This piece is the latter part of Chapter 9 of Stones in the Body: More Frightening Than Cancer (Yoon Jong-won). It is a narrative containing the author's academic hypothesis, and the body, figures, and citations follow the manuscript as written.
Reinforcement of the DIAH Trigger After a Fracture
Let us think of an elderly person who has suffered a hip fracture.
D (Deficiency): Healing a fracture requires a large amount of calcium. When food intake decreases, calcium intake becomes even more insufficient.
I (Inflammation): An inflammatory reaction occurs at the fracture site. If surgery is performed, inflammation also arises at the surgical site. Lying down for a long time raises the risk of infections such as pneumonia.
A (Acidosis): When one cannot move, the muscles atrophy, and acidic substances are released from the muscles. Kidney function may also decline.
H (Hypoxia): Lying down for a long time lowers lung function, and blood circulation also worsens, so the supply of oxygen to the tissues decreases. A fracture reinforces the DIAH trigger. The reinforced DIAH causes more calcium to flow out of the bones. In the soft tissues, 1M to 6M progress more rapidly. The bone grows weaker and fractures again (7M).
Vicious Cycle: Fracture → DIAH → Complications → More Severe Fracture
After a first fracture, the risk of a second fracture rises 2 to 3 times. A fracture calls forth another fracture.
This is why the mortality rate within one year after a hip fracture reaches as high as 20 to 30%. More than the fracture itself, the chain reaction that occurs after the fracture is fatal.
8. Summary of the 7M Collapse Mechanism
7M Collapse is the phenomenon in which calcium flows out of the bones excessively, so that the density and strength of the skeletal system and the teeth decline and they collapse structurally.
The 7M Collapse mechanism formula: DIAH operating over a long period → overactivation of osteoclasts (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) → bone resorption > bone formation → decline in bone density + deterioration of microstructure → fracture from a small impact
7M Collapse is the "last M" of DIAH-7M and at the same time is connected to the "beginning." When the DIAH trigger causes calcium to flow out of the bones, the calcium that has flowed out gives rise to 1M to 6M in the soft tissues, and the bone that has lost calcium undergoes 7M Collapse. And 7M Collapse (fracture) once again reinforces the DIAH trigger and creates a vicious cycle.
The heart of preventing osteoporosis is blocking the DIAH trigger: blocking D (Deficiency) - sufficient calcium intake (food + supplements when needed), blocking I (Inflammation) - management of chronic inflammation, an anti-inflammatory diet, blocking A (Acidosis) - an acid-base balanced diet, blocking H (Hypoxia) - regular exercise, quitting smoking.
Here, additional factors for bone health are also important: vitamin D - essential for calcium absorption, vitamin K2 - activates MGP and guides calcium into the bones, weight-bearing exercise - gives appropriate stimulation to the bones and promotes bone formation, fall prevention - removes the direct cause of fractures, drug treatment when needed - osteoporosis drugs (bisphosphonates, etc.).
[Interaction with Other Risk Factors]
In 7M Collapse (osteoporosis), besides DIAH, menopause/decrease in estrogen, old age, heredity, steroid use, low body weight, smoking/drinking, and so on act in combination. The DIAH-calcium pathway contributes to bone loss together with these factors.
Conclusion: DIAH-7M, an Integrated Understanding of Chronic Disease
Up to now we have examined the seven pathological mechanisms that are expressed in the state of dual blockade (CAM-DLT). The three-axis blockade is a microscopic change at the cellular level, and 7M is the macroscopic expression by which it is revealed in the tissues and organs. When the blockaded cells gather, the tissues and organs break down in seven different ways, and this appears as hundreds of chronic diseases.
The Whole Picture of 7M
The expression of 7M according to the location of calcification:
• Microvascular calcification → 1M Obstruction & Rupture, 5M Overflow & Burst, 6M Disconnection (blockage of blood flow → dual blockade of supply and discharge)
• Calcification of tissues/organs → 2M Dysfunction, 3M Coating & Blocking, 4M Hardening (hardening of tissue → decline in function)
• Calcium shortage in hard tissue → 7M Collapse (structural collapse of bone and teeth)
The bone calcium that has flowed out through the DIAH trigger is expressed as different 7M mechanisms according to the location of deposition. When it is deposited in the microvessels it blocks blood flow, when it is deposited in the tissues and organs it dulls function, and when calcium escapes from the hard tissue the structure collapses.
| Mechanism | Korean Name | English Name | Action | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 폐열 | Obstruction & Rupture | It blocks and bursts | Calcium deposition → luminal obstruction, stenosis, infarction, rupture, hemorrhage |
| 2M | 둔화 | Dysfunction | It grows dull | Calcium deposition → dulling of joint/muscle/valve movement, decline in contraction/relaxation function |
| 3M | 피폐 | Coating & Blocking | It is coated and blocked | Calcium deposition → receptor blockade, signal blockade, secretion blockade, insulin resistance |
| 4M | 경화 | Hardening | It hardens | Calcium deposition → fibrosis, calcification, stiffening, loss of elasticity |
| 5M | 범파 | Overflow & Burst | It overflows and bursts | Excessive calcium influx → cell overproliferation, hypertrophy, tumor, expansion, apoptosis |
| 6M | 단절 | Disconnection | It is cut and severed | Calcium deposition → nerve disconnection, vascular occlusion, tissue necrosis, apoptosis |
| 7M | 붕괴 | Collapse | It falls apart | Calcium shortage → structural collapse of hard tissue (bone, teeth) |
The Place of DIAH-7M: A Multifactorial Understanding
Chronic diseases do not arise from a single cause. Various factors such as heredity, lifestyle, environment, aging, hormones, and infection act in combination.
Among these, DIAH-7M presents one important axis, that of abnormal calcium metabolism. It is not claiming that "abnormal calcium metabolism is the sole cause of chronic disease." It is that "abnormal calcium metabolism is one of the important pathways that contribute in common to many chronic diseases, and understanding it helps with prevention and management."
As emphasized in each chapter, every disease has, besides calcium metabolism, its own inherent risk factors:
Cardiovascular disease - hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, joint disease - obesity, trauma, heredity, occupational factors, metabolic disease - obesity, heredity, eating habits, tumors - gene mutation, environmental carcinogens, neurodegeneration - amyloid, heredity (APOE4), lifestyle, osteoporosis - menopause, old age, heredity, steroids.
The DIAH-7M framework does not replace these individual risk factors but presents a common pathway that interacts with them.
The Perspective of Prevention
The most important meaning of DIAH-7M lies in prevention. All four DIAH triggers are modifiable factors: D (Deficiency) - sufficient calcium intake, I (Inflammation) - management of chronic inflammation, A (Acidosis) - an acid-base balanced diet, H (Hypoxia) - regular exercise, quitting smoking.
The Key to the Calcium Paradox: Vitamin K2 and MGP
In the molecular mechanism of the 'calcium paradox,' in which osteoporosis and vascular calcification progress at the same time, MGP (Matrix Gla Protein) plays a key role. MGP is a 'traffic-directing protein' that prevents calcium from being deposited in the blood vessels.
Now, the switch that activates this MGP is precisely vitamin K2. When vitamin K2 is insufficient, MGP remains in an inactive state, and calcium does not go to the bones but is deposited in the blood vessels. This is why, together with management of the DIAH trigger, the intake of vitamin K2 is important.
If you manage these four, you can slow the progression of the seven pathological mechanisms. Of course, other risk factors (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, blood sugar management, and so on) must also be managed together. Managing DIAH does not replace the management of other risk factors but complements it.
In the next chapter, we will examine the disease-matching table that classifies 202 diseases on the basis of the DIAH-7M framework.
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