Sex hormone progesterone to get head injury trial

[undeterred]

Natural progesterone, the sex hormone used in the first contraceptive pills, is to be tested on patients with severe head injuries. Scientists will begin a phase III clinical trial in March and say the drug could save patients' lives and reduce damage to their brains.

They announced the trial at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It will involve 1,000 patients in 17 trauma centres across the US. Dr David Wright, associate professor of emergency medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, will lead the trial.

Previous studies have shown that progesterone supports the normal development of neurons in the brain, and that the hormone has a protective effect on damaged brain tissue. Dr Wright told BBC News: "Traumatic brain injury is a complex condition - there's swelling, and neuronal death and damage occurring all at the same time. "The beauty of progesterone is that it seems to work on all of those things."

In earlier tests, the Emory University researchers found that progesterone reduced the risk of death in patients with brain injuries. Dr Wright hopes that, following this trial, progesterone will become the first drug treatment in 30 years to be approved specifically for severe traumatic brain injury.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8525777.stm

[Warpy]

1. Wonderful news

because mannitol and dexamethasone just weren't doing the job.

If something can be done to preserve function and shorten rehab time, that will indeed be miraculous.

[MineralMan]

2. I hope this pans out. I have a niece who suffered major

brain damage due to anoxia from a near-drowning. It's probably too late for her to benefit from this, but if it can help others, it would be a wonderful thing. Her parents are completely devastated by this, and what was a bright young girl is now little but an empty shell.

Brain injuries are among the most tragic of situations. In the worst case, the person is quite alive, but unable to do anything at all and unable to communicate in any way, as with my niece. What she is experiencing, if anything, is completely unknown. It is a tragedy that will, likely, go on for years or decades.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. I know a person who had a niece who had neurological damage

from a car accident. She was supposed to be paralyzed. She is not. Her family administered glyconutrients to her. That is all I know... plus the fact that increased glyconutrients have been shown to ridiculously increase the production of adult stem cells in bone marrow. You may draw your own conclusions.. but I would at least look at it if there was any chance of doing some good.

[MineralMan]

5. You may trust me when I tell you that she has had excellent

care since the incident. I doubt her parents are interested in your experiment. They rely on qualified medical professionals for her care.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

8. This book was written by qualified medical professionals.

http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Power-Sugars-Breakthrough-Nutrition/dp/0973731702/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266708050&sr=8-1


50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Review of The Healing Power of 8 Sugars, June 16, 2005
By Jack Kettler (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
The Healing Power of 8 Sugars: An Amazing Breakthrough in Nutrition, Sciences and Medicine by Allan C. Somersall (Editor)

"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." Arthur Schopenhauer German philosopher (1788 - 1860)

This new book, "The Healing Power of 8 Sugars" clearly shows we are entering into the third stage in which the philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer explained that a truth will become accepted as self-evident. In this new book twenty doctors combine their wisdom and explain for their fellow doctors and especially the layman how glyconutrients (natural plant sugars) are utilized by the body in the battle against disease.

"The Healing Power of 8 Sugars" covers many subjects ranging from the use of glyconutrients during pregnancy, to child development issues to sports medicine, inflammation and disease cases. The science of glyconutrients is very technical, yet these doctors do a remarkable job of bringing the science down to a lay level without neglecting the concerns and issues that will appeal to the medical and scientific audience as well. According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Review, February 2003, "If you don't have glycosylation, you don't have life." Significantly, this book unlocks the mysteries of glycosylation (the adding of a polysaccharide (chain of sugars) to a polypeptide (chain of amino acids) in order to make a glycoprotein) and how glyconutrients are vital for this process.

As I read each chapter I would often think "that is the best yet." That is, until I started working my way through the next chapter. This book is absolutely remarkable and I predict it will become a nutritional best seller and one of the most important books of the year on nutrition. Maybe the most important of any year. There is a reason why The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which produces the highly respected MIT Review, released their February, 2003 issue entitled, "10 Emerging Technologies That Will Change the World!"

These doctors have put this "emerging technology" in front of the public in an easy to read work showing how glyconutrients will change the face of health care forever in the area of nutritional science. Moreover, this book will surely impact the exploding field of Glycobiology, which is the study of how sugars impact living systems. And finally, with this work, the term "glyconutrients" has entered into the public lexicon.

Enjoy, this book is a gold mine of cutting edge nutritional knowledge.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

3. I like the fact that only the natural extract does the trick. I have heard

that natural supplements (referred to as drugs or not) don't do a thing.


Dr Wright told BBC News: "Traumatic brain injury is a complex condition - there's swelling, and neuronal death and damage occurring all at the same time.

"The beauty of progesterone is that it seems to work on all of those things."

In earlier tests, the Emory University researchers found that progesterone reduced the risk of death in patients with brain injuries.

Dr Wright hopes that, following this trial, progesterone will become the first drug treatment in 30 years to be approved specifically for severe traumatic brain injury.

Yams

The active ingredient, natural progesterone, is very similar to that used in the first contraceptive pills. This has now been superseded by a synthetic progesterone known as progestin. But, for brain injury, only the natural hormone appears to have the desired protective effect.

[MineralMan]

6. Too bad they'll have to depend on a pharmaceutical company

to obtain those natural extracts, eh? Maybe Dr. Mercola can come up with a substitute.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

7. I've been taking Mexican wild yam for quite awhile.... in the Trobrian

islands it is their "rice".

http://www.helium.com/items/1273439-trobriand-islanders-by-holly-peters-golden
Children are cherished in this society, and with such celebration of life, it should be noted that death is quite different. Illness and death are looked on with great suspicion: The Trobrianders believe someone is responsible for every illness. At death, kin are divided into owners and workers. The former are not permitted to show any signs of grief and are responsible for handing out yams to the latter.

Yams not only represent food and currency, but are also grown by men to give to women. "Yams and marriage are significantly linked." (Peters-Golden 245) They are used in courtship and when couples announce that they have eaten them together they are considered married.

Women's yam gardens are started by their fathers and brothers, and the men of the society hope that one day they will be the ones taking care of them. Because yams are so crucial to the life of the Trobriand people, when they have been harvested a holiday begins. When there have been very successful harvests, there are yam competitions