Bcg Vaccine

It seems that trials are still being conducted:

http://thejdca.org/practical-cure-project-update-bcg/

and we may, once more, be being subjected to a little bit of media-hype as it’s hopeful but not yet certain. It’d be great if repeated BCG did work.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170610134818.htm

There’s a Belgian bio-tech company that’s looking to do trials in Europe (just as we seem to be leaving the EU).

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/201...une-response-in-type-1-diabetes-92725826.html

Helping and triggering

Was just reading about this now after someone told me about it - not sure how credible it is though as the research is quite limited and could be skewed by patients taking better care of themselves generally.

Circuspony said:

Good link. I'd like to be on that trial. I've still got some beta cells working so it would be good to see if it could stop / reverse the decline.

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Look at the article in the newsbot forum, I've posted a link to the science stuff.

Tim2000s has also given an excellent summary in one of the other threads that is discussing this.

EllieM said:

Normally they do a double blind trial so that some of the patients have the vaccine and other don't: neither patients or researchers know whether they've had the vaccine or not.... You then compare results between the two groups at the end of the trial. But a too small sample makes the results unreliable anyway.

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None of the people taking placebos showed any noticeable improvements which is in itself quite interesting.

Here’s the link to the original paper...

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41541-018-0062-8

Interestingly, there is some suggestion that there is some kind of bi-directional symbiotic relationship between tuberculosis and diabetes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5705893/

"TB can lead to impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) [29, 30] and new onset diabetes [9, 18, 29]. Generally, IGT normalizes after the TB has been successfully treated, but it remains a significant risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes in the future [31]."

I found this very interesting as I developed TB myself in my early 30s following a car accident, and realised that the initial infection had lain dormant for around 15 years.

I had the BCG vaccination, and caught TB when I was around 18, obvious later on from looking at the symptoms I had at the time, but unfortunately masked by the BCG when the doctor did a Mantoux test for TB as a last resort - he didn't think I had it as he then relied on a spit test and the TB was already latent elsewhere in the body, so did not show up. After 8 months of treatment I gained a keen understanding of why it is so hard to get people to comply with the drug regimen, leading to drug resistant TB strains - it made me feel so exhausted I couldn't even make myself a cup of tea, and was wiped out for the length of the treatment - it was only when I was able to stop taking the drugs that I realised that it was the drugs that made me feel so bad.

I have just read through the side effects of the drug I was taking for the TB and realised that one of the side effects is hyperglycaemia - which pretty much matches my symptoms while taking it. Ironically I said to my husband that this March I felt the same as I did while on the TB treatment, and now I realise that was because I had very high blood sugars in March just before diagnosis...

I am not suggesting the vaccine is a problem, however the consultant said that it gave herd immunity at best and did not stop people developing TB, it just lessened the chances of catching it. That is probably why they don't routinely vaccinate teenagers now.

Hmm - food for thought...

Hi all,

Apologies for resurrecting such an old post.... but I came across this recent article about Dr Faustman's work with the BCG vaccine:

https://www.healthline.com/diabetesmine/dr-faustmans-controversial-diabetes-cure-research-continues

I am a bit perplexed though...given the findings of the initial studies i.e. using a readily available and proven vaccine results in a reduction in Hb1ac levels after a few months.....why isn't more being done to research the phenomenon?

All I can seem to find is Dr Faustman's work..... nobody else interested?

I appreciate this is not a cure, but surely anything that helps manage long term sugar levels in T1D's is worth pursuing?

Any T1D's here had the vaccine in their past? Either before diagnosis with diabetes or after??

Cheers,
RBG

ratherbegliding said:

Hi all,

Apologies for resurrecting such an old post.... but I came across this recent article about Dr Faustman's work with the BCG vaccine:

https://www.healthline.com/diabetesmine/dr-faustmans-controversial-diabetes-cure-research-continues

I am a bit perplexed though...given the findings of the initial studies i.e. using a readily available and proven vaccine results in a reduction in Hb1ac levels after a few months.....why isn't more being done to research the phenomenon?

All I can seem to find is Dr Faustman's work..... nobody else interested?

I appreciate this is not a cure, but surely anything that helps manage long term sugar levels in T1D's is worth pursuing?

Any T1D's here had the vaccine in their past? Either before diagnosis with diabetes or after??

Cheers,
RBG

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I had my BCG Vaccination for work purposes about 4 weeks ago now, I'm interested in what my HbA1c will look like now. I have an appointment next week but that might be too early to notice any changes.

Flowertown said:

I had my BCG Vaccination for work purposes about 4 weeks ago now, I'm interested in what my HbA1c will look like now. I have an appointment next week but that might be too early to notice any changes.

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What are the work purposes? If you don't mind me asking