• 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 (FM), 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.

Why is Equilibriant (Oxymartine) Not Recommended in Patients with Autoimmunity?

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
Dr Chia writes here that Equilibriant is not recommended in patients with autoimmune tendencies.

Do we know why that is?

Yes, because in those with autoimmune tendencies, oxymatrine can trigger an autoimmune condition such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Autoimmune tendency means a strong family history of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, autoimmune thyroiditis (especially Graves disease), multiple sclerosis, and if the patients have joint pain with positive rheumatoid factor and persistently positive ANA.

Source: here.
 
Last edited:

Jesse2233

Senior Member
Messages
1,942
Location
Southern California
Thanks guys, I'll have to check those

Just found out I have high titers for Coxsackie B4, I know you have the same @Hip. Been having chest pains and weird heart beat, seeing the cardiologist on Monday. Should I ask for IVIG to try and clear it early? Only 2.5 months in
 

Jonathan Edwards

"Gibberish"
Messages
5,256
Yes, because in those with autoimmune tendencies, oxymatrine can trigger an autoimmune condition such as rheumatoid arthritis.

I am not aware of a shred of evidence for that. I don't think a serious immunologist would use the term 'autoimmune tendency'. Lupus may present following certain drugs but it is unclear whether this is a causal effect in most cases.

(Also psoriasis is not an autoimmune disease.)
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
I am not aware of a shred of evidence for that.

From Dr Chia's presentation at the 2010 Invest in ME London conference (at 38:10):
1 patient out of 500 actually developed rheumatoid arthritis while taking the immune booster [oxymatrine]. She has a very strong family history of rheumatoid arthritis, and was having severe joint pain even before the herbal treatment, and now she's on treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, and is doing fine.

And it this article, it says:
Autoimmunity and Oxymatrine: (Dr. Chia suggested that patients with autoimmune tendencies should not take Oxymatrine. )

Autoimmune tendency means a strong family history of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, autoimmune thyroiditis (especially Grave’s disease), multiple sclerosis, and if the patients have joint pain with positive rheumatoid factor and persistently positive ANA.

With the use of other potent Chinese herbs and oxymatrine over the last several years, we have seen two patients develop rheumatoid arthritis (presented at the Reno meeting and London IiME, London meeting).

And this article states that oxymatrine:
should not be used in patients with autoimmune tendency or known seizure disorders.

So it seems that Dr Chia is just being cautious about who he prescribes oxymatrine to, in case it might trigger some more cases of rheumatoid arthritis. I guess those cases of rheumatoid arthritis could have been just coincidence, but Chia is being cautious.



I am not aware of a shred of evidence for that. I don't think a serious immunologist would use the term 'autoimmune tendency'.

"Autoimmune tendency" I believe is just being used to mean a strong family history of autoimmune diseases, and/or if the patients have joint pain with positive rheumatoid factor and persistently positive ANA.
 
Last edited:

Jonathan Edwards

"Gibberish"
Messages
5,256
Guess I misremembered. Wikipedia and National Psoriasis Foundation both call it an autoimmune disease. My bad.

It came to be called that by a sort of Chinese Whispers because it seemed to be 'auto' and involved inflammation. But it has never been shown to involve immunity to self in the sense of specific adaptive immunity - which was the original meaning of autoimmunity and the only one that is worth keeping. The genetic predisposition factors involve MHC Class I and tend to point to a flaw in general T cell activation thresholds. The T cells certainly seem busy but there is no indication they are reacting to self antigens.
 

Jonathan Edwards

"Gibberish"
Messages
5,256
"Autoimmune tendency" I believe is just being used to mean a strong family history of autoimmune diseases, and/or if the patients have joint pain with positive rheumatoid factor and persistently positive ANA.

It probably is but the genetic factors are different and work differently for each disease so lumping them together as 'autoimmune tendency' is almost certain to lead to garbage arguments.