells; it’s quite another to describe exactly how.

That’s where peroxynitrite comes in. As it turns out, the most damaging electromagnetic frequencies cause a devastating spike in the production of this particular free radical. The damage occurs within the cells, from the inside out, as peroxynitrite is drastically up-regulated by exposure to EMFs. Molecular hydrogen to the rescue!

Due to its tiny mass and irrepressible diffusive nature, H2 will penetrate any cell in the human body, and even penetrate the mitochondria, arresting the damage right where it occurs. Isn’t it interesting that molecular hydrogen only bothers with the most damaging and reactive of the ROS? It’s almost as though it has intelligence.

In addition to its antioxidant capabilities, H2 positively impacts every major organ system in the body, is implicated in at least 20 positive gene expressions, and directly fosters biodiversity in the gut microbiome. Although not considered a nutrient, molecular hydrogen appears to be an essential player in human physiology nevertheless.

Sources of Molecular Hydrogen, Natural and Otherwise

In the lives of our far distant ancestors, H2 was produced in the human colon by the action of various bacteria responsible for breaking down fibre in the diet. Like hydrogen, fibre is not considered a nutrient in the human diet, but is absolutely essential to maintaining health. It is estimated that a healthy human colon should produce about 11 litres of hydrogen gas per day. But don’t worry; hydrogen gas won’t accumulate in the gut; it disperses as it’s produced, conferring its benefits continuously— provided we’re consuming enough fibre AND the microbiome is rich in the appropriate microbial species.

Unfortunately, nearly everyone in our modern world has a compromised microbiome to some degree, and very few consume adequate fibre compared to the dietary habits of our ancestors. As a result, we’re not getting nearly enough H2 in our systems to perform even the specialized tasks it traditionally performed. But compounding matters, the oxidative burden in our bodies is wildly exacerbated by persistent environmental toxins, EMF and radiation exposure, chronic stress, and very poor dietary choices and habits. The marked diminishment of hydrogen in our systems compounded by the additional oxidative burden has left a gaping hole in our physiological defences.

Breathing hydrogen gas at about a 4% concentration is a therapeutic avenue currently being explored in Japanese hospitals and health clinics, but obviously requires highly specialized equipment. For health-conscious consumers elsewhere, other forms of administration have been pioneered and disseminated.

Due to both convenience and efficacy, the most common way to ingest molecular hydrogen is in the form of hydrogen rich water. Hydrogen rich water releases the dissolved gas in the gut in a very similar manner to its natural production in the colon from dietary fermentation. From that central location, it then disperses throughout the body easily.

There are several methods for dissolving hydrogen gas in drinking water. Perhaps the most convenient method is through the use of tablets containing elemental magnesium and malic acid, which when placed in water initiate a hydrolytic reaction, releasing hydrogen gas in the process. Under normal pressure, 1.6 parts per million of dissolved hydrogen is the saturation rate. When the reaction is contained under pressure— like in a sealed water bottle— typically 3 or 4 parts per million can be achieved with a single tablet. This is generally considered a therapeutic concentration.

The tablets are generally priced at about a dollar a dose, which can get fairly pricey if one is undergoing proper hydrogen therapy requiring about 4 such doses per day. Some intrepid YouTubers have developed much more cost effective methods involving elemental magnesium rods being placed in sealable swing-top bottles with malic acid and hot water. Glen Ingram has a good video demonstrating the procedure.

Other common methods of dissolving H2 in water involve electrolysis. Recently, various hydrogen water generators have been developed which run a current through water to split it into its constituent parts, allowing the hydrogen gas to bubble through the water while venting off the oxygen. Generally, these don’t run under any significant pressure, and so produce hydrogen water at a concentration of about 1.5 parts per million (normal saturation). They are however very convenient and cost-effective over time.

Incidentally, hydrogen gas has been used surreptitiously for a few decades already in alternative health circles. Alkaline water has been a popular craze for many years already. Alkaline water as produced by the typical machines marketed under that title however produce alkaline water that has virtually no buffering capacity— meaning that it has very little or no chance of directly affecting one’s body pH. Interestingly however, the users of such machines most often report significant health benefits nevertheless. The reason, as we have subsequently determined, is due to the hydrogen gas produced in the making of alkaline water. Another incidental way in which hydrogen gas is having a clandestine effect in people’s health is through the use of detox foot baths which similarly use an electrolytic reaction to presumably pull toxins through the feet soaking in water. Perhaps the detoxification process has legitimacy, but certainly the hydrogen gas produced during the process is diffused into the feet and circulated throughout the body, at least contributing to the therapeutic effects consistently reported.

In Conclusion

The medicinal applications of molecular hydrogen therapy is still in its earliest stages. Besides being a specific genetic signalling molecule and a bio-terrain conditioner for the gut microbiome, there is compelling evidence that hydrogen can help with specific autoimmune conditions like psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. The future research looks promising.

It appears that hydrogen is another important molecule in the redox universe, essential for maintaining optimal health. This shouldn’t be surprising since it figured prominently in the formation of the early universe, the genesis of life on Earth, and was a major constituent of Earth’s early atmosphere. It naturally follows that the presence of hydrogen gas in the human gut would foster microbial diversity and be implicated in numerous positive gene expressions. It is perhaps somewhat surprising that H2 should have such positive impact upon all of the body’s systems through mechanisms that are not readily understood… yet. The far distant past, it seems, cannot be discarded in regards to this ancient elemental god. Hydrogen will not be denied its role, and we would be wise to embrace it.

Coming Up…

So far in this essay series we’ve examined the tools and modern modes of life’s very first language, redox signalling— or the patterns of electron flow. Restore, ASEA, and Molecular Hydrogen are the three pillars of this complex language system. In just 4 months, it has already been my experience that using these tools in concert with each other, along with the basics of nutrition and detoxification, can unravel and therapeutically address any complex health challenge.

Before moving on to the promised instalments on Carbon 60 and Cannabis Oil, I will provide a summary essay on redox signalling and how the three modalities presented compliment and support each other in order to provide a viable and comprehensive treatment program for readers facing complex health challenges. Look for that in the coming weeks.

For more information, feel free to contact me at niels@nielskunze.com with your questions, or through my ASEA website at http://1800132290.teamasea.com if you would like to experience the subtle power of redox signalling in your own life.
____________________________________________________________
Previous Essays:

The Real Magic of Redox Signalling
Restoring the Biome
A New Introduction to Health