Researchers have come up with frightening, new evidence that wide-spread auto immune diseases in humans may be caused by contact with livestock or ordinary, domestic house cats.

Examination of the joints of Lupus, Scleroderma and Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferers have turned up the very common, livestock or feline, mycoplasma bacteria or as it's called by cats MEOW-coplasma! Or as it's called by owners, MUCUS-PLASMA! And it is a smelly, stinky mucus. Easily distinguished from RHINO VIRUS by its stench.

There are 20 known species of Mycoplasma found in sheep, pigs, goats and calves, animals that we generally don't live with but do consume. Does ingestion of rare meat cause this disease to transfer to our bodies? This might be the case if it weren't for one peculiar piece of evidence: the Mycoplasma bacterium is a single cell life form that mimics muhrooms and ferns in that it spreads by airborn spores, hence the name, 'myco' or 'like a mushroom.'

The spores are in animal feces and float in the air when feces is dry. Caring for livestock, living with an infected cat, or even one next door -- may possibly transfer this painful, disabling disease to you. Not a lot of us care for pigs or calves but as cats are the most frequently owned pet in America, we could be talking about an airborne disaster!

The question is ---does your cat have it? If Fluffy has any chronic lung congestion, wheezing, eye, nose mucus, and the eye infection causing excretion of pus through tear ducts, he very well may. Though it could be RHINOTRACHEITIS. ( A VIRUS, not a SPORE BORN BACTERIA.) The Merck Veterinary Manual (pps 760-761) says that 40-45% of chronic, feline upper respiratory diseases are caused by Rhino virus, Herpes virus, Calcivirus, Chlamydia or Mycoplasma. In other words, there are diverse causes of cat-lung problems. All of these diseases are spread by either dried cat spores (mycoplasma sheds spores so dry or wet they 'work'..) RHINO VIRUS sheds wet ones that keep potency only while droplets are moist. A cat sneezing on A HUMAN and having the droplets land on the mucosa. (inner eye will do can infect the cat's master .) Research this disease at the TOWNSEND LETTER WEBSITE using its search engine. Then you can google MYCOPLASMA on the entire INTERNET as well.

This disease doesn't kill adult human hosts. It gives a few weeks of Pneumonia is all. It can go four weeks and for that reason it's called WALKING PNEUMONIA.  Some cats die of a lung affliction, but most will live for years with the bacteria, exhibiting only a light lung mucus, hence becoming Typhoid Mary's, or permanent carriers. He only gets ill when his immune system is down. A hot summer can take the zip out of Fluffy, so keep the cat in an air conditioned house in vey hot weather .. less trying on his immune sys of a furry fellow.

As sneezing or airborn spores can spread Mycoplasma, it would appear that cat owners or people who care for ordinary farm livestock are at definite risk of two, terrible, disabling diseases, Arthritis and Lupus. The danger from MYCOPLASMA ceases when you, the livestock or the cats are treated with anti-biotic Minocycline. Run don't walk, and get some! I got hold of tetracycline, keep it in fridge and use it for pets. Never use aged out tetra or minocyclines. This medicine is toxic when old.

It is possible that cats are not always the cause of Mycoplasma disease in humans. Cats don't get arthritis. Sheep and pigs do! So, in the end, we may find that getting too close to your livestock or eating undercooked lambchops are what really transfer Mycoplasma bacteria to humans, not Fluffy the puss. But if your cat seems to have a cold, keep it quarantined and lock children in other parts of the house and get brand new bottles of minocycline. It can' be old or it's poison.

If you've the head to be a medical detective, ponder another part of the Mycoplasma puzzle: as Mycoplasma is the bacteria found in joints affected by both rheumatoid arthritis and Lupus one can deduce that the much more frequently diagnosed rheumatoid syndrome might really be undiagnosed Lupus. Only a blood test for antibodies (easy) or a culture of the joint fluid (harder) could tell you for certain but if your bones ache, you might invest in a complete panel of tests.

If it is Mycoplasma, the good news is: the mushroom-like bacteria that causes Lupus and Arthritis can easily be attacked with anti-biotics. The very harmless Minocycline is the anti-biotic of choice and has worked well in placebo trials. There seem to be very little side effects from it use although it's always good to take a good, multi-flora Acidophillis strain for a few weeks after treatment to replenish friendly bacteria in the digestive tract.

Can the average catowner tell if he has himself has Mycoplasma in his body? You would know. You would have a painfully swollen joint somewhere, a thumb, ankle, foot or wrist but the lung congestion caused by the bacteria would long ago have been confused with a cold flu or pneumonia that came and went and is now forgotten.

Lupus occurs when the immune system seems to go wild, attacking many of the patient's joints at once. The latest researches with Lupus indicate that the disease can be alleviated (AMA has the patent on the word 'cure' or 'heal') with holistic methods that make use of youth hormones that tone the body's immune system, giving it the ability to fight Mycoplasma naturally, from the inside, with our own antibiodies. I have an article on Immune system stimulation if you want it. (

Researchers have used DHEA to this end. It is a natural body hormone, and precursor stimulant of the body's abilities to make other hormones, hence a "Mother" hormone. Deepak Chopra calls DHEA "the single most significant medical breakthrough in the field of anti-aging/longevity research."

DHEA is found in Mexican Yam Extract and Raw Adrenal Concentrate which will supplement and stimulate the body's own natural DHEA production. Such production naturally ceases with old age. (A loss of hair on the legs, lower body is a symptom of a need for DHEA.) Mexican Squaw vine, Yam and adrenal concentrate are sold in all healthfood stores. They are not toxic, and don't cause cancer the way estrogen can. DHEA is very safe and there appear to be no downsides to its use. In fact, there appears to be a significent upside: Rats live twice as long with a little in their diets!

Researchers have also used Progesterone hormone which the young body produces, and the aging body doesn't, along with Pregnenolone a DHEA precursor. There are many immune products at healthfood stores. Some are herbal, which knock out viruses. Others are amino acid based, and supply the body with the building blocks it requires for its own immune work.

By rejuvenating the body's immune system and making it more like that of a young person, Dr. Davis Lamson, a private practitioner and researcher in Kent, Washington, has had success in backing off arthritis with none of the side effects that the doctors' favorite rheumatism drug, cortisone causes, i.e. osteoporosis.

Some researchers have used another natural substance, DMSO, to transport topically applied hormones into the bones. DMSO is a sulphur oxide that penetrates the skin very easily, as all sulphur will; (you'll recall the ancients soaking their aching bones in sulphur and mineral-rich hot springs?) DMSO is the Vet's favorite shin rub for race horses and is easy to get from equine doctors.

I remember hearing my astrology client, the late Ann Miller, the beautiful MGM dancing star, complain that the American run of BABES had been hard on her famed legs, she had arthritic knees and she was not going to be able to do the London run. She had only one hope. She thought she might get a jar of shin rub from her vet. (She must have done so because she opened in London to rave reviews!) SHe probably went on the ARTHRITIS DIET too, as that will cure aching bones fast! Click on that URL.

But back to the SHIN RUB! One mixes DMSO with hormones and a liberal dose of fresh squeezed garlic, (a bacteriacide) and this germ-killing mush is laid on thick, covered with gauze and while you sleep, its magic is transported into the joints. Just be careful that hands are 100% clean as cosmetics, chemicals, anything that is on your hands will also be carried in through the skin! Sterile gauze bandages wrap the garlicky joint so sheets don't get stained. One goes off to dreamland, smelling like a pizza! Healthfood stores today offer MSM products, full of sulphur for rubs or ingestion. DMSO from pet suppliers.

There is much you can read on the subject of aging, aching bones, and youth hormones. FOR AN INSPIRING ARTICLE on cats who live THIRTY years, read.

The Number #1 Researcher in the field of curing a suspected case of MYCOPLASMA transfer to humans is Dr. Ray Peat, PHD, a nutritional scientist who specializes in Auto Immune diseases. Dr. Peat is a regular contributor to America's best holistic bulletin for doctors, The Townsend Newsletter for Doctors and is one of America's most respected medical researchers. He's written many books, thousands of articles for medical journals and has his own newsletter. His book on Progesterone treatment of LUPUS and rheumatoid arthritis is seminal.

You might contact him and other researchers: holistic writer, Dr. Julian Whitaker, c/o his publishers; Dr. Eugene Roberts, City of Hope Medical Ctr, Duarte CA; Dr William Regelson, Virginia Commonwealth Univ. Medical College; Elizabeth Barret Connor, M.D. Dept Community Med, UCSD; Dr. Kenneth Bonnet, Dept of Psych NYU. Send SASE and all will send you research.

You may show this material to your doctor and get his OK to do the treatment. Dr. Peat says diagnosed Lupus sufferers should take DHEA, Progesterone, Pregnenolone and DMSO. The hormones are fairly easy to get through holistic pharmaceutical channels.* For dosages, call Dr. Ray Peat, and when you do, get on his mailing list. DMSO is available through an equine vet or through Arizona Healthfoods. +

The criteria for diagnosis of Lupus is by its most common symptoms: photo sensitivity, low leukocytes in blood, anti-DNA antibodies in blood, renal disorder, oral ulcers, body rashes, skin lesions and aching bones and joints. It's easy to see why Lupus in early stages can be mistaken for rheumatoid arthritis. All aching joints are the same in the dark!

According to another Lupus researcher, Dr. Stanley Jacob, MD Oregon Health Sciences University, (the author of 8 textbooks, 140 Medical Journal articles,) one should take DMSO with the anti-biotic Minocycline. As DMSO is a harmless mineral, we can use it orally, in venous transfusion or topically. Always dilute with distilled water. As DMSO is a carrying agent that moves toward the bones, it acts to transport the antibiotic into the affected areas, just as it will transport hormones applied topically. OR dirt that's on your skin!

Dr. Stanley Jacob points out that Mycoplasma is a cellwall-deficient bacteria, hence your usual, activated antibiotics don't work. Luckily Doxycycline, Tetracycline and "Minocin" or Minocycline work well on it, especially, if you add human or vet grade DMSO to the medication.

If you suspect your cat has Mycoplasma lung bacteria, just have the vet outline a cure with Minocycline antibiotic. If he resists, show him a print out of this article and sit on his chest until he reads it.

The link between cats and arthritis has been known for a long time. In NATURE JOURNAL in 1939, (56 years ago), Dr. Thomas McPherson Brown recounted how he isolated the Mycoplasma Bacterium in rheumatoid joints. It is tragic that the medical community is so slow to listen to holistic researchers and that for more than a half century, millions of people have been crippled by a disease that one of the least injurious anti-biotics could have cured.

ALTERNATE THERAPY FOR ARTHRITIS OR LUPUS: Another tack for Lupus sufferers is based on research done by the famed Mexican Cancer clinic, and is called "The GERSON therapy". It works on cleansing the liver, and involves a wheatgrass juice fast. Dr. Max Gerson says fasting works well on Lupus. To mimic the clinical approach at home, go on a good 14 day raw juice fast, (no food at all) with 6 mini meals a day of mixed juices (carrot, celery, wheatgrass and beet).

The trick is to stir in a few tbsps of psyllium seed (unflavored metamucil), and drink immediately, before psyllium 'clots.' First time fasters should go on a high-bulk, vegetarian diet for a week beforehand to get the colon whisked clean enough to tolerate the highly cleansing, liquid diet.

Wheatgrass is easy to grow in flats at home. Try your neighborhood farm or poultry feed store to find wheat seed, sow it thickly on rich loam in a horticulturist's flat, shear when blades are 3 inches long. Get a wheatgrass extractor at your healthfood store as the usual juicer will have no effect on these 'blades of steel.'

NOTES: For more background facts, read Townsend Letter for Doctors, Issue # 145 Pg 111, Issue #141 P 132, Issue #143 Pg 104, Issue # 148 Pg 18 and Issue 149, P 99. Read the January 95 article by Dr. Tilly B.C. Volume 122 Pg 81-89, in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

For more info on Minocycline for Lupus, send SASE with 55c to The Road Back Foundation 4985 N. Lakehill Rd. Delaware OH 43015.

Contact Dr. Peat at PO BOX 5764 Eugene OR 97405, (503) 345-9855 in Eugene Oregon.

*You can get Pregnenolone and DHEA hormones from "Lifelink" 445 Lierly Ln Arroyo Grande CA 93420. (805) 473-1389. 180 capsules 40$ but there are other dosages at other prices. Shipping 4.50 UPS. TRY: HOME LINK 800-272-4767. Maybe cheapest of all suppliers: LIFE ENHANCEMENT PROD. PO Box 751390, Petaluma CA 94975. Get pregnenalone hormone from BEYOND A CENTURY 800-777-1324, 150 caps of 30m $59.50 It is a precursor of body's own supply of DHEA.

+ARIZONA HEALTHFOODS in PHOENIX has DMSO; try 800-INFO for #. Get DMSO more cheaply from your VET. Veterinarian grade is just as pure as human grade. Just tell vet "my horse limps, I want shin rub."

For INFO on DMSO protocols send SASE to Dr. Stanley Jacob L225, Oregon Health Sciences Univ. Portland OR 97201. For more about DMSO, call American Academy Metabolic Medicine 800-982-2101 ext 123. Treatment protocols will be provided.

Get DHEA RESEARCH bulletin #463 from American Society of Nutritional Research, 12416 N. 28th, Suite 18, PO Box 241 Phoenix AZ 85029.

Get NUTRITION NEWS "DHEA WILD YAM" PO Box 55279 Riverside CA 92517.

Contact Dr. Arthur Schwartz, Fels Institute, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. a longtime researcher in DHEA.

DOSEAGES: DHEA can be given in doses of from 3 mg to 30mg daily but as high as 1,600 mg a day for 28 days was found not to be injurious, subsiding later to a low daily maintenance level, 3x a week. If Deepak Chopra who is a DR, calls it the true Fountain of Youth and Doctors tell us there is no downside, maybe you can believe it. All it does is juice up the natural hormone-making ability of the body, which we lose in old age.

NOTE: Do a net search on names, product names, company names, i.e. "Dr. Arthur Schwartz" + Fels Institute or mycoplasma + "Ray Peat" at google or altavista. And you will locate these doctors' articles on the subject, phone numbers, even

Out POSTER is ANITA SANDS HERNANDEZ, Los Angeles Writer, Futurist and Astrologer. Catch up with her websites on the FUTURE, HOW TO SURVIVE the COMING GREAT DEPRESSION, and Secrets of Nature, HOLISTIC, AFFORDABLE HEALING. Also HOW TO LIVE on A NICKLE, The FRUGAL PAGE.* Anita is at ). Get a 15$ natal horoscope "my money/life" reading now + copy chart as Gif file graphic!