I'm new here

[Guest guest]

At 12:25 29.04.99 +0800, you wrote:

>From: Bruce Vaughan <brusinc@...>

>

>I am new to this list. I have heard some comments on the link between

>blood groups and diet/allergies. I am interested to learn more.

>I live in Hong Kong and practice as a Chiropractor. Been here for 33

>years. I am British but obtained my degree in the USA (Palmer)1966.

>

>Looking forward to hearing from you all.

>

>

>

>Cheers

>

>Bruce Vaughan DC

>Hong Kong Chiropractor

>Author: Juno's Landing

>http://www.asiaonline.net.hk/~brusinc/jlanding.htm

Hello Bruce,

Welcome to the group.

Jes, there is a close link. Most people i know who have been tested for

food intollerance and /or allergies, have find out that list of the foods

that they are not tolerating is the same (95 -99% ) as the list of the

foods that are to be avoided for their blood type.

Of course, there are people who are extreamly intolerant, and who does not

tollerate far more then what blood type diet list as avoids.

But, great majority of people is in better shape.

Actually, food intollerance is one of the main causes of the health

problems today.

Is there anyone on this list who have experienced some positive results

since adjusting his/her diet for Blood type ?

Dusan Stojkovic

Norway

____________________________________

Connection:

Blood type diet and allergies:

Messages posted to blood type discussion list (A):

A:

Date: 27 Mar 1999 15:50:23 -0000

From: rhonda_daigle@...

Subject: sinus problems

to Pam ,

I had severe allergies and sinus problems from early spring to late fall

plus allergies to cats and dogs. Sometimes myeyes were so swollen I

couldn't go out, but since I have been on the diet and drinking the warm

lemon juice and the fresh grapefriut in the mornings (very important) the

symptoms have almost dissapeared. it only took a few weeks for me to start

to notice a diffrence and since last year have been living a pretty normal

life. (I have been on this ER4YT for over a year and can't believe the

diffrence)

____________________________________________________________________________

___

____________________________________________________________________________

___

AB:

Date: Sat, 27 Mar 1999 17:51:59 -0500 (EST)

From: NewLookSystems@... (tim bussey)

Subject: Re: Digest Number 51

hi there fellow er4yters! am an ab and wanted to respond about the carb

craving issue...yes is does disappear! i too experienced the same

thing...suddenly i found myself no craving carbs as much as i had

before...i am vegan and so my diet is a little more limited than

most...in the beginning of er4yt -ab i was living oj rice but now i have

setttled down and find i am eating more veggies, fruits again.

i think it just happens naturally...

but ireally miss my lima beans!

kacey ab

This is what Dr.DAdamo says about lectins and blood type:

LECTIN :

Short definition:

Dr. D'Adamo:

Any compound, usually a protein, found in nature, which can interact with

surface antigens found on the body's cells, causing them to agglutinate.

Lectins are often found in common foods, and many of them are blood type

specific.

Because cancer cells often manufacture copious amounts of antigens on their

surface, many lectins will agglutinate them in preference to normal cells.

Long explanation:

Lectins and mitogens

PETER J. D'ADAMO

Originally published in the Townsend Letter For Doctors, August 1990

Introduction

Lectins are proteins commonly found In foods of high nutritional value.

Typically, lectins interact with glycoprotein, glycolipid or

oligosaccharide residues on the cell surface, causing a variety of effects

Including: blastogenesis, agglutination and receptor agonism. The

mucin-rich gut wall is especially prone to direct reactions with

lectin-containing foods in the diet.

Lectins (from the Latin legate, to pick or choose) were first identified in

1888 by Stillmark at the University of Dorpat in Estonia. While

investigating the toxic effects on blood of castor bean extract (Ricinus

communis) he noticed that the red cells were being agglutinated. He

isolated the material responsible for the agglutination and called it

ricin. Shortly afterward at the same university Helfin discovered that the

toxic extract of the seed Abrus precatoris also caused cells to clump

together. This new agglutinin was called abrin. This immediately caught the

attention of the German bacteriologist Ehrlich who recognized that he could

investigate certain immunologic problems with them rather than the then

popular bacterial toxins. With these two agglutinins some of the most basic

principle of immunology were discovered, such as antibody specificity and

species specificity. In 1908 Landsteiner reported that small amounts of

lentil lectin would agglutinate rabbit erythrocytes, even high

concentrations of the lectin had no effect on pigeon red cells.

The first lectin to be purified was concanavallin-A, isolated from the jack

bean. In 1936 Sumner and Howell noted that the addition of Con-A to a

solution of glycogen caused the sugar to precipitate, and that the

agglutination of red cells by this lectin was inhibited by cane sugar. They

suggested that the hernagglutination by Con-A might be the consequence of a

reaction between the protein with carbohydrates on the surface of the red

cells. In other words lectins bind sugars, and they agglutinate cells by

means of this binding. For example the agglutination of red cells by

Con-Als specifically inhibited by the sugars mannose or glucose, Indicating

that Con-A binds mannose and glucose on the cell surface. It was soon

discovered that lectins not only agglutinate red blood cells, but also

other kinds of cells including lymphocytes, spermatozoa, bacteria and fungii.

There is some controversy over whether non-agglutinating (i.e. monovalent)

molecules having high affinity for carbohydrate should be termed " lectins " ,

however in this monograph they have been included, as many of these

molecules, while not agglutinins, do have mitogenic propertles. In 1945

Boyd of the Boston University School of Medicine discovered that

lectins can be " blood group specific " ; being able to agglutinate the red

cells of one type but not those of another. He discovered that lima bean

lectin would agglutinate red cells of human blood type A but not those of O

or B. The seeds of Lotus Tetragonobolus can agglutinate group O

specifically, and Bandairaea simplicofolia is specific to group B. The

specificity of lectins is so sharply defined that they can differentiate

among blood subgroups. Dolichos biflorens lectin reacts more vigorously

with blood group Al than A2. Other blood groups can be distinguished by

lectins, such as M and N types, and lectins can help distinguish and

diagnosis " secretors " ; people who secrete glycoproteins that have

blood-group specificity into their urine, saliva and other body fluids

Molecular Biology

Carbohydrates are the most abundant group of biological compound on the

earth, yet comprise only about 1 percent of the human body. Nevertheless

approximately 50% of the dietary caloric intake is in the form of

carbohydrate. Structural carbohydrates are usually glycoconjugates such as

glycoproteins and glycolipids. Monosaccharides rarely exist free as such in

nature. Typically they exist in giant molecules called polysaccharides that

can consist of up to 26,000 monosaccharides. Sugars also appear frequently

as oligosaccharides made up of from 2 to 10 monosaccharides.

Until recently, it was not recognized that nature could employ sugars for

the synthesis of highly specific compounds that can act as carriers of

biologic information. Monosaccharides can servo as " letters " in a

vocabulary of biologic specificity, where the words are formed by

variations In the nature of the sugars present, the type of linkage, and

the presence or absence of branch points. The first proof that sugars could

serve as specificity determinants came from the discovery that influenza

virus could agglutinate red cells only In the presence of the membrane

bound sialic acids. It these were removed, the virus no longer binds to the

cell. Removal of sialic acid exposes the terminal underlying galactose unit

and results in the rapid clearance of the treated cells from the

bloodstream. Sugars on cell surfaces also seem to determine the

distribution of the circulating cells within the body. Radioactively

treated rat lymphocytes will migrate to the spleen when re-injected into

the animal. However if the sugar fucose is removed from the surface of the

cells before reintroduction, the cells migrated to the liver instead, as if

'the fucose served as a ZIP code- directing the calls where to go. " It was

not until 1953 that and Watkins demonstrated that the spocificity of

the ABO blood group-system was determined by sugars. For example, the

difference between bloodtypes A and B lies in a simple sugar unit that

sticks out from the end of a carbohydrate chain of a glycoprotein or

glycolipid. In blood A the determinant is acetylgalactosamine and in group

B it is galactose.

Several toxins of bacteria and plants are known to recognize carbohydrate

structures present in various classes of cell surface molecules.

When a lectin contains multiple binding sites, they can interconnect large

numbers of cells, causing them to clump together or agglutinate. Each

molecule of a lectin has two or more regions, perhaps clefts or grooves,

each of which fits a complementary molecule of a sugar or several sugar

units of an oligosaccharide. It is by means of these combining sites that

the lectin attaches itself to the sugars on cell surfaces.

The binding of lectins to sugar is quite weak. It does not form a covalent

bond, but is reversible, like enzyme-substrate or antigen-antibody

reactions. Lectin-sugar reactions actually share many factors in common

with antigen-antibody reactions, especially precipitation, which has

prompted several investigators to suggest that lectins are plant

antibodies. However this has been tempered by several major differences

between the two. Antibodies are made by higher organisms which have

specific immunological organs. Lectins are present as constituent proteins.

Second, antibodies are all structurally similiar to one another, whereas

lectins are structurally diverse; examination of the amino acid sequence,

molecular size and other molecular properties show that lectins have little

in common other than they are all proteins. For example soybean agglutinin

is a glycoproteln with no di-sulphide bond; Its molecular weight is

120,000, It consists of four subunits and has two binding sites. Wheat germ

agglutinin is not a glycoprotein and is rich in di-sulphide bonds with a

molecular weight of 36,000, It has two identical subunits and four binding

sites for sugars.

Effects of Lectins in the Diet

Lectins are apparently most widely distributed in plants, where they were

found in almost 1000 plants of some 3000 examined in recent years. They are

particularly abundant in legumes and they account for between 1.5 and 3

percent of the total protein content of soy and jack beans. The second most

common source of lectins are seafood. They are particularly abundant in

eels, shellfish, halibut and flounder.

Although many lectins are destroyed by normal cooking (which is why grains

and beans are edible), many are not. Relative resistance to lectins was pan

of the classic description of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) made by Aub in

1963. WGA, as Freed points out in his chapter on lectins, is in fact one of

the more heat sensitive lectins, being destroyed after 15 minutes at 75

degrees C, whereas other wheat lectins in gluten and gliandin resist

autoclaving at 110 degrees C for 30 minutes. Gibbons and Dankers noted that

in over 100 food plants found to contain active lectins, seven were

autoclave resistant (apple, carrot, wheat bran, canned corn, pumpkin seeds,

banana and wheat flour). Nachbar and Oppenheim also noted high levels of

lectin activity in dry roasted peanuts, Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, and

Kellogg's Special K. The banana agglutinin was actually enhanced by

heating, and was inhibitable by n-acetyl glucosamine (NAG) and

N-acetylgalactosamine (blood group A antigen) glycoproteins.

Phytohemagglutinins from kidney beans can resist mild cooking and retain

lectin activity even at 90 degrees C for 3 hours. Pre-soaking the beans

however resulted in complete loss of lectin activity. Several investigators

noted year-to-year and batch-to-batch variations in the lectin content of

foods, so the occasional lectin is likely to oocur even with foods normally

considered safe.

Mucotractive effects of lectins

It has recently been shown that Con-A causes a greatly enhanced secretion

of mucous from the intestines of laboratory rats. It has been suggested

that this " mucotractive " effect of lectins may have some usefulness in

cystic fibrosis. The lectinologist DJ Freed ingested a 10mg dose of Con-A

in tap water. Later that day and on the next day he experienced moderate by

quite intrusive bowel colic, with passage of foul smelling flatus of

unfamiliar odor, and on day three passed a stool of normal size and

texture, but thickly coated with mucous. Brady gave purified WGA to human

volunteers and recovered about 2% from the feces. It was speculated that

the lectin escaped digestion by binding to the dietary fiber, and noted

that a high fiber diet is also, by and large, a high lectin diet.

Lectins which are especially rich in di-sulphide bonds such as WGA are very

resistant to proteolytic enzymes, detergents, urea, alkalies and acids.

Foodstuffs are naturally rich in fiber Important cause of allergies.

Dietary lectins also stimulate mast cells which can degranulate and release

stored histamine, leading several researchers to ascribe a role for dietary

lectins in the genesis of food allergy. However it is not generally known

why some individuals become sensitized to food in their diets. In an

attempt to clarify this, coeliac disease has been extensively studied,

since patients with this disease usually normalize when placed on a gluten

free diet. Researchers reported that the mucous membranes of coeliac

patients showed sugar residues which were capable of binding to the lectins

in wheat germ, which resulted In a cytoxic reaction. Rats treated with

Concavallin-A or wheat germ lectin developed a gut membrane that was

paradoxically impermiable to small molecules, but very permiable to large,

highly allergenic molecules, a situation which is mimicked in food

allergies and coeliac disease.

A component of wheat gliandin has been shown to bind preferentially to

crypt epithelial cells of coeliac disase subjects, but only rarely in

health volunteers. This seems to result from an Immaturity in the pattern

of call surface carbohydrates on the coeliac enterocytes, perhaps, as

Kottgen speculates, due to a genetically determined deficiency of a growth

dependent enzyme, N-acetyl-glucoaminyltransferase, which renders coeliac

patients sensitive to the effects of the oligomannosyl-specific lectin

gluten. Mannosyl oligosaocharides have been tried clinically, with mixed

results. Several investigators have noted a syndrome that is

indistinguishable from coeliac disease that is produced by soy beans.

Investigators have also described a patient with soya intolerance whose

severe diarhoea was ameliorated by injesting sugar inhibitors of soybean

agglutinin (SBA) such as galactose or lactose, whereas glucose or sucrose

made it worse. Ament and Rubin noted violent reaction to soy protein

formula in a 6-week-old infant. The infant developed (sequentially) fever,

leukocytosis, cyanosis, vomiting, massive blood tinged mucousal diarrhea,

dehydration and acidosis. All symptoms disappear after discontinuing soy

milk. The jejunal mucosa, previously normal, became inflamed and flat with

the dissappearance of the intestinal villi; however it had regenerated by

the forth day after discontinuance.

PNA has an extraordinary preferance for gastrin secreting cells as opposed

to other stomach cells. WGA binds to microvilli in the intestinal crypts

and to the goblet cells with an affinity which increases from the proximal

to distal intestine. Lectins in the small intestine appear to encourage

bacterial overgrowth. Lectin damaged areas of the jejunum have been

observed to be characteristically heavily infected with coliform bacteria.

It Is worth noting that most human microbial pathogens and parasites are

able to overcome normal gut motility by lectin-like attachments of lectin

like activity. Forsdyke has hypothesized that those ingested lectins that

are cytotoxic (via alternative complement activation) are likely to damage

first the lymphocytes of the mesenteric nodes, thus making more likely

bacterial overgrowth and eventual food allergy.

Jaffe classifies lectins under Type 4 Cell Activation Lectin/ Cytokine

Interactions. " Various lectins have been shown to bind to IgE receptors,

including pea ,WGA, peanut agglutinin (PNA) and Con-A. WGA has been shown

to stimulate histamine secretion from non sensitized rat mast cells in

vivo, In the absence of extracelluar calcium. This is in accordance with

other observers who noted a bacterial lectin-like reaction in the lungs of

intrinsic asthma sufferers attributed to a defective pulmonary barrier

which would allow bacterial lectins to interact with the basophil cell

surface and induce degranulation and histamine secretion.

Nachbar tested 88 common food items and reported erythrocyte agglutination

activity in 38. Many foods showed agglutinating activity so substantial

that the extracts could be diluted several fold. Crude extracts of various

foods tomato, lettuce, cucumber, wheat bran and whole wheat, sesame and

sunflower seeds, vanilla yoghurt, coconut, banana and baby food banana,

carrot, onion, apple, alfalfa and soya protein have also been found to

bind, and in some instances precipitate the components of human saliva,

including cellular debris and bacteria. This may have some significance in

the development of caries. Interestingly, avocadoe lectin inhibited the

sucrose dependent adherance of S. mutans to plaque pellicle. Approximately

1 to 5% of the ingested dietary lectins are absorbed into the blood stream.

Here they can clump and bind to red and white blood cells, destroying them.

It has been proposed that much of the low grade anemias seen In the third

world may be resulting from destruction of red blood cells by lectin rich

grain and bean diets.

Other Systemic Effects

Kidney

Both human and animal kidney contain abundant structural glycoproteins that

offer binding sites for various lectins. WGA binds to the glomerular

capillary wall in man, in addition to the inner surfaces of the collecting

ducts.

Lectin binding to insulin receptors

Many dietary lectins, including WGA, lentil (LCL) and green pea (Pisum

sativum) lectin (PSA) can bind to human insulin receptors and mimic

insulin. WGA Is as effective In molar terms as is insulin at enhancing

glucose oxidation and has been shown to enhance the affinity of insulin

Itself for its receptors. This low dose insulin-facillitating effect was

also observed for LCA. Many workers have taken note of the differing

glycesmic effects observed with various carbohydrates. Diabetes are often

prescribed a high fibre diet Including the use of pectins. The difficulty

with the mimicking of hormones by dietary lectins is that they lack the

normal feedback and metabolic degradation controls. Insulin mimicking

lectins produce more persistent effects than insulin, resulting in greater

deposition of fat and inhibition of lipolysis.

Nervous System

Human myelin has a strong affinty for ConA, WGA, PHA and LCA, as do

nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of the rat brain. Russian studies noted a

subnormal lymphocyte response to PHA and Con-A in schizophrenics.

Miscellaneous tissues

Lectins have been shown to bind to human synscythial trophoblasts, to

inhibit the binding of nerve regrowth factor to fibroblasts and to bind

follicle stimulating hormone. Multiple interactions with normal plasma

enzymes, glycoproteins and immunoglobulins have been observed.

Lectin Activity In Microbial Systems

The Thomson-Friedenreich antigen (T-antigen) is generally not found on

human cells, but can be exposed after the sialic acid molecule have been

removed by the action of nouramidlase. This can commonly occur since all

Pneumococci, most strains of influenza, Vibrio cholerae and Clostridium all

contain active neuramididase. Antibodies against T antigen are found in

humans after the first few months of life. Peanut agglutinin is specific

for it. After neuramidase exposure, PNA binding sites for T-antigen can be

found on lymphocytes, erythrocytes, breast epithelial cells, glomeruli,

milk-fat globule membranes and thrombocytes, serum glycoproteins.

Hemolytic-uremic syndromes following pneumoccocal infection, presumably an

attack by anti-T antibodies, could possibly result from T-specific lectins.

It also interesting to ponder the observation of several investigators who

have noticed that many cases of food Intolerance develop after influenza.

Bacteria typically attach to prospective host cell membranes via receptors

with lectin- like sugar specificity. This is of great importance, as the

adherence of bacteria to host tissue surfaces is the initial event in a

bacerial infection. Salmonella and Escherichia co/I both carry several

surface lectins with pronounced immunosuppressive ability. Both adhere to

epitholial cells through units of mannose on the cell surface. Colonization

of the urinary tract with E. Coli can markedly be reduced by the

administration of mannose sugars. Inhibition of bacterial adherence to

bladder cells has been asBurned to A unt for the beneficial effects of

cranberry juice. Cranborry juice cocktail inhibited the adherence of

urinary isolates of E. Coli expressing type 1 fimbrias (mannose specific)

and P fimbrae (specific for apha-d-gal-[1-4] beta-d-gal). Pineapple juice

inhibited type 1 but not P type fimbrae. Lectins on type 2 fimbriae, which

recognized galactose receptors on lymphocytes, play a crucial role in the

phagocytcsis of Several Actinomyces spp.

Irritation of the gut mucosal tract by Salmonella lectin may be as

important in the production of the symptoms of food poisoning as the

salmonella food toxin itself. In sensitive individuals, lectins in the diet

can bind to the intestinal walls, causing severe lesions, inflammation and

swelling.

Neiserria gonnorhea, the bacteria which causes the venereal disease

gonnorhea, Is unique in that it is the only member of its family that is

pathologic and the only member that is agglutinated by wheat germ agglutinin.

Several lectins have been shown to possess agglutination properties against

bacterial strains. Staphylococcus aureas and mutans has been extensively

studied, These have been shown to be agglutinated by several commonly

available lectins- including tomato, cantaloupe and wheat. The author has

employed tomato lectin in clinical practice by way of topical applications

of raw tomatoes to the eyes in staphylococcal conjunctivitis with very

satisfactory results.

Lectins have been shown to inhibit the release of Myxo-virus and Newcastle

Disease virus from infected cells.

Lectin-Induced Mitogenesis

In 1960 Nowell added PHA to a blood sample to agglutinate erythrocytes and

thus encourage their removal and noticed to his annoyance that the

lymphocytes had also been affected. He had discovered the mitogenic effect

of PHA (and many other lectins) which was to be the key to the explosion of

knowledge about lymphocyte physiology. Lectins are probably the best

biologic response modifiers (outside of monoclonal antibodies) found in

nature.

Hemagglutinating properties are not necessary for a lectin to possess

mitogenic activity. Many mitogens are " lectins " only if we enlarge the

category to include monovalent molecules with high carbohydrate affinity.

Paradoxically, any plant polysaccharides can be thought of as " reverse

lectins " i.e. their sugars bind lectin-like receptors on the call. This has

been demonstrated for polysaccharides isolated from Thuja Occidentales,

which show high mitogenic activity that is blocked by anti-interleukin I

antibodies, This proves that plant polysaccharides are definite biologic

response modifiers. Other polysaccharides from higher plants such as

Baptisia tinctoralis (heteroglycans) or Angefica acutiloba ( "

immunostimulating polysaccharide " ) and the fungii Basidlomycetes (lentinen,

schizophylan, pachymaran and krestins) have also shown mitogenic and

respose modifying activity.

How mitogens work is still imperfectly understood. Con-A has been shown to

induce microtubule assembly in polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Lectins have

been shown to cause early changes in cytoplasmic free Ca2+ and influence

the lymphocyte membrane potential. Both Con-A and PHA were studied as to

their effect on lymphocyte glycosyltransforase activty. The investigators

found that this enzyme, associated with increased transport activity of

sialic acids, galactose and NAG was stimulated by ConA but not by PHA. Thus

the mitogenic effects of lectins on lymphocytes is not constant.

Lymphocytes in mitosis are almost never found in peripheral blood, but they

were observed frequently in the blood smears of children who has eaten the

North American shrub called pokeweed (Phytolacca amor.) Pokeweed mitogen is

one of the few lectins that stimulates B lymphocytes as well as T

lymphocytes. In vitro it triggers the production of IgE as well as other

antibody isotypes. The discovery that grass pollen apparently share a

common lectin perhaps offers a clue as to why pollen so often provoke allergy.

Lymphoid cells from patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia bind less PHA

than do normal cells, and react poorly to the mitogenic activity of this

and other lectins. B lymphocytes stimulated by lectins are capable of

synthesizing antibodies; T- lymphocytes may be turned into " killer cells "

that destroy any foreign cells that they contact. Many subpopulations of

lymphocytes are specifically stimulated by particular lectins. Separating

mouse thymocyte populations into two groups, one that was agglutinated by

peanut lectin and one that is not. The thymocyte population found to not be

agglutinated by the lectin was found to resemble the adult circulating

lymphocytes. Only this population of thymic lymphocytes has a high sialic

acid content on its membrane, leading researchers to speculatethat the

attachment of sialic acid to the lymphocyte surface was a crucial

maturation step.

Immunosuppresive effects

Since blastogenesis can also occur in suppressor -T cell populations, it is

quite feasible that significant suppression of graft versus host responses

in tissue transplants can be accomplished by the use of lectins.

Significant studies are now under way at Stanford University showing that

lectins can be used exclusively to maintain transplants in animals for up

to two years. Lentil lectin induces striking transplant tolerance In both

mice and humans. Peanut agglutinin has been used to isolate suppressor

T-cells in vivo, these having been first Induced by Con-A. Tomato lectin

has been shown to inhibit the transformation of peripheral lymphocytes

challenged by recall antigens, and actually suppressed spontaneous DNA

synthesis. The inhibition of lymphocyte transformation was not stopped by

exogenously added Interleukin 1 and/or Interleukin 2, even at extremely

high concentrations. This could be significant as the average American diet

results in the ingestion of at least 200 mg. of tomatoe lectin anually,

with vegetarians probably ingesting a far greater amount.

PHA has been shown to suppress experimental autolmmune thyroiditis in mice

for up to 7 week. Electrolectin from the electric eel (Electrophorus

electricus) was shown to prevent and effectively treat experimental

auto-immune myastenia gravis in rabbits, considered a good model for the

human disease myastenia gravis. Administration of electrolectin to the

afflicted rabbits lead in all cases to complete recovery, presumably

through modulation of the suppressor cell activity directed against

acetylcholine receptor protein self antibodies.

Chinese bitter melon lectin (Mornordica charantia has been shown to ossess

potent immunomodulatory activity. " Locoweed " and several species of

Astragalus and Oxytropis, when fed to yearling ewes, resulted in a gradual

decrease in total leukocyte and peripheral lymphocyte blood levels.

Blastogenic effects

The lectin most studied in humans as regards to mitogenic effects is

pokeweed mitogen (PWM), isolated from Phytolacca arriericana. Phytolacca

lectin is one of the rare lectins which is mitogenic for both T and B

lymphocytes. Recent studies on the plant show that salt water extracts of

the plant yield five separate lectins, designated Pa-l through Pa-5. Pa-l

seems to be the only heamagglutinating lectin, and is powerfully mitogenic.

Pa-2 and Pa-4 are the predominant mitogens in the roots. Pa-l is mitogenic

for both B and T cells, while the other four lectins are only mitogenic for

T cells. Interestingly, PWM blastogenesis is inhibited by other lectins

such as WGA. Benincasa cerifera, used in Sino-chinese medicine as an

antiinflamatory diuretic, was shown to contain a powerful anti-tumor

mitogen termed 'B. oerifora mitogen " (BCM). Salt water extracts of the seed

were shown to contain B cell mitogenic, adjuvant active and antitumor

active substances.

Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) induces proliferation of T-cell colony forming

units and growth factor production. PHA can induce the aquisition of T cell

surface markers in peripheral blood in the absence of the normal maturation

controls of the thymus. Other studies showed that this occured only in high

IL-1 environments. This was shown to be produced by " mitogen induced

erythroid burst promotion " due to monocyte blastogonesis produced by Con-A.

Interestingly PWM did the exact opposite (suppressed erythroid burst

activity), which could account for the anti-inflamatoryactivity traditional

ascribed to the plant. Human peripheral blood lymphocytes precultured with

lipopolysaccharide from E.Coli (LPS) were shown to have a greatly enhanced

blastogenic response when pokeweed mitogen was added to the suspension.

Injections of lentil lectin into the knee joint cavity of non-sensitized

rabbits resulted in the development of arthritis which was

indistinguishable morphologically from rheumatoid.

In a rather perverse way " negative-blastogenesis " can also be produced by

using appropriate sugar molecules to " suppress the suppressors " . Several

sugars have been shown to selectively do this including mannose and fucose.

Lectin Induced blastogenesis may have some impact In the myeloproliferative

disorders. Hodgkin disease cells have been shown to elaborate an

agglutinating lectin on their surfaces.

Lectins and Malignancy

No other property of lectins has attracted as much attention as their

ability to agglutinate malignant cells. This was discovered by chance at

Massachusetts General Hospital by ph C. Aub in 1963. Aub believed that

the difference between cancer cells and normal cells lay on their surfaces;

and that alterations in the properties of the cell surface enabled cancer

cells to multiply when normal cells would not, detach from their primary

site and spread throughout the body. At the time the idea seemed quite

strange, and as Sharon, in his review article on lectins In

Scientific American, put it: " bordered on lunacy " .

Aub worked with several enzymes, trying to determine whether the surface of

a malignant cell was different from that of a normal cell. Only in the case

of one enzyme, a lipase from wheat germ, did he observe a difference.

Normal cells did not seem to be affected, but malignant cells were

agglutinated. When he replace the wheat germ lipase with a pancreatic

lipase, however no agglutination took place. Aub also found that the enzyme

activity of the wheat germ could be destroyed by heating, but the

agglutination took place all the same. Aub and his colleagues then

discovered that the wheat germ lipase contained as a contaminant a small

protein that was responsible from the agglutinating activity.

Burger and Goldmanberg suggested that the surface of malignantly

transformed cells contained a component which was not found on the surface

of normal cells. It was proposed that this component is NAG or a closely

related derivative since ovomucoid, a glycoprotein rich in NAGs inhibited

the agglutination at very low concentrations. A higher local density of

lectin binding sites have been observed in addition to an interesting

phenomenon called " capping " where lectins begin to cross link more and more

surface receptors which result in more and more binding sites becoming

available for cross linking. This eventual tends to cluster the binding

sites to one side of the cell, producing a " cap " which can be observed by

radio identification. This apparently results from a transmembrane effect

involving a glycoprotein, spectrin, which aggregates upon contact with a

lectin.

This discovery began a now era in lectin research. Soon it was found that

Con-A also agglutinated malignant cells. Recently the Weizmann Institute of

Science in Israel found that soybean agglutinin also possesses the same

property. As a rule malignant cells are agglutinated by very low

concentrations of a particular lectin and normal cells are not agglutinated

unless the concentration is many times higher. The higher proportion of

malignant cells agglutinated probably results from the sizeable increase in

surface receptors on the malignant cells, which probably results from their

incredibly high reproduction rate.

PNA has been shown to inhibit the growth of several breast cancer cell

lines, In addition to allowing for the destruction of breast cancer cell In

harvested bone marrow with a highly effective and selective (3 or 4 log

depending on the cell type) action.

It has been speculated that the production of wheat germ agglutinin

protects the young swelling seed from fungii and other chitin containing

organisms. It is interesting to speculate on the traditional effectiveness

of wheat grass preparations in certain malignancies, in light of the high

lectin content within the seed at the time of preparation. In addition,

perhaps it is the heavy use of soy products found in macrobiotic cookery

(and the concurrent high intake of soybean lectin) which has resulted in

the many positive responses to cancer ascribed to this form of diet.

[Guest guest]

Dear Jeanne,

I too am dealing with seizures right now. I had a job and was

seizure free for almost a year. Now they are back again and I have had

them almost every day this week. I hate it. I do not know what started

them again, maybe to many hours, family stress, loss of a loved pet, who

really knows.

I hope they find some meds to make this stop for all of us. I take

Midron. Neroton (spelling?) not feeling to well right now and so I do

not want to get up to go look.

Have you tried the diets yet? I saw some information on helping these

seizures with a diet on the page . Might someone tell me

how this works and if it has helped them?

God Bless and take care of yourself and family, Lou

[Guest guest]

I wish I had never let the neurologist mess with my meds in the first place.Depakote was historically successful for me without problems. Whatmedications were you on when you were pregnant with your children?Jeanne

[Guest guest]

are you talking about the ketogenic diet? I am on a list for that. Also

heal your gut, this is intercorrelated, believe me. Also test to see

if you don't have HHV6 really high (titre), or have heavy metals in your

system such as mercury , cadmium, lead and copper. Excess

will start up seizures again. My son just recently was tested

for mercury and lead (mercury from childhood vaccines and

lead from the environment). Both HIGH. I am thinking of doing

DMSa treatment (chelating)

Kathy

Re: [ ] I'm new here

> Dear Jeanne,

>

> I too am dealing with seizures right now. I had a job and was

>seizure free for almost a year. Now they are back again and I have had

>them almost every day this week. I hate it. I do not know what started

>them again, maybe to many hours, family stress, loss of a loved pet, who

>really knows.

>

> I hope they find some meds to make this stop for all of us. I take

>Midron. Neroton (spelling?) not feeling to well right now and so I do

>not want to get up to go look.

>

> Have you tried the diets yet? I saw some information on helping these

>seizures with a diet on the page . Might someone tell me

>how this works and if it has helped them?

>

> God Bless and take care of yourself and family, Lou

>

>

>

>

>_

>

>

[Guest guest]

The only information I've found on the ketogenic diet and such is only

information regarding children. Is there information on it's effectiveness

for adults?

Jeanne

Re: [ ] I'm new here

> Dear Jeanne,

>

> I too am dealing with seizures right now. I had a job and was

>seizure free for almost a year. Now they are back again and I have had

>them almost every day this week. I hate it. I do not know what started

>them again, maybe to many hours, family stress, loss of a loved pet, who

>really knows.

>

> I hope they find some meds to make this stop for all of us. I take

>Midron. Neroton (spelling?) not feeling to well right now and so I do

>not want to get up to go look.

>

> Have you tried the diets yet? I saw some information on helping these

>seizures with a diet on the page . Might someone tell me

>how this works and if it has helped them?

>

> God Bless and take care of yourself and family, Lou

>

>

>

>

>_

>

>

[Guest guest]

i think we tried every diet out there...with almost no

results that could even remotely be considered

positive. some of them were so unhealthy i was sicker

on the diet that i was with seizures. restricted

fluids helped somewhat but caused med toxicity issues

and a few other metabolic problems. magnet mattresses

were useless, oxygen therapy was a waste of money and

time.

i hate to snub my nose at things others consider to be

valid, but my experience pretty much wrote all of the

diets and other " natural " remedies as quack cures that

probably only work via placebo effect.

right now i have in a vns, and it's made a huge

difference, but even combined with meds it hasnt come

anywhere near to stopping the seizures.

i'm almost at the point where i wonder what on earth

people are thinking, wondering why their seizures dont

just STOP. if mine go from 100 a day to 40 a day i

think i'm doing pretty well.(granted most of them are

little absences) i cant even imagine them stopping,

and one a day sounds to me like heaven on earth.

i'd be careful what i tried though...things that throw

your body into ketosis, for instance. lovely. maybe,

MAYBE it'll stop seizures, but it's pretty

incompatible with good health.

--- Lou_42@... wrote:

> Have you tried the diets yet? I saw some

> information on helping these

> seizures with a diet on the page .

> Might someone tell me

> how this works and if it has helped them?

>

> God Bless and take care of yourself and family,

> Lou

>

>

>

>

> _

>

>

[Guest guest]

unhealthy, unhealthy, unhealthy.

--- jeashe <jeashe@...> wrote:

> The only information I've found on the ketogenic

> diet and such is only

> information regarding children. Is there

> information on it's effectiveness

> for adults?

>

> Jeanne

> Re: [ ] I'm new here

>

>

> > Dear Jeanne,

> >

> > I too am dealing with seizures right now. I had

> a job and was

> >seizure free for almost a year. Now they are back

> again and I have had

> >them almost every day this week. I hate it. I do

> not know what started

> >them again, maybe to many hours, family stress,

> loss of a loved pet, who

> >really knows.

> >

> > I hope they find some meds to make this stop for

> all of us. I take

> >Midron. Neroton (spelling?) not feeling to well

> right now and so I do

> >not want to get up to go look.

> >

> > Have you tried the diets yet? I saw some

> information on helping these

> >seizures with a diet on the page .

> Might someone tell me

> >how this works and if it has helped them?

> >

> > God Bless and take care of yourself and family,

> Lou

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >_

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

I myself and Family had not even thought about any kind of Diet until

my daughter got on here and found this list. Now i am looking into it.

To be truthful, my daughter does most all my typing for me. Not to good

at it yet! But I will be.

We are all lost in this diet thing and need someone to hold our hand.

The Doctors only want to give me meds, no talking about curring this..

Just treat the symptoms not the problem.

Tell me if you find any diets.

God Bless

Lou

[Guest guest]

--- Lou_42@... wrote:

>

> We are all lost in this diet thing and need someone

> to hold our hand.

should really stay wary with the diet thing...i'm

totally aware that nobody is going to give me any aces

for saying that, but it's such a waste of time. and

its so bad for your body, to do things that throw it

radically off balance.

> The Doctors only want to give me meds, no talking

> about curring this..

> Just treat the symptoms not the problem.

if you have epilepsy, did anyone ever mention that

most of the time it's not curable, if its etiology

unknown? unless they know exactly what's causing the

problem, and how to fix that problem, its not

considered curable. managing the symptoms is the best

anyone can do.

=====

" The people we become, have never been the people who we are... " MB20

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hi Beth,

Welcome! Glad to have you with us. I usually do my breathing in the

morning, but this doesn't mean I don't get some in throughout my day.

I would think doing them as a routine works best, but it doesn't hurt

to breath whenever you find time. Every little bit helps. We have

some

here that breath 70 LL breaths or over 100 a day. There will be days

that you can get them all in before 45 minutes has past, and others

where the demands will change your program. I believe accummulated

breaths over time still bring results. Looking forward to your posts

and keep us posted how you are doing.

A warm Welcome to you! Tij

> Hi all!

>

> I am new to this group and to LL. I started out with BF, but I

have

not

> been enjoying it because it is so hard to concentrate on everything

in

> such a short time. I have read some of the archived posts and have

seen

> that I am not the only one with that problem, so it has been

encouraging

> to see that people who did not enjoy BF are really loving LL. I

have

> only been doing the LL breath for 1 day, but I have already felt the

> difference. It is easier for me to get the " lift " and hold it, I

think

> because I have the time to make sure that all of the air is pah-ed

out

> before I do it. And I can hold it longer than I could on BF.

>

> I do have one question, though. Do you need to do the 40 breaths

all at

> once to get the benefits? The reason I ask is today I had to stop

after

> every 5 or 6 breaths to take care of my daughter (she is getting

over a

> cold and has a VERY runny nose with a lot of sneezing YUCK!). I

did

40

> or 45 breaths, but it took me about 45 minutes to do them because

of

all

> the interruptions. If not doing them right in a row decreases the

> benefits, I would need to know so that I can plan to get up before

my

> daughter is up and get my breaths in.

>

> Beth B.

> ________________________________________________________________

> YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!

> Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!

> Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:

> http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

[Guest guest]

Hi Sam welcome to the group I am pretty new here too. Sharon in Texas

[Guest guest]

Hi Sam I a from Pensacola FL but have lived in Texas 13 years now.

Sharon

[Guest guest]

Hi, Gundula,

We also have four children: a daughter studying engineering at

university; a daughter, 17, who this year is an exchange student in the

Bavarian town of Altfalter, near Regensburg; another daughter, 12; and

Danny, 9, who has down syndrome. We also adopted the stray dog who was at

last year's " Suaree " (picnic).

You will find the list to be a wonderful group of " listeners "

and a very helpful resource for all kinds of things related to down

syndrome and other family issues.

Where are you in Germany? There are two or three other German families on

the list. I know that Anke is in Cologne; I'm not sure about the others.

Welcome to our group!

Bev

[Guest guest]

Gundula,

hi and welcome to the group. im new to the group myself but it is very

friendly and informative. I'm a mom to amanda age 10 DS and jesse age 6.

im a teacher in NYC. that's what happening " back home " . Isnt email great!

[Guest guest]

Dear Lyn,

Thanks for an interesting letter.

What is the " priming " you mention in your email?

If anyone is interested, I have combined the ER4YT diet with a rotation

diet... I'm planning on using it after I write myself a kind of

intelligent " method " ... especially for when I " fall off the wagon " from

the diet... so I can see the logic easily, understand it... and then

easily return to it.

love and light,

Caelen

khatlynnpark@... wrote:

> Hi. I've just joined and look forward to applying a lot good

> information I " know " but sometimes have a hard time " doing. "

>

> The last several years I've worked a lot with Potatoes not Prozac

> (which I like for information on brain chemistry and priming, which

> helps explain why we can have such a hard time getting off a food we

> haven't had for a while) but that plan suggests too many carbs for me.

>

> Alcoholism runs in my family. Even as a young adult I suspected that

> it was a metabolism disorder. I'm not alcoholic--but sugar/starches

> exert a lot of the same pull on me.

>

> Several years ago I " invented " a diet that worked really well:

> the only " white " food I ate was cauliflower. No sugar, no wheat, no

> corn, no rice, no potatoes, no grains. A lot of wild rice and some

> sweet potatoes, a lot of meat/fish/vegetables. After a few days I

> purred like a Maserati and weight just dropped off. Then at a family

> reunion I ate sugar up the wazoo--and that was it. This was before I

> knew about priming.

>

> I'm 49, use a manual wheelchair because of the bone disorder

> osteogenesis imperfecta (aka the " brittle bone disease " ), have gained

> a lot of weight in the last few years, in part because of hormone

> replacement therapy and in part because of antidepressants (Effexor

> and Paxil). I know that when I'm avoiding sugar and wheat I'm much

> less depressed. Also when I avoid caffeine--I have had a years-long

> love affair with Diet Pepsi. The longest time I've gone without it

> was 28 days last year, during which I felt great, but. . . .

>

> I have osteoporosis, in part because of the OI and in part because of

> limited activity. The last year I've gained some ground with that by

> taking Fosamax, Myacalcin, hormone replacement therapy, and

> calcium/magnesium/zinc tablets. I've been able to tolerate

> lactose-free milk, and enjoy it--but I'll give it up to feel

> better/lose weight/not be so liable to depression. (My depression is

> more lack of focus/feel overwhelmed than it is morose thoughts.

> Actually, I'm a flaming extrovert and even in difficult times get a

> lot of pleasure from being with people.)

>

> I'm a book editor, poet, painter, devout cat person, and bookaholic.

> I look forward to getting to know and learning from you all.

>

> Lynn

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

--- Caelen La Rocque <duewest@...> wrote:

> Dear Lyn,

>

> Thanks for an interesting letter.

>

> What is the " priming " you mention in your email?

>

> If anyone is interested, I have combined the ER4YT

> diet with a rotation

> diet... I'm planning on using it after I write

> myself a kind of

> intelligent " method " ... especially for when I " fall

> off the wagon " from

> the diet... so I can see the logic easily,

> understand it... and then

> easily return to it.

>

> love and light,

> Caelen

>

> khatlynnpark@... wrote:

>

> > Hi. I've just joined and look forward to applying

> a lot good

> > information I " know " but sometimes have a hard

> time " doing. "

> >

> > The last several years I've worked a lot with

> Potatoes not Prozac

> > (which I like for information on brain chemistry

> and priming, which

> > helps explain why we can have such a hard time

> getting off a food we

> > haven't had for a while) but that plan suggests

> too many carbs for me.

> >

> > Alcoholism runs in my family. Even as a young

> adult I suspected that

> > it was a metabolism disorder. I'm not

> alcoholic--but sugar/starches

> > exert a lot of the same pull on me.

> >

> > Several years ago I " invented " a diet that worked

> really well:

> > the only " white " food I ate was cauliflower. No

> sugar, no wheat, no

> > corn, no rice, no potatoes, no grains. A lot of

> wild rice and some

> > sweet potatoes, a lot of meat/fish/vegetables.

> After a few days I

> > purred like a Maserati and weight just dropped

> off. Then at a family

> > reunion I ate sugar up the wazoo--and that was it.

> This was before I

> > knew about priming.

> >

> > I'm 49, use a manual wheelchair because of the

> bone disorder

> > osteogenesis imperfecta (aka the " brittle bone

> disease " ), have gained

> > a lot of weight in the last few years, in part

> because of hormone

> > replacement therapy and in part because of

> antidepressants (Effexor

> > and Paxil). I know that when I'm avoiding sugar

> and wheat I'm much

> > less depressed. Also when I avoid caffeine--I

> have had a years-long

> > love affair with Diet Pepsi. The longest time

> I've gone without it

> > was 28 days last year, during which I felt great,

> but. . . .

> >

> > I have osteoporosis, in part because of the OI and

> in part because of

> > limited activity. The last year I've gained some

> ground with that by

> > taking Fosamax, Myacalcin, hormone replacement

> therapy, and

> > calcium/magnesium/zinc tablets. I've been able to

> tolerate

> > lactose-free milk, and enjoy it--but I'll give it

> up to feel

> > better/lose weight/not be so liable to depression.

> (My depression is

> > more lack of focus/feel overwhelmed than it is

> morose thoughts.

> > Actually, I'm a flaming extrovert and even in

> difficult times get a

> > lot of pleasure from being with people.)

> >

> > I'm a book editor, poet, painter, devout cat

> person, and bookaholic.

> > I look forward to getting to know and learning

> from you all.

> >

> > Lynn

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

,

Hope you are feeling better soon. How extensive was your surgery? How long

have you had these symptoms? I'd love to hear as much information from other

people about their age, how long they've had these symptoms, any other

information.

How bad is your asthma? I was hospitalized many many times for a week or more

with my asthma until I was desensitized to aspirin. I don't really have any

tips about the Scripps experience unless you have any specific questions. They

explain all the physical procedures and all very very clearly and it's a little

frightening but generally they reassure you so much that if you just allow them

to help it's not bad. It's more on the " lifestyle " while you're there.

Everyone is really really nice. Are you having anyone come with you or visit

while you're there? Bring lots to read and maybe some video tapes, you can

double check but I think they can play videos for you in your room. They used

to be more lenient on letting you go out at nights and stuff but they've changed

that, you're pretty much confined to the unit.

If you need a place to stay at any point I can recommend a great inexpensive

motel for you while you're there -- I don't know if I have the name offhand but

I can get it for you. I would recommend taking some time to pamper yourself

while you're there and enjoy LaJolla as it's a beautiful place to heal.

Hope this helps and please ask me specific questions about absolutely anything

you'd like.

Lori

[Guest guest]

Hi Lori,

Greetings from next door in PA.

I am home today "nursing my nose" after sinus surgery yesterday for Polyps.

I am scheduled to visit Scripps on 02/02. I am hoping for an improvement in my asthma. The polyps are relatively new to me and this was my first surgery.

You are the first one I've come across with the Scripps experience - any tips?

(Slapjamn)

I'm new here

Hello! Just found this group tonight. I'm up on one of those late nights searching the web.I've had this syndrome for over ten years and I've educated myself a lot about it but I never before tonight found out it had a name and for some reason I am completely relieved that I can tell people now "I have Samter's syndrom." I don't know why it matters, but it does.Anyway, I am tired so I may not read posts tonight but feel free to say hello.I've been desensitized to aspirin twice at Scripps Clinic with great effects on my asthma but not so great on my polyps. In fact, I'm looking at sinus surgery for the fourth time (possibly).I am surprised there are so few members to this group -- maybe no one else knows the name either! They certainly find the people with this syndrome at Scripps for their studies.Greetings from New York,Lori

[Guest guest]

Yes, I was also was very relieved when i first found out there was a

name for what i was going through... prior to that it was just " my

nose and asthma problem " ...

What do they call it at Scripps? I've heard it called ASA triad, or

variants of that, or the doctors will just say, " yes it's very

common to have asthma and polyps and aspirin sensitivity. "

My own experience is that the asthma more readily responds to drugs

like singulair or zyflo, but the polyps seem a bit more entrenched.

I wonder if anyone has tried combining the two leukotriene

inhibitors. I'm on zyflo now because my doc thinks it's a bit more

effective for samter's, though it's a pain in the ass -- 4 giant

tablets daily, rather than 1 tiny one.

Greetings from NJ,

mike

> Hello! Just found this group tonight. I'm up on one of those

late

> nights searching the web.

>

> I've had this syndrome for over ten years and I've educated myself

a

> lot about it but I never before tonight found out it had a name

and

> for some reason I am completely relieved that I can tell people

> now " I have Samter's syndrom. " I don't know why it matters, but

it

> does.

>

> Anyway, I am tired so I may not read posts tonight but feel free

to

> say hello.

>

> I've been desensitized to aspirin twice at Scripps Clinic with

great

> effects on my asthma but not so great on my polyps. In fact, I'm

> looking at sinus surgery for the fourth time (possibly).

>

> I am surprised there are so few members to this group -- maybe no

one

> else knows the name either! They certainly find the people with

this

> syndrome at Scripps for their studies.

>

> Greetings from New York,

>

> Lori

[Guest guest]

Hi Lori

Welcome to the group

Where exactly is Scripps, and do they have a website?

I developed Samters last year, and as a result have also lost my sense of

smell. That for me is the worst part. The asthma is mild, and the polyps

(which cause the loss of smell) are annoying, but at least I have been able

to breathe since mid-October. The not breathing through my nose before was

intolerable. Breathing was achieved by a 5th course of prednisone, the use of

Flonase, and I think most importantly, stopping using a face wash and cream

containing salycitic acid.

Good luck

Judy

[Guest guest]

Judy,

Scripps is a medical center in La Jolla, California. They have a special unit

where they do trials and there's a doctor named son who's dedicated

his career to doing trials where he desensitizes people to aspirin. They also

test you for other things sometimes before desensitizing you including sulfites,

caffeine, the COX-2 inhibitors, etc.

To my knowledge, but someone else may know better, they don't have a website.

Somewhere I have their other information and they send out information packets

to interested parties. I think usually people have to be referred through their

doctors but maybe we can change that with this group.

I probably would NOT recommend getting desensitized for lack of smell as the

main symptom, although I hate the lack of smell part, too. For some people the

aspirin desensitization definitely helps with that, for me it really didn't help

for long. If your asthma particularly got worse and less controllable in teh

future maybe desensitization would make sense.

What do you take for the asthma?

That's interesting about the face wash! Glad that seemed to help.

Lori

[Guest guest]

> ,

>

> Hope you are feeling better soon. How extensive was your surgery?

How long have you had these symptoms? I'd love to hear as much

information from other people about their age, how long they've had

these symptoms, any other information.

>

> How bad is your asthma? I was hospitalized many many times for a

week or more with my asthma until I was desensitized to aspirin. I

don't really have any tips about the Scripps experience unless you

have any specific questions. They explain all the physical

procedures and all very very clearly and it's a little frightening

but generally they reassure you so much that if you just allow them

to help it's not bad. It's more on the " lifestyle " while you're

there.

>

> Everyone is really really nice. Are you having anyone come with

you or visit while you're there? Bring lots to read and maybe some

video tapes, you can double check but I think they can play videos

for you in your room. They used to be more lenient on letting you go

out at nights and stuff but they've changed that, you're pretty much

confined to the unit.

>

> If you need a place to stay at any point I can recommend a great

inexpensive motel for you while you're there -- I don't know if I

have the name offhand but I can get it for you. I would recommend

taking some time to pamper yourself while you're there and enjoy

LaJolla as it's a beautiful place to heal.

>

> Hope this helps and please ask me specific questions about

absolutely anything you'd like.

>

> Lori

>>>I was hospitalized many many times for a week or more

with my asthma until I was desensitized to aspirin.<<<<

Hi Lori

The above statement puzzles me. (Easily confused)

Does that mean that the trigger to your asthma bronchospasms was

continued aspirin. My reactin to aspirin was also life threatening,

and although I must take care not to repeat the dose, my asthma has

not completely gone. Do you think that desensitized could still help

me?

Regards

[Guest guest]

,

Hope you feel better from the surgery soon. After three times through it myself

I can definitely empathize and it SUCKS to say the least. ;(

Let us know how it goes at Scripps. Dr. son is a weird bird but a good

doctor, he may not be able to really tell whether it will help you or not from

just that description so if you think it will help, I say, go for it. Hey, he

thought it would help my polyps and I don't think it has. But it's definitely

helped my asthma, almost like a miracle.

Lori

[Guest guest]

I too am home healing from some pretty

extensive surgery on 1-4-02. I will probably be heading down to Scripps

as well in the next few weeks for desensitization. son doesn’t seem to think my

response to ASA responds well to the therapy. I experience pretty severe facial and

extremity swelling, not the typical stuffy nose and headache, etc. Since my polyps were pretty horrible and

extensive I figure it’s worth a run.

I’ll follow up with

new news.

----Original Message-----

From: Slapjamn

[mailto:slapjamn@...]

Sent: Friday, January 04, 2002 1:38 PM

samters

Subject: Re: I'm new

here

Hi

Lori,

Greetings

from next door in PA.

I

am home today " nursing my nose " after sinus surgery yesterday for

Polyps.

I

am scheduled to visit Scripps on 02/02. I am hoping for an improvement in

my asthma. The polyps are relatively new to me and this was my first

surgery.

You

are the first one I've come across with the Scripps experience - any tips?

(Slapjamn)

I'm new here

Hello! Just found this group tonight. I'm

up on one of those late

nights searching the web.

I've had this syndrome for over ten years and I've educated myself a

lot about it but I never before tonight found out it had a name and

for some reason I am completely relieved that I can tell people

now " I have Samter's syndrom. " I don't know why it matters, but

it

does.

Anyway, I am tired so I may not read posts tonight but feel free to

say hello.

I've been desensitized to aspirin twice at Scripps Clinic with great

effects on my asthma but not so great on my polyps. In fact, I'm

looking at sinus surgery for the fourth time (possibly).

I am surprised there are so few members to this group -- maybe no one

else knows the name either! They certainly find the people with this

syndrome at Scripps for their studies.

Greetings from New York,

Lori

[Guest guest]

Hi ! Welcome to the group! I live about 20 minutes east of Rochester

in Ontario. I have 2 daughters, 8 and 11 and a hubby. I've been soaping

for maybe 4 years.

Welcome!

Shaye

The Soap Shack

www.mysoapshack.com

I'm new here

Hi,

I'm , living in Rochester, mama to 8 kids(3 are mostly out of

the nest), and I got the name of this group from (we

discovered on another group that she grew up on the street I now live

on). I started making soap last year, and got soooooooo addicted. I

haven't tried selling any, still in the giving it away stage, though

my best friend does buy a batch at a time and pays me for that. I

look forward to getting to know everyone here, and maybe meeting.

Our Message Board

http://www.voy.com/21568/

Check out these great Molds!!

http://soapwerks.com/martinworld.htm

Member Kae's Site... Awesome oil Prices!

http://www.olivetreesoaps.com/

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