From the Wikipedia site:
Experimental and off-label uses
Given the central role of TNF-alpha in many diseases, etanercept is being studied as treatment for a number of these disease, including over 150 clinical trials. This includes certain forms of vasculitis (such as Wegener’s granulomatosis, in which it was not effective).
Alzheimer's disease: A 2006 pilot study showed small but significant improvements in various cognitive rating scales in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) after treatment with etanercept. A further study, administering to a single AD patient via perispinal infusion, showed rapid and significant improvement in Alzheimer's symptoms. A small number of US physicians offer etanercept treatment for AD at a cost of $10,000 to $40,000 per annum.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etanercept
If we assume that Alzheimer is an autoimmune disease the effect of the Etanercept is due to its anti-TNF-alpha function as the Tumor necrosis factor promotes the inflammatory response. This might as well explain why curcumin and cathecins are working.
It might be the case the some spirichete is responsible for this autoimmune disease.
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This video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bApY90Bh9Do shows a very nice example of quorum sensing among the spirochetes.
That's one of our videos.