Echinacea

February 15, 1999

Chris

here, I broke out of a two year flare about 6 days ago.

Im not sure why. I do know the AP doesn't work for me and

I really suffered for almost 4 years till I had to go to something that

would work as my doctor\friend was threatening to drop me as I started to

deform and lost 2 knuckles my rt. elbow joint and left knee is shot.

Plus 9 major back surgeries and 4 Achilles reconstruction's.,

all while herxing (sic)!!! I had read T. Brown Md and agree with alot of his

theories. I also have a model of my own and will shortly give $$$

to a Scot by the name of Robin Barkley MD Ph.D. +++++

he has successfully stopped the elicitation of cytokines in arthritic

joints and tissue ,even is septic arthritis which is a phenomenal

discovery. Long live Dr. Barkley!

I just wanted to say that I did add 3-5 grams fresh garlic bulbs

and 3-5 grams fresh ginger root which is drank with green tea.

No, the garlic is not in the tea it scarred with serrated knife and then

taken like a pill.

I feel great I have come out of a brain fog, but still have swelling

which I use DMSO for, this is Godsent mixing DMSO in a cream base with

Glucos.\Cond. and shark cartilage and putting it on knees and well all my

affected joints . I have used DMSO for 25+ years and I love it.

If people react to DMSO my bet is they are recently infected,

as when I first had RA and reiters DMSO only made mycoplasmas mad and they

illicited cytokines thus I swelled up , now in a chronic phase, it helps as

there is noting to make mad. Root

Here is an adjunctive med that you could use with AP. I would send its

link but my computer ate it . I hate it when that happens . RMR

Oral Human Immunoglobulin Is Safe And Effective For Rheumatoid Arthritis

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ANYONE WANNA PARTNER?

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PHOENIX, AZ -- December 21, 1998 -- Results from a recent Phase II clinical

trial indicate oral human immunoglobulin could become a significant new

pharmaceutical for treating severe rheumatoid arthritis, a crippling disease

that affects about three million people in the United States alone.

The double-blind, placebo-controlled study concluded that orally

administered human immunoglobulin is nontoxic and effective in decreasing

the inflammation and pain of rheumatoid arthritis. The U.S. Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) has approved the use of immunoglobulin as an

intravenous or intramuscular injection for temporary resistance against

hepatitis A, measles and varicella-zoster infections.

Twenty-eight patients with rheumatoid arthritis uncontrolled by standard

therapies participated in the four-month study. Current treatments range

from aspirin to corticosteroids and systemic immunosuppressants that often

have undesirable side effects. The treatment group derived measurable

benefits from immunoglobulin, including a significant reduction in the

number of swollen joints and reduced levels of circulating serum markers of

inflammation. No patient had drug-related adverse side effects.

Protein Therapeutics in Tucson, Ariz., a company founded to develop nontoxic

therapies for chronic diseases, sponsored the study conducted at the Jerry

L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Medical Center in Loma , Calif. Dr.

Colburn, chief of rheumatology at the medical center and the Loma

University School of Medicine, directed the study.

“A number of patients had relief in the first few weeks of the trial and

maintained relief,” Colburn said. “They said they felt well and were sorry

when the study ended.”

These results confirm and extend work pioneered by Dr. Weisbart, a

physician and professor of medicine at the University of California in Los

Angeles and the Sepulveda Veterans Administration Hospital. Although the

exact mechanism is unknown, orally delivered immunoglobulin may act at an

initiation site of rheumatoid disease and stop the progression of the

disease, instead of merely suppressing symptoms.

Previous research suggests rheumatoid arthritis may be an autoimmune

response activated by superantigens that overstimulate the immune system.

Immunoglobulin contains antibodies to superantigens. Studies show

intravenous immunoglobulin is somewhat effective against rheumatoid

arthritis, but as a treatment, it is impractical because the dose is large

and the benefits are unsustained.

Weisbart reasoned the effectiveness of immunoglobulin is diminished because

intravenous administration delivers the drug to the wrong site. He believes

administering the drug orally delivers it to the mucous membrane of the

small intestine, where the initiation of disease may occur.

“Our studies confirm the merit of the technology,” said Protein Therapeutics

President Dr. Leon Barstow. “Our focus now is to complete definitive

clinical trials with sufficient patients and numbers of rheumatology centers

to allow for FDA approval.

“We believe a strategic partnership with an appropriate pharmaceutical

company is the ideal way to commercialize this technology.”

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July 19, 1999

Lovette...

Echinacea is a immune booster. Will help your immune system fight it but I

would also be using anti retro viral herbs as well...as well as a few other

things. If interested I will post the protocol.

Byron

Re: [ ] Echinacea

>From: " F. Mott " <smott@...>

>

>Dear Byron: My doctor told me I tested positive for the " stealth

>virus. " His remedy is to put me on 225 mg 4x/day. Any thoughts?

>

>Lovette

>

>---------------------------

July 23, 1999

Dear Byron: My doctor told me I tested positive for the " stealth

virus. " His remedy is to put me on 225 mg 4x/day. Any thoughts?

Lovette

July 23, 1999

Byron wrote:

>

> From: " Byron " <F.Byron@...>

>

> Lovette...

>

> Echinacea is a immune booster. Will help your immune system fight it but I

> would also be using anti retro viral herbs as well...as well as a few other

> things. If interested I will post the protocol.

>

> Byron

> Re: [ ] Echinacea

>

> >From: " F. Mott " <smott@...>

> >

> >Dear Byron: My doctor told me I tested positive for the " stealth

> >virus. " His remedy is to put me on 225 mg 4x/day. Any thoughts?

> >

> >Lovette

> >

Dear Byron: Yes, I am very interested! I should also mention that the

echinacea protocol is for 1 week on and 1 week off. Plus, I'm on IV

Zithromax and Amantadine.

Thanks,

Lovette

October 7, 1999

Hi Mark:

Your last paragraph reads:

From my standpoint, I think sometimes the mino or the metho is working and

then I skip 2 out of the 3 Nsaids I'm supposed to take daily and wake up the

next day sore as hell. What's that mean? Makes me think sometimes the only

thing that is working are the Nsaids and all they're doing is masking the

pain. Only way I would find out if the other stuff is working I guess would

be to stop taking everything and then when I can't move at all, I could

conclude that the mino and metho are doing their jobs after all. Pleasant

experiment, huh?

The same thoughts have occurred to me: Maybe only the NSAIDS and the

hydrocortisone are keeping the pain down and the minocycline is doing

nothing. I am rudely reminded when I forget the naproxin. I'm still watching

your postings carefully for any mention that the meth is helping you. I'll

pressure my AP doc to script some for me if it does.

In another area, it is not at all clear to me how the probiotics can stay

alive in the GI tract when the mino kills all of the flora, good and bad.

Any ideas?

Harry

October 7, 1999

I would think an interesting experiment would be to stop taking the Echinacea

and see if the crummy feelings return. I, personally, would find it hard to

believe that the Echinacea would be making you feel better, but everyone is

different, so it could be possible. I doubt that 10mg of metho is weakening

your immune system much - perhaps toning down the inflammation somewhat (that's

what I'm hoping for anyway). With all the different drugs you're taking, I'm not

surprised you feel a bit ill on occasion. Any chance of lowering the prednisone

dosage any (that is one drug that spooks me, unless you're taking it only for a

day or two to control a very bad flare) When did you start the mino? Sometimes

it can make one feel kind of crummy too, especially problems with dizziness.

Not sure what to tell you about the dosage levels of Echinacea as I still feel

somewhat conflicted over the whole matter of suppressing the immune system/

boosting the immune system,etc. I know we want a strong immune system to help

us overcome the bad critters, but the bad critters have caused perhaps our

immune system to overreact so it may be necessary to tame that overreacting

beast a bit so that the mino has a chance to work - of course, it's a delicate

balance - if we overtame it, then the immune system loses its ability to fight

off the bad guys. That's where the docs are supposed to know what they are

doing - unfortunately, I have very little confidence in most doctor's abilities

to know what they are doing - I think they are more in to doing away with

patients' complaints, thus they overmedicate without concern for that delicate

balance. A friggin' mess - that's what it is.

From my standpoint, I think sometimes the mino or the metho is working and then

I skip 2 out of the 3 Nsaids I'm supposed to take daily and wake up the next day

sore as hell. What's that mean? Makes me think sometimes the only thing that

is working are the Nsaids and all they're doing is masking the pain. Only way I

would find out if the other stuff is working I guess would be to stop taking

everything and then when I can't move at all, I could conclude that the mino and

metho are doing their jobs afterall. Pleasant experiment, huh?

Mark

rheumatic Echinacea

Does anyone have any info on dosages of Echinacea for folks with RA? I

started taking it a couple of weeks ago to decrease the fluish/ill feelings I

had from taking MTX (making an assumption it was due to the MTX weakening my

immune system)...I bought a bottle of 150mg capsules which said to take 1 to

three a day. I went the middle road, taking 2 per day. Seems to be helping

quite a bit...I have been feeling much more normal and haven't really suffered

many days of feeling fluish since taking it. Any words of wisdom? tks.

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Blessings and Health

Tony (Diagnosed Sero-Neg. RA April 1999)

Meds (Dr Prescribed): Methotrexate 10MG per week; Folic Acid 2MG per day;

Prednisone 10mg daily; Sulfasalazine 4G daily; Plaquinil 400mg daily;

Minocycline 200mg daily; Prilosec 20-40mg daily

Alternative Meds/Herbs: Flax Seed Oil (Omega 3, 6, 9) 6g daily; MSM 2g daily;

Pantothenic Acid (B5) 2g daily; Echinacea 300mg daily; Ginseng 840mg daily;

Chitosan 2g Daily

October 7, 1999

Hi-

This message is for Tony.

I agree with you that methotrexate can weaken the immune system. Every

drug has that capability, and I say you are doing the right thing with the

echinacea. I took methotrexate from the age of 17-18 and a half, and i

still don't feel as vibrant as i did before that whole metho thing. so i

say, if you're taking the ech and it's working for you, stay on what

you're taking. plus, i read your list of meds and that seems like a lot.

i used to be in a lot of pain once and i was on just as much medicine as

you, plus a whole lot more metho (i gave myself injections). but now i

take a vitamin and my myno. just be patient. it will happen for you. i

promise. one more reason why i think you're onto something about the

weakened immune thing.. ra is a disease of the immune system, so if you

can do as much as possible to boost its possibilities, then there is no

stopping you. i would try to get off the plaquenil if i were you. that

stuff just plain sucks. it was originally a malaria drug. once i got off

that junk, it was smooth sailing. hope this note makes you feel better.

i apologize for my tendency to ramble for no reason and to go off on

tangents.

good luck

-Liz

On Thu, 7 Oct 1999, HOLMES, MARK T. wrote:

> I would think an interesting experiment would be to stop taking the Echinacea