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Studies / Adjunct Research / Antibiotic Therapy for Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis is a Th1 (1) inflammatory disease, like RA, but one which generally affects the whole body. Several research teams have photographed tiny antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the sarcoid granuloma, living within the cells of the immune system. So, while there is dispute over why minocycline is effective in RA, researchers have long suspected that bacteria probably play a role in sarcoidosis. Dr. Trevor Marshall and his colleagues at The Autoimmunity Research Foundation in California surmised that the bacteria were being protected by two hormones: Angiotensin II and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin-D. They found that when Angiotensin II is blocked with an ARB (Angiotensin Receptor Blocker), Herxheimer was reduced and bacteria became more susceptible to antibiotics. Dr. Marshall believes that similar bacteria fuel RA inflammation, and has been testing multi-antibiotic cocktails which seem even more effective than minocycline alone. More information is at:
http://sarcinfo.com/phorum
(1) Many diseases currently described as "autoimmune" are referred to as
type Th1, and viral, fungal and allergic immune responses are generally
type Th2. The difference between Th1 and Th2 is in the profile of cytokines (inflammatory chemicals) which are produced in the inflammation
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