Overlooked Health Consequences

UPDATE: 9 March 2010

Virus infections may be contributing factor in onset of gluten intolerance

ScienceDaily (2010-03-07) -- Recent research findings indicate a possible connection between virus infections, the immune system and the onset of gluten intolerance, also known as celiac disease. ... > read full article

UPDATE: 18 February
Shingles is readily treated and resolved with herbal compounds. Historically Black Walnut tincture was used to apply externally to the patches, although I have found that Valerian root tincture can be effective. Valerian may be taken inernally to help with the pain, and St. John's Wort, an effective anti-vital herbal tincture, may be used alone or in combination with Valerain for pain and help fighting the virus.
Flower essence of Impatiens can be an adjuct treatment, as in the original development of Bach's remedies he found in his hospital provings that Impatiens essence was as effective as morphine, yet it had no untoward effects.

Shingles 'risk' of arthritis drug
Some popular treatments for rheumatoid arthritis could increase the risk of the painful condition shingles, a German study suggests.

Anti-TNF (anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha) therapy drugs can slow the progress of disease and help to reduce some of the worst symptoms.

But some of them may make patients more vulnerable to shingles, a skin disease which produces sore, itchy blisters.

Writing in JAMA, the authors advised patients on such drugs be monitored.

The team at the Rheumatism Research Centre in Berlin analysed data from more than 5,000 patients on different forms of treatment.

There were 86 outbreaks of shingles - triggered by the virus Herpes zoster - among 82 patients. Thirty-nine of these coincided with treatment with the anti-TNF drugs adalimumab and infliximab.

Etanercept, a protein therapy, and conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs were associated with 23 and 24 cases respectively.

Watchful eye

After adjusting for the age of the patient, the severity of their illness and their use of steroid hormone therapies, researchers found that the risk for patients on the anti-TNF programme almost doubled.

“ All drugs which damp down the immune response run the risk of increased risk of infection ”
Professor Alan Silman
Arthritis Research Campaign

Although this was beneath the threshold of clinical significance, which would be an increase of more than double, the researchers, led by Dr Anja Strangfeld, said their findings suggested doctors should be on the look out for shingles in the patients they treat with these drugs.

"Based on our data, we recommend careful monitoring of patients treated with monoclonal anti-TNF-alpha antibodies for early signs and symptoms of Herpes zoster," they wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Shingles is the reactivation of the virus infection that causes chickenpox. After a person has had the infection, usually as a child, the virus remains in their body and can return, usually after the age of 50.

It often first manifests as pain, itching or tingling in an area of skin on one side of the body or face before developing into a rash. Many continue to suffer chronic nerve pain once the rash has subsided.

A weakened immune system is thought to be one of the triggers, and it is suggested that this may be why anti-TNF drugs could have this effect.

"All drugs which damp down the immune response run the risk of increased risk of infection; steroids being a well known example," said Professor Alan Silman, medical director of the Arthritis Research Campaign.

"Shingles is also a rare but well recognised complication of immune drugs used to treat both autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis as well as cancers. This distressing but fortunately treatable infection is likely to be increased in incidence in anti-TNF treated patients."
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7895202.stm
Published: 2009/02/18 © BBC MMIX

I have known for decades the benefits of cod liver oil for arthritis. Seems funny that it has taken so long to reach the hallowed halls of the BBC.

Cod oil 'cuts arthritis drug use'
A daily dose of cod liver oil can cut painkiller use in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a study suggests.
Taking 10g of cod liver oil a day reduced the need for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by 30%, Dundee University researchers say.

Concerns about side-effects of NSAIDs has prompted research into alternative.

Rheumatologists said the study, in Rheumatology journal, funded by Seven Seas, was small but showed fish oil could benefit some patients.

Patients in the trial were either given cod liver oil or placebo and after 12 weeks asked to gradually reduce their use of NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen.

“ Anything that can help to reduce NSAID use is going to be safer for patients ”
Dr Andrew Bamji, British Society for Rheumatology

Almost 60 patients completed the nine-month trial which found 39% taking cod liver oil reduced their daily dose of NSAIDs compared with 10% taking a placebo.

The reduction in drug use was not associated with any worsening of pain or the disease, the researchers reported.

The research team at the University of Dundee, aided by colleagues at the University of Edinburgh, have now completed three studies which have all shown patients are able to cut down their NSAID use when taking cod liver oil.

It is thought fatty acids in the fish oil have anti-inflammatory properties.

Side-effects

Some side-effects of NSAIDs, such as an increased risk of stomach bleeding have been known for a long time.

But more recently, concerns have been raised about an apparent increased risk of heart attacks and strokes in those taking the drugs.

Study leader Professor Jill Belch said the study offered hope to many rheumatoid arthritis patients who wanted to reduce the amount of pain medication they take.

"Every change in medication should be discussed with a GP but I would advise people to give cod liver oil a try for 12 weeks alongside their NSAIDs and then try to cut it down if they can manage it but if they don't manage it, that's fine.

"If you can get off NSAIDs it will be much safer."

National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society chief executive Ailsa Bosworth said: "People with rheumatoid arthritis still rely heavily on NSAIDs, even though the safety of these drugs is under scrutiny.

"We look forward to more research in this area."

British Society for Rheumatology president Dr Andrew Bamji said it was a small study so difficult to draw firm conclusions.

But he added: "Anything that can help to reduce NSAID use is going to be safer for patients.

"It does look as if the results are positive and that is quite interesting.

"I would say to patients by all means take cod liver oil and when you feel ready start to reduce your NSAID dose."

But he stressed that patients must discuss plans with their doctor because it was important that physicians were aware of all medications and supplements the patient was taking.

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7307298.stm
Published: 2008/03/25 © BBC MMIX

Originally posted 20 January
TV adverts make me angry.

One reason is because I do not think these ads should be on TV. Secondly I think the ads are disease mongering and an effort to increase profits for Big Pharma.

One new ad I saw the other day while flipping channels, since I am not a TV addict or fan, was an ad for Humira in the treatment of psoriasis.

Notwithstanding, Humira is used as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other so described "auto-immune" disorders.

Humira(adalimumab) is a recombinant human IgG1 monoclonal antibody specific for human tumor necrosis factor (TNF). This means it is a genetically modified product, that in itself creates a plethora of problems.

Humira has a Black Box warning for the risk of tuberculosis. Other serious sided effects may include serious infections, neurologic reactions and malignancies. More information may be found in the professional section at RxList.com.

I'm in the midst of writing the January issue of my opt-in newsletter, herbalYODA Says! The topic happens to be detoxification and as part of my research I came across an interesting piece of information about non-Celiac gluten sensitivity.

I happen to be someone with gluten and gliaden sensitivity. I have many other food allergies which I attribute to certain situations I experienced in the last couple of decades which took a pretty devastating toll on my adrenals.

I'd say there were some other factors because my father had psoriasis. It isn't something I have but I have helped many people who lived with this condition, from mild to severe, to resolve their case.

This of course alerts me to the fact that I probably should not ever have had bread. It also has to do with heritage and the metabolic typing as developed by William D. Kelley, DDS.

Simply what this means is that there are certain symptoms of gluten and gliaden intolerance, even if you do not have Crohn's.

Conditions Often Associated With Gluten Sensitivity
From 'Going Against the Grain' (Chicago, IL: Contemporary Books, 2002) by Melissa Diane Smith

Autism
Autoimmune diseases
Chronic neurological conditions of unknown cause
Dermatitis herpetiformis (a blistery, itchy skin disease)
Downs syndrome
Epilepsy and/or a personal history of migraine headaches, hyperactivity and/or digestive problems
Frequent unexplained headaches
Osteoporosis and other bone diseases unresponsive to conventional treatment
Infertility and pregnancies of poor outcome
Insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes
Intestinal lymphoma or esophageal cancer
Psoriasis
Schizophrenia
Sjogren’s disease (dry-eye, dry-skin syndrome)

I find it interesting that Sjogren's is on this list along with psoriaisis, as Humira is often prescribed for Sjrogren's as well.

I noted in some other data that esophageal cancer is related to gluten intolerance (wheat allergy) and the articles I found on this date back to the 1970s.

This is the long way around but if you have any of these health issues perhaps you want to demand your doctor to order some food allergy testing, and re-consider Humira.

Or at least ask why your health care provider missed this one.

If your doctor looks at you like you are crazy then refer them to this study -

The innate immune system is an old system (evolutionarily speaking) that predates the antibody-producing “adaptive immune system” and nonspecifically defends against pathogens.

Biopsies from 5 out of 6 patients showed an IL-15 response to at least one gliadin fragment. The implication is that the majority of people have an immune response to wheat, even if they don’t have Celiac disease. The reason they aren’t diagnosed as Celiac patients is they don’t have circulating anti-gliadin antibodies (and they presumably don’t yet have severe structural damage to their intestinal tract as judged by biopsy or endoscopy), but as the paper shows, people can react to gluten without producing antibodies via the innate immune system.

This is the first time that an IL-15-mediated innate response to gliadin is described in individuals without celiac disease. The authors of the study believe that “gluten elicits its harmful effect, throughout an IL-15 innate immune system response on all the individuals. This innate response is found in both patients with and without celiac disease.” However, in patients with celiac disease, an adaptive response to gluten also takes place.

Study reference: Bernardo D, Garrote JA, Fernandez-Salazar L, et al. Is gliadin really safe for non-coeliac individuals? Production of interleukin 15 in biopsy culture from non-coeliac individuals with gliadin peptides. Gut, 2007;56:889-890.

Six people in the study had symptoms including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hiatal hernia, colic, abdominal pain, diarrhea and chronic gastritis. How many people have these conditions and take medications for them instead of considering that the bread, pasta and other wheat products they are eating may be the culprit behind their problems?

or have them look up the work of Kenneth Fine, MD or Alessio Fasano, M.D.

There is just more here than meets the eye - "Many gluten-sensitive make the mistake of substituting too many non-gluten grains (rice, corn, millet, buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth and teff) and sugars in place of gluten grains. This can lead to carbohydrate sensitivity and conditions such as Syndrome X and type II diabetes. To prevent the development of a new health problem, emphasize vegetables, such as salad greens, broccoli, green beans and asparagus, in place of gluten grains."

If you are interested in food allergy testing, the same system I used to uncover mine, please contact us.

By the way, one of my original teachers in natural healing always taught that RA and gluten allergy go hand-in-hand.

Certainly altering your nutrition and food plan first can do a lot before you succumb to another dangerous drug, and it just might heal your condition.

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Posted in: 2009,arthritis,GERD,gliaden,gluten,health news,Humira,natural health news,osteoporosis,psoriasis,rheumatoid arthritis,Sjogren's

Sjogren's Fatigue and Cancer Drugs

UPDATE: 26 January, 2009. Related article.
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Rituximab is a (monoclonal antibody genetically engineered) drug mainly used as a treatment for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. It may also be used for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Now you may receive it if you have fatigue from a thyroid related (generally thought of as auto-immune) dis-order called Sjogren's.

Make sure if this is proposed to you that you get this information that the drug may cause

severe and sometimes fatal infusion reactions. Tell your doctor right away if you develop blurred vision, cough, dizziness, drowsiness, headache, hives, itching, swelling, trouble breathing, or wheezing, while you receive or after you receive Rituximab .

Severe and sometimes fatal kidney problems and skin reactions may also occur during treatment with Rituximab . Tell your doctor right away if you experience decreased urination; red, swollen, peeling, or blistered skin; or skin or mouth sores or ulcers.

Rarely, a severe and sometimes fatal viral infection of the brain has been reported with the use of Rituximab in certain patients. Tell your doctor right away if you notice new or worsening medical problems such as changes in thinking (eg, confusion, disorientation), loss of balance or coordination, muscle weakness, trouble walking or talking, or unusual eye movements or vision changes.

You might also pursue proper thyroid testing, as thyroid dysfunction often is associated with fatigue.

And it now might be related to low levels of vitamin D-

Researchers at UCLA tried to show that low vitamin D would make an autoimmune thyroid problem worse. Their experiment was based on the idea that vitamin D has a dampening effect on an excessive and inappropriate immune response in many areas of your body, so they figured this was likely to apply to the thyroid as well. This turned out not to be the case, but what they did find was rather surprising.

First they created two groups of mice, one with vitamin D in their diet and the other with none. Even before they started their experiment they found that the vitamin D deficient mice had low levels of thyroxine (t4), meaning they were actually hypothyroid prone when the experiment was conducted. When the experiment was performed, vitamin D lacking mice did not have an excessive immune response as expected. Rather, they developed persistent hyperthyroidism because their thyroid glands were less able to withstand the stress of the experiment and were more sensitive to the autoimmune antibodies that both sets of mice were being exposed to. Simply put, a lack of vitamin D makes your thyroid more susceptible to injury that could result in hyperthyroidism.

While this is an animal study, the findings are important. First, it means that a lack of vitamin D contributes to the possibility of low thyroid. Second, it means that many irritants are likely to aggravate your thyroid to a greater extent if you lack vitamin D. For example, there are many chemical irritants in the environment that irritate your thyroid gland, such as perchlorate and fluoride. If you lack vitamin D you are more likely to be adversely affected by them.

This may be part of the reason that so many people feel metabolically worse and gain weight as the winter months move along. It is simple to make sure you take some extra D in the winter and doing so may help you keep your metabolism and thyroid from suffering the winter blues. Courtesy Wellness Resources.

Rituximab May Ease Fatigue in Sjogren's Syndrome By David Douglas

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Nov 06 - Results of a pilot study suggest that rituximab may reduce fatigue in patients with Sjogren's syndrome and thus may improve quality of life, UK researchers report in the November issue of the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Dr. Paul Emery of Allerton Hospital, Leeds, and colleagues studied 17 patients with a fatigue score of more than 50 on a 100-mm visual analogue scale. They were randomized in a double-blind fashion to receive 2 infusions of rituximab 1 g or placebo. All patients also received oral and intravenous steroids.

At 6 months, 7 of the 8 patients receiving rituximab showed a greater than 20% improvement in the VAS for fatigue. This was true of only 5 of the 9 patients who had placebo.

Overall, there was a significant 36.8% improvement in fatigue VAS in the rituximab group compared to a non-significant 17.9% improvement in the placebo group. General health was also significantly improved in the active treatment group, but not in the placebo group.

There was also a significant difference in measures of social functioning and a trend towards improved mental health scoring in the rituximab group.

Commenting on the findings, Dr. Emery told Reuters Health that "this was the first randomized controlled trial in Sjogren's syndrome to show benefit, in particular a significant improvement in fatigue, a major issue for patients. This pilot study will now be followed by a more definitive study."

Ann Rheum Dis 2008;67:1541-1544.

IODINE AND SJOGREN'S SYNDROMEWe encourage - especially in darker and colder seasons - the use of iodine supplementation. This need is increased with fluoridated municipal water supplies and use of fluoride based drugs in the antibiotic, antidepressant, anticholesterol and antiosteoporosis drugs et al. We also encourage the proper use of selenomethionine in the support of proper thyroid function.

Thyroid dysfunction in primary Sjogren's syndrome: a long-term followup study.
D'Arbonneau F, Ansart S, Le Berre R, Dueymes M, Youinou P, Pennec YL.

Arthritis Rheum. 2003 Dec 15;49(6):804-9.

"OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and related autoantibodies in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS), and to determine whether these abnormalities develop over time. METHODS: pSS patients (n = 137) and controls (n = 120) were investigated for thyroid dysfunction and for the presence of anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO) and antithyroglobulin antibody (ATG). Followup time for patients was 1-16 years, and 72 of the 120 controls were reevaluated 3 years after initial evaluation. RESULTS: Thyroid disease was more frequent in the pSS patients than in the controls (30% versus 4%; P < 10(-4)), as were anti-TPO and ATG (11% versus 3%; P < 0.02, and 3% versus 1%, not significant). Ten of 107 euthyroid pSS patients dropped out of the study, and thyroid dysfunction became apparent at followup in 12 of the remaining 97. Most of the patients with thyroid-related autoantibodies at entry developed autoimmune thyroid disease thereafter. CONCLUSION: Thyroid dysfunction is frequent in pSS patients, and those prone to develop thyroid disorders are identified by thyroid-related autoantibodies, or by rheumatoid factor and anti-Ro/SSA activity."

Thyroid disease in primary Sjogren syndrome. Study in a series of 160 patients.
Ramos-Casals M, Garcia-Carrasco M, Cervera R, Gaya J, Halperin I, Ubieto I, Aymami A, Morla RM, Font J, Ingelmo M.

Medicine (Baltimore). 2000 Mar;79(2):103-8.

"We studied 160 consecutive patients (147 female and 13 male) with primary Sjogren syndrome (SS) to determine the prevalence and clinical significance of thyroid disease in a large series of patients with primary SS from our unit and to compare the prevalence and significance with those in 75 individuals without SS from a primary care center. Serum levels of thyroid hormones (free thyroxine, triiodothyronine, and thyroid-stimulating hormone) and autoantibodies against thyroglobulin (TgAb) and thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb) were measured in all SS patients and in 75 control patients. Fifty-eight (36%) of the 160 patients with primary SS had evidence of thyroid disease. Autoimmune thyroid disease (ATD) was diagnosed in 32 (20%) patients and nonautoimmune thyroid disease (NATD) in 26 (16%). No significant differences were found when these prevalences were compared with those in control patients. On the other hand, comparing those patients with altered hormonal profiles, patients with NATD showed mainly hyperthyroidism (10/17, 59% versus 2/20, 10% in patients with ATD, p = 0.001). Finally, when clinical and immunologic manifestations of SS were analyzed in patients with and without thyroid disease, respectively, we found that patients with thyroid disease had a higher prevalence of female gender (98% versus 88%, p = 0.03), antiparietal cell autoantibodies (33% versus 12%, p = 0.002), TgAb (30% versus 5%, p < 0.001), and TPOAb (40% versus 5%, p < 0.001). In conclusion, thyroid disease occurred in more than one-third of patients with primary SS; the main cause was ATD, which was present in 20% of the patients studied. We note that no significant differences were observed when the prevalence of thyroid disease (either ATD or NATD) was compared with that in a control group of similar age and gender. Our results indicate that middle-aged women (with or without SS) should be screened periodically for thyroid function."

Autoimmune thyroid disease in primary Sjogren's syndrome.
Perez B, Kraus A, Lopez G, Cifuentes M, Alarcon-Segovia D.

Am J Med. 1995 Nov;99(5):480-4.

"PURPOSE: To evaluate the prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease and thyroid dysfunction in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thyroid function of 33 patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome was clinically and biochemically evaluated. Thyroid hormones and autoantibodies against thyroid peroxidase, thyroglobulin, and thyroid hormones were measured. RESULTS: Autoimmune thyroid disease and thyroid dysfunction were found in 15 cases (45%): autoimmune thyroiditis in 8 (24%); autoimmune hyperthyroidism in 2 (6%); and reversible iodine-induced hypothyroidism in the remaining 5 (15%). One or more of the evaluated autoantibodies were detected in 8 euthyroid patients (24%). Overall, the prevalence of autoantibodies against thyroid peroxidase, thyroglobulin, thyroxine, and triiodothyronine was 45%, 18%, 42%, and 36%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease and thyroid dysfunction found in primary Sjogren's syndrome, using sensitive immunologic and thyroid function tests, suggest that both diseases are more frequently associated than it was previously thought, and should be sought clinically and by laboratory tests in all patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome."

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Posted in: health news,immune,natural health news,natural news,Rituxin,Sjogren's,thyroid,Vitamin D