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BCG Vaccine May Reverse Type 1 Diabetes
Voice of America ^ | Aug 11, 2012 | Vidushi Sinha

Posted on 08/11/2012 12:02:01 PM PDT by Innovative

One of the world's oldest vaccines now has a new use. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin, or BCG, is an 80-year-old vaccine designed to tread tuberculosis. Bit it has now been found effective in treating long-term type 1 diabetes, which is on the rise worldwide.

BCG has long been administered to children in developing countries to guard against tuberculosis.

But in a recent clinical trial, researchers at Harvard Medical School found the vaccine was also able to increase insulin production in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Dr. Denise Faustman, the lead researcher, says the team was able to cure type 1 diabetes in mice. And, speaking via Skype, she said in a small clinical trial, the results in humans were also promising.

(Excerpt) Read more at voanews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: diabetes; diabetescure; health; medicine; tuberculosis
This is beyond amazing! A potential CURE for type 1 diabetes.
1 posted on 08/11/2012 12:02:17 PM PDT by Innovative
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To: Innovative

This was major news when my son was diagnosed nine years ago.

I’m skeptical, but we’ll see. (I’m glad the research is being done.)


2 posted on 08/11/2012 12:11:18 PM PDT by Marie ("The last time Democrats gloated this hard after a health care victory, they lost 60 House seats.")
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To: Innovative

My 15 year old son has been living with Type 1 since age 4. This would be a miracle for him. Unfortunately, diabetes is a multi-billion dollar a year business, so I don’t have my hopes up that this will actually make it to market, although I pray that it will.


3 posted on 08/11/2012 12:12:17 PM PDT by Edgar3 (Don't THREAD on me!)
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To: Innovative
Looks to me like they did a reasonable and careful proof-of-concept study. For anyone interested in the journal article:

www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0041756

This was one tiny study. There will still be extensive clinical testing to prove safety and effectivness required.

4 posted on 08/11/2012 12:31:34 PM PDT by sima_yi ( Reporting live from the far North)
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To: Innovative
found the vaccine was also able to increase insulin production in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Is this right? I am Type II. As I understand it, Type I is where the pancreas produces no insulin because the islet cells have all died off or have been damaged.

Type II diabetics have functioning pancreas insulin production but the cells cannot use it because the insulin cannot make the transition at the receptor sites.

So how does a vaccine increase insulin production in a body that has no mechanism for doing so?

5 posted on 08/11/2012 12:36:38 PM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.)
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To: Innovative

I read about this in another forum. Don’t get too excited- the sample consists of 3 patients. Would like to see a proper study done, though.


6 posted on 08/11/2012 12:37:08 PM PDT by Squawk 8888 (Tories in- now the REAL work begins!)
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To: Edgar3

Your doctor is allowed to use medicines already on the market for off label purposes.

The article says this vaccine is still on the market.

See if your doc can/will try to obtain a dose. If he won’t, another one might.

Having said that, while it’s prob a well vetted vaccine, this use hasn’t been gully investigated for negative outcomes. If my child had dm1, I’d strongly weigh those pros and cons.


7 posted on 08/11/2012 12:37:53 PM PDT by ziravan (Are you better off now than you were $9.4 Trillion dollars ago?)
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To: Apple Blossom; theKid51

ping


8 posted on 08/11/2012 12:39:25 PM PDT by bmwcyle (Corollary - Electing the same person over and over and expecting a different outcome is insanity)
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To: ziravan

If this vaccine is still being used in developing nations, that means there are millions of doses out in the marketplace.

I dedicated person should be able to procure a dose, even if they had to take a foreign vacation to do do...


9 posted on 08/11/2012 12:42:54 PM PDT by ziravan (Are you better off now than you were $9.4 Trillion dollars ago?)
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To: Innovative

Good news! Thanks!


10 posted on 08/11/2012 1:25:29 PM PDT by presently no screen name
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts
All is not as it seems. Type I has some variations ~ so sometimes it's just a matter of your pancreas not producing enough insulin. Type iI is most likely a number of different conditions.

The theory was that Type II diabetics produced enough insulin ~ maybe more than enough ~ but they couldn't metabolize it. Then they found Type IIs with less insulin than expected.

Anything that can get your pancreas to produce enough insulin is a doggone good thing ~ even for many Type II diabetics.

BTW, Glucophage (metaformin) works to enhance insulin use but it also stimulates growth of new brain tissue! Couple of thousand mg pills a day, carefully spaced, ought to keep your motor neurons in shape until you just fall over from worn out joints.

11 posted on 08/11/2012 1:40:52 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

“So how does a vaccine increase insulin production in a body that has no mechanism for doing so?”

This seems to indicate that the theory that in diabetes type 1 the pancreas is unable to produce insulin is INCORRECT.

It seems to indicate that something is preventing the pancreas from producing insulin and if you kill that something, that the BCG vaccine seems to do, then your pancreas can return to normal.


12 posted on 08/11/2012 3:31:04 PM PDT by Innovative (None are so blind that will not see.)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

Type II is INSTANTLY cured in most cases by gastric bypass surgery **ON THE OPERATING TABLE** not because of the later weight loss. Google it, you’ll find hundreds of articles.
I’m working on getting qualified for my operation.


13 posted on 08/11/2012 3:31:15 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
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To: Innovative

Let me put this out there for people who may need this info.

I believe that this article is geared more for type II diabetics.

Baking Soda & Cancer (The Last Laugh)

“When taken orally with water, especially water with high magnesium content, and when used transdermally in medicinal baths, sodium bicarbonate becomes a first-line medicinal for the treatment of cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, influenza and even the common cold.”

http://blog.imva.info/medicine/baking-soda-cancer-laugh


14 posted on 08/11/2012 5:14:49 PM PDT by phockthis (http://www.supremelaw.org/fedzone11/index.htm ...)
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To: neverdem

Type 1 Ping.


15 posted on 08/11/2012 6:33:29 PM PDT by Carry_Okie (The Slave Party Switcheroo: Economic crisis! Zero's eligibility Trumped!! Hillary 2012!!!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

my sincerest wishes for your qualification, an uneventful
surgery and recupertion and great results. thanks for the
comment too; I had not heard of this. (The diabetics most
closely related to me have no weight issues)


16 posted on 08/12/2012 1:00:33 AM PDT by cycjec
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To: muawiyah
Glucophage (metaformin) works to enhance insulin use

See...now I was told by a doctor that Metformin works to retard the sugars released by the liver and Pioglitazone (Actos et al) works to enhance insulin use...increase cellular sensitivity to insulin...in the bloodstream.

I dunno. I just do what they tell me. I have enough other stuff to think about on a daily basis.

17 posted on 08/12/2012 5:09:22 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.)
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To: Innovative
It seems to indicate that something is preventing the pancreas from producing insulin and if you kill that something, that the BCG vaccine seems to do, then your pancreas can return to normal.

Now THAT would be sweeeeet. (Pardon the punnage).

18 posted on 08/12/2012 5:11:06 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Type II is INSTANTLY cured in most cases by gastric bypass surgery

I read the results of a study done about a year ago that said the removal of a small section of the duodenum cures Type II. Perhaps the gastric bypass does just the same thing.

19 posted on 08/12/2012 5:13:32 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.)
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