Fw: More Dr. Levin on: Autoimmune Disease: the EnvironmentalConnection ~ Cures

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From: " ilena rose " <ilena@...>

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Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 6:18 PM

Subject: More Dr. Levin on: Autoimmune Disease: the EnvironmentalConnection

~ Cures

> Dr. Levin wrote:

>

> Most chronic inflammatory processes are mediated by the cytokine Tumor

> Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF A). There are several very good anti TNF A

drugs

> on the market that have excellent safety profiles.

>

> There are a number of

> monoclonal antibodies and peptide drugs that have been performing

miracles.

> There is even a group of antisense DNA and MRNA drugs under development

which

> may be the answer to all chronic inflammatory problems. The drug with

which

> I am most familiar is Enbrel by Immunex. There have been some fabulous

> success stories in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis

and

> many other diseases.

>

> Enbrel may also have a role in chronic heart failure

> and respiratory disease. Most patients who respond to Enbrel (the vast

> majority) report that their long standing maliase and fatigue go away

first.

> By way of disclosure, we have done reseach on Enbrel and own stock in

> Immunex. There are many outstanding pharmaceutical companies producing

great

> products. Just go to a rheumatologist who is current in the research and

> treatment protocols, there are a wealth of safe and effective drugs for

> chronic inflammatory disease presently or soon to be available. A safe,

but

> expensive and old fashioned treatment is intravenous gammaglobulin

(IVIG).

> As you know, immunoglobulins are not really antibodies, they are

regulatory

> molecules which act like hormones. They evolved to regulate growth and

> differentiation in early life forms. They were adapted to the immune role

by

> our predecessors several hundred million years ago. As such, IVIG through

> the anti-idiotypic antibody system, modulates inflammation.

>

> These treatments, however, are very expensive. T cell immunomodulation

> with IL2,

> transfer factor and gamma interferon has been successful in the treatment

of

> chronic inflammation. These agents, however, may be hard to come by.

Plain

> old Thalidomide has been shown to be a safe and potent immunomodulator

which

> in some patients controls inflammation. A decade ago when we were in

> clinical practice, we had many patients who recovered function and

enhanced

> quality of life with immunotherapy.

>

> Today the physicians' armentarium is far

> more vast than was ours. The average well trained and knowledgeble

> rheumatologist knows all of these treatments and when to use them.

>

> A. Levin,

> MD, JD

>

>