Could (Ara290) Be The Medicine We Have Been Waiting For?

[RichGotsPots]

As notted on Dinet's "what helps" section "Erythropoietin (EPO)reportedly works in 80% of patients (Grubb, 2002)"

That's really an amazing % and I've polled on here many times to try to get some info about EPO but not too many of us have apparently tried it because of its expensive and monitoring.

Well imagine my surprise when I went researching for Neuropathy treatments for us and I stumbled upon ARA290 named that way because it's only in clinical trials right now.

One of the biggest problems with EPO is it's dramatic hemodynamic affect cause patients tohave to discontinue it. But when patients can tolerate its affects it can be a huge help in symptom relief.

ARA290, a Peptide Derived from the Tertiary Structure of Erythropoietin, that Produces Long-term Relief of Neuropathic Pain. Here comes the best part, "Exogenous erythropoietin inhibits develop- ment of allodynia in experimental painful neuropathy be- cause of its antiinflammatory and neuroprotective properties at spinal, supraspinal, and possibly peripheral sites. The au- thors assess the effect of a nonhematopoietic erythropoietin analog, ARA290, on tactile and cold allodynia in a model of neuropathic pain (spared nerve injury) in rats and mice lack- ing the ?-common receptor (?cR?/? mice), a component of the receptor complex mediating tissue protection."

The key words being "antiinflammatory and neuroprotective properties" and "mediating tissue protection"

This may be how EPO helps the most and the best part about ARA290 is that there are virtually no adverse hemodynamic affect compared to EPO.

Let's all keep an eye out for this medicine

Here is the link to the manufactorer with some inital trials http://araim.org/publications/

[issie]

Sounds interesting. But, for now -------I plan to try Alpha Lipoic Acid for neuropathies. All kinds of studies showing good and sometimes better results then most meds available. . (Side note ---might not work, for me, because it is a sulfate and those with a sulfa issue may have problems with this.)

http://www.alphalipoicacid.com/why-take-alpha-lipoic-acid

Issie

[corina]

Pretty cool to read the trials were in the University Hospital where my ANS neuro is. More so, one of my best friends might have worked on it, she works with mice and rats for trials at the same university hospital. She isn't allowed to talk about what they are working on of course but I think it's very interesting. Also she assured me that the trials can only take place when there is permission from the Animal Ethics Committee which made me feel more comfortable about it.

I have considered EPO in the past but thought it too high a risk for me at the time. I remember both my sons telling me that EPO might be "for me" when they learned about it in school, I thought it awesome how they thought of me.

Thanks for all your hard work Rich and for sharing!

[azmusiclover]

Dr Grubb wanted me to take EPO when I saw him back in 2000. We just couldn't afford it at the time, but I always wondered if it would have helped me then. This new treatment sounds interesting...

[ShakeyTheOwl]

Issie, curious how the Alpha Lipoic Acid does for you. Am On week two of taking it. (no benefit yet for the neuropathy , but hopeful combined with paleo )

[issie]

We will see. My diet is very different then paleo. I've gone complete vegan and low fat, whole foods. So, we will see how it goes.

Issie