New-fashioned remedy for the flu
By SUE STUART, Staff Writer
Have the flu? Try this, says Dr. David Moskowitz.
GenoMed, a "next generation disease management" company that uses medical genomics to improve patient outcomes, has come up with a unique method for fighting the symptoms of the flu.
Moskowitz, chief medical and executive officer for GenoMed of St. Louis, said Monday that when the body is fighting off the flu there is a buildup of angiotensin II that goes to work fighting the symptoms but can become overwhelming to the body and, paradoxically, cause a worsening of complaints such as body aches, pain and headaches. The blood pressure medicine works to block the angiotensin and slows it down.
"We've found that the use of blood pressure pills (will help the symptoms) and they're safe for kids," Moskowitz said.
People who are suffering from flu symptoms or just want to be prepared for the eventuality may log on to the GenoMed Web site (www.genomedics.com) and download an explanation of the therapy and a consent letter to present to their personal doctors. The user will also be asked to supply an e-mail address so the biotech company can keep track of results of the study.
Moskowitz, who specializes in studying the AIDS virus and treatment for the disease, said the blood pressure medication is a very gentle way of toning down the immune response. He said children are dying from the "huge inflammation" caused by the activation of the angiotensin II.
"Some doctors might say it's the silliest thing they've ever heard, and some might say 'What the heck, it can't hurt you,'" he said.
Dr. Emma Castillo with PrimeCare Physicians in Tarboro said she could not comment on the treatment because she hadn't heard anything about the new treatment.
GenoMed has already tested this patent-pending approach against West Nile virus encephalitis, and, it appears, the people who die are the ones with the most vigorous immune response.
"Our very positive experience with West Nile virus this summer, with lung disease like emphysema and with autoimmune diseases like psoriasis and alopecia since last year have shown us the utility of blocking angiotensin II in immune cell-mediated disease and lung disease in general," Moskowitz said. "We have no special hopes for asthma, yet. We can't prevent everybody from getting sick with the flu, but our treatment does promise to make most people get better much more quickly than doing nothing -- what's called supportive care only."
Moskowitz added it's probably no accident that Colorado is leading the country in flu deaths. Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) in the lung appears to be activated by low oxygen, which everyone at high altitude in Colorado experiences. In Colorado, according to Moskowitz, people's lungs probably already have high angiotensin levels, so their lungs may already be primed to over-react to viruses like the flu virus.
Medical genomics is the study of which genes cause disease. By finding the ones for various common diseases, it may be possible to predict which diseases a person will get in his or her lifetime. dailysoutherner.com |
