Calcium ??

[leteeters]

If some of these drugs are calcium blockers does it help to reduce diary products in the diet? Thanks leteeters.

[georger]

Good thought, but if you starve your body of dietary calcium, then it takes it out of your bones and you risk osteoporosis. I know someone with this and she can break a bone without a fall or other apparent stress.

[leteeters]

So I guess the drugs are just blocking calcium to the muscles?

[Craig Lane]

I'm a bit confused as to why they (Doctors) would use calcium blockers. I understand that TA's are lumps of proteins which would normally be used in calcium uptake and distribution but, these proteins are not lacking elsewhere in the muscle and general blockers could be therefore detrimental. I'm sure there is some logic to it but, I can't work it out.

[georger]

Earl, thanks for initiating this discussion. This is my very poor understanding of the science. These drugs are more correctly known as calcium channel blockers. Their primary use is to reduce blood pressure but they also reduce calcium intake into muscles in general. What's this got to do with TAM? Well the STIM1 gene mutation that has been discovered in at least some forms of TAM encodes the calcium sensor within muscles. One of the last events in a long complicated chain that produces a muscle contraction is the release of Ca++ ions. If you are not sensing calcium correctly, then the action of the muscle is disrupted. High calcium concentrations explain why many TAMites (thanks Craig for that term) get severe cramps. The muscle is locked in contraction by excess calcium and attempts to defend itself by locking it up in TAs which have been described as "sites of calcium accumulation." So some of these drugs can be effective in treating (not curing) some TAMites. In my case spectacularly. I welcome input from anyone who can explain this better.