An electric switching device for fast closing of a high current in a power network comprising a first electrode (1), a second electrode (2), a movable contact element (3) closing said first and second electrodes, and an operating device. The operating device comprises a helically wound first coil (6) secured to the first electrode. The movable contact element comprises a flange (4) making contact with the coil. A current pulse flowing through the coil forms a repulsive force between the coil and the flange, said repulsive force throwing the movable contact element to the second electrode and completing the closing operation.

The present invention relates to an electric switching device for high current in an electrical power network. More particularly, the invention relates to a so-called high-speed circuit closer which is adapted to achieve a fast mechanical electric short circuit of at least one phase in a multi-phase network. The switching device is preferably intended to be used as arc eliminator in cubicle-enclosed switchgear in distribution networks and in transmission networks. Thus, the invention comprises both low, medium and high voltage. In accordance with the IEC standard, medium voltage means 1-72.5 kV whereas high voltage is  greater than 72,5 kV.
In arcs, caused by large fault currents, very large amounts of energy are released in the form of heat and radiation. In, for example, enclosed switchgear, with its limited space, these amounts of energy give rise to increases in pressure which may blast the enclosure. Such switchgear must therefore be equipped with space-demanding relief openings through which the heated gases are given a possibility to flow out. Further, the high arc temperatures cause the material in conductors and in switching equipment to melt and even evaporate. Burnable organic material may also be ignited when subjected to the high temperature and intense radiation of the arc. By decomposition of air (NOx) and evaporation of metals, the arc gives rise to poisonous gases. It is, therefore, common for such switchgear to be provided with devices for pressure relief in the form of evacuating channels, automatically openable hatches, etc. This means that such switchgear will be bulky and costly.
In industry, there has long been a great need to primarily prevent arcs from arising. In the second place, there has been a need to minimize the arc duration. In this way, material damage as a result of the heat and the pressure increase, built up during the duration of the arc, can be reduced. Also, the risk of personal injury and poisoning is reduced.
In case of a duration of the arc of about 30 ms, a switch-gear unit may be completely blown out. The pressure wave caused by the arc usually reaches its maximum even after 10-25 ms. To reduce the material damage, there is thus a need to limit the arc duration to about 10 ms. To reduce the risk of personal injury, still shorter arc durations should be aimed at. However, known circuit breakers have a considerably longer break-time. One common way of limiting the duration of the arc is, therefore, to rapidly switch the fault current to ground before the actual breaking operation.
A common problem in connection with a closer is that burns arise on the contact surfaces. Immediately before the switching elements come into contact with each other, arcs arise which partially melt the metal in the contact elements. This deteriorates the contact and causes development of heat. Known closers must therefore be overhauled at short intervals.
From, for example, DE-A-2623816, it is previously known to use, in gas-insulated, metal-enclosed switchgear, a fast grounding switch to extinguish a short-circuit arc between a high-voltage conductor and the grounded enclosure, to thus eliminate the risk of a dangerous overpressure building up. The grounding switch described in the publication is of single-phase design and is operated by a built-in explosive charge, the ignition of which is initiated by a sensor actuated by the arc. One disadvantage with such a grounding switch is that it must undergo a general overhaul or be replaced after one single operation. A further disadvantage is the handling and storage of explosives during such an overhaul.
From WO 97/45851, a high-speed circuit closer is previously known which, with a torsion-sprung contact device, brings a knife-shaped contact part into contact with a fork-shaped contact part. Both contact parts are housed in a container with insulating gas. The task of the known high-speed circuit closer is to achieve a rapid closing and prevent burns from arising on the contact parts. One disadvantage with this high-speed circuit closer is that a relatively large number of parts are included in the actual movement. The composition of the breaker is also relatively complicated. For optimum function, the torsion spring has to be adjusted carefully. A further disadvantage is that the closer only functions as a closer. Thus, it requires manual return to the insulating position. The spring must then be tensioned to be put into operational condition again.
The object of the present invention is to suggest ways and means of achieving a fast electric switching device, the break-time or make-time of which is less than about 5 ms. In its function as a grounding switch, a so-called arc eliminator, it shall prevent the occurrence of arcs at the moment of contact so as to avoid damage to the contact elements. It shall effectively brake the movable contact system during a closing operation. The switching device shall be able to carry out several closing and opening operations in rapid succession, also in the reverse order. The switching device shall manage both a high voltage and a high current. It shall have a simple and compact design which makes possible installation in conventional air-insulated switchgear without the above-mentioned disadvantages which are associated with prior art designs.
These objects are achieved according to the invention by an electric switching device according to the characteristic features described in the characterizing portions of the independent claims 1 and 6 and by a method according to the characteristic features described in the characterizing portions of the independent method claims 7 and 8. Advantageous embodiments are described in the characterizing portions of the dependent claims.
In high-voltage switchgear, grounding switches of two kinds are used, namely, working grounding switches and high-speed grounding switches. From a first aspect of the invention, the switching device is adapted to constitute a grounding switch of the latter kind. Such a fast grounding switch, a high-speed grounding switch, shall manage to ground the high-voltage parts also when these are energized and in case of large fault currents. In such a switching case, the contacts are subjected to full short-circuit current. In order thus to limit the contact burn-off and other function-reducing effects which are caused by the arcs which are usually created during the closing operation, bouncing movements between the contacts must be limited or completely eliminated. The bouncing movements are primarily dependent on the speed at which the contact parts butt against each other. The amplitude of the bouncing movement thus increases with the relative final speed between the contact parts. An important task of the high-speed circuit closer is therefore to achieve a low speed of the contacts at the moment of closing and an ability to damp the kinetic energy of the contacts.
From a second aspect of the invention, the electric switching device is adapted to constitute a circuit breaker. Usually, a circuit breaker must be able to handle the occurrence of an arc between the contacts. To this end, a conventional circuit breaker is equipped with means for extinguishing an arc thus arisen. However, the switching device according to the invention is so fast that no significant amount of energy has time to build up in the arc. The arc therefore expires by rapid separation of the contacts during zero crossing in the current.
The switching device according to the invention is arranged with a first contact part, a second contact part and a movable contact part displaceable therebetween. In the open position, the movable contact part rests at the first contact part. In the closed position, the movable contact part rests in contact with both the first contact part and the second contact part, whereby the current is passed through the movable contact part. In a first stage of the closing or opening movement, a rapid acceleration is imparted to the movable contact part. In a subsequent stage, the movable contact part moves at constant speed. In a conventional arc eliminator, a movable contact part usually moves under continuous acceleration during the whole movement, whereby a high speed of the movable contact part is achieved at the moment of closing. In a switching device according to the invention, where the movement is divided into an acceleration phase and a phase with a constant speed, a lower speed of the movable contact is obtained, for the same make-time, at the moment of closing.
The accelerating movement of the movable contact part is achieved with a so-called Thomson coil. When a current pulse traverses a flat-wound helical coil, the coil forms a variable magnetic field. In an adjacent metallic object, eddy currents are formed which, in turn, create a variable magnetic field directed in the opposite direction. For large current pulses, a strong repulsive force is formed between the coil and the adjacent metallic object. However, the force decreases rapidly with the distance. According to the invention, the movable contact part is designed as a sleeve of metal with a flange arranged at one end. The sleeve surrounds the first contact part and is arranged, in its open position of rest, such that the flange makes contact with a helical, flat coil arranged around the first contact part. When a current pulse traverses the coil, a strong repulsive force is thus formed between the coil and the flange, which force pushes away the sleeve against the second contact part.
For the breaking movement of the switching device, a Thomson coil is arranged in a similar manner. Secured to a housing of insulating material, surrounding the contacts, a helically wound flat coil is arranged. Spring-loaded against this coil, a metallic ring surrounding the sleeve is arranged. When a current pulse traverses the coil, a repulsive force arises which pushes the ring in a direction away from the second contact part. The ring and the flange of the sleeve are arranged such that the ring hits the flange. Upon this contact, the ring transfers its kinetic energy to the flanged sleeve, causing the sleeve to resume its open position of rest.
Between two poles with different potential, an electric field arises. The appearance of this field is largely dependent on the shape of the electrodes. If the electrodes are pointed or contain edges or irregularities, concentrations in the electric field arise. Such concentrations in the field may give rise to partial discharges. These discharges may, in turn, be the embryo of arcs. The switching device according to the invention is arranged with round electrodes, whereby concentrations in the electric field are avoided. As a result thereof, it has been possible to reduce the distance between the electrodes in case of full insulation. A smaller distance gives less energy requirement for moving a contact element which brings about contact between the electrodes. Due to the smaller distance it also takes less time to bring about contact. At high voltages, the contacts are arranged enclosed in a container filled with insulating gas, the insulating gas being utilized to further reduce the distance between the contact parts.
When two contacts approach each other, a small arc arises at the moment of contact. This is dependent on the current but also on the bouncing movement which arises between the contacts during the impact. The energy which causes these movements is dependent on the speed squared. This means that a reduction of the speed is exceedingly favourable for reducing the occurrence of bouncing movements. In case of a sliding contact, where the contact parts are moving in parallel with the contact surface, bouncing effects also occur in that a transverse force is imparted, upon impact, to the contact parts, which force sets the contact parts in oscillation. The oscillation causes the contact parts to alternately be in contact with each other and alternately be at a distance from each other. During the short time during which the contact parts are separated from each other, an arc arises which causes damage to the contact surfaces.
According to the invention, the harmful arcs are eliminated by means of a plurality of spring fingers. These are made of a conducting material with a high mechanical yield point. The spring fingers are placed in contact with the second contact part and are adapted, upon oscillation, to exhibit a high mechanical resonant frequency. When the movable contact part is brought to rapidly slide against the second contact part, it first hits the contact fingers, which are thrown sideways. By this force, the spring fingers are set into oscillation such that a bouncing movement arises. The spring fingers are dimensioned to obtain a high resonant frequency. On its way, the movable contact part knocks against a plurality of fingers, which are all brought into oscillation. The spring fingers are struck at different times and have different resonant frequency. This means that the phase difference between the oscillation of the different fingers will be random. Since the oscillation frequency is high, some finger will always be in contact with the movable contact part. This means that arcs do not arise and when the movable contact part has assumed the closed position, also the vibration of the contact fingers has decreased, enabling the grounding switch to carry the current,
As contact-making member between each of the first and the second contact part and the movable contact part, one or a plurality of tapes of helically wound wire are used. In conventional switching devices, this type of contact member occurs at the corresponding contact between the first contact part and the movable contact part. However, it is not known to arrange such a contact member for providing contact between correspondingly the second contact part and the movable contact part. Thus, conventional switching devices exhibit a fixed contact part, corresponding to the second contact part, which has contact fingers.


The present invention is a method that allows controllable devices attached to a vehicle""s surface (such as, for example, controllable actuators on an aircraft) to be controlled by a processor or like device in an active-active mode and when a malfunction is detected in one of the controllable devices, the processor will switch to control the controllable devices in an active-standby mode.

The present invention relates to vehicle control systems, and more particularly, to a method for electronically controlling controllable devices attached to a surface on an aircraft.
In recent years, fly-by-wire flight control systems have replaced many mechanical flight control systems. While older aircraft incorporated complex mechanical assemblies requiring cables and other mechanical components to transmit pilot commands to the control surfaces, fly-by-wire flight control systems were designed to convert a pilot""s commands into electrical signals that, when combined with other data, control flight control surfaces. In fly-by-wire flight control systems, a pilot""s commands are translated into electrical signals through the use of transducers that sense the pilot""s inputs. The electrical signals produced by the transducers are fed to a flight computer, along with other data indicative of flight parameters. Based upon the data it receives, the flight computer generates signals designed to achieve the desired flight path commanded by the pilot. These signals, called flight control surface commands, are transmitted electrically, in typical fly-by-wire control systems, to actuator controller units. There are primarily two commercial fly by wire avionics technologies in the prior art. The first was developed by Boeing while the other was developed by Airbus.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a typical airplane includes fuselage 110, wings 112 (which provide the lift needed to fly the airplane), vertical stabilizers 114 and horizontal stabilizers 116 (which are used to ensure a stable flight) and engines 118 (which provide the thrust needed to propel the airplane forward).
To guide a vehicle such as an airplane during travel, flight control surfaces are placed on wings 112, horizontal stabilizers 116, and vertical stabilizers 114. The primary flight control surfaces on an airplane include the ailerons 100, the elevators 102 and the rudder 104. Ailerons 100 are located on the trailing edges of the wings of the airplane and control the roll of the airplane. An airplane""s xe2x80x9crollxe2x80x9d is depicted in FIG. 2A. Elevators 102 are located on the horizontal stabilizer of an airplane and control the pitch of the airplane. Pitching of an airplane is depicted in FIG. 2B. Rudder 104 is located on the vertical stabilizer and controls the yaw of the airplane. Yawing of an airplane is illustrated in FIG. 2C.
An aircraft""s wings also include spoilers 106, flaps 120, and slats 122, collectively known as secondary flight control surfaces. Spoilers 106 are located on the wings and perform a variety of different functions, including assisting in the control of vertical flight path, acting as air brakes to control the forward speed of the airplane, and acting as ground spoilers to reduce wing lift to help maintain contact between the landing gear and the runway when braking.
Flaps 120 and slats 122 are located on the wings of an airplane to change the lift and drag forces effecting an airplane, with flaps 120 at the trailing edge of wing 112 and slats 122 at the leading edge wing 112. When flaps 120 and slats 122 are extended the shape of the wing changes to provide more lift. With an increased lift, the airplane is able to fly at lower speeds, thus simplifying both the landing procedure and the take-off procedure.
The primary flight control surfaces described above are operated by a pilot located in the cockpit of the airplane. Rudder 104 is typically controlled by a pair of rudder pedals operated by the pilot""s feet. Ailerons 100 are controlled by adjusting a control wheel or control stick to the left or right Moving the control stick to the left typically controls the left aileron to rise and the right aileron to go down, causing the airplane to roll to the left. Elevator 102 is controlled by adjusting a control wheel or control stick to the front or back.
In most smaller airplanes, there is a direct mechanical linkage between the pilot""s controls and the moveable surfaces. In most larger airplanes, there may be cables or wires connecting the pilot""s controls to the hydraulic actuators used to move the primary control surfaces. In newer planes, a system called xe2x80x9cfly-by-wirexe2x80x9d has been developed.
When a new airplane is designed and built, and before it can be flown with passengers, it must be certified. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Regulations (xe2x80x9cFARxe2x80x9d) govern the certification of planes. The FAR regulates potential problems that may occur in an airplane and divides components into various categories depending on the criticality of the component. For example, a Category A component is a component that, if it fails, results in loss of aircraft. A Category A component is also known as a critical component. A Category B component is a less important component: failure of a Category B component may result in the loss of life, but not the loss of the entire airplane. Components in Categories C, D, and E are even less critical: failure any of those components results in no loss of life.
The actuator controller units control the movement of the aircraft flight control surfaces in response to the flight control surface commands and feedback data obtained by monitoring various output parameters indicative of the operation and position of the flight control surface. Maintaining the normal operation of control channels in flight control systems is vital to proper aircraft control. In the event of control channel failure, the resulting loss of control over a flight control surface could jeopardize aircraft control. Because loss of control is of high concern, the response to control channel failure in flight control systems has been addressed in many ways.
The Boeing fly by wire system is mainly a digital control system with analog backup circuitry while the Airbus fly by wire system is mainly a digital control system. Each fly by wire system controls a computing lane by different technologies. The Boeing fly by wire system, for example, uses three computers, each with three lanes, to achieve a three-way redundancy comparison. A computing lane is an avionics control system having a computing system which communicates electronically with sensors on the aircraft, communicates with sensors which process the pilot""s commands or actions, and also communicates with and controls the aircraft""s hydraulic actuators. Each computing lane is capable of controlling the aircraft in its entirety. One reason that fly by wire systems use more than one computing lane is to provide redundant systems for safety. Another reason that fly by wire systems use more than one computing lane is to detect a computing lane electronic failure by comparing it to another computing lane, either of identical design or one which is similar in design.
Generally, actuators are controllable devices on an aircraft which are controlled by some other control device, such as a processor, a computer, a central processing unit or like device. Hydraulic actuators are the devices which move certain attached structural portions of the aircraft (such as an aircraft surface). Such structures include the aircraft""s airfoils, ailerons, elevators and like structures which move on the aircraft and serve to assist in the operation of the aircraft. These structures are commonly referred to as xe2x80x9cflight control surfacesxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9csurfaces.xe2x80x9d The movement of some aircraft surfaces can be seen, for example, during flight when one views the ailerons moving on the aircraft""s wings during aircraft takeoff or aircraft landing. There are also surfaces at the tail end of the aircraft such as, for example, the aircraft""s rudder. On some aircraft, there are two elevator surfaces, one on the left side of the aircraft""s tail and one on the right side of the aircraft""s tail.
In use, most hydraulic actuators receive command signals from a processor or like device. Each command signal corresponds to an electrical current that is sent through a coil within the actuator which, in turn, causes the coil to open and allows hydraulic fluid in the actuator to flow in one direction or the other. A processor or like device can thus control the rate and direction of the hydraulic fluid flow in the actuator to allow operational control of the actuator and ultimately, allow operational control of the aircraft surface attached to the actuator.
In a typical commercial aircraft, there are two elevators, two ailerons and one rudder, for a total of five controllable primary surfaces. At least one primary actuator is attached to each primary surface. Primary actuators are known as critical actuators since the failure to control the primary actuators (and thus, failure to control the aircraft""s primary surfaces) will likely result in loss of control of the aircraft. Often, two primary actuators are attached to each primary surface (except for the rudder, which can have more than two actuators attached). In some instances, additional surfaces called spoilers can be implemented into the fly by wire system to control the speed break effect and also to assist in stopping the aircraft. Spoilers are attached to secondary critical actuators because, unlike the primary actuators, other precautionary actions can be taken by the pilot or the computer processor to guide the aircraft to safety when the secondary actuators fail.
In the Airbus fly by wire system, there are two actuators which are attached to each primary surface. In turn, each actuator in the Airbus approach is controlled by computers in what is known as an xe2x80x9cactive-standbyxe2x80x9d mode. In a typical active-standby mode, one of the actuators is active (and thus actively controlling the movement of the attached surface) while the other actuator is placed on standby (and thus, not actively controlling the movement of the attached surface). If the active actuator fails, the computer system must be programmed to quickly detect the failure, shut off the failed active actuator and quickly allow the standby actuator to switch to become the active actuator that controls the surface. The timing of the surface control switching (e.g., switching control from the malfunctioning actuator to the standby actuator) is critical because there should always be one functioning actuator controlling the surface while the aircraft is in flight. In this regard, safety is achieved by having a standby actuator take control of the surface almost immediately should the active actuator fail.
In the Boeing fly by wire system, all actuators that are attached to (and thus, controlling) the surface are active, and thus, operate in what is known as an xe2x80x9cactive-activexe2x80x9d mode. Unlike the active-standby approach, there is no need to disengage one actuator and engage the other actuator in the active-active approach because all actuators attached to the surface are actively controlling the surface at the same time. Some believe that one advantage to the active-active approach allows for the control of smaller, and thus lighter, actuators. However, smaller actuators may not be able to sufficiently control a surface by itself.
Another disadvantage to the active-active approach arises due to the way actuators are manufactured. Typically, active-active actuators are manufactured in pairs so that each actuator is mechanically coupled to another actuator in a tight relationship. However, when one of the two actuators in the actuator pair malfunctions, the two actuators fight each other (referred to as a force fight) and become unstable controllable devices. In other words, the opposing movements of both actuators caused by a working actuator and a non-working actuator results in a competition to direct the aircraft""s surface to different positions, thereby creating force fight. Force fights are undesirable because they lead to flight control surface flexure and such surface flexure causes premature structural fatigue in flight control surfaces. Because of the design of the active-active mode, the control processor is prevented from disengaging one malfunctioning actuator with the hope that the other actuator will maintain proper positioning of the surface. Designers who employ the active-active approach thus shut down both (or all) actuators attached to a surface in the event of an actuator failure in order to maintain some control of the aircraft by use of the remaining functioning actuator and surface structures.
The following summary of the invention is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the present invention, and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the various aspects of the invention can only be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract as a whole.
The present invention concerns a method for controlling controllable devices on a vehicle (such as actuators attached to a surface on an aircraft, for example) to allow active-active control mode to all controllable devices and in the case of a detected controllable device failure or malfunction, the present invention allows for the surface control switching to active-standby mode. Those of skill in the art will realize that due to the present invention, the advantages of the active-active actuator control approach are achieved while the disadvantages eliminated. Thus, in one embodiment, the present invention allows the actuator pair attached to a surface to be controlled in the active-active mode and when one of the actuators fails in the active-active mode, the processor or like control device will switch to allow active-standby control mode to the controllable devices. In the active-standby mode, if the newly designated active actuator is malfunctioning, the processor will be programmed to quickly relinquish control of the malfunctioning actuator to the actuator which was in the standby mode.
The novel features of the present invention will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon examination of the following detailed description of the invention or can be learned by practice of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description of the invention and the specific examples presented, while indicating certain embodiments of the present invention, are provided for illustration purposes only because various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those of skill in the art from the detailed description of the invention and claims that follow.

Method for controlling actuators on a vehicle


A method to speed recovery from acute injury and/or reduce and prevent chronic inflammation in an animal or human is disclosed. The method includes providing a grounded plane, conductively coupling said animal or human to the grounded plane to conduct the earth's mobile negative surface charge of free electrons from the earth to said animal or human in order to provide the body with an abundant supply of free electrons to reduce residual immune system produced reactive oxygen specie free radicals and prevent the same from oxidizing healthy tissue and exhibiting chronic inflammation in said animal or man. Applying earth's free electrons to the human body for prevention of chronic inflammation and therapeutic reduction of inflammation is described. Further described are methods to apply and maintain earth's mobile free electron charge on an animal or human while residing in modern home or work environments or in a treatment facility.

The present invention resides in a method to reduce and prevent inflammation and to treat inflammation related autoimmune disorders. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of inhibiting the expression of chronic inflammation in an animal or human by conductively coupling the body with the earth to conduct earth's mobile surface charge of free electrons from the earth to the body in order to restore the body's natural supply of free electrons and thereby reduce and prevent residual immune system-produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) free radicals from oxidizing normal tissue. When an animal or human body is naturally charged with earth's mobile free electrons, residual immune system-produced free radicals have a readily available source of free electrons to rapidly reduce their oxidative state. This inhibits free radical oxidation of healthy tissue and thereby speeds recovery from acute injury and inhibits the promotion and manifestation of chronic inflammation and inflammation related health disorders. Free electrons from the earth do not interfere with the normal and vital immune responses to tissue damage and/or infection and subsequent tissue repair processes; instead, electrons have a natural protective effect on healthy or undamaged cells and tissues near a site of trauma. In other words, free electrons from the earth augment and focus the body's natural responses to injury.
It is well established, though not widely known, that the surface of the earth possesses a limitless and continuously renewed supply of free or mobile electrons. The earth's surface is electrically conductive and is maintained at a negative potential by the global atmospheric electrical circuit. The universal conductivity of the earth's surface varies somewhat from place to place, depending upon water and mineral content, vegetation and other factors. However, these factors have relatively little effect on the ability of an earth connection to allow free electrons to flow from the earth to the body or vice versa. Further, any conductive object, coupled with the earth, will conduct earth's mobile charge of free electrons and equalize with it and thereafter maintain the negative potential of the earth. Human and animal bodies are conductive and when they are coupled with the earth they also conduct and become saturated with the earth's mobile electrons. Humans and animals and their respective progenitors lived in conductive (barefoot) contact with the earth during their primary evolutionary period. The body's reactive oxygen species immune response mechanisms also developed during this period when humans and animals lived in a natural grounded state. The inventor has linked loss of natural grounding via the integration of plastic and other insulative materials in our living environments as a contributor to the rapid rise in chronic inflammation and related health disorders. Non-conductive natural and artificial polymer-based soled footwear, floor coverings, bedding and the like now insulate most humans and domestic animals from routine conductive contact with the earth. Clinical case studies (Amalu, William, DC, DABCT, FIACT; Medical Thermography Case Studies) document that when the body is conductively coupled with the earth, acute injuries and chronic inflammation and related health disorders resolve naturally.
The primary defence mechanism of the body is the release of reactive oxygen specie (ROS) free radicals by the immune system. The immune system's ROS response is triggered by injury or disease. White blood cells are constantly circulating within the tissues, essentially poised to respond to the presence of viruses, bacteria or injured cells (Garrood T L Lee L Pitzalis C, 2006; Molecular mechanisms of cell recruitment to inflammatory sites: general and tissue-specific pathways; Rheumatology 45(3):250-260). When an injury occurs, chemical, electrical and other messages are produced that attract white blood cells to the injured or diseased tissue. Chemical signals from the injured tissue can attract other, more specialized cells (Springer T A, 1995; Traffic signals on endothelium for lymphocyte recirculation and leukocyte emigration; Annual Reviews of Physiology 57:827-872). Inflammation increases blood flow to an area, producing redness and warmth.
Part of the inflammatory response involves various immune cells, known as neutrophils, as well as other types of phagocytes, which secrete an abundance of powerful oxidizing agents (free radicals) in a process known as the respiratory burst. The respiratory burst consists of a complex mix of very reactive molecules such as hydrogen peroxide, oxidized halogens, chloramines and oxidizing radicals such as hydroxyl radical, −OH, that aid in the destruction of invading microorganisms. To restore their electrical neutrality, these agents tear electrons from the structures of invading organisms and damaged cells, rapidly destroying them. While these highly reactive substances are manufactured for use at specific sites of infection or tissue damage, they can leak into surrounding tissues, where they inflict various types of undesirable but unavoidable damaging side effects.
While ROS free radicals are obviously vital to the immune response, problems arise when the process does not completely wind down after an injury or site of disease has been cleared of pathogens and cellular debris. Under these conditions, residual ROS free radicals continue to attack and oxidize healthy tissue. This oxidation of healthy tissue then leads to the release of additional chemical signals that re-stimulate the immune system. The immune system responds by delivering more ROS free radicals, establishing a destructive or vicious cycle that can continue indefinitely, even for dozens of years. Some biomedical researchers refer to this as silent inflammation, and it is being recognized as the culprit behind almost every modern chronic disease.
Scientists have known for a long time that the inflammatory response can backfire, causing a host of autoimmune diseases. There about 80 such disorders, the most common being rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Graves' disease, Lupus, and Crohn's disease.
The idea that chronic inflammation could be involved in disease began to gain credence when doctors realized that stomach ulcers were not caused by stress or spicy food, but by inflammation triggered during bacterial infection (Marshall B J Warren J R, 1984; Unidentified curved bacilli in the stomach of patients with gastritis and peptic ulceration; Lancet 1(8390):1311-1315; also see the 2005 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine awarded jointly to Barry J. Marshall and J. Robin Warren for their discovery of "the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease.")
It has also long been known that Type 1 diabetes is linked to inflammation—the body's immune system attacks the cells that make insulin. New research is suggesting that Type 2 diabetes, the kind that generally occurs in adulthood, often begins with insulin resistance, in which cells stop responding properly to insulin. Doctors now know that during chronic inflammation, one of the chemicals released is tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which makes cells more resistant to insulin. The TNF connection also helps explain why obesity, particularly abdominal obesity, leads to diabetes. Fat cells used to be thought of as storage depots for energy, as metabolically inactive; now we know that fat cells are little hotbeds of inflammation—excess fat in the belly is a source of inflammation.
Recently evidence has accumulated to show that inflammation is a major factor in far more conditions than the autoimmune diseases, ulcers and diabetes. Some of the most thorough documentation of the role of inflammation in disease has come from research of Dr. P M Ridker and his colleagues at the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, and Division of Cardiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass., USA (Ridker P M Hennekens C H, Buring J E, and Rifai N, 2000; C-reactive protein and other markers of inflammation in the prediction of cardiovascular disease in women; New England Journal of Medicine, 342(12):836-43). Suspecting that inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular events, these researchers measured the levels of markers of inflammation in a prospective controlled study among 28,263 apparently healthy postmenopausal women over a mean follow-up period of three years. They assessed the risk of cardiovascular events associated with a variety of established inflammatory markers, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), homocysteine and a variety of lipid (e.g. cholesterol) and lipoprotein measurements. Cardiovascular events were defined as death from coronary heart disease, nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke, or the need for coronary revascularization procedures. Of 12 markers measured, hs-CRP proved to be the strongest predictor of the risk of cardiovascular events. Markers of inflammation, when combined with lipid measurements, were significantly better at predicting risk than models based on lipid levels alone (P<0.001). The levels of hs-CRP and serum amyloid A were significant predictors of risk even in the subgroup of women with normal cholesterol levels. The study concluded that adding the measurement of the inflammatory marker, C-reactive protein, to screening based on lipid levels could improve the identification of persons at risk for cardiovascular events. In 2004, a group in Taipei, Taiwan essentially confirmed these results in a study of non-diabetic patients (Leu H B, Lin C P, Lin W T, Wu T C, and Chen J W, 2004; Risk stratification and prognostic implication of plasma biomarkers in nondiabetic patients with stable coronary artery disease: the role of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; Chest, 126(4):1032-9).
In 2001, Ridker and colleagues studied the risk factors for systemic atherosclerosis in 14,916 initially healthy US male physicians. Again, total cholesterol-HDL-C ratio and CRP were the strongest independent predictors of development of peripheral arterial disease (Ridker P M, Stampfer M J, and Rifai N, 2001; Novel risk factors for systemic atherosclerosis: a comparison of C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, homocysteine, lipoprotein(a), and standard cholesterol screening as predictors of peripheral arterial disease; JAMA, 285(19):2481-2485).
In 2001, another group at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. USA reported on high levels of CRP associated with hypopituitarism and growth hormone deficiency. This phenomenon had already been reported in men, and this study extended the findings to women. Hypopituitary women have increased levels of IL-6 and CRP, both of which are inflammatory markers of atherosclerosis (Sesmilo G, Miller K K, Hayden D, and Klibanski A, 2001; Inflammatory cardiovascular risk markers in women with hypopituitarism; J Clin Endocrinol Metab., 86 (12):5774-5781).
In 2002, Ridker and colleagues reported measurements of C-reactive protein and LDL cholesterol in 27,939 apparently healthy American women who were then followed for a mean of eight years for the occurrence of myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, coronary revascularization, or death from cardiovascular causes. They found that base-line levels of each marker had a strong linear relation with the incidence of cardiovascular events.
Further study by Ridker and colleagues revealed a correlation between chronic inflammation and sudden cardiac death (Alenghat F J, and Ingber D E, 2002; Mechanotransduction: All Signals Point to Cytoskeleton, Matrix, and Integrins; Science's STKE: http://stke.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/OC_sigtrans;2002/119/pe6).
As a result of these studies, and others like them, the American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended in 2003 that doctors include a test for free radicals in their medical check-ups, to determine a patient's risk for heart disease (Pearson T A, Mensah G A, Alexander R W, et al.; 2003; Markers of Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease Application to Clinical and Public Health Practice. A Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association; Circulation 107:499-511). Subsequently there has been a veritable explosion of research into the association of inflammation and inflammatory markers with a wide range of chronic illnesses. Today, nearly every branch of medicine and surgery includes the study of inflammation (Alenghat F J, supra.)
Inflammation is now thought to be the underlying mechanism of more than 80 chronic illnesses, in addition to the autoimmune disorders mentioned above. These chronic illnesses involve almost every human organ system. They include diseases of the nervous, gastrointestinal, endocrine and respiratory systems as well as the skin and connective tissues. In all of these diseases, the underlying problem is similar—the body's immune system is attacking the very organs it was designed to protect. And inflammation in one organ can be associated with problems in other organs.
For example, in 2004, Knight and colleagues studied the association among kidney function, inflammatory biomarker levels, and coronary events. A total of 244 women with no history of cardiovascular disease that subsequently had incident coronary events were matched to 486 control subjects. High-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP), IL-6, and sTNFR I and II levels were all significantly associated with an increased odds of coronary events in women with reduced kidney function but not in women with normal kidney function. Kidney dysfunction is associated with an increased odds of coronary events, and inflammation, as assessed by higher inflammatory biomarker levels, specifically hs-CRP, IL-6, and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor I and II were significantly associated with coronary events only in women with reduced kidney function (Knight E L, Rimm E B, Pai J K, Rexrode K M, Cannuscio C C, Manson J E, Stampfer M J, and Curhan G C, 2004; Kidney dysfunction, inflammation, and coronary events: a prospective study; J Am Soc Nephrol, 15(7):1897-903).
Subsequent ongoing research has confirmed a role for inflammation in atherosclerosis (Folsom A R, Chambless L E, Ballantyne C M, Coresh J, Heiss G, Wu K K, Boerwinkle E, Mosley T H, Jr, Sorlie P, Diao G, and Sharrett A R, 2006; An assessment of incremental coronary risk prediction using C-reactive protein and other novel risk markers: the atherosclerosis risk in communities study; Arch Intern Med. 166(13):1368-73), diabetes (Ben-Mahmud B M, Chan W H, Abdulahad R M, Datti A, Orlacchio A, Kohner E M, and Chibber R, 2006; Clinical validation of a link between TNF-alpha and the glycosylation enzyme core 2 GlcNAc-T and the relationship of this link to diabetic retinopathy; Diabetologia, 49(9):2185-2191), rheumatoid arthritis (Datta D, Ferrell W R, Sturrock R D, Jadhav S T, and Sattar N, 2007; Inflammatory suppression rapidly attenuates microvascular dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis; Atherosclerosis, 192(2):391-195), multiple sclerosis (Pleasure D, Soulika A, Singh S K, Gallo V, and Bannerman P, 2006; Inflammation in white matter: Clinical and pathophysiological aspects; Ment Retard Dev Disabil Res Rev. 12(2):141-6), aging (Alvarado C, Alvarez P, Puerto M, Gausseres N, Jimenez L, and De la Fuente M, 2006; Dietary supplementation with antioxidants improves functions and decreases oxidative stress of leukocytes from prematurely aging mice; Nutrition, 22(7-8):767-77), Alzheimer's disease (Di Rosa M, Dell'Ombra N, Zambito A M, Malaguarnera M, Nicoletti F, and Malaguarnera I, 2006; Chitotriosidase and inflammatory mediator levels in Alzheimer's disease and cerebrovascular dementia; Eur J Neurosci, 23(10):2648-56), osteoporosis (Weitzmann M N, and Pacifici R, 2006; Estrogen deficiency and bone loss: an inflammatory tale; Clin Invest. 116(5):1186-94), asthma (Isidori A M, Giannetta E, Pozza C, Bonifacio V, and Isidori A, 2005; Androgens, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis; J Endocrinol Invest. 28(10 Suppl):73-9), bowel disorders (Zilberman L, Maharshak N, Arbel Y, Rogowski O, Rozenblat M, Shapira I, Berliner S, Arber N, and Dotan I, 2006; Correlated Expression of High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein in Relation to Disease Activity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Lack of Differences between Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis; Digestion, 73(4):205-209), psoriasis (Hamming a E A, van der Lely A J, Neumann H A, and Thio H B, 2006; Chronic inflammation in psoriasis and obesity: Implications for therapy; Med Hypotheses, 67(4):768-773), meningitis (Keino H, Goto H, Mori H, Iwasaki T, and Usui M, 2006; Association between severity of inflammation in CNS and development of sunset glow fundus in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease; Am J. Opthalmol. 141(6):1140-1142), cystic fibrosis (Clayton A, and Knox A J, 2006; COX-2: a link between airway inflammation and disordered chloride secretion in cystic fibrosis?; Thorax, 61(7):552-553), age related macular degeneration (Seddon J M, George S, Rosner B, and Rifai N, 2005; Progression of age-related macular degeneration: prospective assessment of C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, and other cardiovascular biomarkers; Arch Opthalmol, 123(6):774-82), and cancer (Allgayer H, and Kruis W, 2006; From chronic inflammation to metastasing colon cancer—the endless story of the NSAIDs; Z Gastroenterol, 44(7):611-613). The individual references for the previous sentence are drawn from recent literature to show that studies of this kind are currently one of the most active areas in clinical biomedicine.
The details of these phenomena are being worked out. For example, in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, it has been found that whenever the brain is injured or infected, glial cells in the brain secrete cytokines. Normally, this response shuts down when the injury or infection is over. But in chronic neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, these glial cells are activated too high or too long or both. The plaques and tangles in patients' brains attract the attention of glial cells, making them secrete even more cytokines to try to repair this damage, and creating chronic inflammation (Ranaivo H R Craft J M Hu W Guo L Wing L K, Van Eldik L J, and Watterson D M, 2006; Glia as a Therapeutic Target: Selective Suppression of Human Amyloid-beta-Induced Upregulation of Brain Proinflammatory Cytokine Production Attenuates Neurodegeneration; J. Neurosci, 26: 662-670).
The role of inflammation in cancer development is under active investigation. It has been discovered that recurrent inflammation and chronic infections actually contribute to a large number of different types of cancers. Tumors arise from chronic inflammation that acts together with chemical carcinogens. A relationship between cancer and inflammation due to chronic infection has been suspected, but not proven, for many years. In a 1986 study, for example, one researcher compared the inflammatory response to a wound healing response, saying tumors were wounds that do not heal. The recent findings establish a role of myeloid cells in inflammation-associated tumor promotion in addition to their role in tumor progression and invasiveness (Greten F R, Eckmann L, Greten T F, Park J M, Li Z W, Egan L J, Kagnoff M F, and Karin M, 2004; IKKbeta links inflammation and tumorigenesis in a mouse model of colitis-associated cancer; Cell, 118(3):285-96).
Modern research is confirming that inflammatory diseases are virtually epidemic and include some of the most devastating afflictions of our times. Over the evolutionary eons, "we developed these important host defenses to let us get to reproductive age," said Dr. Peter Libby, chief of cardiovascular medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "Now, the lifespan has almost doubled, and these same [immune responses] contribute to diseases in the end." Chronic inflammation is so similar in different diseases, Libby said, that when he lectures, he uses many of the same slides, whether he's talking about diseases of the heart, kidneys, joints, lung or other tissues (Foreman J, 2006; Inflammation is Culprit in Many Ailments; On the web at: http://www.myhealthsense.com/F060403_inflamation.html.). In "The Inflammation Cure," J. Meggs, MD states that, "Inflammation may turn out to be the elusive Holy Grail of medicine—the single phenomenon that holds the key to sickness and health." (Meggs W J, and Svec C, 2003; The Inflammation Cure: How to Combat the Hidden Factor Behind Heart Disease, Arthritis, Asthma, Diabetes, & Other Diseases; McGraw-Hill, New York). Everybody knows someone suffering from an inflammation disease. Many physicians, scientists, and patients wonder what has caused inflammation to become so common.
These observations and conclusions further relate significantly to the roles of inflammation and ROS free radicals in chronic disease that have been incorporated into an important new theory that has steadily been gaining support within the medical community. The new theory states that the immune reaction generally known as inflammation may be the underlying cause of a wide range of chronic diseases.
As a consequence of current research on inflammation, Time Magazine Newsweek and Scientific American have recently reported that inflammation is emerging as the "Alpha and Omega of disease" . . . that reducing inflammation is the most important thing a person can do to restore their health and prevent disease (The Secret Killer. Time Magazine; Feb. 23, 2004); (Underwood A, 2005, Quieting a body's defenses; Summer issue); (Martindale D, 2005; Reactive Reasoning: Is an inflammation protein the next cholesterol?; Scientific American.com, March 28 issue).
The familiar manifestations of inflammation should be short lived: swelling, redness, decreased range of motion, heat and pain. However, when the inflammatory response does not shut down properly, inflammation can persist, causing the disruptive manifestations listed in the previous sentence to linger. The resulting discomfort and unnecessary damage to tissues stress the body, prevent proper rest and recovery, and give rise to a host of stress-related disorders (Cohen S, Kessler R C, and Gordon L U, 1995; Strategies for measuring stress in studies of psychiatric and physical disorders. Ch. 1, pp. 3-26 in Measuring Stress; Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK) as well as a long list of other problems. Those other problems, known by a variety of disease names, are being recognized as having a common denominator—chronic inflammation.
These problems are particularly significant for the athlete or performer or other person involved in strenuous exertion or physical exercise. The reason for this is that vigorous exertion can increase oxygen intake by a factor of 10 to 20 times. This in turn results in a condition called hyperoxia (elevated oxygen tension in the tissues). Oxygen is a highly reactive and toxic substance (Halliwell B, and Gutteridge J M C, 1999; Oxygen is a toxic gas—an introduction to oxygen toxicity and reactive oxygen species; Chapter 1 in Free Radicals in Biology and Medicine, 3rd edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK), and excess oxygen in the tissues leads to increased intracellular production of oxygen-derived free radicals to levels that can exceed the capacity of the antioxidant defenses that normally remove oxidants. When this happens, free radical damage can overwhelm the restorative processes that normally repair cells and cellular components including DNA. When extreme exertion is coupled with injury, as often occurs in highly competitive sports, the result can be an even larger build-up of free radical damage that can severely inhibit and thereby prolong the recovery process.
The inflammation theory of disease has triggered the search for new anti-inflammatory compounds and other methods for neutralizing excess free radicals. Cortisone was the first steroid drug available. In 1935, researchers at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., isolated the hormone cortisone from adrenal glands. In 1948, doctors first used the new drug to treat a 28-year-old woman with severe rheumatoid arthritis. Cortisone remarkably relieved her inflamed, swollen joints after just a few days of use. People who normally couldn't climb out of bed or into a bathtub could do so after using the drug. For a long period of time, cortisone injections, also known as cortisol or corticosteroid injections were widely used for reducing pain associated with inflammation. But these drugs do not assist in the healing process. In fact, cortisone has actually been shown to slow healing. This is a central problem in sports medicine. The injured performer gets immediate pain relief from the treatment and is able to continue his or her activity, but this can lead to more serious problems in the longer term.
Because of problems with its side effects, the use of cortisol and related drugs has been largely supplanted with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compounds (NSAIDS), which are available both by prescription and over-the-counter. As with cortisol, however, experience is showing that prolonged use of NSAIDS can also lead to serious side effects. For example, people who have survived a first heart attack have a higher risk of dying or having a second heart attack if they are taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including the newer class called cox-2 inhibitors (Salpeter S R Gregor P Ormiston T M Whitlock R, Raina P, Thabane L, and Topol E J, 2006; Meta-analysis: cardiovascular events associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Am J. Med. 119(7):552-9; Gislason G H, Jacobsen S, Rasmussen J N, Rasmussen S, Buch P, Friberg J, Schramm T K, Abildstrom S Z, Kober L, Madsen M, and Torp-Pedersen C; 2006; Risk of death or reinfarction associated with the use of selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors and nonselective nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs after acute myocardial infarction; Circulation. 113(25):2906-2913).
Many people have turned to vitamins and nutritional supplements thought to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but there is debate about the effectiveness of these substances (Vivekananthan D P, Penn M S, Sapp S K, Hsu A, and Topol E J, 2003; Use of antioxidant vitamins for the prevention of cardiovascular disease: meta-analysis of randomised trials; Lancet 361: 2017-23).
In spite of these difficulties, it is obviously important to develop means to reduce free radical concentrations in tissues, and a variety of chemical methods continue to be disclosed to accomplish this. These methods have the disadvantage that once the antioxidant chemical has reduced a free radical by donating an electron to it, the antioxidant itself can become a free radical. The resulting charge imbalance can be passed in a series of reactions from molecule to molecule, causing further oxidative stress and disrupting metabolism. In addition, the antioxidant, once it has served its purpose, must be metabolized and excreted from the organism, posing an additional work load on the biochemical machinery of the body. Moreover, antioxidants and their metabolites can have deleterious side effects.
The many disadvantages to the prior art related to chemical control of the acute and chronic phases of inflammation are overcome in this invention, which provides direct conductive pathways for natural antioxidant electrons from the earth to rapidly reach sites of inflammation in the body.
There are two ways of describing phenomena that cannot be seen directly, such as electricity. The metallic wire in which electrons flow to an appliance, such as a light bulb, can be visualized as being composed of atoms that are more or less rigid and generally held in their positions like the atoms in a crystal. Through this rigid atomic matrix flows an electric current that can be visualized as a flow of particles called electrons that more or less resemble billiard-balls. A closer look reveals them as free electrons, because they are not held in place. None of these conduction electrons belongs to any particular atom in the lattice. In other words, the atoms are not localized, (the physics term is that they are "delocalized") and are free to move when a force such as a voltage is exerted upon them. The free electrons can be described as a sort of electric fluid, or as a cloud, or as a gas. Physicists have used all of these terms: billiard balls, delocalized electrons, fluid or quantum fluid, cloud, and gas to describe conduction electrons. The classical way of viewing this, the Newtonian model, is a mechanical perspective in which the billiard balls are discrete and localizable entities that have properties like velocity and acceleration and momentum and move when they are pushed.
Quantum physics teaches us that there is another way of looking at the situation. Yes, if you look at the electrons in a certain way, they behave as particles. But if you look at them in a different way, they behave as waves.
In the early years of the 20th Century, physicists were struggling to rationalize the two seemingly different perspectives on the electron: is it a particle or is it a wave? This came to be known as the wave-particle duality Different measurements made on a system reveal it to have either particle-like or wave-like properties. The Danish physicist, Niels Bohr, contributed the important concept of complementarity: the wave and the particle perspectives are not mutually exclusive but are complementary: you cannot really understand electrons or atoms without considering both perspectives.
Complementarity emerged as a basic principle of quantum theory. Bohr, in collaboration with Heisenberg, used complementarity as a philosophical adjunct to the recently developed mathematics of quantum mechanics and in particular to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. The uncertainty principle states that a single quantum mechanical entity can either behave as a particle or as wave, but never simultaneously as both; that a stronger manifestation of the particle nature leads to a weaker manifestation of the wave nature and vice versa.
A premise of this invention is that electrons are abundantly available from the surface of the earth and that these electrons can be conducted via the bare feet or other parts of the skin surface to the body surface and into the body to neutralize free radicals in tissues throughout said body.
As with any other phenomenon in nature, there are complementary ways of discussing the process. As with the wave-particle duality, the different ways of viewing the phenomenon are not mutually exclusive, but must be taken together to find the most accurate way of saying how nature is working in this situation.
A major challenge is extending understandings at the quantum or microscopic level to larger scale or macroscopic phenomena. This is an important endeavor in relation to medicine as well as this patent because cells, tissues, organs and organisms function and behave at observable millimeter to centimeter or larger length scales, but the events creating and governing such behaviors occur on the subatomic and atomic scales measured at Angstrom and micron scales. Atoms and molecules described as free radicals are sandwiched between the microscopic and macroscopic levels. The challenge is to apply sophisticated quantum or microscopic understandings to macroscopic behavior. Much confusion arises when trying to stretch subjective understandings of the behavior of the visible or macroscopic world to events that are occurring at invisible electronic or quantum levels and that are therefore more precisely explainable by the physics that has been developed to explain events taking place at those small scales. For example, one observes that when one throws a light switch, electricity flows to the light and it begins to glow. To use this as an analogy of how electrons move through the surface of the earth or within living systems introduces considerable confusion and lack of clarity, as the behaviors of electrons and electric currents are invisible, and neither the earth's crust nor living tissues behave like simple metallic wires. It is a central issue in modern biomedicine to bring to modern medical theory and practice the great discoveries of quantum mechanics, which have been awarded a series of Nobel Prizes over the last century.
The terms, microscopic and macroscopic are not exactly defined. A common perspective is that microscopic refers to objects and processes taking place at roughly atomic dimensions or smaller, while macroscopic refers to systems that are large enough to be visible in the ordinary sense. A more exact definition references the number of particles in a system. A system is macroscopic if conventional statistics can be applied to it with reasonable accuracy. For instance, if it is necessary to keep the statistical error below one percent, a macroscopic system would have to contain more than about ten thousand particles. Any system containing less than this number of particles would be regarded as microscopic, and, hence, conventional statistics could not be applied without unacceptable error. In this case, one would have to shift to a branch of physics known as quantum statistical mechanics.
The explanation of the phenomena involved in this patent begins with the more familiar models of electronic conduction, and then looks more closely, using the microscopic picture that has been developed by quantum physics.
It is accepted that the earth's surface is electrically conductive and is maintained at a negative potential by a global electrical circuit (Williams E R and Heckman S J, 1993; The local diurnal variation of cloud electrification and the global diurnal variation of negative charge on the earth; Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 98:5221-5234; Anisimov S V, Mareev E A, and Bakastov S S, 1999; On the generation and evolution of aeroelectric structures in the surface layer; J Geophys Res 104: (D12) 14359-14367). It is also accepted that there are three main generators in the global electric circuit: the solar wind entering the magnetosphere; the ionospheric wind; and thunderstorms (Volland H, 1984, Atmospheric electrodynamics; In: Physics and Chemistry in Space, edited by Lanzerotte L J, Berlin; Springer-Verlag; Williams E R and Heckman S J, supra).
An estimated 1000 to 2000 thunderstorms are continually active around the globe, emitting thousands of lightening strikes per minute. This creates a constant current of thousands of amperes transferring positive charge to the upper atmosphere and negative charge to the surface of the earth. The earth's surface is therefore an abundant source of free electrons (Geophysics Study Committee, 1986, The Earth's electrical environment; Technical Report. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press).
In addition to the above mentioned solar and atmospheric sources of electrons, the earth's molten core may participate because of its metallic iron-nickel content that is maintained at high pressure and temperature, conditions known to produce free electrons in molten metals.
Those familiar with the arts in the fields of electrophysiology and biomedical instrumentation will be aware that multiple conductive pathways exist between internal organs and the body skin surface, and vice versa. This is the basis for familiar clinical diagnostic tools such as the electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram, and electromyogram, for example. In these examples, electrical activities produced by the activities of the heart, neurons in the brain, and muscles, respectively, follow conductive pathways to the skin surface where they can be conductively coupled via electrode patches and leads to appropriate measuring instruments. The conventional arrangement of electrodes for recording the standard electrocardiogram involves placing electrodes on the two wrists and left ankle, although many other arrangements have been used for specific purposes. That these conductive pathways work in reverse, from the skin surface to the organs within the body, is likewise well known. Electrical stimulation of the skin to affect the heart underlies cardiac pacing and defibrillation, for example. Likewise, electrical stimulation of the brain via electrodes on the scalp, in a method known as DC brain polarization, is being researched for effects on cognition and other aspects of brain function. Finally, it has been known since 1867 that electrical stimulation at particular points on the skin surface can activate particular muscles. These discoveries and related methods, such as electroacupuncture, document the presence of conductive pathways from the skin surface to the tissues and organs throughout the body.
A deeper and more holistic understanding of the conduction of free electrons in the earth and in the human body arises from consideration of the physics of electrons and electron conduction in various forms of matter. The study of electrons and electron conduction belongs to the largest area of contemporary physics known as condensed matter physics (formerly referred to as solid state physics, which is now considered to be one branch of condensed matter physics).
The free electron model contrasts with the tight-binding model, which treats the properties of the electrons that are tightly bound or localized in the individual atomic cores or nuclei of the matter in which they are found. A conductive material such as a metal can have both free or mobile electrons and tightly bound or immobile electrons. A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity that is intermediate between that of an insulator and a conductor. More importantly, a semiconductors' conductivity may be modified by introducing impurities in a process known as doping. The ability to control conductivity in small and well-defined regions of semiconductor material has led to the development of a broad array of miniaturized electronic devices that have become the basis for nearly all modern electronics. This is mentioned because most if not all biomolecules have semiconductor properties.
An electrical conductor is defined as a material containing movable charges of electricity; electricity is a general term for a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge; electric charge is defined as a fundamental property of some subatomic particles which determines their electromagnetic interactions.
Physicists refer to free electrons as being present as a "cloud" or "gas" composed of mobile electrons in a material such as a crystal or a metal. There are two basic models for the conduction of free electrons, the Drude model of electrical conduction, and the Drude-Sommerfeld model. Both of these models neglect Coulombic or electrostatic electron-electron interactions and assume limited interactions between the free electrons and the more localized electrons and protons in the solid matrix in which they exist.
The Drude model is based on classical or Newtonian physics and kinetic theory. The kinetic approach assumes that a material contains both immobile positive ions (protons) and mobile electrons that behave more or less as a cloud or electron gas. The Drude model was improved in 1933 by Arnold Sommerfeld and Hans Bethe, leading to the Drude-Sommerfeld-Model that takes into account quantum effects. In particular, in 1927 Somerfield and Bethe applied a branch of quantum physics known as statistical mechanics, or Fermi-Dirac statistics developed by Enrico Fermi and Paul Dirac. This is a particular case of particle statistics that determines the distribution of large numbers of electrons in the various energy levels that are available in atoms. Again, electron-electron interactions do not have to be considered, except for the Pauli Exclusion Principle, which states that no two electrons can occupy the same quantum state at the same time. Two electrons can occupy the same atomic or molecular orbital if they have opposite spin, a concept that arises in quantum mechanics. The significance for free radicals is that free radicals are defined as having one or more atomic or molecular orbitals with an unpaired electron.
These considerations lead to a more detailed physical explanation of how free electrons may be conducted in the surface layers of the earth and in the tissues of the human body, as well as how these electrons interact with free radicals in living tissues. Physical descriptions provide the most reliable and accurate picture relevant to this situation. The reason for this is that the chemical perspective focuses on atoms and molecules interacting with one another, dominated by atom-atom, atom-molecule or molecule-molecule collisions. The perspectives of physics, quantum physics, quantum chemistry and biophysics enable study of the forces and motions involved in chemical reactions at much smaller and more fundamental scales, the subatomic or electronic levels. Since free radicals are usually defined as molecules that have an unpaired electron, it is necessary to focus at the quantum electronic scale. As mentioned above, the very term, unpaired electron, relates to a phenomenon known as spin, a distinctly quantum phenomenon that is not referenced in classical physics.
Condensed matter physics recognizes that many of the concepts and techniques developed for studying fluid systems also apply to solids. For instance, the conduction electrons in an electrical conductor can form a type of "quantum fluid" with some properties that are similar to those of conventional fluids. Obviously, the existence of quantum fluids implies that the laws of quantum mechanics must be taken into consideration, expanding our understanding of what is usually referred to as electronic conduction.
In the past, it was thought that the term "quantum fluid" applied only to clusters of atoms or subatomic particles that condense under extreme conditions of pressure and temperature. Much research has been done to demonstrate the existence of unusual properties such as superconduction, superfluidity and quantum coherence that take place at low temperatures or with other extreme conditions.
Over the years it has been discovered that the extraordinary subatomic properties that were first demonstrated at low temperatures and other special conditions can also be exhibited at room temperature or at body temperature. Driving research in this field is the need to reduce the size and increase the efficiency of electronic technologies. Engineers are constantly looking for applications that take advantages of the extraordinary quantum properties of materials so they can develop efficient circuits composed of atoms or molecules.
There are two general types of condensation. A fermionic condensate is a superfluid phase formed by fermionic particles (electrons, protons or neutrons) at low temperatures. The earliest recognized fermionic condensate described the state of electrons in a superconductor. A system of identical fermions is called a Fermi gas or a free electron gas. If the temperature is low enough, the Fermi gas becomes "degenerate," a state that provides a good model of the conduction electrons in a metal, even at room temperature. Hence physicists describe the electron clouds in metals and semiconductors in relation to Fermi gases. This will be important below in the discussion of the semiconductor nature of both the tissues in the human body and the earth's crust.
Quantum physics recognizes two types of particles in nature, fermions and bosons. Fermions have half-integerspin, or spin ½, whereas bosons have integer spin. Here the term, spin, should not be conceptualized as an actual rotation about an axis, as spin is usually viewed in the macroscopic world. Instead, spin is a phenomenon that arises in quantum statistics and is a major distinction between bosons and fermions. Atoms and photons are composed of bosons and have integer spin, and therefore obey Bose-Einstein Statistics. This means that groups of bosons are capable of being organized into the same quantum state to produce coherence, as in a laser or maser. Assemblies of particles, such as atoms and molecules, can also behave as bosons or fermions. Depending on the number of electrons, protons and neutrons, an atom can have integer or half-integer total spin and, therefore, be a boson or fermion, respectively. Electrons are the best known fermions, have half-integer spin, and obey Fermi-Dirac statistics, whose consequence is the Pauli Exclusion Principle—no two fermions can occupy the same quantum mechanical state at the same time. The Pauli Exclusion Principle accounts for important features of free radicals and their reactions with electrons, to be discussed below.
Under appropriate conditions, fermions such as electrons and bosons such as atoms can be condensed into unusual states of matter known as the fermionic condensate or the Bose-Einstein condensate, respectively.
Recent research has blurred the distinction between the fermionic and Bose-Einstein condensates. For example, a fermionic condensate of bosonic atoms was created in 2004, and a number of research groups have shown that a Bose-Einstein condensate can fermionize, i.e. develop properties related to electrons. These include excitons, which are electron-hole pairs and anyons, which are particles with statistics intermediate between Fermi and Bose statistics in two-dimensional space.
One of the leading theorists in the field of superconduction, Herbert Fröhlich, demonstrated that the Bose-Einstein condensation can take place in living tissues at body temperatures and pressures because of the high degree of order or crystallinity in certain cellular and tissue components. Again, it had been thought that Bose-Einstein condensation could only take place at extremely low temperatures, as was demonstrated by Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman in 1995 at the University of Colorado at Boulder NIST-JILA lab, using a gas of rubidium atoms cooled to 170 nanokelvin (nK). Under such conditions, a large fraction of the atoms collapsed into the lowest quantum state, at which point quantum effects become apparent on a macroscopic scale (Cornell E A, Weiman, C E, 2001; Bose-Einstein condensation in a dilute gas; the first 70 years and some recent experiments; Nobel Lecture, December 8, From Les Prix Nobel. The Nobel Prizes 2007, Edited by Tore Frängsmyr, [Nobel Foundation], Stockholm, 2002).
In essence, Fröhlich concluded that giant dipolar molecules such as proteins, nucleic acids and lipids in cellular membranes, which can have enormous electrical fields of some 107 V/m across them, should vibrate intensely and coherently at characteristic frequencies and create a physical situation analogous to a Bose-Einstein condensation at body temperature. These vibrations can build up into collective modes of both electromechanical oscillations (phonons, or sound waves) and electromagnetic radiations (photons) that extend over macroscopic distances within the organism and perhaps also outside the organism. These electromechanical oscillators are coupled together to form an extended Fröhlich system.
Fröhlich began his work on biological coherence with a theoretical calculation that predicted a phenomenon. Fröhlich oscillations have now been repeatedly confirmed by experiment. A number of authors have criticized Fröhlich's application of coherence and Bose-Einstein condensation in biology, but the objections have been dealt with in other works.
The discovery that quantum effects become apparent on a macroscopic scale at body temperature in biological systems is extremely important as it allows theory and research on the movement of free electrons in cloud- or gas-like form through the tissues of the body. The phenomenon has been described as follows: the crucial distinguishing feature of Bose-Einstein condensates is that the many parts that go to make up an ordered system not only behave as a whole, they become whole: their identities merge or overlap in such a way that they lose their individuality entirely. This concept was first articulated by Albert Szent-Györgyi at the Korányi Memorial Lecture given in Budapest on Mar. 21, 1941, when he described the semiconductor nature of proteins: "If a great number of atoms is arranged with regularity in close proximity, as for instance, in a crystal lattice, the terms of the single valency electrons may fuse into common bands. The electrons in this band cease to belong to one or two atoms only, and belong to the whole system." And, "A greater number of molecules may join to form such energy continua, along which energy, viz., excited electrons, may travel a certain distance." (Szent-Györgyi, A., 1941, Towards a new biochemistry?, Science 93:609; Szent-Györgyi, A., 1941, The study of energy levels in biochemistry, Nature 148(3745):157-159). The concept of semiconduction in proteins encountered much resistance, but has now been accepted and has become a foundation of the new field of molecular nanoelectronics.
Because of barriers to communication between scientists working in different disciplines, the biological and biomedical significance of the discoveries of Bose, Einstein, Szent-Györgyi, Fröhlich and others is not as well appreciated as it might be. In terms of biology, the significance is that much of the living organism is composed of highly ordered molecular arrays or crystalline-like materials (connective tissues, cell membranes, muscles, rods and cones, microtubules in cilia, and so on), all of which can be described as being coupled oscillators and all of which will support the ordered conduction of electron clouds or gasses as described by Fröhlich and others.
The surface of the earth is likewise composed of materials that conduct electricity. The earth's surface is dominated by the oceans which are composed of water and dissolved minerals which render the oceans highly conductive. The solid crust can be classified either as 'continental' or 'oceanic'. Continental crust is on average older, more silica-rich and thicker than oceanic crust, but is also more variable in composition. Oceanic crust underlies most of the two-thirds of the Earth's surface. It has a remarkably uniform composition (mostly 49%±2% SiO2) and thickness (mostly 7±1 km). The continental crust is composed mainly of basalt and granite. Basalt is a common gray to black volcanic or igneous rock. Volcanic rocks are usually fine-grained or aphanitic to glassy in texture. Aphantic (from the Greek αφανηζ, invisible) refers to certain typically dark-colored igneous rocks which are so fine-grained that their component mineral crystals are not detected by the unaided eye. They often contain clasts or fragments of other rocks and phenocrysts. A phenocryst is a relatively large and usually conspicuous crystal distinctly larger than the grains of the rock matrix. The word granite comes from the Latin granum, a grain, in reference to the coarse-grained structure of such a crystalline rock.
The dominant mineral in the earth's crust, SiO2, (quartz), is a crystalline semiconductor and therefore capable of sustaining the movement of electrons much like the semiconductor materials that characterize the living state.
Not surprisingly, the conduction of electricity in the surface layers of the earth is well established (See Lanzerotti L J, and Gregon G P, 1986, Telluric Currents: The Natural Environment and Interactions with Man-Made Systems; Chapter 16 in Studies in Geophysics. The Earth's Electrical Environment, Geophysics Study Committee, Geophysics Research Forum, Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Resources, National Research Council. Published by the National Academies Press, Washington D.C.).
Theory and measurement therefore show that free electrons migrate through the conductive surface layers of the earth as well as through the conductive tissues of the human body, provided the two systems, earth and body, are in conductive contact with each other.
Oxidation and reduction and reduction potential are frequently used but confusing terms in free-radical chemistry. There are serious limitations to the use of oxidation/reduction concepts when looking at free electron interactions with free radicals in the human body. First, the chemical species in living systems are not isolated as they are when their reduction potentials are measured in a standardized system. Reaction conditions make a big difference. Moreover, the standardized reduction potentials are always measured at 25° C. and corrected to pH=7.0, but the actual pH and temperature in living tissues can be quite different from these values. The Nernst equation can be used to correct for the values of concentration and temperature. The resulting "effective" reduction potential can be used to predict which reactions are feasible, but this does not mean that those reactions will actually occur under the conditions present in a particular tissue (for a discussion of oxidation-reduction potentials as applied to free-radical chemistry, and the limitations of this approach, see Halliwell B, and Gutteridge J M C, 1999, Free Radicals in Biology and Medicine; Chapter 2, The chemistry of free radicals and related "reactive species." Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, p. 36-104). Moreover, free radical reactions can be exceedingly fast, making it difficult to follow reaction rates based on changes in the concentrations of reactants and products.
A modern method for the direct study of free radical reactions is femtosecond spectroscopy, which makes it possible to observe what actually happens to a reacting molecule as it passes through its so-called transition state during which bonds are broken and formed. The transition state is as fast as the electrons and atoms in the molecule move—about 1000 m/second—about as fast as a rifle bullet. The times involved typically tens of femtoseconds (1 fs=10−15 seconds). Ahmed Zewail developed a method for observing the transition state, giving birth to a new scientific field called femtochemistry. What is essentially the fastest camera in the world is used to film the molecules during a reaction and get a sharp picture of the transition states. The "camera" is a pulsed laser. The reaction is initiated by a strong laser flash and is then studied by a series of subsequent flashes to follow the events. The result is a slow motion image of how bonds are stretched and broken. Ahmed Zewail was awarded the Nobel Prize for showing the decisive moments in the life of a molecule—the breaking and formation of chemical bonds (Zewail A, 1999, Nobel Lecture: Femtochemistry: Atomic-Scale Dynamics of the Chemical Bond Using Ultrafast Lasers; From Nobel Lectures, Chemistry 7996-2000, Editor Ingmar Grenthe, World Scientific Publishing Co., Singapore, 2003).
Thus, there are complementary ways of looking at the phenomena described in this patent. What emerges from current experimentation and theory in the fields of condensed matter physics and quantum mechanics is a holistic perspective that places the free radical molecule in the inflamed tissue of a person who is in conductive contact with the earth at the end of a continuum encompassing the sun, the atmosphere, the earth's oceans and crust and the tissues of the body. Indications are that this physical arrangement allows the human body to be permeated with a cloud or gas or quantum fluid composed of electrons that are capable of neutralizing free radicals and thereby preventing or reducing inflammation and its pathological consequences. The electrons are separated enough so that they do not interact with each other, and they are relatively disconnected from the atomic cores of the matrix in which they move. The electrons do not really travel, as in a wire. They are better described as waves than as particles. They are in a quantum state such that they can form the electron pairs that complete the occupancy of atomic or molecular orbitals that would otherwise maintain the free radical in its highly reactive and potentially harmful state.
It is well established that negative charges (free electrons) are instantly attracted to positive charges (free radicals). (Coulomb's law: The electric force acting on a point charge as a result of the presence of a second point charge ((one positive and one negative)) attract one to the other). (Chemists use the term "electrophile" ((literally electron-lover)) to describe a reagent that attracts electrons. Most electrophiles are positively charged). Connecting the body to the earth automatically enables the conductive tissues of the body to become charged with earth's free electrons. When the body is charged with earth's mobile free electrons, excess or residual immune response free radicals have a readily available source of free electrons to couple with and reduce their oxidative state. This eliminates the need for residual immune system produced free radicals to oxidize healthy tissue to obtain their missing electrons. By readily reducing free radicals with earth's free electrons, oxidation of healthy tissue is naturally inhibited, which helps the immune response ROS free radicals to wind down properly.
To verify the effects of speeding recovery from acute trauma and preventing or reducing chronic inflammation in the body with application of earth's free electrons to the body, several research studies and a host of clinical case studies were performed. A series of clinical case studies (Amalu, supra) well document the therapeutic effectiveness of speeding recovery from acute trauma and preventing or reducing chronic inflammation and related health disorders by conductively coupling the body with the earth. The rapid healing of acute injuries and prevention or reduction of chronic inflammation that is consistently evidenced in the case studies support the concept that nature, throughout evolutionary time, relied upon earth's mobile free electrons as a primal source of antioxidants to prevent oxidation of healthy tissue. Further, in considering that the immune system's oxidative response mechanisms developed when humans and animals lived in conductive contact with the earth, the clinical case studies (Amalu, supra) strongly support that the modern practice of wearing synthetic soled shoes and living in environments that insulate the body from the earth is the primary contributor to the current epidemic of chronic inflammation and related health disorders (autoimmune diseases).
Current biomedical research (referenced above) confirms that chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases are virtually epidemic in modern times. They include: high blood pressure, cardiovascular/heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other neuromuscular diseases, respiratory disorders, digestive disorders, liver, gall bladder and kidney dysfunction, diseases of the colon, arthritis, chronic fatigue, osteoporosis, hormone imbalances, thyroid dysfunction, Alzheimer's, premature senility/dementia, as well as the continuing rise in cancer.
When the human body is conductively coupled with the earth by means of the present invention, the body naturally conducts and becomes charged with earth's mobile free electrons, i.e. it equalizes with and maintains the natural electrical potential of the earth. In this state earth's mobile free electrons are available throughout the body to readily reduce excess free radicals and thereby prevent oxidation of healthy tissue. Current biomedical research (referenced above) confirms that free radical oxidation of healthy tissue is the underlying cause of chronic inflammation and autoimmune disease. Clinical case studies (Amalu, supra) show that restoring the earth's natural surface charge of free electrons to the body consistently speeds recovery from acute trauma and prevents or reduces chronic inflammation.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method to conduct and apply the earth's mobile surface charge of free electrons to the bodies of humans and animals to treat acute injuries or to help reduce and prevent chronic inflammation and to treat inflammation-related autoimmune diseases. Such methods should be capable of being used while sleeping, during prolonged periods of sitting, standing and during other activities when the body is residing in an environment that would otherwise insulate the body from conductive contact with the earth. The present invention fulfills this need.

Method of treating inflammation and autoimmune diseases