'Master Key' to Unlock New Treatments for Autoimmune Disorders Discovered

[lillibelle]

Hi everyone,

Here's an interesting, hopeful article from one of my favorite websites:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929122858.htm

"Imagine a single drug that would treat most, if not all, autoimmune disorders, such as asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, and Lupus. That might not be so hard to do thanks to a team of researchers who have discovered a molecule normally used by the body to prevent unnecessary immune reactions. This molecule, pronounced "alpha v beta 6," normally keeps our immune systems from overreacting when food passes through our bodies, and it may be the key that unlocks entirely new set of treatments for autoimmune disorders."

~ Lilli

[Joe S.]

It is an interesting article that offers hope some time in the future. I hope that it works out.

[gold55]

thanks Lilliebelle....that was a great article and so hopeful!

[jazzlover]

Very interesting.

[Nat]

Thank you for posting this Lillebelle. I like Science Daily too.

I do think recent research has shed some light on what exactly the immune system is targeting in autoimmune disease. Last year, researchers from National Jewish Health found the precise peptide that they believe triggers diabetes. Here is what they stated: "Our findings contradict conventional wisdom, which suggests that insulin peptides that are well presented to the immune system trigger diabetes." Here is some information on this remarkable discovery.

https://www.nationaljewish.org/about/mediacenter/pressreleases/2010/diabetes-tcells/

More and more researchers are finding these "abnormal" peptides in autoimmune disease. Dr. Richard Gallo from the University of California has discovered that in Rosacea, 100% of peptides are made abnormally. That is what the immune system is targeting. The immune system is just doing its job. These peptides are abnormal. Peptides are made from the break down of dietary proteins, so if you are unable to break them down properly or entirely, you would not be able to make normal peptides.

The same thing with amyloids. Amyloids are just improperly folded proteins. In spinal tap studies completed this year on CFS, Fibro and GWS patients, amyloids were a large part of the abnormal protein finding. These same amyloids appear in lupus, RA and Sjogren's.

The immune system attacking abnormal proteins is just one component of autoimmune disease. There are many other findings in autoimmune disease that can not be explained by an immune system attacking normal tissue.

For instance, in diabetes it has been discovered that thiamine concentration is blood plasma was decreased 76% in type 1 diabetic patients and 75% in type 2 diabetic patients. Researchers at Warwick University also found the patients were eating foods that contained thiamine, but for some reason, it was being excreted in their urine. (You can't absorb B1 if you lack B12, it is excreted in your urine.)

Or what would account for the lack of noradrenaline discovered by the University of Chicago in Multiple Sclerosis and published just this year. Plus the extreme rates of vitamin B12 deficiency found in MS? Or just the strange but telling fact that in a review of 20 million patient records in MS, researchers found people that get MS, don't get gout. (They are almost mutually exclusive)
Gout is caused by high levels of uric acid. Uric acid is the final byproduct of the breakdown of dietary proteins. If you can't break them down, you would have low levels of uric acid. (Which autoimmune sufferers do). An immune system attacking normal tissue doesn't even begin to explain the many other conditions and symptoms of autoimmune disease.

[irish]

If autoimmune patients aren't supposed to get gout then my hubby is the exception to the rule. He has diagnosed colitis and celiac sprue and has had gout for just over a year. This summer it has been just terrible and he is now on uloric with some help and needs strong pain meds through out the day. One can always hope the gout will eventually go away. Irish

[Nat]

Irish, the researchers looked at Multiple Sclerosis and gout. Overall, autoimmune sufferers have low uric acid, but specifically, it was MS and gout that was almost mutually exclusive.

[Joe S.]

I have gout. That is one of the reasons I take dark cherries.