The Logo

The Logo of Meta-IQ represents the I (gray) of Immunology, the sign of Psychology (black with gray dot) and the M of Metabolism. These three signs are placed on a bowl or balance, and this balance represents the genetic makeup of each individual.

How does this have to be seen?

Everyone has from its parents received the genes that are the make up and basis for who you are. Almost half of the genes come from your father and a little more as half come from your mother (the mitochondrial genes come from your mother only therefore, does your mother give you a little more genetic information than your father). Although the general makeup of all genes is the same, there are little point mutations in the different genes (that is why your fathers genes are different from your mothers genes) this makes that some people are red haired and other blond or brunet or black etc. These point mutations make that the resulting proteins that are encoded by the genes can be a little more or less active if we think about proteins that digest food, or the receptors that smell or tast things or any other enzyme, or receptor or signalling protein in your body. This can make that a person has a tendency to get thicker when he eats a lot and another not. It also makes that one person has a tendency to get depressed when he or she is put under stress and another works just better, it also makes that one is sick longer when he or she gets an infection and the other is hardly sick or only for a short period of time.

All these differences give a kind of basic state in which every one is when she or he is born. Although there are a lot of difference between one person and the next the body will find a balance in all and therefore, in general every one is born in a balanced healthy state.

While living, people are being exposed to pathogens (bacteria, viruses etc.), stress, and food. On these things the system will react, and here the differences in the genetic make up will come into play. If the individual is prone to be less good in burning the food, and eats too fat food then he or she will get thick. If a person has an over active psychological makeup and gets exposed to stress he can flip out or get a little depressed, when a person has a less active immune system and gets an infection he or she gets sick and it takes longer to get better. All this is still within the normal range because the balance will tip over a little to one or the other side but comes back into balance again when the stress, infection or bad food is taken away.

When however, someone has an immune system that is over active and gets stressed, then it could be that the balance is tipped over and the person gets a bad depression, or gets multiple sclerosis. In another situation where a person has a normal psychological make up with an over active immuen system then adding stress will not have so much of an effect and the person does not get sick.

In another situation when someone eats bad and has a bad metabolism, and then also gets stress or gets an infection then he could develop diabetes or psoriasis etc.

When a person is prone to switch to a fat metabolism (in which fat is easily burned), has an over active immune system and he or she gets an infection in the brain or a micro bleeding in the brain, then it could be Alzheimer develops or Schizophrenia or multiple sclerosis. It all depends on the site of bleeding or infection and the genetic makeup of the person.

What does this have for implications for the treatment?

This means that also in the treatment one has to look at the whole picture, what are the factors that play a role in the persons disease. Is it the immune system, the psychology, the metabolism. The treatment should then also be focussing on this. For an autoimmune disease just giving immune blockers like corticosteroids or TNF blockers will make the symptoms go away but not the disease, the same with an neurological disease, just taking away the stress and block some symptoms will not treat the patient in the long term; combinations of treatments should be given. Some combinations can be simpel, make the patient change his diet and treat stress or treat the infection, can help. But normally in the beginning a treatment that is more powerfull can be given and then follow up with the less stringent methods like changing a diet can be done.

Another point where this model has an effect on the treatment is that to restore the balance it could be thought of trying to pull the balance back by treating another area as normally is done. For instance one can treat an autoimmune disease by focusing on the metabolic imbalance and treat the psychological state of the patient, in stead of just block the immune system. This opens up a whole new treatment regimen not thought of or tried before.