NGF 'Nerve Growth Factor & inflammation & pain

[Guest guest]

Hi all

For those who may be interested in the more technical end of this you might find this interesting about the NGF, (nerve growth factor) and how it too ties in with inflammation and possibly vestibulitis (not only the Mast cells & histamine) A lot of research is going on in this area. ; )

From the internat'l study of pain.

<http://www.iasp-pain.org/TC96JanFeb.html>

*NOTE* to help as you read this,

a definition of:

Nociceptor

A receptor preferentially sensitive to a noxious stimulus or to a stimulus which would become noxious if prolonged. Note: It's suggested to avoid use of terms like pain receptor, pain pathway, etc. and use that instead.

For more pain definitions mentioned in the article go here: index A-Z

<http://www.iasp-pain.org/terms-p.html#Nociceptor>

Dee~ ; )

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Dee, that was really interesting. It fits right it with what

Dr. Goldstein posted to the other yahoo group. Unfortunately, he

believes that surgery is the only way to deal with the proliferation

of nerve endings in the vestibule and I'm just not ready to do that

yet! Anyway, it was a very informative article.

I guess I haven't really introduced myself properly here. I've been

reading this group for a while but haven't posted much. So I feel

like I know you, but you guys don't know me. I'm 27, have

secondary vestibulitis and live in the Boston area.

> Hi all

>

> For those who may be interested in the more technical end of this

you might find this interesting about the NGF, (nerve growth factor)

and how it too ties in with inflammation and possibly vestibulitis

(not only the Mast cells & histamine) A lot of research is going on in

this area. ; )

>

> From the internat'l study of pain.

> <http://www.iasp-pain.org/TC96JanFeb.html>

>

> *NOTE* to help as you read this,

> a definition of:

>

> Nociceptor

> A receptor preferentially sensitive to a noxious stimulus or to a

stimulus which would become noxious if prolonged. Note: It's

suggested to avoid use of terms like pain receptor, pain pathway, etc.

and use that instead.

>

> For more pain definitions mentioned in the article go here: index A-Z

>

> <http://www.iasp-pain.org/terms-p.html#Nociceptor>

>

> Dee~ ; )

[Guest guest]

You're welcome , nice to meet you.

I found it very interesting as well. I had no idea that Dr. G also is suggesting that. *grin* Amazing how many different directions trying to figure this all out takes us and I love the research end of it, (Now that I'm well *grin*, before, all I wanted was to be out of this pain)

If you do a lot of research on NGF, from what 'I' get out of it, it is important (just as Mast cells are) and is something we do want usually. It has a number of different roles in the body including maintaining the health of nerves and stimulating the production of Substance P. (it's a pre-cursor to Sub.P) and is beneficial in 'restoring' nerve damage (if there's a deficiency) especially in diseases like facial nerve damage, (bells palsy, trigeminal pain, diabetic neuropathy, etc.) where we 'want' those nerves regrown or restored (so to speak) Nerve growth factor also nourishes neurons and allows brain cells to grow and maintain fibers called axons that link neurons in one area to neurons in other areas of the brain.

One quote:

Nerve growth factor (NGF) plays a biologic role in the development and maintenance of sympathetic and small sensory neurons. Because it facilitates nerve fiber 'regeneration', lowers heat-pain threshold (hyperalgesia), and prevents or improves nerve dysfunction in experimental neuropathy, it is being considered as a putative treatment for certain human polyneuropathies.

But....on the other hand, if too much NGF is circulating it's found to be 'increased' in patients with allergic diseases like asthma, cystitis or MS for instance, and is related to the severity of the inflammatory process..apparently like in vulvar pain.

By the way that is also one reason why the anti-convulsive drugs with V V are recommended because they slow the function of nerves which causes the pain.

One drug suggested (at least for facial nerve pain like the Trigeminal paralysis) is

Trileptal, a newer one not yet approved in the USA (I don't think). Researchers say Trileptal goes to work faster than Tegretol (which is typically used) and has less side effects. In early studies Trileptal was 85 percent effective in controlling pain that wasn't responding to Tegretol. Now whether that would help with 'vaginal' pain who knows?

For 'restoration' of the NGF with a more natural approach they say nothing is better than high doses of B12, B6, folic Acid, and Thiamin. By the way I used those in extremely high doses when I had Bells Palsy myself, esp. the B 12 as it can help restore the Mylin sheath on those nerves. The protective part of an electrical cord if you think of it like that and the actual 'wire' itself as the nerve. It can get confusing, as to whether we need more of it or less of it. Do we try to restore that Mylin sheath? Or eliminate the NGF? What a quandry when I try to figure it out myself. ; )

For more info you might want to try some of the Neurology Journals, I find it all so fascinating.

Dee~