Re: MSH--LInda?

[Guest guest]

Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone. It's both a neurological hormone that

affects both brain and digestive system, among other things, (It's kind of a

master neurohormone, impacting growth hormone, circadian rhythm's, immune

function, adrenal function, and a host of other things) and it's what

stimulates melanin production in your skin. However, the level of MSH in the

skin doesn't correlate with the level of MSH in the brain or intestinal

tract. So even if you tan easily, you can still have low MSH levels in the

brain. Dr. Shoemaker has been doing a lot of research on MSH and it's

connection with neurotoxic illnesses such as CFS. He says that inflammation

blocks the production of MSH in the brain, and that contributes to the

cascade of infections, hormonal imbalances, and other things in people with

neurotoxic illnesses such as CFS. There are also a couple companies who are

doing drug trials for FDA approval of an MSH peptide that is 100 times more

powerful than MSH itself in killing pathogens, and they're trying to get it

approved for use in people with flesh eating bacteria and other antibiotic

resistant pathogens, because pathogens are unable to develop resistance to

it.

What's interesting about this is that just yesterday I was listening to some

radio news that said that a doctor at the University of Nebraska was one of

the doctors who had helped develop a vaccine that targets the type of

inflammation that they're finding in people with Parkinson's. They said that

type of inflammation is also found in people with Alzheimer's, people with

Huntington's Disease (and remember that the CDC identified Huntington's

genes in a small group of people with CFS), and people with ALS. They're

getting ready to do testing on a group of people with ALS for FDA approval.

I would think that if the vaccine could stop the inflammation that is

reducing MSH production, then the immune system could begin functioning

better. I suspect that this is one of the ways the Marshall Protocol

(Benicar etc.) works to help people with inflammatory illnesses like

Sarcoidosis to get well, and might well be a treatment for people with CFS

down the road.

lindaj@...

MSH--LInda?

> What is MSH?

://docs./info/terms/

>

[Guest guest]

what if you never tan easily? Could that mean that you have low MSH in

your brain or is it unrelated? My skin is extremely light coloured and I always

had the problem of not being able to tan easily.Whole my life.

Anyone relates?

Thanks

Nil

Re: MSH--LInda?

Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone. It's both a neurological hormone that

affects both brain and digestive system, among other things, (It's kind of a

master neurohormone, impacting growth hormone, circadian rhythm's, immune

function, adrenal function, and a host of other things) and it's what

stimulates melanin production in your skin. However, the level of MSH in the

[Guest guest]

My understanding is that the levels in the brain don't correspond with the

levels in the skin. Because dark skinned people have more melanin in their

skin, they generally produce more MSH in their skin. But they are still just

as susceptible to neurotoxic illnesses and low MSH in the brain as light

skinned people. However, I suspect that an inability to tan is connected to

MSH suppression throughout the body, including the brain. I haven't heard of

anyone doing a pole to find out if non-tanning people are more susceptible

to CFS, or more susceptible to chronic infections and such.

However, I also never have tanned easily my whole life. But then, I also

don't burn, either. I've rarely ever gotten sunburned, and never severely,

even though I've been an avid gardener for several decades, went camping a

lot as a child, and was generally an outdoor person before CFS hit so hard.

I used to try to get a suntan when I was younger, and I practically lived

out in the sun, at least 8 hours a day from spring through fall, and barely

got a tan line. I tolerated heat well, so I was even out on very hot days.

By the end of the summer, it looked like I didn't go out in the sun much the

whole summer, and I had practically lived out in the sun. One time I hadn't

been in the sun for months, and we went down to the gulf of Mexico in

winter, and my whole family spent the day out on the beach, with very high

UV levels, and the sun reflecting off the water. Everyone else used

sunscreen, and burned badly, in spite of using SPF50 sunscreen. I didn't use

any sunscreen, (allergies to lotions) and didn't get even the slightest

sunburn. (I also didn't get any tan from it.) I don't have an explanation

for it. But I gave up years ago trying to get a tan, and just accepted the

fact that I'd be pasty white my whole life. But I'm the only non-tanning

person that I've ever heard of that also doesn't sunburn easily.

I haven't come across anything that directly raises MSH. Dr. Shoemaker

believes that reducing inflammation would raise MSH. He blames insulin

resistance from Tumor Neucrosis factor on the suppression of MSH. Insulin

resistance suppresses MSH production. NF-Kappa B is the inducer of Tumor

Neucrosis factor, and my understanding is that angiotensin induces NF-Kappa

B. There are natural supplements that suppress NF-Kappa B, but don't

completely block angiotensin. And if there is even a small amount of

angiotensin, it induces excess inflammation. The only thing I know of that

totally blocks angiotensin is Benicar.

Dr. Shoemaker thinks that if you have low MSH levels for over 5 years, you

end up with permanently damaged MSH pathways in the brain, and according to

him the only option then is to take supplemental MSH. But at this point, it

isn't available to the general public, and is only available through

research studies. Dr. Shoemaker has been working on testing, but I didn't

qualify to be a test subject because I live too far away.

I've come up with my own ideas, that I'd like to eventually try. I've

thought that perhaps metabolic NAET might improve MSH levels. I also think

that taking things to stimulate growth hormone levels might also have the

side benefit of stimulating MSH, since they are manufactured through the

same pathway, using the same chemicals. But like growth hormone stimulants,

it might end up eventually loosing it's effect, and end up worse off than

before the growth hormone stimulants.

My concern about using MSH supplementally is that I think it would be like

taking thyroid hormones, and would permanently shut down MSH production

completely, and you would be dependent upon MSH supplementation for the rest

of your life. If it never becomes commonly available, the supply of MSH

might be a problem. There are a couple pharmaceutical companies that are

working on drug approval for peptides of MSH, that act like MSH, but

actually are much more powerful than MSH. They are testing them as sunless

tanning pills, erectile dysfunction drugs, and as alternatives to

antibiotics to treat antibiotic resistant and very virulent bacteria. The

first two uses might encourage widespread availability, and maybe even some

day across the counter access. But that's years, if not decades down the

road.

lindaj@...

Re: MSH--LInda?

> what if you never tan easily? Could that mean that you have low MSH

in your brain or is it unrelated? My skin is extremely light coloured and I

always had the problem of not being able to tan easily.Whole my life.

> Anyone relates?

> Thanks

> Nil

[Guest guest]

Well, if it's insulin resistance Kane's diet would make sense (which

I try to follow, but today I didn't do so well...)...high good fats,

high protein, high veggies, low carbs...fish oils combat insulin

resistance...natural anti-inflammatories might quench tnf.