Re: Digest Number 972

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 1/26/00 8:02:52 PM Eastern Standard Time,

lyme-aidonelist writes:

<< I would also insist on a TRH stim test....(you can look normal on all

labs.until this one) That is exactly what happened to me..... Everything

else was absolutely perfect, but failed TRH test big time...... Don't leave

it out... >^..^<

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 1/26/00 8:02:57 PM Eastern Standard Time,

lyme-aidonelist writes:

<< Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2000 09:17:29 -0800

From: " larryyenko " <larryy@...>

Subject: information

Memantine Significantly Reduces Peripheral Neuropathy Pain In Diabetics

>>

Larry, thanks for sharing this information. I do not have diabetes, but I

have all that neuropathy pain from nerve damage on my spine, due to lyme. I

hope this proves to work.....I love the idea that I might have a night w/out

pain. The dr's have given me low doses of elevil, but it doesn't work at such

a low dose and when they tried to up it I couldn't take it. I will

definentaly pass this article on to my neurologist.

Thank you, again.

Your Lyme Friend,

[Guest guest]

Hi,

>

>Thanks for the post. Do you know in practical terms what sequencing the 37

>kDa RNase L means? Is it something that may prove useful for potential

>treatments a decade or more from now?

In medical terms sequencing by itself means very little. BUt it does open

the door to find out how the 37kD RNase L differs from the normal version,

how the switch from normal to 37kD happens, and from that possibly why.

It can also provide a very powerful tool testing its link to CFS - possibly

it can be used in an animal or in vitro model of CFS. Assuming that it turns

out to be important in the disease process, it also provides a door for

designing drugs that inhibit the 37kD RNase L.

But all of this willl take a while - IMO 3-5 years to get to a detailed

knowledge of how & why 37kD is turned on; 10+ to get to any kind of drug

development.

Jerry

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[Guest guest]

Hi, Judy,

On your question of SSRI -

>OK all you knowledgeable folks...I want some input here, experience with

>such drugs and CFS, etc.

My experience with them is almost uniformly bad. All SSRIs but Zoloft left

me sleepless after less than 2 weeks. Zoloft worked OK for me

(antidepressant - I'm 2d depressed from CFS also) for over a year before the

side effects kicked up. I have since switched to Wellbutrin, then low

Wellbutrin + imipramine.

I have seen a couple of abstracts showing that sometimes PWCs (or more

probably a subset of PWCs) have a higher level of serotonin than normal, so

SSRIs would work to exacerbate neuro symptoms instead of reduce them.

I also think that most docs are pushing SSRIs because they have been

bribed/brainwashed by drug co reps, with free samples, goodies and lots of

gushing info about how great they are and how they are so much better than

tricyclics. Which is the case for most people - but not necessarily PWCs.

Keep alert for side effects, especially agitation, sleeplessness and mood

volatility.

Jerry

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[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/31/00 7:51:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

roses_grow1@... writes:

<< one vaccine I do not have a lot of information to refute is the Tetanus

shot.Every time my kids get a cut everyone,even my hippy mom,tells me I

should get them a tetanus shot. What do kind of info does anyone have on

that? Thanks : ) >>

here's something about tetanus, by one of my favorites, the late Dr.

Mendelsohn:

(also, keep in mind that there are VERY few cases of tetanus each year and

that tetanus doesn't survive in oxygen, so unless you had a deep puncture

wound with no bleeding and no way to clean it, probably with some dirt from

manure that was housing some tetanus spores, i doubt you'd get tetanus--it's

a big fear, but not as big a real danger, IMO).

Tetanus Vaccination by Dr Mendelsohn MD (The People's Doctor Newsletter

1976-1988)

You have every right to closely question me on the tetanus vaccine, since

that was the last vaccine I abandoned. It wasn't hard for me to give up

vaccines for whooping cough, measles, and rubella because of their disabling

and sometimes deadly side effects. The mumps vaccine, a high-risk,

low-benefit product, struck me and plenty of other doctors as silly from the

moment it was introduced. Arguments for the diphtheria vaccine were vitiated

by epidemics during the past 15 years which showed the same death rate and

the same severity of illness in those who were vaccinated vs. those who were

not vaccinated. As for smallpox, even the government finally gave up that

vaccine in 1970, and I gave up on the polio vaccine when Jonas Salk showed

that the best way to catch polio in the United States was to be near a child

who recently had taken the

Sabin vaccine. But the tetanus vaccine exercised a hold on me for a much

longer time.

As you point out, I gave up belief in this vaccine in stages. For a while, I

still held onto the notion that farm families and people who work around

stables should continue to take tetanus shots. But in spite of my early

indoctrination with fear of " rusty nails, " in recent years, I have developed

a greater fear of the hypodermic needle. My reasons are:

1) Scientific evidence shows that too frequent tetanus boosters actually may

interfere with the immune reaction.

2) There has been a gradual retreat of even the most conservative authorities

from giving tetanus boosters every one year to every two years to every five

years to every 10 years (as now recommended by the American Academy of

Pediatrics), and according to some, every 20 years. All these numbers are

based on guesses rather than on hard scientific evidence.

3) There has been a growing recognition that no controlled scientific study

(in which half the patients were given the vaccine and the other half were

given injections of sterile water) has ever been carried out to prove the

safety and effectiveness of the tetanus vaccine. Evidence for the vaccine

comes from epidemiologic studies which are by nature controversial and which

do not satisfy the criteria for scientific proof.

4) The tetanus vaccine over the decades has been progressively weakened in

order to reduce the considerable reaction (fever and swelling) it used to

cause. Accompanying this reduction in reactivity has been a concomitant

reduction in antigenicity (the ability to confer protection). Therefore,

there is a good chance that today's tetanus vaccine is about as effective as

tap water.

5) Until the last few years (from newsletters 1976-1988), government

statistics admitted that 40 percent of the child population of the U.S. was

not immunized. For all those decades, where were the tetanus cases from all

those rusty nails?

6) There now exists a growing theoretical concern which links immunizations

to the huge increase in recent decades of auto-immune diseases, e.g.,

rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus erythematosus, lymphoma, and

leukemia. In one case, Guillain Barre paralysis from swine flu vaccine, the

relationship turned out to be more than just theoretical.

In preparing my courtroom testimony on behalf of a child who allegedly was

brain-damaged as a result of the DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus)

vaccine, I reviewed the prescribing information (package insert) for the

Connaught Laboratories product which was administered to this child. The 1975

and.1977 package insert information which measured seven-and-a-half inches

long listed three scientific references in support of the indications,

contraindications, warnings, cautions, and adverse reactions to this vaccine.

By 1978, the length of the insert had grown to 13 1/2 inches, and the number

of scientific references had increased to 11. By 1980, the package insert was

18 inches long, and the references numbered 14. Of those newly added

references, seven (three from U.S. medical journals and four from foreign

medical journals) dealt specifically with reactions to the tetanus DPT

portion of the (toxoid) vaccine.

An article in the Archives of Neurology (1972) described brachial plexus

neuropathy (which can lead to paralysis of the arm) prom tetanus toxoid.

Four patients who received only tetanus toxoid noticed the onset of limb

weakness from six to 21 days after the inoculation. A 1966 article published

in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports the first case of

" Peripheral Neuropathy .following Tetanus Toxoid Administration. " A 23 year

old white medical student received an injection of tetanus toxoid into his

right upper arm after an abrasion of the right knee while playing tennis.

Several hours later, he developed a wrist drop of his right hand. He later

suffered from complete motor and sensory paralysis over the distribution of

the right radial nerve (one of the major nerves innervating the arm and hand)

One month later, no residual motor or sensory deficit could be found.

Reference is made to an article in the Journal of Neurology, 1977, entitled

" Unusual Neurological Complication following Tetanus Toxoid Administration. "

The author reports a 36yearold female who received tetatus toxoid in her

left upper arm following a wound to her finger. Five days later, she noticed

a weakness first of the right, and then of the left and later of both legs.

She complained of dizziness, instability, lethargy, chest discomfort,

difficulty in swallowing, and inarticulate speech. S staggered when she

walked, and she could take only a few steps. Her EEG showed some

abnormalities. After a month, she was discharged without neurologic

disturbance, but she continued to feel weak and anxious. Examinations during

the next 11 months showed continued emotional instability and some

paresthesias (numbness and tingling) in the extremities. The medical

diagnosis was " a rapidly progressing neuropathy with involvement of cranial

nerves, myelopathy, and encephalopathy. "

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 1973, carried an article

entitled " Hypersensitivity to Tetanus Toxoid, " and in a volume entitled

" Proceedings of the II International Conference on Tetanus " (published by

Hans Huber, Bern, Switzerland, 1967), an article appeared entitled " Clinical

Reactions to Tetanus Toxoid. "

A 44 year old article in the Journal of the American Medical Association

(1940) was entitled " Allergy Induced by Immunization with Tetanus Toxoid. "

That same year, an article in the British Medical Journal reported on

" Anaphylaxis (a form of shock) following Administration of Tetanus Toxoid. "

In 1969, a German medical journal reported a case of paralysis of the

recurrent laryngeal nerve (the nerve to the voicebox) after a booster

injection of tetanus toxoid. The patient developed hoarseness and was unable

to speak loudly, but the nerve paralysis subsided completely after

approximately two months.

Should your doctor reassure you that tetanus vaccine is completely safe, or

that " the benefits outweigh the risks, " or that you should have a shot " just

in case, " why not share these citations with him?

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/23/2001 7:14:52 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

dwarfmail1@... writes:

> LPA members,

>

> I see that there have been a lot of emails on the Listserv about underage

> drinking at conferences. For those of you who have been around a while,

> this

> is not a new topic. It comes up every year.

>

> All of the suggestions put forth have either been tried and have only

> worked

> with limited success (bracelets), would not work (two dances), or are not

> going to happen (making the entire conference dry).

>

> No system is fool proof. But I want to talk about a solution that would

> work

> -- if the members are serious about solving this.

>

> There has been one disturbing trend running through all of the emails.

> There

> seems to be this attitude that the volunteer officers, or the conference

> committee volunteers, or the hotel, or the parents should be responsible

> for

> policing the underage drinkers -- just as long as the underage drinkers

> themselves are not held accountable.

>

> Every underage drinker knows that they should not be drinking. They know

> it

> is illegal and wrong. But even more, they know there are no consequences

> --

> the worst that ever happens is we take away their drinks. That will have

> to

> change.

>

> With that in mind, I have a real easy solution. Make it very clear from

> the

> beginning that anyone underage caught drinking will be expelled from the

> conference (not from LPA, just the conference) -- and then do it.

>

> If we send just one underage drinker home the minute they are caught

> drinking, I am sure the word would get around very quickly, and this issue

> will disappear as a problem. (This would also apply to anyone giving a

> drink

> to an underage person.)

>

> At this point, we just need to decide if the underage people are going to

> be

> responsible for their actions. If they are we can solve it, otherwise no

> solution will work.

>

> Margulies

> Senior Vice President, LPA

> <A HREF= " mailto:svplpa@... " >svplpa@...</A>

>

Now, I agree there needs to be some kind of punishment for doing that, I

don't agree with WHAT the punishment is. I mean, they should know it's

wrong, and all that, but do stores and such expel people from their store for

doing the same thing? Point being: There should be consequences, but I think

that's going a little too much off the deep end. It's not fair to the

parents or the person's siblings just because they screwed up. Now, if the

parents drink and buy the drink for their teen, is the same punishment still

there? It's not right to interfere with how people run their lives, it's if

they ruin other's while doing so.

[Guest guest]

I had my two year anniversary yesterday. Time really flew. I've lost over

150 pounds. I still have a few more to go, 9, to get to the WW recommended

weight for my age. I just had the last of the 4 vanity surgeries to tighten

and remove lose skin 2 weeks ago. I've had the tummy done, arms and boobs,

neck and face, and lastly thighs and tush. There's still a lot of swelling in

the thighs and tush area, good for a few pounds at least. I've had no

trouble at all from the original MGB surgery. I do watch what I eat, and eat

4-6 small meals a day. I'm healthier than I've ever been, never have had any

problems with dumping etc. My vitamin and mineral levels are great, energy

level is wonderful. I exercise daily. I'm over 50 and plan to enjoy the

second half of my life much more than the first. My husband of 31 years has

been through thick and thin, he's almost as excited about the new me as I am.

It's a wonderful new life, thank you Dr. R.

in Chapel Hill almost 53 years old

3-6-00 304

3-7-02 154 will be 145 when the swelling's down, I weighed 154 at surgery,

surgeon took off 9 pounds of fat and loose skin!

[Guest guest]

Hi Ladies,

I have a question for all of you experts...

I have a friend who has a 19 year old son, diagnosed as ADD as a fourth

grader. She asked her Dr. about Asperger's recently (he definately " fits

the mold " ) and the Doctor told her, " That is a heavy label to put on

someone. " and suggested she give him METABOLIFE (ephedra) to help him focus

in his College classes. This sounds absolutely crazy to me. What do you

think?

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[Guest guest]

Hi ,

That is nuts! In my opinion Ephedra is dangerous for ANYONE to

take. It raises blood pressure and too many people have been having

problems with this. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Lots of

people do take it but it is believe to have been the cause behind

some deaths - I think the people who died already had high blood

pressure. I would seriously think about changing doctors and have

some major doubts about this guy. I've never heard of a doctor who

would recommend something like that.

Yes Aspergers is a heavy label but the way I see it is if you find

the diagnosis then you can learn how to better treat it. One

neurologist told me that there a a lot of experts who believe that it

is one big spectrum with severe autism on one end and ADD at the

other with everything else in between somewhere (OCD, Tourettes,

etc.). It made sense to me since so many of the symptoms overlap

each other.

Darlene

> Hi Ladies,

> I have a question for all of you experts...

> I have a friend who has a 19 year old son, diagnosed as ADD as a

fourth

> grader. She asked her Dr. about Asperger's recently (he

definately " fits

> the mold " ) and the Doctor told her, " That is a heavy label to put

on

> someone. " and suggested she give him METABOLIFE (ephedra) to help

him focus

> in his College classes. This sounds absolutely crazy to me. What

do you

> think?

>

>

> _________________________________________________________________

> Join the world's largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail.

> http://www.hotmail.com

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 2/26/04 3:45:04 AM Mountain Standard Time,

SSRI medications writes:

> Affecting more than five million women of reproductive age in the U.S.,

> PMDD

> is a severe form of PMS that can significantly impair a woman's ability to

> carry out daily activities. It is characterized by intense emotional

> symptoms including severely depressed mood, irritability and tension, as

> well as the debilitating physical symptoms associated with the menstrual

> cycle.

>

>

Wait a minute! Lilly was banned from using PMDD as a dx to push Sarafem, now

how come GlaxoBinLaden gets to use it. Anyone know?????? Those poor women

don't know what they're in for taking this drug off and on. UGH!

Blind Reason

a novel of espionage and pharmaceutical intrigue

Think your antidepressant is safe? Think again.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 2/26/04 3:45:04 AM Mountain Standard Time,

SSRI medications writes:

> Affecting more than five million women of reproductive age in the U.S.,

> PMDD

> is a severe form of PMS that can significantly impair a woman's ability to

> carry out daily activities. It is characterized by intense emotional

> symptoms including severely depressed mood, irritability and tension, as

> well as the debilitating physical symptoms associated with the menstrual

> cycle.

>

>

Wait a minute! Lilly was banned from using PMDD as a dx to push Sarafem, now

how come GlaxoBinLaden gets to use it. Anyone know?????? Those poor women

don't know what they're in for taking this drug off and on. UGH!

Blind Reason

a novel of espionage and pharmaceutical intrigue

Think your antidepressant is safe? Think again.

[Guest guest]

Hey Sylvia. You have been a stranger. You've probably seen the reminders but

it's tomorrow night at 5:30 at Olive Garden in Totem Lake. I'll be there,

but probably a little late. Drew has swim lessons until 5 then I have to run

the family home (we've only got one car now) before I head down. I'll e-mail

you separately to see how you're doing.

Gen

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Message: 2

Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2004 12:14:47 -0800

From: " Sylvia French " <wsfrench@...>

Subject: RE: Digest Number 971

Hey Gen,

I've been a stranger, but what time is the Red Robin meetup?

SylviaF

[Guest guest]

Poo. It's my neighborhood book night. I like the Red Robin location though.

Maybe next time.

_____

From: Curry Groups [mailto:groups@...]

Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2004 2:04 PM

Subject: RE: Digest Number 972

Hey Sylvia. You have been a stranger. You've probably seen the reminders but

it's tomorrow night at 5:30 at Olive Garden in Totem Lake. I'll be there,

but probably a little late. Drew has swim lessons until 5 then I have to run

the family home (we've only got one car now) before I head down. I'll e-mail

you separately to see how you're doing.

Gen

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Message: 2

Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2004 12:14:47 -0800

From: " Sylvia French " <wsfrench@...>

Subject: RE: Digest Number 971

Hey Gen,

I've been a stranger, but what time is the Red Robin meetup?

SylviaF