Re: sinus explanation - it does make a difference

[Guest guest]

> Hal - URI, flu, sinus, all those things, are certainly our weak

point. Almost everyone I know with SLL/CLL has this problem.

has recently posted the first explanation I have seen as to why this

is so. (Not that it makes much difference, but it's nice to know

we're not all crazy and that there is a link.)

==========================

:

Thanks for the reference to the articles on inflammation and sinus

congestion on http://www.clltopics.org . But I would like to add

one small correction, I think it does make a difference knowing what

causes the chronic inflammation and chest / sinus problems in CLL.

In fact, we had a specific item to discuss with your doctors, CyslT1

receptor blockers such as Singulair, Accolate (and soon to be

approved Ultair). All of these are thoroughly tested asthma

medications, and there are reasons to think they may actually help

make your CLL cells more vulnerable to death and destruction.

Along the same lines, we also had an article a while back on how to

recruit NK cells into killing CLL cells. There the culprit involved

in chronic inflammation was over production of histamine in CLL

patients, and we suggested you should discuss with your doctors the

potential value of the over the counter drug Tagamet (generic name

cimetidine). Tagamet is one of the older drugs developed for

controlling acid stomach. But its mode of action is by blocking the

histamine which would otherwise trigger acid production in the

stomach.

As we do in all our articles on CLL Topics, we are careful to provide

you with links to published research, abstracts from PubMed and the

like, and base our analysis as far as possible on this type of

evidence based research. If you have not visited our site recently,

may I suggest you do. We have several new articles published

recently that might help you with chronic inflammation and

congestion.

We have announced today the of the launching of our Project Alpha,

the very first patient sponsored and patient funded clinical trial in

CLL history. I am delighted to report that Dr. Neil Kay of Mayo

Clinic (Rochester) will be our Principal Investigator.

[Guest guest]

- you are, as always, right. You were indeed addressing a specific

potential treatment, and explaining why this treatment might be beneficial in

your

article.

I think what I meant was that one could follow the good advice of this

treatment without really understanding the profound technical reasons why it

would

be beneficial.

Good health!

Balan