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Blogpost by Dr Snyderman on retroviruses and cancer

currer

Senior Member
Messages
1,409
This is an interesting contribution to Jamie's blog by Dr Snyderman talking about the potential for cancer treatment of continuing research into human gammaretroviruses.

I hope (and not just for our sake) that researchers will have the courage to continue in this area, despite the attacks.

http://treatingxmrv.blogspot.com/2011/12/olive-branch.html?commentPage=2

It is at Jan 6, 10.22

Jamies blog is getting clogged by repititious contributions from some posters so I thought I would highlight this comment from Dr Snyderman as it is easily missed.

Michael Snyderman MD said...
Dear Scientists,

I am hopeful that we can collaborate. I realize that much more data needs to be generated and that is what your laboratories have to offer. I am not a virologist or an immunologist and although I wish I was, I am not a scientist. However as a physician I have learned to be a detective to understand why my patients are sick, I try to connect the dots. I believe that our retrovirus participates in many disease processes, not just CFS. I am using the word participate rather that causes because human disease processes are very complex and multifactorial. The dots that I am trying to connect have been known for at least 20-30 years. First we accept that retroviruses that cause human disease can infect T-lymphocytes and monocytes. A search of the literature shows that monocytosis is often present in cancer and autoimmune disease and that clonal T-cell expansion is present in cancer, autoimmune disease and neuroimmune disease. I have monocytosis and a T-cell clonal expansion and they go up with worsening of my B-cell leukemia and decrease when my leukemia responds to ARVs. The rates of increase and decrease are different for each cell type.

We are at a juncture where we can go forward with these clues or bury the concepts.

My point is that with so many sick people with cancer, autoimmune disease and neuroimmune disease that we have in reality helped minimally, why not go forward? We will not cure these diseases by documenting the presence of a retrovirus and treating the retrovirus, but we will improve quality and quantity of life. This has been my own personal experience with antiretroviral therapy.

My motivations are pure. I am too old to benefit from fame and fortune, although those of you who make the discoveries are likely to reap these rewards. My motivation is to strike a blow against these cruel disease processes that have claimed the lives of my patients, my friends and my family. And of course, I would like to help myself.

I was asked about my personal results that were generated by Dr. Mikovits to whom I gave written consent to publish and post. Her slides are now in the public domain and if you put X Rx and Ottawa into Google, you will go directly to the slides. I assume I am patient 3058 as the graph of my CLL parameters is the next slide. There may be more of my data in other slides, but because of the legal issues I cant discuss it with Dr. Mikovits so I dont really know. If you wish to contact me privately, here is my email: mcs@buffalo.edu.
 

currer

Senior Member
Messages
1,409
Found this on Jamies blog too - I'll put it here to make it more accessible for people.

Michael Snyderman MD said...
There is a virologist at the University of Pittsburgh whom I contacted because the scientist had identified MLRVs in prostate disease. The scientist emailed me that fellow virologists had advised not to do this research and that no journal would be willing to publish positive results. Another prominent researcher who had early positive results with MLRVs confided to me that post-doc fellows were taken off any project related to MLRVs so as to protect their careers.

I find this very frightening for us, meaning people that probably have MLRV related disease. There are a only a very few brave scientists left like Dr. Lipkin willing to continue research to identify a virus.

Michael Snyderman, MD
 

barbc56

Senior Member
Messages
3,657
Found this on Jamies blog too - I'll put it here to make it more accessible for people.

Michael Snyderman MD said...
There is a virologist at the University of Pittsburgh whom I contacted because the scientist had identified MLRVs in prostate disease. The scientist emailed me that fellow virologists had advised not to do this research and that no journal would be willing to publish positive results. Another prominent researcher who had early positive results with MLRVs confided to me that post-doc fellows were taken off any project related to MLRVs so as to protect their careers.

I find this very frightening for us, meaning people that probably have MLRV related disease. There are a only a very few brave scientists left like Dr. Lipkin willing to continue research to identify a virus.

Michael Snyderman, MD

It could also be interpreted that what the virologist said is that no journal would be willing to publish positive results because the positive studies have turned out to be contamination so doing so might be a dead end and thus harmful to your career. It doesn't appear that the theory that we have an MLRV is panning out so it's an avenue some scientest might not want to take.

I think whatever Lipkin finds will be the end of the story or the beginning of a new one. Time will tell.

Barb C. :>)
 

currer

Senior Member
Messages
1,409
I must admit to some misgivings about reposting the statements from Dr Snyderman as people who go to their blog seem to forget that Drs Deckoff-Jones and Snyderman are also sick - just like us - and deserve some consideration and sensitivity because of that - and I am frequently sorry to see they are targeted for attack because of their courage in speaking up.

I would not like to provide another opportunity for this kind of abuse as it is all too frequent on the internet, - I think Dr Snyderman deserves to be treated with respect. I hope everyone will try to self moderate their posts with this in mind.
 

heapsreal

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10,089
Location
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Good on em, they have collegues to help them path the way as well as a good medical brain and hopefully path the way for them and later on us. Good luck to them, i would be dangerous with my own prescription pad, maybe. Plus they also have the advantage of easily getting lab tests done and cementing there ideas.

These guys are the trail blazers for us. Go get em!!

Many docs are held back by not wanting to harm patients, but when the doc is the patients they have that bit more info to way up the positives and negatives i guess. These are the people who will help us??

cheers!!!!
And go for it hammer and tong!
 

barbc56

Senior Member
Messages
3,657
I must admit to some misgivings about reposting the statements from Dr Snyderman as people who go to their blog seem to forget that Drs Deckoff-Jones and Snyderman are also sick - just like us - and deserve some consideration and sensitivity because of that - and I am frequently sorry to see they are targeted for attack because of their courage in speaking up.

I would not like to provide another opportunity for this kind of abuse as it is all too frequent on the internet, - I think Dr Snyderman deserves to be treated with respect. I hope everyone will try to self moderate their posts with this in mind.

I really don't see any comments on this board that seem disrespectful.

We also need to consider that reality is 90% perception.

Many of us are sick but may disagree with Dr. Deckoff Jones as well as Dr. Snyderman. We all, no matter what our opinion deserve some consideration and respect.

Disagreeing with someone is not necessarily disrespect, IMHO.

Barb C. :>)
 

currer

Senior Member
Messages
1,409
You are right alex, I was thinking of the attacks on Jamie's blog, which is unmoderated. I was not referring to barb's post.

On the subject of disagreeing with barb though...I think Dr Snyderman is sensible enough to know his own meaning.
 

barbc56

Senior Member
Messages
3,657
Hi barbc56, on disrespecting these doctors I think currer was referring to other boards than here. Personally I like trail-blazers - they often get it wrong, but they are the ones who make the big discoveries too. Bye, Alex


Alex, what is your definition be of trail blazers. I consider scientiest like Ian Lipkin trail blazors. Maybe your definition is different?