Arthritis Archives

Scientists report cure for arthritis

Hi everyone,

I was amazed to find this article on MSN today. I really don't know how to take this new information. Years of this disease have made me skeptical regarding the manner in which allopaths treat this disease, and frankly the article below scares me in many ways. For one thing, does the elimination of B-cells open us to a massive reduction in immunity? I'm not a doctor or researcher so I don't have a clue. Would I take it if it meant the end of my symptoms...maybe...

Doug
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Scientists report cure for arthritis

British researchers say new single treatment can wipe it out

MSNBC staff and wire reports

LONDON, Oct. 29 — British scientists have announced what they say is the first evidence of a cure for rheumatoid arthritis, according to reports from London. “On the basis of the data we have, we now believe it is typically possible to keep people completely well for at least a year, with virtually no side effects," the lead researcher told The Sunday Telegraph.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW


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THE RESEARCH TEAM, attached to University College in London, will report Monday at the annual convention of the American College of Rheumatology in Philadelphia that it has discovered what causes the body’s defenses to mistakenly attack healthy joints and tissue.The team's cure focuses on the role of so-called B-cells, white blood cells that defend the body against viruses and bacteria by making antibodies that attack hostile microbes.
B-cells often accidentally make antibodies that attack healthy tissue, and some of these errant antibodies also trigger the production of copies of themselves. The researchers told The Sunday Telegraph that the result is a huge, self-sustaining attack on joints and tissue, which appears in the sufferer as rheumatoid arthritis.
MSNBC's Health Library: Arthritis

'VICIOUS CIRCLE'
“It probably takes just one genetic mistake in a lifetime to trigger this reaction, but once it gets going, it becomes a vicious circle,” said Professor Jonathan Edwards, who leads the team. The team said it was able to break the circle using drugs that seek out and destroy B-cells.

“Unlike with other cells in the immune system, most people can live without any B-cells for a while,” Edwards said. “By the time we reach adulthood, we have already made most of the antibodies we need.”

The body responds to the destruction of all its B-cells by making fresh ones. The chances are small that these new B-cells will make the same mistake as their predecessors and trigger a return of rheumatoid arthritis.

Edwards said results from the 20 patients treated so far have been extremely encouraging.

"After 18 months, the first five patients — who have had rheumatoid arthritis for an average of 20 years — now have only some residual pain from the damage already done,” Edwards said. “They have returned to leading a more or less normal life, with one going to the gym and one taking up gardening for the first time in ages. ... Only two have had no benefit at all."
Read the report in The Telegraph

OTHER APPLICATIONS POSSIBLE
Richard Gutch, chief executive of Arthritis Care, a British charity, said Sunday: "This sounds like one of the new biologic treatments for rheumatoid arthritis which we feel represent a very exciting breakthrough.

“Although they are not necessarily going to be appropriate for all people with arthritis, certainly those with more severe rheumatoid arthritis would benefit greatly. Drug budgets should be increased to allow for that."

Edwards said the B-cell therapy might also offer hope to patients with other auto-immune diseases, such as Crohn’s disease, lupus and even multiple sclerosis.

In addition to announcing the results of its research Monday, the researchers will publish their findings in the leading journal Rheumatology.

Reuters contributed to this story.

Follow Ups:

• Re: Scientists report cure for arthritis (Archive in philosophy.) Walt Stoll 09:46:45 11/01/00 (0)
• Wonder what Walt is thinking? Fingers 20:27:37 10/30/00 (0)
• Re: Scientists ignore cause of ra mike c 18:21:48 10/30/00 (0)
• Re: Scientists report cure for arthritis - yeah, saw it on DrudgeReport ...another "miracle" drug (nmi) Rosemarie 15:04:06 10/30/00 (0)

In Reply to: Scientists report cure for arthritis posted by Doug on October 30, 2000 at 13:16:31:

nmi

In Reply to: Scientists report cure for arthritis posted by Doug on October 30, 2000 at 13:16:31:

These scientists are still assuming an immune system "malfunction".

There is other evidence that rheumatoid arthritis is a bacterial infection, the immune system is not "malfunctioning", there is a real pathogen present in the tissue "under attack".

Once again, medicine treats the symptoms and ignores the cause.

In Reply to: Scientists report cure for arthritis posted by Doug on October 30, 2000 at 13:16:31:

(Well, I certainly wouldn't want one of those people touching MY white blood cells...) When I heard that, all I could think of, are the inner city organizations in which the workers intentionally go as slow as they possibly can, in order to keep the work standards at the very bottom of the scale, thereby insuring they will always have a job, no matter how little they actually accomplish... Dr. Stoll has already found out the hard way what happens to the honest, competant outsider, who attempts to upset the apple cart. I wonder, though, some of these MD's are not idiots - how much can they dumb themselves down before their systems start malfuntioning? (All in good time, I suppose. But I'd rather be me than them, RA and all!)

In Reply to: Scientists report cure for arthritis posted by Doug on October 30, 2000 at 13:16:31:

Sorry, Doug.

Not in a million years!!!!

At best, this is just another in a long like of "cures" that are flashes in the pan. They may help for a time and then the hounds will be off chasing another "cure".

"Cures for chronic conditions will NEVER be from something you TAKE but by something you DO!"

"Hope springs eternal" is the only reason anyone takes things like this seriously. That is NOT to say that taking it would be a bad idea but that getting at the causes is the only thing that will last.

Walt