I have been reading about thymus extracts for FM and ME/CFS.
Has anyone got any experience with taking thymus extracts? Is there a difference between thymus extracts and Thymic protein A?
The following is an excerpt I found online. it is part of an interview with Dr Rosenbaum
Dr. Rosenbaum: I believe Thymic protein A is a potent T helper-1 stimulant. I have focused much of my attention in recent years on the effects of diet, individual nutrients and herbs upon immunity in general and upon the aberrant immune response in CFS patients. The literature on the immune response in CFS patients indicates a trend toward a decline in the response of Natural Killer (NK) and T helper-1 cells to customary immune stimuli. Many of us in the field have been searching for ways to restore T helper immune balance.
Thymic protein A (TPA) appears to be such an immune modulator. It is a native thymus peptide which is necessary for the activation of T helper-1 cells. THP is grown in cell culture from a single bovine cell obtained about ten years ago. I participated in a study on CFS patients who had been ill for at least one year and whose symptoms and treatment program had plateaued. These patients were treated with one packet of TPA containing 4 mcg of TPA administered sublingually three times a day for three consecutive months and were examined at baseline, six weeks and three months. Blood tests for CFS biomarkers included T cell numbers and activation markers, RNAase, 2,5A synthetase and NK cell activity. Quality of life questionnaires were filled out weekly.
The results were encouraging. T-Cell activation markers were reduced in about 2/3 of the patients. There was an overall trend toward a reduction in the RNAase anti-viral enzyme system. Substantial improvements were noted in 'Quality of Life' symptom scores especially with regard to anxiety, mood, short-term memory and non-restorative sleep. There was an improvement in the incidence of canker sores in nearly 100% of the participants who had canker sores before trying TPA. I suspect that the improvements in blood tests and symptom scores would have been even more significant if the trial were to have been extended longer than three months.
Has anyone got any experience with taking thymus extracts? Is there a difference between thymus extracts and Thymic protein A?
The following is an excerpt I found online. it is part of an interview with Dr Rosenbaum
Dr. Rosenbaum: I believe Thymic protein A is a potent T helper-1 stimulant. I have focused much of my attention in recent years on the effects of diet, individual nutrients and herbs upon immunity in general and upon the aberrant immune response in CFS patients. The literature on the immune response in CFS patients indicates a trend toward a decline in the response of Natural Killer (NK) and T helper-1 cells to customary immune stimuli. Many of us in the field have been searching for ways to restore T helper immune balance.
Thymic protein A (TPA) appears to be such an immune modulator. It is a native thymus peptide which is necessary for the activation of T helper-1 cells. THP is grown in cell culture from a single bovine cell obtained about ten years ago. I participated in a study on CFS patients who had been ill for at least one year and whose symptoms and treatment program had plateaued. These patients were treated with one packet of TPA containing 4 mcg of TPA administered sublingually three times a day for three consecutive months and were examined at baseline, six weeks and three months. Blood tests for CFS biomarkers included T cell numbers and activation markers, RNAase, 2,5A synthetase and NK cell activity. Quality of life questionnaires were filled out weekly.
The results were encouraging. T-Cell activation markers were reduced in about 2/3 of the patients. There was an overall trend toward a reduction in the RNAase anti-viral enzyme system. Substantial improvements were noted in 'Quality of Life' symptom scores especially with regard to anxiety, mood, short-term memory and non-restorative sleep. There was an improvement in the incidence of canker sores in nearly 100% of the participants who had canker sores before trying TPA. I suspect that the improvements in blood tests and symptom scores would have been even more significant if the trial were to have been extended longer than three months.
