In her memoir, Molecules of Emotion, Why You Feel the Way You Feel*, Candace Pert tells how she and other scientists discovered moving and vibrating molecules that form a network connecting all our tissues: brain and gut, skin and heart—forming a wonderful person, capable of all our intelligent actions, knowledge, and feelings.

. . . moving and vibrating molecules that form a network connecting all our tissues: brain and gut, skin and heart—forming a wonderful person, capable of all our intelligent actions, knowledge, and feelings.

Her story begins when she was working in the 1970s for her PhD at John Hopkins University with a world famous scientist, Sol Snyder. The basic question they were asking was: Why do morphine and opium make you feel so wonderful? Is there a molecular receptor in brain cells and, if so, why do we have this receptor and what is its use? She worked with great diligence. Molecules (peptides, called ligands) can bind and unbind to a receptor in a moment. We can think of everything as vibrating—dancing! When no binding between morphine and a brain molecule could be caught and isolated, she was told by Professor Snyder to shut down her efforts and that funding would be stopped.

Molecules (peptides, called ligands) can bind and unbind to a receptor in a moment. We can think of everything as vibrating—dancing!

Molecules that bind to a receptor on the cell's membrane and that cause signaling and action within the cell are called "agonists." There are other molecules that can bind somewhat to the same receptor and do so sufficiently to block action. They are called "antagonists." Candace Pert knew that naloxone is an antagonist for the opiates and, in the lab, its binding to a receptor had been shown to take place more slowly. On her own, she went ahead and made the test using naloxone and was successful. Of course, Dr. Snyder was delighted. The two of them went ahead and wrote a paper with "C. B. Pert," as the lead author for the discovery of the opiate receptor in nervous tissue and received tremendous publicity in the entire worldwide biomedical community.

. . . the question was: What molecules in our brains bind to these opiate (morphine and heroin) receptors?

Then, the question was: What molecules in our brains bind to these opiate (morphine and heroin) receptors? Molecules within our own bodies were discovered, first called "enkephalins" and then "endorphins." For the discovery of the receptors and the endorphins, three scientists were nominated for the Lasker Prize. Winning the Lasker is often, in fact usually, the precursor to winning the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Candace Pert was not nominated. She was furious! The actual successful discovery of the receptor had depended on her persistence, in spite of being told by Dr. Snyder to quit. She objected, which is not done. In the cutthroat competition for scientific recognition, women are habitually marginalized. Candace remembered vividly reading how the lab results of Rosalind Franklin had been stolen by Watson and Crick, who went on to win the Nobel Prize for showing the double helix form of DNA, what can easily be called the greatest discovery of the century in biology and medicine. In his book, The Double Helix, Watson boasts of the theft, as though it was the smart thing to do. Rosalind Franklin did not protest, suppressed her anger, and a few years later she died of cancer.

In the cutthroat competition for scientific recognition, women are habitually marginalized.

When she completed her post-doctoral research at Hopkins, Candace Pert went to the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), which are part of the National Institutes of Health. She did research there for thirteen years. She points out the sharp division that existed between anything that had to do with the brain (mental or emotional) and the body. Pert explained that this complete division has persisted for three hundred years—since the time of Descartes, who make an arrangement with the Pope, that Descartes could work on human cadavers—the human body. However, anything that had to do with the human mind, emotions, or soul

. . . the receptors for the endorphins (our "pleasure molecules") were not only in the brain but also in the gut and elsewhere. . . . [Scientists] began working together and they found that basically all the ligands [e.g. "pleasure molecules] were produced and acted in all parts of the body. For example, even moving a muscle affects the way we feel.

was the province of the Pope. The persistence of this dichotomy has meant that, in the scientific community, the brain has been considered the seat of all our emotions and intelligence and the nerves from the brain have been pictured as controlling all conscious action (feedback barely considered). The autonomic nervous system (controlling usually unconscious functions, such as breathing, heart beat, and digestion) was thought of as separate from the central nervous system (CNS). Certainly the immune system was originally thought of as a separate system and was studied by different scientists, who were in different buildings, thus separated both physically, as well as mentally, from those who studied the brain.

She points out the sharp division that existed between anything that had to do with the brain (mental or emotional) and the body. . . . this complete division has persisted for three hundred years . . . anything that had to do with the human mind, emotions, or soul was the province of the Pope.

Candace Pert and others discovered that the receptors for the endorphins (our "pleasure molecules") were not only in the brain but also in the gut and elsewhere. Not only were the receptors for our pleasure molecules found elsewhere, as well as in the brain, but also these pleasure molecules (ligands that specifically bind to particular receptors and "in so doing convey an informational message to the cell") were also produced elsewhere. Some scientists from different buildings (Institutes) began working together and they found that basically all the ligands were produced and acted in all parts of the body. For example, even moving a

Dr. Pert reminds us that deep breathing can take away pain and how essential breathing is in natural childbirth.

muscle affects the way we feel. We remember vividly the lecture by NOHA Professional Advisory Board Member Pauline Harding, MD, in which she stood up straight and then hunched over and told us that the two postures have basic effects on our hormone system. It's so easy to feel that posture and breathing are unimportant and that we can forget about these movements. Dr. Pert reminds us that deep breathing can take away pain and how essential breathing is in natural childbirth. Of course, the practice of yoga has gone on for millennia and has shown the fundamental importance of movement, meditation, and breathing.

. . . the importance of nutrition and that we should avoid all processed foods, choose organic fruits and vegetables, and avoid all meat that has been treated with antibiotics, etc.

Pert points out the importance of nutrition and that we should avoid all processed foods, choose organic fruits and vegetables, and avoid all meat that has been treated with antibiotics, etc. She has a section in her book on "ENVIRONMETAL MEDICINE." She is deeply troubled and shocked when she learns the "statistics indicating that cellular levels of heavy metals and dioxins from herbicides and pesticides are 300 to 400 times greater than they were when first measured, and every year, hundreds more chemicals are added to the 80 to 100,000 chemicals that already exist in our environment." She states:

I knew that environmental pollutants could enter into the cell membrane and change the shape of the receptor, making it looser and sloppier, and often wondered how this might affect the transfer of information so necessary to run the delicately balanced systems. It had to have some effect on what is essentially a self-organizing system, one that is processing tremendous amounts of information at incredibly rapid speeds.

Candace Pert has given us her vision of a chemical entering a cell membrane and "changing the shape of the receptor" and thus we can imagine the disruption of the action of the proper ligand.

Many of these pollutants are endocrine disruptors—affecting actions, including those of our sex glands and our thyroid gland. The NOHA lecture in February 2004 by Professor Warren P. Porter, "Do Pesticides Affect Learning and Behavior?" and the article on his Lake Michigan Inter-League Group lecture, "Biological Effects of Low Level Pesticide Mixtures: Problems and Solutions" (NOHA NEWS, Spring 2003), are deeply disturbing and a clarion call for us to stop ignoring the contamination of our food, water, and air. Candace Pert has given us her vision of a chemical entering a cell membrane and "changing the shape of the receptor" and thus we can imagine the disruption of the action of the proper ligand. This picture on the molecular level resonates and makes sense when we remember Professor Porter's work with impregnated mice. The worst loss of fetal embryos occurred at the lowest level of a regular commercial herbicide mixture in their drinking water—"equivalent to one drop of water in 500 bathtubs."

. . . when the science points toward other than conventional treatments, the opposition has been extreme, especially from well entrenched and profitable governmental institutes and pharmaceutical corporations.

Candace Pert has pursued her scientific work with avid enthusiasm and meticulous patience. When she suddenly sees new connections, she has not hesitated to undertake work involving a paradigm shift, in other words breaking with tradition. She has done work that gives insight into certain diseases. However, when the science points toward other than conventional treatments, the opposition has been extreme, especially from well entrenched and profitable governmental institutes and pharmaceutical corporations. For example, in regard to cancer, she became deeply involved when her father was dying of small-cell lung cancer, which can increase and spread extremely rapidly. He was receiving all the usual highly toxic interventions. One afternoon, Dr. Michael Ruff, whose training was in immunology, exclaimed that those small cancer cells were acting like macrophages, the immune cells that travel rapidly throughout the body to eat up toxic invaders and which are famous for their ability to increase rapidly. They both thought intuitively that this could describe and be true of small-cell lung cancer cells. In other words, that the cancer cells were actually mutated

It seems that mature macrophages do not divide. Both approaches were hopeful and some [cancer] patients in a small study at Yale were much helped. However, large funding was blocked. This happened even more drastically in their later AIDS research.

macrophages that had gathered in great numbers to combat toxins and had themselves changed and become cancerous. After a year of meticulous work (and after her father had died), they showed that macrophage antibodies do bind to the cancer cells-thus showing that the cancer cells are essentially deformed macrophages. They published their paper and privately wondered: "Had we found the underlying mechanism that explains how cancer is a response to toxicity from environmental pollutants in the air and chemical additives in the diet? This connection had long been suspected but little investigated by the cancer establishment, and now we were seeing a mechanism by which it could be explained."

. . . the neural, immune, and endocrine systems form one wonderful and completely interconnected network of messenger molecules in our bodies.

Scientists did find appropriate ligands to slow down the cancer cells and also one that enhances the maturation of macrophages. It seems that mature macrophages do not divide. Both approaches were hopeful and some patients in a small study at Yale were much helped. However, large funding was blocked. This happened even more drastically in their later AIDS research.

In their first paper Ruff and Pert postulate a psychoimmunoendocrine network. In other words, that the neural, immune, and endocrine systems form one wonderful and completely interconnected network of messenger molecules in our bodies.

Our emotions can be devastating to our entire network. We need to face up to difficult emotions that can cause long-term blockage.

In her book, she has a chapter on "Truth." She points out that speaking and pursuing the truth are basic to health. Our emotions can be devastating to our entire network. We need to face up to difficult emotions that can cause long-term blockage. For twelve years Dr. Pert harbored anger against Dr. Sol Snyder, who had excluded her from the Lasker Prize, even though her research was fundamental to the discovery of the receptor (See above.). Dr. Pert had reacted in anger and had been pictured for years as a person, who would "blow up!" Of course, she deeply resented the sexism in top flight science, where she felt there is a war between male egos. We need to turn toward cooperation and leave behind cut-throat competition**.

With her growing knowledge of the importance of emotion to health, she changed. In her home as a child, religion was not discussed. Her mother's background was Jewish and her father's Congregational. She pursued science.

With her growing knowledge of the importance of emotion to health, she changed. In her home as a child, religion was not discussed. Her mother's background was Jewish and her father's Congregational. She pursued science. However, ideas of intuition and emotion she did find intriguing. At a point when she was greatly discouraged, she went by a church where they were singing. She went in and told them how lovely it sounded. They asked her to join and she did. She began to greatly admire the idea of forgiveness. She realized that she had put an armor around herself, especially in regard to Dr. Snyder, and that really the armor was of her own making. She wrote a letter to him, forgiving Dr. Snyder, and achieved great peace.

Dr. Pert has had fine interactions at meetings with many alternative medical practitioners, including Dr. Deepak Chopra. She greatly admires and has met Norman Cousins, who cured himself from a "fatal" disease with much laughter.

She realized that she had put an armor around herself, especially in regard to Dr. Snyder, and that really the armor was of her own making. She wrote a letter to him, forgiving Dr. Snyder, and achieved great peace.

Gaiety and dancing are great for our health!
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*Candace B. Pert, PhD, MOLECULES of EMOTION: Why You Feel the Way You Feel, Scribner, 1997.
**See David C. Korten, The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community, Kumarian Press, Inc., Bloomfield, CT, 2006. www.kpbooks.com Dr. Korten explains how for five thousand years we have been involved in violent and hierarchical societies and that we need to turn toward communities where partnerships and cooperation prevail and where we recognize that we are interdependent with all existence.

Article from NOHA NEWS, Vol. XXXI, No. 4, Fall 2006, pages 10-12.