• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of, and finding treatments for, complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Weed Killer Turns Male Frogs Into Females

Treatments #13 and #14
girl+frog.jpg

I'll get to the weed-killer analogy quickly. But first, allow me a little celebration- today marks my eighth week on Ampligen, and I've now officially entered the "plateau" phase of my treatment. Whereas at first I was seeing almost weekly improvements in things like my sleep, appetite, and other empirical data (see previous posts) now there really is nothing new to report. My doctors and nurse, as well as other patients, have all told me that the next "bump" in dramatic improvement will come as enter the 4th month of treatment - so now I just have to be patient.

Yet although there are not as many visible manifestations, from what I've read, apparently the twice-weekly Ampligen infusion is still silently, secretly, doing its two main jobs:

*Up-regulating or down-regulating, as needed, an enzyme called the "2 ,5 oligoadenylate synthetase/RNase L (2-5A synthetase/RNase L) pathway", and;

*Up-regulating or down-regulating the "P68 protein kinase" pathway.

I flunked out of chemistry in College, so these words of course teach me about as much as I would learn if I was reading the phone directory from Lisboa, in native Portuguese. But thanks to the Internet, I discovered more about how and why Ampligen is working for me.

Some viruses, such as M.E., HIV, Herpes, and HBV overcome intracellular immunity by producing substances that deactivate RNase-L, thereby allowing the virus to multiply freely within the intracellular environment and clinical deterioration occurs. Think of that. Virus cells have been multiplying in my body at will. Scary thought. But Ampligen helps our bodies restore the enzymes that help control the uninhibited growth of some of these viruses.

Think of planting a lawn. In many parts of the world you can buy seed that has a built in "inoculator" that keeps nitrogen up, and as a result, weeds from growing around it. It's just an enzyme or bath that they soak the seed in, and it works! I've personally planted alfalfa in desert climates that had this inoculant, and it was perfect. Best of all, every season it came back stronger than before!

Now, if that seed is left in the sun before planting however, and that inoculation enzyme gets "burned off", the plant will be weaker, and weeds will grow around it. So then the gardener has to resort to more antiquated weed prevention...like pulling the weeds by hand, or spraying some weed-killer chemical all over the lawn. But those measures always are less effective, because the weed killer invariably kills some good seed, and pulling weeds by hand always takes out some good growth. So potent are weed-killers, that the National Academy of Sciences reported in a peer-reviewed journal that they can actually turn male frogs into females.

So think of your body as having it's "inoculant" missing...and then doctors, who can see the weeds in your body, start prescribing antibiotics, anti-virals, and sometimes even resort to "pulling" things. You're catching my drift now, right? Those "solutions" always have side effects, just like in my lawn example above. Our stomachs don't like antibiotics, because they kill the good bacteria as well. We get our tonsils out, or sinus surgery, because our bodies are no longer "innoculated" against allergies or sinus infections. And the weed-killer chemicals keep trying to kill the weeds, but they leave scorched earth behind.

Ampligen is better than the weed-killers, in that it actually restores our body's inoculant power. How?

Published research shows that Ampligen activates 2-5A synthetase. Activated 2-5A, in turn, activates this enzyme called RNase-L, which destroys viral RNA. Let me underscore that point- Ampligen's work on this enzyme makes it possible for actually destroying viral RNA. 2-5A itself also can control the growth of certain human tumor cells and inhibits reverse transcriptase, the enzyme both HIV and HBV use for reproduction.The protein kinase (p68) pathway is also affected in a similar manner.

So for the first time since contracting this hideous disease, with the help of Ampligen, instead of using the "weed-killer" pills, my body's immune system is learning how to beat back this virus, keep it from replicating, and destroy it. In short, my immune system is relearning how to do it's job!

Plus, as a side benefit, I'm feeling more "masculine" day by day!

Comments

Why isn't ampligen something "we" can try? I know I should look this up and I don't have the energy anymore. In 1990 I remember ampligen being a big deal and then you heard nothing. Now, here it is again through you. It seems like only certain doctor's do this? I am sure their is political BS that keeps it silent.

I am so happy for you though and wish I was in your shoes!! Keep up the good work!
 
Congrats on it working. Please keep us updated.

Spitfire, Ampligen has always been the drug that most were never allowed to have, because it works, and thereby proves there is a physical, biological basis for this disease. We've known it works all these years. The FDA has consistently refused to approve it, all the while, approving tons of unsafe drugs for a million other things. It's political and the insurance companies have never wanted to approve Ampligen. The cost of Ampligen is very high, and it's something that would need to be taken for the rest of our lives. They don't want to pay for it. It's cheaper for the government and the insurance companies to keep us sick than to pay for this drug. Plus, if it were approved, they would then have to admit they have withheld a working drug for CFIDS/ME for over a decade and the disease has always been of biological origins.
 
I would also note that the company that makes it has shot themselves in the foot many times. http://www.aboutmecfs.org/Trt/AmpHist.aspx

I think that masculine comment is so interesting because I felt I lost a big chunk of 'he-man-ness' when I got CFS. Along with my libido my masculine side was really bonked; replacing it was this kind of jittery, nervous, flaked out guy. Even my voice seemed to get higher. Any gravitas I'd developed was gone. In a way I felt like an adolescent....Very strange.....
 
If it makes you feel better Cort, I feel like as a woman I am a waste. That is a strong word, but I am in premenopause and have barely any hormones. I don't feel sexy. The only reason I know I am sexy is because other people tell me I am. But, I want to feel that way!! Great that others see it, but I want to FEEL it. My voice sounds different since I have been sick. I don't have the same inflection anymore. Sometimes I think I sound monotone.

Give me a shot of estrogen or hormones that won't make me sick please!! Will my sex drive please step up!!

Thanks Carrigon for that explanation.
 
The only thing that got my sex drive back was when I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen birth control pills in 2002. And it was only temporary. But it did give me double orgasms. I couldn't stay on it, though. The pills started to make me sick and I was at stroke level with them. They make you retain too much fluid in your tissues. I tried to take them again this past year and found my body won't tolerate them at all anymore. It's a shame, they did help with the dead sex drive.
 
I love this Forum! Where else can we get such candor, such openness, and even the phrase "double orgasms" without flinching? Isn't it interesting how I feel that I could be friends with each of you in real life, if geography allowed, and yet sometimes family members feel like strangers to me. The bond of pain, I guess, eh? Thanks for your comments. Practically, in addition to making me smile, Carrigon has mentioned an important nugget-- the virus (es) are said to attack or mess with our hormones...so hormone supplementation may be advised. My doctor a few years ago so my testosterone level (through a blood test) and wondered why I hadn't grown boobs, it was so low! I now supplement testosterone. I now monitor both estrogen and testosterone levels bi-monthly, and I think it's a good idea for all of us, men and women alike, because you need both.
 
carrigon said ampligen would need to be taken for the rest of our lives. is this true? i thought this treatment was a matter of months or so.
 
Good question, DavidJ. That point should be corrected. In my research this is not true. I have personally spoken with a half dozen patients who have had Ampligen, all of whom I know very well, and 5 out of 6 only needed the protocol once. Many from the 1991 original trial are STILL doing fine. It is true that a few have had to go back for "tune ups" - short periods of additional Ampligen, usually after 7-10 years, but others have been going strong and are "normal" after 19 years. Trust me, I wouldn't have embarked on this journey if it was "forever." I am committed to taking as much as a full year out of my life to get "fixed." Research shows the drug works, and corrects the problem after the protocol is complete, and you do NOT need to "stay on it."
 
Will my sex drive please step up!!

I second that. That part shut down pretty early. I do know of a guy, I think on LDN, who had such intense erections on the drug that he had to knock it off (the drug I mean). That was an eye opener.

I also took pills for some parasites and my erections came back but I had to discontinue them because of side effects. Later I tried again - to no effect.
 

Blog entry information

Author
Kelvin Lord
Read time
3 min read
Views
1,102
Comments
9
Last update

More entries in User Blogs

More entries from Kelvin Lord