Welcome To The Home / Start Page For
LECTURES IN HYPERTEXT
By Thomas Lee Hesselink, MD
UNDERSTANDING BIOREDOX

About The Author
This page presents an autobiography explaining the author's interests in science, biochemistry, nutrition, prevention, alternative medicine, detoxification and eventually oxidant therapies.
Click Here To Visit Doctor Hesselink's Office
Mechanisms Of Biologic And Therapeutic Oxidation
This lecture serves as an introduction to the biochemistry and molecular physiology of oxidation - reduction "redox". Included are explanations of free radicals, electron transfer sequences in biology, hydrogen peroxide, lipid peroxidation, quinones, redox cycling, biological terrains, certain reductants as therapeutic targets, oxidant sensitive physiologic triggers such as glutathione, effects of nutritional minerals and effects of toxic metals.
Oxidative Catalytic Therapy
This lecture reviews the discoveries of William Frederick Koch, Ph.D., M.D., from historic, biochemical and clinical perspectives. Included are explanations of how quinones and glyoxals redox cycle and thereby trigger an immunologic response. "Koch Therapy" was found helpful anecdotally in most cases of allergy and infection. It was even found helpful in some cases of cancer.
Mechanisms Of Immune Stimulation By Oxidation
This lecture explains in detail how living cells of the immune system both sense and respond after exposure to low doses of oxidants. The transactivation sequence involves glutathione, serine phosphokinase, inhibitory factor kappa B, ubiquitin, proteasome, nuclear factor kappa B, and activator protein 1. Next DNA transciption is induced producing messenger RNA which codes for the biosynthesis and release of specific cytokines. Cytokines of various types perform specific local and systemic signal functions.
Biological Electron Transfer Sequences
This lecture extensively reviews how reducing equivalents (electrons and hydrogen atoms) are metabolized. These are passed from donors (reductants) to acceptors (oxidants) along enzymatically controlled pathways. Examples of the carriers and shuttles discussed are: iron, copper, manganese, molybdenum, iron sulfur centers, alcohols, sugars, enediols, phenols, polyphenols, quinols, ascorbates, thiols, glutathione, lipoic acid, cysteine residues in proteins, imines, pyridiniums, favins, pyrroles, phenazines, biopterin and folates. The above provides a background in biochemistry for understanding: free radicals and oxidant stress, quenching mechanisms and antioxidants, redox control over synthesis and apoptosis, and oxidant therapies.
The Biochemistry Of Free Radicals
This lecture reviews molecular species having a highly reactive unpaired electron. How these are produced and quenched (as for example in lipid peroxidation) is explained. The quenching of oxyradicals by antioxidants such as ascorbates, tocopherols, polyphenols or thiols is discussed. Antioxidant adaptation through the induction of enzymatic quenchers of reactive oxidant species is reviewed. Examples are catalase and glutathione peroxidase. Regulating oxidant stress through nutrition and prevention, and through detoxification as in chelation therapy is explained.
Oxides Of Chlorine As Therapeutic Agents
Sodium chlorate, chlorine dioxide, acidified sodium chlorite, sodium chlorite, hypochlorous acid, sodium hypochlorite, elemental chlorine and electrolyzed saline have disinfectant and antibiotic effects. Some are produced internally as part of natural immunity. At low doses some have been found useful as immune stimulants. Available evidence shows potent activity against malaria and other infections.
Bibliography Of Biologic And Therapeutic Oxidation
This is an an hypertext active listing of references relevant to these lectures. It is accessible directly by topic and from key words highlighted in certain lectures.
Dictionary Of Bio-Oxidative Medicine
This is a 400+ word dictionary of biochemical terms relevant to these lectures. It is actively available by clicking on key words as presented in the texts or by clicking on key words in its own index page.
Links To Redox Related Web Sites
These links are found by the author to be especially interesting and useful to further the reader's knowledge of biochemistry in general and oxidant therapies in particular such hyperbaric oxygen or ultraviolet hemoirradiation.
About The Persecution Of Alternatives
This explains with references how advances in alternative medicine are all too often ignored or suppressed.