Guest guest Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 A relative sent this to me. I don't have internet access but I have asked her for the URL which I'll send when I get it. I have to confess that I've heard all about the use of charcoal these past few months but never thought of it beyond use for ASD kids. I guess I'll pay more attention now. Take care, Fay (13 y.o. son with Crohn's) > Testing charcoal as Crohn's remedy > BY JAMIE TALAN > STAFF WRITER > > January 20, 2006 > > > A pill containing activated charcoal is being tested to treat > Crohn's disease in a clinical trial that came about, in large part, > because of Dr. Kenigsberg, a retired pediatric surgeon at > North Shore University Hospital. > > Kenigsberg, 76, likes to say he spent 45 years as a plumber, > navigating the complex terrain of the young human body, removing > problems. Instead of retiring, he headed into the laboratory at the > Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, part of North Shore > University-Long Island Jewish Health System. > > Three years ago, a lab colleague studying tubular cells in livers > noticed a lot of tumor necrosis factor, a protein produced by immune > cells that target tumors and inflammation. > > Kenigsberg used his " plumbing " skills to help his colleague. He > triggered sepsis, a life-threatening infection, in a rat, inserted a > tube into its liver and removed its bile, where he found a buildup > of tumor necrosis factor, TNF. He knew that the liver drains into > the intestine, and that too much TNF could be toxic. It was then he > got the idea of using charcoal. An age-old treatment for poisoning, > charcoal soaks up toxins. He took rats and mice, made them septic, > and fed charcoal to half his subjects. Those that were fed charcoal > lived. The others died. > > People with Crohn's have high levels of TNF when they are sick. The > condition, which affects 500,000 Americans, is marked by bowel > inflammation. It flares up and goes into remission like other > so-called autoimmune diseases. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal > pain, fatigue and vomiting. > > Treatments for Crohn's, which has no cure, include antibiotics and > corticosteroids. The latest treatment is an expensive drug called > Remicade, an antibody against TNF. It's infused every few months, at > $5,000 per treatment. > > What if charcoal did the trick? Kenigsberg got permission to conduct > a clinical trial, both from his hospital and from the Food and Drug > Administration. He's been enrolling patients over 18 years old > experiencing the active phase of the disease. He draws blood to test > immune markers associated with Crohn's. Then, after three weeks > without treatment, patients take six charcoal pills in the morning > and six at night for three weeks. > > Kenigsberg is still recruiting Crohn's patients for the study. For > information: . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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