Posted on 12/13/2010 3:26:11 PM PST by decimon
UCSF researchers have identified an existing medication that restores key elements of the immune system that, when out of balance, lead to a steady decline in immunity and health as people age.
The team found that extremely low doses of the drug lenalidomide can stimulate the body’s immune-cell protein factories, which decrease production during aging, and rebalance the levels of several key cytokines – immune proteins that either attack viruses and bacteria or cause inflammation that leads to an overall decline in health.
The initial study, which was designed to define the dose range of such a therapy in a group of 13 patients, could lead to a daily pill to boost immunity in the elderly, the researchers said. Data will appear in the January issue of the journal Clinical Immunology, and can be found online at www.elsevier.com/locate/yclim.
The identification of a drug to reverse the immunological decline in aging, known as immunosenescence, is the culmination of years of research by Edward J. Goetzl, MD, at UCSF and the National Institute on Aging, into how cytokine levels change as people age, how that varies by gender, and which changes dictate whether someone will be healthy into their 90s or begin a downward cycle of decline starting in middle age.
“No one’s really talking about longevity and lifespan now, but about ‘health span,’” said Goetzl, director of UCSF Allergy and Immunology Research, which focuses on developing new diagnostics and treatments for allergic and immunological diseases.
“If, at age 50, your cytokine levels are the same as they were at 25, you’ll probably stay healthy as you age,” he said. “But if they’re heading downhill, we need to do something about it. If you could take a low-dosage pill with no side effects, wouldn’t you do it?”
(Excerpt) Read more at news.ucsf.edu ...
Ping
Standing Headline: Pill could (fill in the blank), or not.
And why is the “or not” almost at 100%?
coming soon to an Infomercial on my TV
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They will still cry for “medical marijuana”.
REVLIMID® (lenalidomide) is indicated for patients with transfusion-dependent anemia due to Low- or Intermediate-1–risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) associated with a deletion 5q cytogenetic abnormality with or without additional cytogenetic abnormalities.
The other “next big thing” will be peptides.
In particular, GHRP — growth hormone releasing peptides.
Basically, all the benefits of growth hormone, but uses your body to release growth hormone, so it’s balanced and stable.
GHRP-6 is already past human trials and on the “grey” market, along with Melanotan (triggers your skin to tan without Sun) and PT-141 (which makes women and men horney, seriously).
The Wikipedia article on lenalidomide says it’s a derivative of thalidomide and that it does have some negatives. Nonetheless, in this article they are addressing low doses of lenalidomide.
Having read the contraindications, adverse reactions and so forth I think I'll stick with Echinacea, Astragalus and other immune system stimulating herbs.
I am for legalization. With that said, it really irks me that legalization of a plant grown for mind altering purposes is being touted under "medicinal". To me, its the whole camel's nose under the tent thing.
Honestly, if your physically debilitated to the point that you are already smoking a plant for comfort; I kinda doubt you would care about the law anyway save an open line to you're re-supply.
I say let 'em smoke it, just don't interfere with anyone else's liberty but you're own.
I need to re-phrase that. I say let 'em smoke it, just so long as they don't interfere with anyone else's liberty.
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sfl
Remember the listed Contraindications are for people receiving treatment for cancer. Side effects for healthy people could be very different.
The article is suggesting this drug for boosting the immune system of elderly people. The elderly frequently react to drugs (have different side effects) than do people in their prime.
And as decimon stated lower dosages can have different effects. Also if you read the website down below the box you will note the drug is frequently used with another drug. Being a drug used for helping boost cancer patents immune systems I would expect this drug to be part of a patient’s daily drug cocktail.
As for medicinal herbs; you have to be aware of possible side effects of those as well.
I am pretty well aware of the side effects of herbs which amount to nothing for the vast majority of them. Caffea arabica would have to be high on the list of whole botanical medicinal plants, commonly used, that has side effects.
Quoting Dr. Goetzl, “Our job was to find a therapy that not only works, but does so at a dose range with no side effects.”
I hope they succeed.
Those of us with suppressed immunological systems and the recent advancement in Lyme bacteria genomes have something to look forward to.
I wish them the best of success.
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