Posted on 04/10/2006 8:00:51 PM PDT by neverdem
Before seeking out Dr. Richard Burt of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Kathy Hammons could barely care for her children as a result of the effects of lupus, an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks itself.
She had been on oxygen for two years, was constantly fatigued, and was overweight from the steroids used to control her disease.
"I would say before this option, they [lupus patients] hit a brick wall," Burt said. "They had nothing more, no further treatments."
Burt's pioneering research, however, offered a new option. His breakthrough procedure uses a patient's stem cells to treat extremely severe cases of lupus and other autoimmune diseases.
"We bring the patient in, and we give them chemo to destroy their immune system," Burt said. "And then right after the chemotherapy, we infuse the stems cells to make a brand-new immune system."
Since undergoing Burt's stem cell procedure, Hammons' lupus has been in remission. She's off the oxygen, and she's lost 120 pounds.
"The thing I enjoy most is just being a mom again," Hammons said. "It's the best."
Hammons was part of Burt's initial stem cell transplant study conducted on 50 lupus patients. After five years, half are disease-free. Now, his work is giving hope to those suffering from other autoimmune diseases.
One of those people is Bethany Pappalardo.
A little more than a year ago, Pappalardo could not walk around the block and had no idea whether she would be able to get out of bed on any given morning.
"I woke up one morning, and my legs were numb," Pappalardo said. "By the end of the day, I was numb from the neck down."
Pappalardo was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was 18 years old, and, like most MS sufferers, her symptoms manifested at any time.
"The most frustrating thing for me was I was in my freshman year in college," Pappalardo said. "I was away from home, and I had to learn to give myself injections."
Last year, Pappalardo contacted Burt.
"I thought maybe this can be different," Pappalardo said. "Maybe this can go away. Maybe I can be a typical 25-year-old."
She underwent the stem cell treatment and said the most difficult part was losing her hair. The results so far have made it worth it.
"Since the procedure, she's had not only no more attacks but she had marked improvements and she's functioning normally," Burt said.
Burt's treatment could prove to be the first effective new treatment for lupus and other autoimmune diseases in nearly 40 years.
"I never use the word 'cure,' I say it's promising," Burt said. "If I use the word 'cure,' God will humble me."
Stem cell ping
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I wonder if when the immune system is destroyed you lose all previous infection memory (mumps, measles, you name it) and have to build immunities all over again?
Interesting stuff ping. Steriods are a God send, but the side effects are nasty.
I would think so. You're starting all over from square one.
when I had a patient with severe autoimmune lung disease, I asked what else could we do...and they said bone marrow transplant...
Luckily, my patient responded to lower dose chemotherapy.
But this use of adult stem cells would have the advantage of using cells with one's own DNA.
Bone marrow transplant and "embryonic stem cells" do not have the same DNA, so would have immune problems.
Unlimited funding for stem cell research!
-- but first they might like to try a very low-cost treatment for all the autoimmune conditions that was originally proposed by Dr. St. Amand for fibromyalgia.
All those hundreds of different conditions may have a factor in common, which is the lymphatic fluid of the immune system, commonly known as mucus. There is a very common and cheap product, guaifenesen, sold at Costco for $5.25 (220 tablets) that has a well-known ability to liquefy mucus in the lungs when we have a respiratory congestion.
It seems to work very well for arthritis (also an autoimmune condition -- like so many other incurable chronic conditions) because it is the essential fluid and lubricant of the body for anything to work properly -- all cells, all tissues, all organs, all systems. It may be nothing more than that the mucus of the body needs to be made more viscous for cell functioning to occur properly.
That's a common feature of people having a generalized impairment of body functioning -- that has traditionally been considered a more or less normal part of the aging (deterioration) process. That condition was called throughout literature as "phlegmatic" -- increasing with age until all functioning eventually ceased entirely.
Well, I don't think it would work for MS. The immune system attacks the myelin and because of this the nerve impulses to various parts of the body are affected.
Hey LadyDoc, do they give chemo to autoimmune hepatitis patients nowadays?
Mucus is the lymphatic fluid of the immune system??? Quack Quack Quack!!
Guaifenesen is one of those "drugs" that have been grandfathered in and has more often than not shown to be no different than placebo for "loosening" bronchial sludge.
I'd give it a shot -- unless one does have an effective cure for whatever ails one.
The beauty of guaifenesen is that there is no known negative side-effects -- despite the boilerplate warning not to continue taking it for more than five days. That was the most encouraging aspect of the doctor's report on his experience with it because ten years earlier, I noted the tremendous increase in my well-being every time I took the product -- but was discouraged by health care practitioners against taking it, as though they knew of actual negative impacts.
It may be the only product one can consume without a well-documented negative side effect. Sometimes, something that seems too good to be true may be in fact true.
You google the research; you tell me where there is a well-documented contraindication for it. I know it's cured my chronic body pains and dysfunctions the doctors told me nothing could be done for it.
Millions of people will swear by Robitussin and all the other knock-offs everytime they have a respiratory episode.
I would imagine it doesn't work in some people -- but it works in too many people for it to be dismissed as just a placebo effect. But it pretty much is as innocuous as one can get to the literal placebo tablet. That's why it is an effective expectorant.
Forty years ago a doctor wanted to put me on steroids for my shoulders and I refused because of the potential harm. My shoulders are still bad, but at least I don't have the effects of a lifetime of steroid use.
The greater implication is that if it works by thinning the mucus in the lungs, it would not just limit its action ONLY to the mucus in the lungs -- but would have that favorable effect on the mucus throughout the body.
Ping
Robitussin has dextromethorphan, an isomer of codeine, which is an effective cough suppressant. Thats different than an expectorant. It has been shown effective in randomized-controlled, double blinded studies.
Guaifenesen, on the other hand, has not been shown to be significantly different than placebo in a lot of RCTs so you do have to use your imagination for these things to work.
Have you tried drinking a fresh glass of your own urine by any chance? That'll make you expectorate.
Basic Robitussin (guaifenesen) doesn't have to have all the other additives -- which is another story altogether.
Robitussin works for me -- but if your own urine works for you, that's your cup of tea. Whatever works for you is valid.
Similar to what I underwent for my bone marrow transplant. Except that before the chemo, I got 6 days of radiation treatments.
14+ years cancer free!
"I wonder if when the immune system is destroyed you lose all previous infection memory (mumps, measles, you name it) and have to build immunities all over again?"
Short answer: no.
Memory B and T cells are difficult to destroy. You'd have to get TBI (total body irradiation) to a level seen in Hiroshima to get to that state. Or be given chemo that will destroy the entire mucosal tract before it would kill memory cells. To give you an example, patients given high dose chemo for BMT (bone marrow transplant) still have intact memory B and T cells (as determined by responses to tetanus toxin, for example).
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