Glen:

Alan just asked me "Would Stem Cell therapy help me?" I said "let me go and see if there are any clinical trials done ANYWHERE in NYC".

Didn't have any luck in that department but what I found interesting (and I think I understood one percent of the whole article was that there is SOME interest IN SOME WAY TO BLOCK NGF.

From what I'm reading they are saying that using NGF can treat pain, or it can block pain (extremely confusing).

Anyway, since Methyl B-12 helped ME so much and I explained to Alan, that it's NOT A QUICK fix, but since there is NO MEDICAL help for him at the moment, he can try doing what I do, in the hopes that DOWN THE ROAD, his nerves might regenerate and stop misfiring. He did try the B-12 when I tried it but he stopped in 2 weeks because he saw NO results. I told him "it doesn't work that way".

Might we give this a try in his case? We really have nothing to lose.



So let me get back to that NGF article. Here's a segment from that article: What are your thoughts? (when you have a moment, lol)

"Given the neuroprotective versus algogenic effects of NGF, would NGF itself, or an anti-NGF strategy be of functional use in the treatment of neuropathic pain? The use of NGF itself as a treatment for neuropathic pain may be of benefit because of the pathological conditions associated with the injured nerves. Indeed, a number of studies have observed benefits of NGF treatment on neuropathic pain. However, there is also logic for trying to treat neuropathic pain by blocking the actions of NGF. This theory is justified by the rationale that uninjured fibers have an increased availability of NGF, because they are competing with fewer fibers for any target-derived supply. In addition, reactive Schwann cells in the damaged nerve begin to synthesize large amounts of NGF. Indeed, NGF overexpressing mice display a marked hypersensitivity to both mechanical and thermal stimuli after CCI, suggesting that excess NGF may enhance neuropathic pain behaviors (137). Several groups have therefore tested the use of anti-NGF treatment in models of neuropathic pain. Anti-NGF antibodies are able to delay the development of neuropathic pain behaviors after both CCI (138), and SNL (139). In addition, in a rodent model of spinal cord injury, in which neuropathic pain behaviors developed bilaterally, anti-NGF attenuated both mechanical hyperalgesia and enhanced neuronal responses in the spinal cord (140). Despite the apparent success of anti-NGF treatment observed by a number of groups, neuroprotective effects have been reported using other neurotrophic factors. For example, exogenous glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor administration attenuates both ectopic neuronal firing and neuropathic pain behaviors after SNL (141). It is therefore feasible that a combination of anti-NGF with glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor would have additional efficacy in the treatment of neuropathic pain.

Thanks much
Melody