INTERESTING TIMES

Modulation of autoimmune rheumatic diseases by oestrogen and progesterone
• Grant C. Hughes & Divaker Choubey
Nature Reviews Rheumatology 10, 740–751 (2014) doi:10.1038/nrrheum.2014.144
Published online 26 August 2014
http://www.nature.com/nrrheum/journal/v10/n12/full/nrrheum.2014.144.html
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism is evident in the risk and expression of several human autoimmune diseases. Differences in disease manifestations observed between sexes are likely to involve immunomodulation by sex steroids, nonhormonal factors encoded by genes on the X and Y chromosomes, and immunological phenomena unique to pregnancy. In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and perhaps other autoantibody-mediated diseases, oestrogen seems to increase the risk of disease in genetically predisposed women by targeting key immune pathways, including the type 1 interferon (IFN) response, differentiation of CD4+ T helper cells and survival of autoreactive B cells. By contrast, progesterone seems to reduce the risk of SLE by counteracting the effects of oestrogen on some of these same pathways, which suggests that the balance between oestrogen and progesterone can determine disease expression. In this Review we focus on the roles of the sex steroid hormones oestrogen and progesterone in modulating the risk and expression of SLE and rheumatoid arthritis. Intensive research in this area promises to identify novel therapeutic strategies and improve understanding of the immunological requirements and complications of pregnancy, and is expected to define the mechanisms behind sexual dimorphism in autoimmunity, immunity and other aspects of human health—a newly announced directive of the NIH.

Supplements 101:
the Who What and Why of Dietary Supplement Manufacturing and Use in Clinical Practice

IATROGENIC AND OTC HYPOCHLORHYDRIA
tabs also not good for pts who are taking acid blocking meds (tagamet, etc)
without acid: don't digest proteins, don't absorb minerals
shakes bottle of tabs: as good as a maraca if you don't have acid
blocked acids in rats: made them more allergic to foods
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17227952?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=3
he asked the researcher, they're doing it in humans, same results
( guest lecturer week 7, this post has been moved forward in time: what forms of vitamins to take? good info here, esp on folate as relates to neurotransmitter manufacture )

This morning I awakened to a story on the radio about the "Personhood" initiative. Some well-meaning folks are seeking to have states pass laws saying that "life begins at conception" and to ban all abortion and all uses of human cells. I appreciate their purism and their willingness to take this value to its logical end. At least these "lifers" are not hypocrites! But unfortunately for them, their initiatives are falling like flies under a flyswatter. Why? People are unwilling to force women to have babies they don't want. It is problematic. If you MUST give birth to any conceptus that sticks, do you still then have to mother it? Or can you ignore and abuse it? Well it turns out, you CAN ignore and abuse it. If the government notices how bad you treat your kids, it takes them away and they get treated even worse. These people who wish that every conceptus become a child are neglecting to consider the logical outcome of their actions. MORE unwanted children helps create a desperately sick society that doesn't respect life at any age.

But back to the question of when life begins. Life "began" when a bunch of chemical components somehow found themselves able to do something that they couldn't do separately. And somehow they became able to spread, expand, and later to reproduce. Since then life has been continuous. We are an extension of the life that began in the slime. Tentacles of life reach out all the time, in every direction. We are host to more living cells that are NOT us than to cells that ARE us. Life is a network, a collage, a confusing interconnected amazing self-promoting thing. Cells die but life goes on. Skin cells. Stomach cells. Sperm cells. Egg cells. The idea that a sperm cell + an egg cell is somehow sacred because it is more alive than any other cells is exaggerated. The web of life goes on. The boundaries of death remain.

Terri Warren
this lady is THE reigning expert in this field and she is an excellent speaker
over 30 papers about HSV in her name
degrees are in psych and nursing
owner of Westover Heights Clinic x30years
( notes already pulled to black book )

Times article on same subject matter as lecture:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2020815,00.html
( notes from 1/10/11 lecture by Daniel L Mark, MD, PhD )

*designates something to know for the test
( notes )