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Anyone know of tests for over/under active immune functioning?

maryb

iherb code TAK122
Messages
3,602
Location
UK
I would like to know whether my immune system is in over drive or not functioing well enough. So a couple of questions.

Are there any tests which will tell me this?

I rarely get colds or flu but then again I don't go out a lot - but I do go to supermarkets every week so???I've probaly had 1 cold in 2 years (should I say that am I tempting fate)
I didn't do well on Immunovir but maybe didn't stay on it long enough.

LDN is an immune stimulator - many on here do well on it, so did they have a lot of colds/flu as part of their symptoms before LDN?
 

penny

Senior Member
Messages
288
Location
Southern California
LDN has been beneficial for me, but I've been more in the only rarely get colds/flus since becoming ill group. I do get colds more frequently since I started taking LDN (once - twice a year?). And then oddly many of my ME symptoms are a little 'better' when I have a cold. Weird.

But my understanding is LDN could be an immune modulator rather than stimulator -- so this might not help figuring out which direction my immune system is skewing. I'm interested in the idea of there being test results which might indicate this - I've wondered about it before.
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
I would like to know whether my immune system is in over drive or not functioing well enough. So a couple of questions.

Are there any tests which will tell me this?

I rarely get colds or flu but then again I don't go out a lot - but I do go to supermarkets every week so???I've probaly had 1 cold in 2 years (should I say that am I tempting fate)
I didn't do well on Immunovir but maybe didn't stay on it long enough.

LDN is an immune stimulator - many on here do well on it, so did they have a lot of colds/flu as part of their symptoms before LDN?

Hi Mary,

There are tests but I think you need sort of an immune panel of tests to get the whole picture. I had so many immune tests that I am not sure which ones show what. But my immune system was over-active and under productive--busily spinning its wheels, reacting to stuff but not able to deal with invaders!

Sushi
 

ukxmrv

Senior Member
Messages
4,413
Location
London
Mary,

I had an immune system panel of different things and parts were under active and parts were over active.

No one has compared the "catch everything" to the "catch nothing" people with ME to determine the differences.

I'm good on Immunovir but maybe it modulating someone I was low or high in.

Sorry not taken LDN as cannot comment.

Sometimes if you know that part of the immune system is high or low (like TNF-a or NK cells) then you can find a drug or a supplement that is supposed to work on that area.

For example I had high TNF-a on the tests and the drug Humira helped with that. This resulted in less sore throats and glands and pain for me.
 

maryb

iherb code TAK122
Messages
3,602
Location
UK
Thanks to you all for replying

Penny you are right I think LDN is an immune modulator, think I just read that it can be a stimulant but of course it will be if a certain part needs it.

Sushi -can you remember which are the immune panel tests, I may have had them, maybe I can look back through them and get a feeling for whats going on? I feel that mine in permanent overdrive, without the evidence though!

ukxmrv - thats good immunovir is working for you, I felt terrible on it and it sent me backwards for some time.
TNF and NK cells sound familiar, I need to have a look through my test results, I'll report back it may help someone else too.
 

xrayspex

Senior Member
Messages
1,111
Location
u.s.a.
LDM an immune modulator, should take you in direction you need to go. I gave it 6 months but got really irritale depressed even after cutting dose back to ridiculous fraction, not suicidal, thats not me, but no happiness in life, it blocked my ability to enjoy things like chocolate and sunset etc I feel bad for addicts on probation who might be forced to take 50mg of that stuff ugh but I do know itreally helps some people in small doses even Skip at Skips Pharmacy who sold it took it just cus he thought it was good for people.

tests....would sed rates and cbc panels be a start point? my regular blood work never gave any clues to mainstream docs so i started askin for specific Autoimmune tests when suspected sjogrens and found i have it. Ask for some AI testing like for RA, lupus, sjogrens one way to go.
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
Thanks to you all for replying
...Sushi -can you remember which are the immune panel tests, I may have had them, maybe I can look back through them and get a feeling for whats going on? I feel that mine in permanent overdrive, without the evidence though!....

I have pages of them and they don't say helpful things in their names that would give any clue as to what they are testing. An immunologist would know, but it would take me a very long time to type them out. Inflammatory cytokines were one of the more obvious things tested. I don't have the time right now--wish I did!

Sushi
 

penny

Senior Member
Messages
288
Location
Southern California
LDM an immune modulator, should take you in direction you need to go. I gave it 6 months but got really irritale depressed even after cutting dose back to ridiculous fraction, not suicidal, thats not me, but no happiness in life, it blocked my ability to enjoy things like chocolate and sunset etc I feel bad for addicts on probation who might be forced to take 50mg of that stuff ugh but I do know itreally helps some people in small doses even Skip at Skips Pharmacy who sold it took it just cus he thought it was good for people.

Yeah, if I go more than a hair over .5mg I start getting the numb/depressed you describe. I can't imagine taking 50mg, it sounds awful.
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
Sushi - do you know which the infammatory cytokines are?

There are many and different labs test for different ones. I can tell you the ones that I had tested. I had:

IFNG, IL 10, IL 12, IL 1B, IL 2, IL 4, IL 6, IL 8, IL 10, IL 12p70s, IL 1 betaS, TNFA and some others that I don't know what they are--but they might be inflammatory cytokines--not even sure that all of those are! Others will probably know.

Sushi
 

maryb

iherb code TAK122
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3,602
Location
UK
Sorry you had to type all that Sushi!! I'll ask you a yes/no question next time.

thanks - I'll see what I've had done
 

maryb

iherb code TAK122
Messages
3,602
Location
UK
And that is just a few of them!

Sushi
:lol:
xrayspec
'tests....would sed rates and cbc panels be a start point? my regular blood work never gave any clues to mainstream docs so i started askin for specific Autoimmune tests when suspected sjogrens and found i have it. Ask for some AI testing like for RA, lupus, sjogrens one way to go'

Thanks - I was hoping I'd already had some of them done but haven't had those done recently, is cbc - complete blood count?
 

xrayspex

Senior Member
Messages
1,111
Location
u.s.a.
yep on the cbc
back when Whittemore Peterson Inst was a thing I paid for some expensive immune profiles there, found out abnormal NKcells and some other abnormal stuff, geesh I forgot about all that til just now.....but thing was it didnt do me any good at mainstream health clinics, they dont seem to recognize looking at those sort of things, do they do that for aids patients or some cancer patients?
 

maryb

iherb code TAK122
Messages
3,602
Location
UK
I know what you mean - seems to be ME docs look for specific traits in the tests that mainstream docs accept as normal, they don't make any link. My GP just told me my recent blood tests results were'absolutely fine' which must account for my fantastic health:rolleyes::rolleyes: