The Magic Of
BOTOX™
Click on this 3 minute movie link for an
overview of
BOTOX™ Treatment
For Pain
using
The Lamb Program
For Spinal BOTOX™
Many of our readers have asked for news on
this miracle agent they are calling BOTOX™. At four hundred dollars for five
nanograms, BOTOX™
is clearly the most expensive product in the world, weighing in
at well over a trillion dollars per pound!
Allergan, first developed BOTOX™
or botulinum toxin as an experimental orphan drug well over thirty years ago.
One of Allergan's key opthalmological researchers first gave it to monkeys with
strabismus with exciting and relieving results. From the beginning, Allergan has
produced this poisonous drug under the strict supervision of the U.S. Military.
The drug is made at a secret laboratory somewhere in the United States and then
shipped for "bottling" in Ireland. There have been three batches of
BOTOX™
produced over the years- every batch developed being higher in
quality than the last.
Botulinum Toxin or BOTOX™, is produced from anaerobic
cultures creating a long chained toxin. The toxin is made of seven strands named
A, B, C, D, E, F, G. Each strand can block the release of acetylcholine from the nerve
synapse causing muscle paralysis lasting up to three months from Serotype A and
as little as two weeks from Serotype F.
The toxin is bottled in small vials that are carefully
measured to be able to kill 100 mice. Each vial contains one hundred mice units
or 100 units for short. Each batch is specially tested to be certain of its
strength, as errors could pose a problem. Amazingly, Allergan has reduced the
required amount of BOTOX™
over the years to kill 100 mice. In the beginning, 25
nanograms were required to produce 100 mice units, however, Allergan's
technology has allowed for the BOTOX™
amount to be reduced to 5 nanograms. This
is important because the lower amounts of BOTOX™
will allow for more successful
injections without developing immunity.
Unfortunately, BOTOX™
is actually a very sensitive
poison. It is easily denatured or rendered useless by heat or alcohol. This is why
it must be shipped in a very large container and then packed in
ice. It is also why alcohol cannot be used to cleanse the skin or bottle top. It
is also possible to develop immunity to the poison if persistent injections are
needed or performed. Allergan's research clearly demonstrates that lower doses
of BOTOX™
allow a lower immunity rate.
It is also important for those who are injecting or are
being injected with BOTOX™
to understand that there are risks. One risk is also a benefit.
That is to say, BOTOX™
will paralyze the muscle for up to three months or longer.
There is no going back. For example, BOTOX™
for headache may also cause facial or eyelid
drooping, bruising, jaw weakness, headache, neck or back pain or neck and back weakness. These symptoms may last for as long as three months. The moral
of the story is that BOTOX™
is a potentially fantastic treatment for pain, however
there will be some uncharted territories ahead.
The future is in protein-free botulinum
toxin. The future may
also be in the fact that BOTOX™
works both as a carrier and a neurotoxin. The
molecule is composed of a short and long chain. The long chain acts as a carrier
to bring the cleaved short chain into the end of the nerve or presynaptic
ending. Once inside, the molecule splits into a long and short chain. The long
chain does not seem to have an effect. The short chain however, acts upon the nerve
ending to block the release of acetylcholine, the key neurotransmitter for
muscle response.
It is possible that the long chain of
BOTOX™
could be cleaved
with another substance so that nerve treatment could be performed for damaged
nerve endings or in diseases that may respond to nerve ending treatment. As an
example, a form of nerve growth factor could be cleaved to the long chain of
BOTOX™
and then injected into muscle with cut nerve endings (spinal cord
injuries). This could then stimulate nerve regrowth. There are exciting
possibilities ahead!
As always, keep long and
strong.
G. Blair Lamb MD, C.C.F.P.
Pain and Rehabilitation Consultant
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