Quinine and Pseudomonas
This is mostly about my use of tonic water, which contains quinine. But it should be of interest to anyone dealing with pseudomonas.
Tonic water contains quinine, an extract from the bark of the cinchona tree which is used as a drug to treat malaria.
It has also inspired the development of several synthetic drugs, like chloroquine.
I drink diet tonic water and also use it topically, for virii and other germs. I also use it to help correct my ph balance when I am too acid. I used to drink quite a lot of it -- 8 ounces or more at a time. These days, I usually drink 4 ounces or less at a time. (I ran the calculations once, some years ago: 100 ounces or about 3 liters per day is roughly a "medicinal dose", ie if you were prescribed quinine in pill form. However, since tonic water isn't medicinal, the exact amount in any given 2 liter bottle cannot be counted on to be precise. In other words, it can vary a good deal. I have consumed that much tonic water in a day. I don't really recommend it: you can get classic "cinchoism" -- ie drug side effects of quinine -- including headache, nausea and blurred vision. Not fun.)
Diet tonic water contains quinine, a strong alkaloid from the bark of the cinchona tree. Quinine is used to treat malaria, which is a parasitic infection. Parasitic infections are notoriously hard to treat, so I have to have some respect for anything with such a track record of success. There are several synthetic drugs based on quinine. I have read that some strains of malaria have grown resistent to some of the synthetic drugs but real quinine continues to work in those cases. In my book, that makes quinine generally superior to the synthetic drugs derived from it.
I haven't read this article, but on one list I am on, they posted information about research on chloroquine (a synthetic drug based on quinine) and it's effects on people with CF: PDF file
Here is a quote from someone's email which may be from the above link or it may be from an article about the above research
(if you aren't strong in science, just read the part I bolded):
"CFTR mutations that cause CF make a compartment of the cell known as
the TGN more acidic than it is in cells from healthy individuals. In
this study, in vitro analysis revealed that hyperacidification of the
TGN causes increased activity of a protein known as furin. Through
increased production of a soluble factor known as TGF-beta this
augmented the production of collagen (which in situ is associated with
tissue fibrosis, a characteristic of damaged lung in individuals with
CF) and suppressed the ability of human macrophages to kill the
bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, infection with which is a major
complication for individuals with CF. This study provides strong
support for the use of chloroquine (which counteracts high levels of
TGN acidity) to treat CF, something that is currently being tested in
clinical trials, and identifies furin inhibitors as potential new
therapeutics for the treatment of CF."
I did skim the PDF file in the above link and one of the things it talks about is using chloroquine to control "hyperacidification" and thus control inflammation -- the same thing I do through diet and using diet tonic water. It indicates chloroquine is already used to treat other inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and they are researching its use in CF. No need to wait for them to finish all their studies. You can go to any liquor store or grocery store and pick up quinine (the authentic thing this drug is based on) without a presciption in an easily delivered format that can be poured into an ordinary drinking glass. Do note that quinine is quite bitter. I have gotten used to that and we generally drink it straight. But I used to routinely add fruit juice to it to make it more palatable. If you want a child to drink it, it may be necessary to do something similar. I have also found that adding lots of ice to something can help make it more palatable: if your tongue is numb, your sense of taste is diminished.
For anyone dealing with PA (pseudomonas aeruginosa), I strongly encourage you to read the above article.
It talks about using chloroquine to correct the ph and make cells less susceptible to PA.
It uses a lot of fancy scientific language that apparently boils down to what I say on my website:
getting the PH balance corrected is a way to start closing the door on susceptibility to infection for CF patients.
But you don't need drugs to do that. You can start in your grocery store and in your kitchen.
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Addendum: The Magnesium and Azithromycin
page also contains remarks rellevent
to anyone with a PA infection. In short, a magnesium deficiency can lead to antibiotic resistent PA. One thing a magnesium deficiency causes is
increased acidity.
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6 June 2009 Update:
Quinine is contra-indicated for some conditions, such as
Glucose-6-Phosphate-Dehydrogenase Deficiency The main point here is that getting excess acidity under control can be beneficial
for people with CF. I and my son with CF have found this to be true in our lives and there is research which supports the idea. Quinine is
not the only means do this. It is simply a tool, one of many possible things you can use. Baking soda is another. Eating differently is another.
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